|
|
|
|
Book Reviews
How to Lose Friends and Infuriate Lovers
 Jonar Nader Plutonium $39.99 If love conquers all, what conquers love? All of us yearn for affection. We ache for intimacy. We pine for solace. We burn for love. Indeed, love can be baffling and tormenting. The world’s troubles would lift and drift, if those whom we loved could love us in return. This book is for lovers and those who infuriate them. It is for those who have never been loved, or who have loved too much. It is for those who have never been hurt, or who have cried in the dark. It is for those who have never uttered the three magic words, those who have never heard them or those who have no words left – thanks to friends who have no idea how destructive their indifference can be. Jonar Nader will blast a few volts into your love life. If you’re lucky, you might be the one to be zapped. 101 Ways to Sell More of Anything to Anyone  Andrew Griffiths Allen & Unwin RRP $29.99 Remember when you could go into a shop and the assistants actually knew about the products they were selling? How many times have you been frustrated beyond belief because you have had to chase the salesperson who is supposed to be helping you? When was the last time you were impressed with the level of service you received? Customers want and demand better service and that means better sales skills. 101 Ways to Sell More of Anything to Anyone will help anyone improve their sales skills. Rather than gimmicky ideas, slick sales spiel or fast-talking techniques to fleece customers, however, this book goes back to the solid values of selling, which are now more important than ever. Improve your business and increase your profits with this simple and practical guide to improving communication with your customers, which can be used to improve sales in any situation.  Discovering New Business Opportunities John W. English and Babette Moate Allen & Unwin RRP $39.99 Looking for a new idea that you can turn into a business? Already have an idea that might work? About to take the plunge and want to road test your idea? Discovering New Business Opportunities shows you how to uncover new business ideas and how to decide which ones are worth pursuing. This book is the boot camp for new business ideas with scores of tips to help you: * look for new business opportunities * Identify a viable market * anticipate the risks * build a business model * validate commercial potential * develop a start-up strategy. From the acknowledged expert on setting up and running a small business, a practical and very useful guide to finding new business opportunities and evaluating them for their commercial potential.  Because We’re Worth it: A 'Where to From Here' for Today's Working Gill South Penguin RRP: $40.00 Every day mothers are making important decisions about whether or not to return to paid work. For many, working outside the home – either part time or full time – is a financial necessity. For others, their work is part of their identity and their self worth. The choice to work has little to do with money. As they see it, their career and their family are twin passions they simply can't do without. Because We're Worth It takes a close look at the changing workplace, which is under increasing pressure to offer all workers more flexibility. It encourages women to be braver about requesting a better deal both at work and at home, and to put a real value on their contribution both to their employers and to the wider economy. Timely, practical and full of personal anecdotes from working mothers in New Zealand and Australia, Gill South puts forward a strong case for why women should work on developing their careers while managing a family The answer is simple: because we're worth it.  Nudge: Improving decisions about health, wealth and happiness Richard H Thaler and Cass R Sunstein Penguin RRP: $30.00 Nudge is the book that changes the way we think about choice, showing how we can influence people; improving decisions about health, wealth and happiness. Using eye-opening, real-life examples, Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein show that no choice is ever presented in a neutral way. The question is: when do we need a ‘nudge’ in the right direction? The Complete KiwiSaver  Mary Holm Random House RRP: $29.99 This new book includes: The best of both earlier books, updated to include the changes made by the National-led Government – which has opened up the scheme to thousands more New Zealanders. Details of three interesting new providers, plus new features offered by all the providers. Updates to reflect changes in the financial world. Advice on how to keep track of what's happening in your KiwiSaver account, and on what to do if the records don't look right. Information from the government's first annual report on KiwiSaver. Answers to many questions and concerns expressed by readers of my columns and people attending my seminars. Creative new ideas – from many New Zealanders – on how people in different situations can make KiwiSaver work best for them, whilst keeping risk to a minimum. Winning the Money War  Johnson/Johnson Random House RRP: $27.99 The Money Man show was one of the highest rating reality shows on TV during 2007. A second series is scheduled for out now, perfect timing for this book, which brings together the Money Man's take-no-prisoners, parade-ground tactics with easy to digest, and then apply, financial advice. Winning the Money War is accessible, brightly packaged, engaging and packed with information for people who have money burning holes in their pockets and need to get their financial issues sorted. The Last Adventure of Life  Inspiring approaches to living and dying Maria Hoaglund Finch Publishing RRP $29.95 This collection of sacred and inspirational writings is for anyone who is interested in exploring new ways to view spirituality and the end of life – whether they are facing death themselves or caring for loved ones who are ill, grieving or preparing to die. The author, Maria Hoagland, a hospice counsellor, writes: ‘Many people wait until the last minutes of life to talk about death. I have come to see that talking, reading and thinking about one’s death – even visualising it – can be one of the most rewarding experiences of a lifetime. Facing the reality of death can be a catalyst to help us let go of our fears and live more fully in the present moment.’ Hospice work supports the dying person through the final months of their lives. This book is drawn from Maria Hoagland’s collection of sacred, inspirational and transformative material collected during ten years as a hospice counsellor. Now, she is sharing it with others. Take 5 –Top Tips  Here it is – your ultimate guide to an organised home – and all thanks to the tried and tested top tips of householders right around Australia. Take 5 magazine readers have shared their handy hints on: cleaning, stain removing, polishing, cooking, storing and looking after your shoes and clothes storage, caring for your keepsakes, sorting your garden and much, much more. It’s all presented here in an easy-to-use, room-by-room guide, which will have your home sparkling and you smiling. Many of the tips show you how to use environmentally-friendly substances – notably vinegar and bicarbonate of soda. Most importantly, it’s all done on a budget using everyday items, so you won’t be splashing out unnecessary cash. We’re sure this will be a book you’ll use again and again and again! You Sexy Mother  A life-changing approach to motherhood By Jodie Hedley-Ward Exisle, $34.99 Somewhere, somehow, in a storm of feminism and corporate ladder climbing, motherhood became devalued. As a society, and as women, we are so often critical of other mums and of ourselves. We try to do it all and be super-women, rejecting offers of help and support and then wondering why we feel tired, guilty, stressed and even depressed. Motherhood, argues Jodie Hedley-Ward, author of new book You Sexy Mother, should be reinvented in our modern society. No longer are women required to be martyrs; no longer is the woman’s place in the home and never before have so many options been open to us. Whether you take six weeks or six years off to raise your children, Jodie believes that you can make the most of your new-found ‘free time’ to embrace new and exciting life changes — and she argues that this is the best possible way to be a positive and inspirational role model to your own family. You Sexy Mother offers sensible advice on self perception, self respect, the importance of relationships, creativity through motherhood and making use of community resources – and concludes with a transformational 10-day turnaround plan. The 10-Day Turnaround Plan is a fast-track programme designed to create explosive positive change and set women on the path to leading the life they truly want and deserve. The Sisters Antipodes  By Jane Alison Allen & Unwin, $37.99 A gorgeous, piercing memoir of two families linked through adult betrayal – and of the fierce childhood will to survive in them. When Jane Alison was a child, her family met another that seemed like its mirror: a father in the Foreign Service, a beautiful mother, and two little girls, the younger two, one of them Jane, sharing a birthday. With so much in common, the two families became almost instantly inseparable. Within months, affairs had ignited between the adults, and before long the pairs had exchanged partners – divorced, remarried, and moved on. As if in a cataclysm of nature, two families were ripped asunder, and two new ones were formed. Two pairs of girls were left in shock, a 'silent, numb shock, like a crack inside stone, not enough to split it but inside, quietly fissuring'. And Jane and her stepsister were thrown into a state of wordless combat for the love of their fathers. The sisters' contest, recounted by Jane Alison with stunning emotional insight, is waged throughout less-than-innocent childhoods – and ends in a tragedy that is at the same time unthinkable and inevitable. 10-10-10  By Suzy Welch Simon & Schuster, $45 A transformative new approach to decision making, 10-10-10 is a tool for reclaiming your life at home, in love and at work. The process is clear, straightforward, and transparent. In fact, when you’re facing a dilemma, all it takes to begin are three questions: What are the consequences of my decision in 10 minutes, in 10 months and in 10 years? Sound simple? Not quite. Recounting poignant stories from her own life and the lives of many other dedicated 10-10-10 users, Suzy Welch reveals how exploring the impact of our decisions in multiple time frames invariably surfaces our unconscious agendas, fears, needs, and desires – and ultimately helps us identify and live according to our deepest goals and values. |