Latest from Books

Let me give you some advice ...
The proliferation of household focused magazines has brought housekeeping professionalism to the fore.

Travel book: <i>Rotorua: Stories Behind the Scenery</i>
The striking photos of geothermal activity and scenery in this 64-page booklet certainly make you want to go to Rotorua.

In the vein of Dracula
Stephen Jewell talks to director-turned-writer Guillermo Del Toro about his life post Middle-earth and the newly released second part of his spine-chilling vampire trilogy.

Book Review: Minding Frankie
Maeve Binchy does it again. After more than 20 novels, novellas and short story collections, and at an age when some writers have trouble staying current, Binchy has pulled off yet another thoughtful yet undemanding story that will delight.

When shorter is sweeter
Jonathan Franzen, Tony Blair and Ken Follett are all guilty of crimes against brevity, writes Robert McCrum.

Book Review: Saraswati Park
Set in Mumbai, Saraswati Park is a vivid portrait of intergenerational family dynamics in an ever-changing, modern day India.

Author stands by claim of father's affair with MP
Jock McLean is sticking to his claim that his late father - sportswriter Sir Terry McLean - had an affair with a South African MP.

Book Review: Mary Ann in Autumn: A Tales of the City Novel
Way back in the 1980s I was addicted to Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City novels.

Success: Publishers in a class of their own
Making teachers' lives easier is the mantra for Invercargill company.

Parky's perspective
Chat-show supremo Sir Michael Parkinson pays tribute to guests but despairs at TV's descent into mediocrity.

Buon appetito (+recipe)
Celebrity chef Gino D'Acampo shares his recipes of Italian food like Mama used to make in his new book.

New York hot shot
New Zealander Henry Hargreaves is an ex-model making a name for himself in the Big Apple with a book celebrating breasts.

Royal wedding books set to hit shelves
The hype over the publication of a royal wedding biography nearly matches the fervour accompanying the event itself.

Book Review: <i>Shakespeare's Hamlet</i>
Nicki Greenberg loves Shakespeare, she "gets" Shakespeare, and she has done something wondrous with him, a thing I have never seen done before.

Book Review: <i>On Life, Death And Breakfast</i>
Move over Bridget, it's the blokes' turn.

Fine dining: A work of art (+recipes)
Wellington chef Martin Bosley's new book is a work of art. He explains to Kerri Jackson why he couldn't have done it five years ago.

Book Review: <i>Ethan Grout</i>
David Hill reviews two new Australian novels depicting two very different sides of modern life.

Book Review: <i>Hand Me Down World</i>
It is a tricky little bugger of a book this one. Distant, confusing and perhaps a little cliched in parts, it is also compelling, subtle and maybe even brilliant.

Fine lines between pleasure and pain
Israeli David Grossman tells Helen Brown how writing helps him cope with grief.

The taste of Asia (+recipe)
Melbourne restaurant Red Spice Road has released a cookbook modernising age-old Asian dishes.

Book Review: <i>Kehua!</i>
The book that has everything, Kehua! offers murder, adultery, incest (and plenty of it), redemption and ghosts.

Book Review: <i>The Hut Builder</i>
With this review I want to declare two biases. I am a big fan of Laurence Fearnley’s writing and particularly loved Edwin + Matilda.