Joe Bennett makes an elegant entry to fiction writing with King Rich.
King Rich
By Joe Bennett (HarperCollins)
Columnist and author Joe Bennett's first pop at fiction is assured and original. King Rich is part of a growing body of stories inspired and informed by the Christchurch earthquake. It is based partly on a story that Lyttelton-dweller Bennett heard in a pub about a a man who was living in a condemned luxury hotel in the red zone. In Bennett's story that man is Richard, a down-on-his-luck alcoholic who is availing himself of the contents of mini bars and the towelling bathrobes. Meanwhile on the other side of the world, a New Zealander called Annie is watching the disaster unfold on television and wondering what has happened to the estranged father she hasn't seen in years. Annie returns to Christchurch to search for her dad. Richard's health declines. The link between the two is obvious but Annie uncovers details of her father's past that explain so much about what went wrong in her childhood. Bennett sometimes seems to step away from the story and address the reader but this is a minor flaw in an otherwise elegantly executed piece of writing.
Big Magic
By Elizabeth Gilbert (Bloomsbury)
A lot of self-help books seem to witter on endlessly but never help. This one provides useful nuggets for those who are interested in being more creative in any aspect of their lives, especially with writing. Elizabeth Gilbert is the author of the best-selling phenomenon Eat, Pray, Love and she also writes fiction that has been less well read. In Big Magic she describes how success and money have never been the drivers for her creativity. She has an interesting take on the concept of ideas and where they come from, is motivating and straight-talking and although occasionally there is too much of the Pollyanna going on, it is hard to argue with a lot of what she says about approaching creativity as a vocation. Gilbert has never been shy of sharing personal stuff in her memoir-writing and in Big Magic she is open about her own creative struggles and imperfections. Anyone putting off a project will find wisdom and advice.
Humans Of New York: Stories
By Brandon Stanton (Macmillan)
Humans Of New York started as a blog. That spawned a bestselling book and this is the follow-up. All are the work of photographer Brandon Stanton, who in 2010 decided to embark on a photographic census of New York. He began asking the strangers he photographed on the street to share their stories and the result was a series of random but fascinating snapshots of people and their lives. The blog now has 15 million followers. People say the oddest, funniest, saddest, most intimate things to Stanton and in book-form, too, it is completely addictive.
Simple Salads: Fresh and Easy Seasonal Salads
By Penny Oliver (Penguin Random House)
Bring-a-plate can be an anxiety-inducing invitation. With the barbecues of summer approaching, Kiwi food writer Penny Oliver's little book of salads may stave off a lot of stress. There are tempting things to do with lettuce - like crisp iceberg wedges with feta dressing - as well as more robust salads packed with grains, pulses or pasta, and some with meat or fish that are meals in themselves. There is nothing terribly fancy going on here but if you're sick of stock-standard vinaigrette there are heaps of livelier ideas for dressings. Dishes are healthy without making a big deal of it and there are suggestions to keep you going year-round.
Where My Heart Used to Beat
By Sebastian Faulks (Hutchinson)
It's difficult to think of a modern writer who is more capable, within the space of a few sentences, of being whimsical, funny and devastating than Sebastian Faulks. In Where My Heart Used to Beat Faulks revisits some of his favourite ideas: the wounds of war, tricks of memory, loss of innocence and a waning of faith in humanity. Which sounds tedious and exhausting and there are times when you won't love protagonist Robert Hendricks. We meet him, fleeing 80s New York after a seedy encounter with a prostitute. He arrives back in England to an invitation from Alexander Pereira, a man who claims he met Hendricks' father and who offers him a job of sorts as his literary executor. The plot meanders, sometimes tiresomely so, but be patient. By the end, you may have been dangerously close to giving up, but you'll be glad you persevered as Faulks demonstrates his master touch at tying everything into a genuinely moving finish.
&bulll; Review by journalist Kerri Jackson.
A Scottish Year
By Tania McCartney and Tina Snerling (EK Books)
Children's book duo Tania McCartney (author and founder of the Kids' Book Review website) and illustrator Tina Snerling knew they were on to a good thing when they published An Aussie Year, detailing the lives of Australian children. Now, they've followed up the winning formula with A Scottish Year and An English Year. These are the perfect gifts to give children with any connection to these countries - perhaps an English auntie or a Scottish grandmother - and for children moving to these countries, who wonder what they will be doing during the year compared to their life in New Zealand. The illustrations and text are busy on the page and feature food, activities, traditions and seasonal happenings in each country. My 6-year-old daughter is fascinated by the books - they seem to open up a whole new world for her to think about. Collect them all.
• Review by journalist and author Danielle Wright.
I've been enjoying Women Writers, Women's Books, an online literary magazine by and about contemporary women writers. It mixes essays about writing with publishing advice, recommended reads and interviews and has plenty of reading. Go to booksbywomen.org
Sarah J. Maas is the author of The Throne Of Glass series. She will be appearing at Auckland's Central Library on November 8. For a free ticket, email Erika.Soeterik@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
The book I love most is ... Anything by Sharon Shinn. She is the queen of romantic fantasy.
The book I'm reading right now is ... The manuscript for the sequel to A Court of Thorns And Roses (I'm in the middle of revising the book with my editor).
The book I'd like to read next is ... Nalini Singh's Archangel's Enigma.
My favourite bookshop is ... Books of Wonder in New York City.
The book that changed me is ... Robin McKinley's The Hero And The Crown or Garth Nix's Sabriel. I read both when I was 12 and they gave me the writing bug and made me want to write female-driven fantasy.
The book I wish I'd never read is ... None. Even if I don't care for a book, sometimes the reasons I didn't care for it teach me just as much as books I adore.
See performances from talented up-and-coming musicians around the country.