Mar 16
Valentine’s Day is a big deal for me. I especially loved my Feb 14 celebratory champers after my first visit to Batley when Rex presented me with a hibiscus. Charmer that he is, he’s continued the tradition to this day. Valentine’s Day 2012 was also a biggie – I sent a “Yay, you’ve done it!” …
Dec 05
Zana Bell’s latest novel Close to the Wind is a playful romp that takes its characters across the world, from Britain to New Zealand. It’s fun, funny and meticulously researched – I know this because a while back Zana was querying how long it would take to travel by horseback from Christchurch to Dunedin, in …
Jun 11
When Maureen Sudlow asked me to review her children’s book, Fearless Fred and the Dragon, this is what I had to say: “Children will be amused and engaged when they meet Fearless Fred who, wearing tinfoil armour, sets off to fight a snorting dragon. Told in rhyming couplets and featuring repetition that will delight younger …
Dec 17
As a writer about rural life, I was recently asked to review a book by another Northland writer, Christina Ferens. The Country Diary of a New Zealand Lady is glorious; it’s both a meditation and a celebration of the birds, animals, and plants which many of us see every day and don’t give a second …
