Latest from Books

Peta's intimate investiture
Peta Mathias may wear a medal on her chest but the vibrant author, chef and television presenter still doesn't cast a shadow on her mum.

Investiture ceremony for Peta Mathias today
An investiture ceremony for author, chef and television presenter Peta Mathias will be held at Government House in Auckland today.

Why we can't shelve the libraries
They installed a new self-checkout machine at my local library. It happened in October but I noticed it only a few weeks ago.

Armstrong bio readers want money back
Disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong is facing a class-action lawsuit from readers of his autobiography who want their money back after his doping confession.

Book Review: Civilisation - Twenty Places On The Edge Of The World
Steve Braunias' collection of travel essays on 'places no one went to' is pure gold.

Book Review: Travels with Epicurus
If you really want to know about Epicurus, this isn't the book.

Book Depository says sorry after delays
The Book Depository has apologised to its New Zealand customers for "unacceptable" delays that saw many receive orders only days before Christmas.

Cult dating book's makeover
The book that had 1990s women playing it cool has a new look. Look out, boys, says Harriet Walker

Books: Food for thought
Recipes from around the world never fail to entrance, whether you are a keen home cook or prefer to pore over the beautiful photos.

Fifty Shades: The musical
50 Shades! The Musical, which provides a satirical twist on the best-selling novels, has already enjoyed a hit run at Chicago's Apollo Theatre.

Blog: Adapting the unfilmable Life of Pi
Film blogger Dominic Corry talks to Life of Pi screenwriter David Magee about adapting an "unfilmable" book for the screen.

The chef recommends...
It may be a better guide to eating out than how busy the restaurant is - where do our top chefs choose to go for a meal?

Flavours of an ancient city (+recipes)
A new cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi unites their culinary memories from their shared historic home city of Jerusalem.

Suspect 'a bully who went mental'
The one-armed man touted as a new suspect in the murder of two Swedish tourists was feared to have killed two other people, the Herald has been told.

How to pick your cooks' book
The superstar cookery writers of Britain have had a stellar year with Jamie, Nigel, Nigella, Hugh and Gordon all popping out a new book (and, naturally, the telly show coming to a screen soon).

Diplomatic wives' tales
When plans to slash $25 million from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade's budget emerged early last year, Joanna Woods' book Diplomatic Ladies suddenly became a lot more topical.

Twelve Questions: Elliot Erwitt
1. Of all the high-profile people you've photographed, who least resembles the popular perception of them?