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Book Reviews
Mother's Day
 By Fearnley Laurence Penguin Books, $28.00 A heart-warming new novel by the author of Edwin and Matilda, runner-up in the 2008 Montana Book Awards. Life is tough for 40-year-old solo mother, Maggie, a home-help caregiver. Her three children are all giving her a hard time, especially Bevan, who's in trouble with the police. But when she's assigned a musician in a wheelchair to care for, something new enters her life. Maggie's a singer, Tim a fine guitarist. They'll make music together, but tragedy is just around the corner. Then it's Mother's Day, and Maggie and her family gather. This touching new novel from Laurence Fearnley contains many gems of warmth, affection, love and hope. It confirms her position as one of New Zealand's finest writers. How to Bake a Business  Recipes to turn your small enterprise into a big success By Julia Bickerstaff Allen & Unwin, $39.99 Starting up a business is exciting. You get to turn your bright idea into a reality, and can be mistress of your own time and your own success. But the excitement brings anxieties, too, which is where this little book comes in. This entertaining collection of recipes is designed to help you create your business and nurture yourself. Starting with the basic ingredients, this simple, no fuss and slightly irreverent guide will help you bake a fabulous business. Instant Manager: Dealing with Difficult People  by Karen Mannering Hachette, $29.99 Dealing with difficult people is an unavoidable aspect of a working life and can have a major impact on your career and wellbeing. This book, written by a leading expert with years of practical experience, will provide the tools to deal with all types of working relationships. Areas covered include: how to define a difficult person; how to read body language and other unspoken messages; how to deal with difficult employees, colleagues and bosses; how to understand yourself and how to deal with difficult aspects of your own personality. Credit Crunch Cookbook  Hamlyn, $24.99 The Credit Crunch Cookbook is a vital tool that shows you how to creatively use cheaper ingredients and leftovers to produce wonderful meals for any occasion. Whether you want to make a nutritious family meal for less, or produce ‘fab’ food to entertain friends without breaking the bank, it can all be found in this book. There are hundreds of delicious recipes and expert advice to help save both your wallet and the planet. The Credit Crunch Cookbook will keep you and your family filled to the gills so that you'll soon need to loosen your belts while everyone around you tightens theirs! Delia's Frugal Food  By Delia Smith Hodder & Stoughton, $39.99 At a time when money worries are front page news, Britain's most trusted cook, Delia Smith, is once again on hand with a wide range of tasty recipes that are cheap and easy to prepare. With 170 recipes, from luxury soups to paupers' puddings, this new illustrated edition shows you how to eat well without having to spend a fortune. Bodies  By Susie Orbach Profile Books, $35 Over recent decades the pressure to perfect and design our bodies has been unprecedented. Breast enhancement is a sweet sixteenth birthday present in the suburbs of America, while eating problems from bulimia to obesity are growing daily, affecting girls as young as six. The body is no longer a given and to possess a flawless one has become the ambition of millions. In her years of practice as a psychoanalyst, Susie Orbach has come to realise that the way we view our bodies is the mirror of how we view ourselves: our body becomes the measure of our worth. |