With a long weekend coming up, it’s time to settle into some good reading. We’ve reviewed a variety of genres for you below.
By the Green of the Spring, Paddy Richardson
The standalone sequel to Through the Lonesome Dark continues the story of Pansy Williams, Otto Bader and Clem Bright and explores the turbulent period of New Zealand’s history through the eyes of Otto and Lena, Pansy’s daughter.
Dunedin writer Paddy Richardson opens the historical novel in the small mining town of Blackball on the West Coast. Otto and Pansy are madly in love and plan to spend their lives together, have a family and grow old… until the First World War changes their lives forever.
Although Otto is a New Zealander he is of German descent and rounded up with other ‘aliens’ to endure the war interned as an enemy alien on Somes Island in Wellington Harbour. To show the absurdity of this plan, midway through a tour of New Zealand, a 12-man Bavarian band was gathered up and sent to the island! The harshness and brutality by those in charge is hard to read and it’s sad to think this actually happened. I think it is an important period of history that more New Zealanders should be made aware of.
Pansy, pregnant, marries good, kind Clem, and gives birth to Lena who only meets him when he returns from the war, physically damaged and psychologically harmed.
The story is beautifully written and is compelling and tragic. I couldn’t put the book down.
The Cereal Entrepreneur, Kaz Staples
I enjoy memoirs that speak of determination and inspiration to follow one’s dreams and Kaz Staples’ journey delivers in spades.
The Cereal Entrepreneur is New Zealander Kaz Staples’ memoir of setting up Puredelish, a highly successful cereal and snack brand which you probably have seen on the supermarket shelves. It’s a personal and honest account of the trials and tribulations that she went through to achieve her dream.
Her business started on her kitchen bench where, as a cash-strapped mum, she made Christmas cakes. At times working three jobs at once, Kaz pursued her dream until eventually Puredelish became a market-leading brand. She eventually sold the business after 22 years.
Kaz also shares her love of Cross-Fit, her battle with an eating disorder, how cancer has affected her family and took the life of her best friend, and how she faced her own battles with cancer.
Among numerous awards, in May 2019, Kaz received an Order of Merit at Government House in Auckland for her ‘services to the food industry’.
This is not a ‘how to’ book but rather an honest account of her journey and how she navigated through the challenges of starting and growing her business. She defied the odds and shares what she learned along the way.
Double or Nothing, Kim Sherwood
With Kim Sherwood’s Double or Nothing, the Ian Fleming estate has taken a risk with the book franchise by allowing James Bond to become a secondary character in his own series.
With the famous 007 missing, and plenty of other 00s on the scene, the entertaining spy story is a new and different take on Bond. I did, however, find it hard to keep up with all the characters and the storyline and, as I prefer ‘classic Bond’, I’m not sure I’ll be reading any potential sequels. It would probably make for an interesting movie though!
A Recipe for Family, Tori Haschka
Stella is juggling a full-time job, her husband is often away, her stepdaughter doesn’t make things easy for her and she has a persistent four-year-old. All this, while trying to integrate into her spouse’s shiny world. Joining the throng of local mothers, she reluctantly hires an au pair in the hope that it will lighten the load.
Stella’s mother-in-law, Elise, is an industrial chemist and staunch feminist, and thinks an au pair is a bad idea. But she’s promised her son not to meddle, has her own career battles to slay and ghosts of her own past to contend with.
For Ava, life in Sydney as an au pair could help fill the void left by the loss of her mother. With her family recipes in her hand and hope in her heart, she sets off to reinvent herself in a place far away.
Three women, drawn together by impossible circumstances, will discover that the greatest comfort can often be found in tragedies, life events and family secrets.
Sydney-based author, Tori Haschka gives insight into a group of upper middle class families and presents a variety of themes– ageism, alcohol misuse, the perils of social media, fitting in and poor behaviour from husbands. The story includes threads in a local Facebook parents’ group where mums – often under an anonymous guise (although everyone knew who the posters are) – ask for advice. I’m sure many mums will relate to this and have a bit of a chuckle.
The story reveals flawed women trying to appear they have it all together and that the public face we show is often different to others’ perceptions. It’s also about how food connects us and assumptions divide us and how true family can come from family where you least expect it.
