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Ice Road, Gillian Slovo

Little, Brown
Reviewed by Chris Hick (Courtesy of Taranaki Daily News)

If, when you read a novel, you like to escape into a world where the men are rugged, bronzed, endowed with huge bank balances and have enormous romantic ingenuity; a world in which the women are sassy and sexy and strong and have all the right things in all the right places; and you are lifted, albeit briefly, into that glitterati world of them – not us, then, maybe, Gillian Slovo's Ice Road is not the one for you.

Full review here

In the Company of Cheerful Ladies, Alexander McCall Smith

Polygon
Reviewed by Jan Treliving-Brown (Courtesy of Taranaki Daily News)

This author is a machine. These warm, elegant African gems keep coming. The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency was the first in the series. In the Company of Cheerful Ladies is the sixth and in hardback.

Full review here

Instant! Maori, Paul (Paora) Walker & Nick Theobald

Writer & Writer
Reviewed by Virginia Winder (Courtesy of Taranaki Daily News)

Hurra-my, ma-heemy tuckoo rah. Say it out loud, and you've just delivered Clint Eastwood's famous line: "Go ahead, make my day." But in what language?

Maori, or to be more precise – Instant! Maori.
This wee (it was measured to slot into the back pocket of a pair of Levi's 501s) phrase book delivers the triple whammy, with English, Maori and the phonetic spelling so people can pronounce te reo correctly.

Full review here

Introducing New Zealand Birds and Introducing New Zealand Trees, Alina Arkins and Len Doel

Reed
Reviewed by Lindsay Wright (Courtesy of Taranaki Daily News)

If you're in the market for fauna/flora field guides, forget these two books. But if you do need a nifty little book to tell you about either the trees, or birds, of these islands, read on.

Full review here