business in brief hergreat reads Here's a quick look at some of our top picks for reads this month:
Revenge Sharon Osbourne Hachette
New
Zealand, $39.99 Amber and Chelsea Stone are sisters who share the same dream – huge, global fame. As children they were close, but success
has pulled them apart. Both have the looks, the talent and the star quality, but only one has the ruthless ambition to make it to the very top. And she will stop at nothing to get what she wants.
The Promise Lesley Pearse Penguin Group (NZ), $37 London, 1914. Belle Reilly finally has the life she's dreamed of thanks to a devoted husband in Jimmy and the hat shop
she's wanted to own since she was a child. But as the storm clouds of World War One begin to gather, Belle's already turbulent life is to change in ways she never imagined possible. When Jimmy enlists in the army and leaves for the battlefields of Ypres, her world is shattered and she realises she can no longer stand by and watch, she must volunteer to help the wounded. But her work as a Red Cross ambulance driver in France throws her into the path of Etienne, the enigmatic man who played a significant role in her childhood, and Belle finds herself torn agonisingly between forbidden passion and loyalty to a good man. But the past returns to haunt her present in other more unpleasant ways, and Belle's character is put to the test like never before. Can she survive this most brutal of wars
with her spirit intact? And will destiny finally lead her to lasting happiness even while war rages all around?
T r a pp e d: Remarkable Stories of Survival from the 2011 Canterbury Earthquake Martin van Beynen Penguin Group (NZ), $35 The Canterbury earthquake February
of 2011
altered the landscape, history, and most importantly, human lives. Many perished and the lives of thousands were upended. In Trapped, Martin van Beynen documents, with sensitivity and unerring detail, the personal experiences of more than 30 quake survivors, before, during and after the event, in their own words. At once poignant, dramatic and enthralling, their stories record a defining moment in Canterbury's history and testify to the courage and heroism of everyday people.
The Great New Zealand Cafe Matthew Hawke, Niki Grennell New Holland Publishers, $34.99 Armed
only with a list of
recommended cafés, Mathew Hawke and Niki Grennell set off on a three-month odyssey to visit and sample the coffee culture of character cafés the length and breadth of New Zealand. Illustrated throughout with colour photographs and a lively text design, this book can be dipped into at random or read as a journey from one café to the next. Particularly good food options are noted, and recipes of signature dishes from cafés are included. Travel notes and text breakouts identify scenic
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attractions and highlights for both children and adults along the way.
The Girl's Guide to DIY Jo Behari and Alison Winfield-Chislett New
Holland Publishers, $39.99
This is the ultimate reference guide for
doing your own household repairs and simple renovations. Aimed at modern girls who want to improve their homes without calling in a professional (or getting a man to help them), it covers all the basics, from preparing surfaces for painting and papering, using power tools with ease, choosing the right materials and simple plumbing. Full of expert advice, this handbook will provide those interested in home improvements – or those wanting to increase the value of a property for resale – with the basic DIY skills and guidance to get the job done.
Living in Greece Barbara and René Stoeltie Taschen, $34.99 Barbara and René Stoeltie
bring
you yet another excursion to the best
of the world's country homes – this time to the mythical land of Greece. Go island hopping with the Stoelties and discover the best of Greece's hidden treats, such as the hilltop vacation house of Robert Browning, descendent of the English poet, in Hydra, a stunning 18th century Turkish-Greek palace, the former residence of a Turkish governor, now inhabited by a farmer and his family, on the Argo-Saronic Islands, and the cozy, romantic home of Onassis' ex-pilot, Basile Touloumtzoglou and his wife, Tilly.
