Staying home this weekend? Here are eight amazing new titles that will keep you entertained!
BLOOD ON VINES, Madeleine Eskedahl
The usually peaceful setting of Matakana is thrown into disarray when a severed hand is found under a house. It isn’t too long before the body is found elsewhere and someone else gets murdered. What do the past actions of a small group of friends have to do with the murders and who will be next?
This book is a slow burner but it’s a good tale of revenge.
THE INVISIBLE SENTENCE: A FASCINATING MEMOIR FROM THE WIFE OF A PRISONER AND HOW HER FAMILY SURVIVED OUTSIDE THE PRISON WIRE,
Verna McFelin
Verna McFelin and her four children have their lives turned upside down when her husband is arrested and sentenced to 11 years in prison following the kidnapping of Gloria Kong in Ōamaru in 1983. Verna soon learns that families also serve their own invisible sentences outside the wire as they are subjected to bureaucratic indifference, trauma, hardship, bullying and shame.Verna finds strength in adversity and, through her faith, carries on and creates Pillars – a charity that advocates for the rights of children of prisoners.
Verna finds strength in adversity and, through her faith, carries on and creates Pillars – a charity that advocates for the rights of children of prisoners.
FOOD FOR THE SOUL, Lucy Lord
Whether you have 15 minutes or an hour to spend in the kitchen, Lucy Lord’s cookbook offers over 80 easy-to-follow recipes that aim to reignite your love of cooking. There’s a good mix of savoury and sweet options – the Slow-cooker pulled barbecue chicken sliders and Fluffy lemon ricotta pancakes I whipped up are both divine.
FOLDED, Tina Clough
Tina Clough’s latest book once again features Hunter Grant and Dao – a now-married couple adept at solving crimes.
Origami shapes are randomly dropped from an apartment window in Auckland and on closer inspection reveal tiny writing with pleas for help. A physics text book follows. Then the woman who has found them abruptly resigns from her job and disappears. The police are slow to react so Hunter Grant and Dao reluctantly become involved but quickly find themselves blocked by Inspector Bakker, who takes exception to their involvement.
A great weekend read.
PRAGUE IN MY BONES: A MEMOIR, Jindra Tichy
Born in Czechoslovakia in 1937, Jindra Tichy experienced the deprivations of war and saw how lives were changed. From the Prague Uprising of 1944 through to post-war Czechoslovakia and the harsh communist regime, Jindra gives a compelling account of her life under repressive rule and the subsequent pain of escaping her homeland when Soviet troops invaded in 1968. Forced to flee, Jindra and her young son Peter were on the last train to leave before the border was closed.
Joining her husband, Pavel, in England, she struggled to learn English but slowly regained her confidence and competence with the help of Jane Austin’s Emma. When Pavel was offered a post at Otago University she found herself uprooted once again but eventually became a lecturer at the university. Dunedin has been her home ever since.
It was only after the Czech Velvet Revolution of 1989 that Jindra was finally able to return to Prague for a visit.
MENTAL FITNESS: BUILD YOUR MIND FOR STRENGTH AND RESILIENCE EVERY DAY, Dr Paul Wood
At 18, Paul Wood was in prison, but now, as a doctor of psychology, he uses his journey to illustrate the process of transformational change and how we can become the best versions of ourselves.
The book provides deep insights and practical techniques to build our capacity to flourish through stress and adversity, cope under pressure, be happier with our lives, and develop habits that help us strive towards our potential and feel strong and resilient everyday – no matter what comes our way.
THE CAMBRIDGE CODE: ONE SIMPLE TEST TO UNCOVER WHO YOU ARE, Dr Emma Loveridge and Dr Curly Moloney
This book provides insight into your psychological profile, your innate preferences and traits in clear, easy-to-follow language. The guide includes exclusive access to a thirty-minute quiz that provides you with an instant profile of your subconscious – the DNA of your mind – and reveals the unconscious drivers that shape your daily thoughts, reactions, desires and choices. The results of the quiz will allow you to focus on areas that may need improvement or support.
WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU? Bruce D Perry and Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey and renowned brain development and trauma expert Dr Bruce Perry discuss the impact of trauma and adverse experiences, and how healing must begin with a shift to asking, ‘what happened to you?’ rather than, ‘what’s wrong with you?’
This simple change in perspective can open up a new understanding for millions about why we do the things we do, why we are the way we are, and provides a path for repairing relationships, overcoming challenges and ultimately living a more fulfilling and better life.