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My first Book Watch column for 2012

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Jan 192012

Originally published in the New Zealand Herald on Sunday, 15 January 2012. Reproduced here courtesy of the NZ Herald. Snuff By Terry Pratchett (Doubleday, $55) Long time readers of my blog know well my fondness for Sir Terry Pratchett, so it will come as no surprise that I loved Snuff. Pratchett returns us to the City Watch of Ankh Morpork, and more specifically to Commander Sam Vimes who is about to go on holiday. Vimes isn’t much good at holidays, however, so it’s just as well that crime seems to follow him, wherever he goes. Sam Vimes has become a complex, admirable and likeable character, and I’d venture to say one of the best in modern writing. Pratchett never disappoints. The Glass Harmonica – a sensualist’s tale By Dorothee E. Kocks (Rosa Mira, $11, ebook) Music, love, virtue, sex, desire – it all comes together in The Glass Harmonica, a [...read more...]

Book Review: Ruby Blues by Jessica Rudd

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Jan 012012

Ruby Blues by Jessica Rudd, Text Publishing, RRP $37, ISBN 9781921758560, Available now. Funny. Smart. Exhausting. Ruby Blues starts with a bang (ah-ha, pun) and keeps an incredible momentum. How did Jessica Rudd managed to write a story with this much pace and not go mad? Well, her Dad is an Aussie ex-PM (yes, that Rudd), I guess. My lovely Henchperson Rachel reviewed Campaign Ruby (the prior “Ruby” book) and found it oddly ambiguous (ridiculous plot, good book), so when I saw this title coming out I couldn’t resist trying this one myself. And, true to good Henchperson form, Rachel’s summing up of Campaign Ruby still applies here: ridiculous plot, good book. The plot is a total blast from go to whoa, literally hurtling from Canberra to Melbourne to New York, with several love interests, blackmail, political suicide, political resurrection, Twitter, childbirth and an intern character who is so “right now” it [...read more...]

2011: A Year in Books

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Dec 302011

My picks for the best books I’ve read this year (in order of “how I found the links on the site”): Snuff by Terry Pratchett and I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett: I’ll get these out of the way first. Read the reviews. ‘Nuff said. The Tiny Wife by Andrew Kaufman: So much whimsy in such a little, beautiful, wonderful book. The Fly Papers Book One: The Flytrap Snaps by Johanna Knox, Illustrated by Sabrina Malcolm: Great NZ writing for kids, with an original story and a sense of fun. Tupaia: The Remarkable Story of Captain Cook’s Polynesian Navigator by Joan Druett: Highly readable history combined with serious non-fiction and a load of research. La Rochelle’s Road by Tanya Moir: Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. NZ to its core with a fascinating story. The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan: Literature with blood and guts. Funny and immensely well-written. Help! How to Become Slightly [...read more...]

Book Review: 21st Century Dodos by Steve Stack

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Dec 232011

Book Review: 21st Century Dodos by Steve Stack

21st Century Dodos : A Collection of Endangered Objects (and Other Stuff) by Steve Stack, The Friday Project (Harper Collins NZ), RRP $26.99 or 99p as an ebook from Amazon.co.uk, ISBN 9781906321734, Available now. You may remember Steve Stack from such guest posts as Guest Post: Steve Stack on Copyright Pages, and uh… that’s it actually. So you know he’s funny. Because you read the post, right? Lucky little readers are us then, because the funny Mr Stack also writes books! And this is his newest endeavour… an endangered list for inanimate objects (and ideas). Of course, it’s much more than just a list, it’s a pleasant jaunt down memory lane. Particularly if you were a 70s or 80s child. Mix tapes? BASIC? Computer tapes? Teletext? Intermission? Cap guns? If any of these things mean anything to you, you’ll enjoy 21st Century Dodos’ journey with these stops and more along the way! [...read more...]

Three Short Book Reviews – History, Loudmouths and More History

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Dec 072011

Three Short Book Reviews - History, Loudmouths and More History

Three books that have passed over my desk recently and I have passed my eyes over recently… with varying results. People, People, People : A Brief History of New Zealand by Stevan Eldred-Grigg, Bateman Publishing, RRP $24.99, ISBN 9781869538132, Available now. A short and well-produced history of New Zealand, the best part of People, People, People is by far the excellent selection of illustrations, paintings, and photos. The text is aimed at younger students or international students but I’m not sure how well the book will fare in that sector, considering the fairly obvious political bias at work (not surprising with Eldred-Grigg – you get what you get). Does what it says on the cover and does it well. The Two of Me by John Dybvig, Hurricane Press, RRP $29.99, ISBN 9780986468445, Available now. Both publisher and author clearly know the public’s opinion of the subject of The Two of [...read more...]

Book Review: Snuff by Terry Pratchett

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Nov 292011

Snuff by Terry Pratchett, Doubleday, RRP $55, ISBN 9780385619264, Available now. Every new Discworld book is a cause for rejoicing. When I am old and infirm I will read nothing but Discworld, or possibly listen to them depending on the state of my health. Snuff is the 39th Discworld novel (yes, you read that right, 39th) and it returns us once again to Commander Sam Vimes of the Ankh Morpork City Watch. Sam is out of his element in Snuff, however, because he’s on holiday. But this is Sam Vimes, people. And Sam Vimes does not do holidays. Strange things are afoot in the countryside, and I’m not just talking about the locals or the turkeys. And if there’s one thing that Vimes does well, it’s chase crime and bring criminals to justice. Unseen Academicals introduced us to the Discworld version of orcs and Pratchett continues that in Snuff, featuring goblins [...read more...]

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