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Small volume packs a punch

27/11/2020

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​The Perfection of Snails
by Linley Jones


In these uncertain and rather worrying times, short stories provide an attractive alternative to the longer immersion required when a novel or a weighty volume of non-fiction is tackled. This collection is a case in point. 
    The stories are well-written, but their appeal goes well beyond simply that. They are in turn provocative, compassionate without being overly sentimental, often highly amusing and always entertaining. They are also based firmly in ordinary human experience, and for the relatively small amount of time involved the reader is rewarded lavishly by having some of them stay in mind long after the last sentence is read. These are stories that don’t try to shock with edgy language or escape into fantasy, but they will frequently induce gasps of recognition, and they do sometimes have an unexpected twist in their tail.
    There are some that had particular appeal for this reviewer. One concerns a keen gardener with a neighbour who also spends much of his time in his own plot cultivating potatoes, constantly repeating the first phrase of an annoying ditty as he works. So strong is her reaction to this annoyance she is eventually driven to a desperate remedy. 
    In another, a doctor has to come to terms with the tragic effects of an abusive relationship in one of her patients while dealing with personal problems of her own. 
    A particular favourite is one concerning a meeting between a man’s adult children and his choice of new partner, that shows how difficult (indeed, perhaps impossible) it is to make headway against the established bigotry of those who will not even subject their own thoughts to rational analysis. 
    Then there is one concerning a frustrated young lawyer trapped in a high-rise office who momentarily mistakes a skinny lad wrapped in a blue towel and wearing red budgie-smugglers for Superman come to rescue her. Oh, how disappointing reality can be! 
    Perhaps the most moving story is one that reminds us of both the dreadful inhumanity of war, and the resilience of the human spirit.
    For readers who might be inspired by these stories to try writing some of their own, the author has provided useful short notes at the end telling something of how she herself found the required inspiration. But it is the stories themselves that will be the real attraction here. Some will appeal more strongly than others, but they are all at the very least thought-provoking. 
    This is a small volume – perfect for tucking under a pillow or slipping into a pocket – but it packs a punch.

Review by Tony Chapelle
Title:  The Perfection of Snails
Author:  Linley Jones
Publisher:  AMPublishing
ISBN: 978-0473-54123-1
RRP: $28.00
Available: Poppies Books, Howick;   or [email protected]
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Trilogy of adventure novels

21/11/2020

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The Trainsurfer Series (3 books) 
by Kate Richards


If searching for a trilogy of adventurous and informative novels set in South Africa and New Zealand one could hardly go past the three books written by librarian Kate S Richards and suitable for ages eleven onwards. 
   The first two stories take place in South Africa each giving insight into a particular period and place in the life of Jabu, an orphaned Zulu boy, at a time when interracial friendships could prove to be dangerous, while the third book chronicles his time spent in New Zealand.
   The author’s  inclusion of a glossary of words requiring definition is well placed at the beginning of each book and enhances the reader’s journey.
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Trainsurfer
   Jabu’s mum has died . . . a powerful beginning to the story as Jabu realises he belongs to nobody and has nowhere to go. Jumping on a train, and trying to avoid paying the fare, he hauls himself up onto the roof joining other boys who show him how to surf the train, an extremely risky occupation with possible severe consequences as when one of his companions comes to grief.
   Stowing away in a truck on his way to Durban to find his aunt, Jabu realises he has an interesting companion.
   Once in Durban he meets other homeless kids and experiences  racial tension on the surfing beaches, including a violent episode with the police.
   Eventually Jabu becomes an accomplished surfer and if you wonder what these accomplishments lead to please read ‘Trainsurfer’. I think you’ll enjoy it. I did!

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Saving Thandi
   Here the author addresses another major problem, the slaughtering of rhinos for the purpose of obtaining the animal’s marketable horn.
    Jabu and friends, including a young professional surfer, journey to a private game reserve on a publicity mission illuminating the danger rhinos can find themselves in as they are trying to raise their young.
   The action heats up as the surfers are taken to sea and find themselves on a luxury yacht, complete with sinister cargo, in the middle of a storm. Alexia calls on her considerable skills as a surfer.
    A mischievous monkey and a chatty Raven do their part in making this informative book exciting and entertaining.

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Nikau's Escape  
   A more mature Jabu arrives in New Zealand where he joins his friend Kyle, who is training for surfing events, and meets a new friend, Pania. Pania has a younger brother, Nikau, who is in danger of ‘going off the rails’ as he looks forward to his father’s release from prison.

   In the hope of reforming Nikau, Pania has formed a group called ‘Aotearora Ora  Adventures’  which is similar to a group Jabu has formed in South Africa called ‘Kids Surf 4 Life’ both of which are aimed at getting kids off glue sniffing or weed. After her stepfather was hospitalised Pania decided to go ahead and take a group to Mount Ruapehu for skiing and snowboarding. They are followed to the mountain by Nikau’s father who is after a parcel he believes Nikau has in his possession.
   The 1995 eruption of Mount Ruapehu volcano occurs and splits up the group. Nikau has to contend with both the dangers of an avalanche  and of his criminal father, not to mention the lahar below him. Some geological detail is included as Nikau decides on a course of action.
   The book touches on the use of drugs without labouring the problem.
   The story flows well, draws to a very acceptable conclusion and is highly recommended. 

 
    This set of three books  is a beautiful collection with each one having a very attractive cover conveying the theme of the story.  There is much to be learned as the writer addresses such topics as homelessness, race relations, conservation, as well as personal relationships, making it a valuable addition to any young person’s library.

Review by Irene Thomas
Title: Trainsurfer  ISBN: 9781980325390  RRP: $22.99
         Saving Thandi  ISBN: 9780473481933  RRP: $24.99
         Nikau’s Escape  ISBN: 9780473529048  RRP: $27.99
Author: Kate S Richards
Publisher: Green Room House
Available: Directly from the author (www.katesrichards.com) or via most online retailers (eg. Amazon, Wheelers, Barnes & Noble) as a paperback or ebook depending on country.
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Good quality crime fiction

14/11/2020

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Caught Between 
by Jeannie McLean


This tale gets a “Wow!” from this reader. It comes as no surprise that it was one of three finalists out of two hundred entries in the 2018 Michael GifkinS Prize for an Unpublished Novel.
    Rarely does a book engage me to the point where I consume it in one sitting but “Caught Between” did just that. Plenty of tension, red herrings, twists and turns built the suspense at just the right pace to make it un-put-downable. 
    Alternating chapters between Tova Tan and Constable Finn McIntosh (with the exception of the first and last), Jeannie takes us into a world of distrust, murder and betrayal in the suburbs of Auckland paralleled with the politics, rivalry and frustrations of the investigation team at the Henderson Police station.
    Big money, drugs, gambling, crime gangs and police corruption ... “Caught Between” has the lot. 
    To review in more detail could risk giving away some of the plot so I will resist the temptation. Suffice to say that if you are a fan of good quality crime fiction, this will certainly fit the bill. 

Review by George Hollinsworth

Title: Caught Between
Author: Jeannie McLean
Publisher: Jeannie McLean
ISBN: 9780473514648
RRP: $27.99 paperback
Available: Amazon (ebook only, $4.50); paperback: The Women's Bookshop Ponsonby, Dear Reader Grey Lynn, Fivedogsbooks.com (online store), direct from author [email protected]
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Almost unnoticed New Zealand aviation pioneer

9/11/2020

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Oscar Garden – A Tale of One Man’s Love of Flying
by Dr Annamaria Garden

 
One day a young man walked into Selfridges store in London and bought an aeroplane. He then proceeded to learn to fly and having accumulated the vast total of 12 hours and 55 minutes of dual instruction, decided to gain the necessary 100 hours of solo flying, for his commercial licence, by piloting his own aircraft to Australia.
    This man was the author’s father Oscar Garden and the book recounts the history of a very early pioneer of aviation.
    Oscar was born in Scotland but his parents split up when he was 11, his father moving to Timaru where he opened an aerated water factory. Oscar remained in the United Kingdom with his mother, but she found it very hard to cope financially, and so they both moved to New Zealand in 1920. He was 17 years old. Oscar accumulated some capital from rabbiting and opened a cycle repair shop and later a garage in Southbridge, which he operated for two years, and then moved to Sydney for a while. Finally, with a thousand pounds in his pocket, he sailed to England and there became interested in flying, an interest that shaped the next few years of his life.
    The aircraft he bought was a blue Gypsy Moth on which he had painted the name Kia Ora in silver on the fuselage. 
    His plan was to fly it to New Zealand and obtained sponsorship from the Vacuum Oil company, who arranged fuel depots along the route for him. He took off with no publicity, no crowd seeing him off and flew the first leg to Munich, then through the Balkans to Syria, Iraq and Iran. Then followed Karachi, Calcutta, Rangoon and Singapore, finally to Australia.
​    The author has access to his logbooks and gives a daily account of the flight based on these. Although some further details have been provided by others, I am sure much more drama and excitement took place than is told in the logbook. Oscar’s attention to detail and his lack of fuss shows through the story of his flight and this is evident throughout his life. He expected no great welcome anywhere, so the accolades that were awarded to him on his arrival in Australia astounded him. He received civic welcomes and was feted by aero clubs at every city he touched down in. 
    The Gypsy Moth did not have the range to fly to New Zealand, so he and the aircraft were shipped across the Tasman. In New Zealand he undertook tours of both the North and South Islands, arranged by his sponsor Vacuum Oil Ltd, under the name of their petrol brand Plume. He visited almost every corner of the country, from the Far North to Stewart Island where he was the first pilot to land. 
    A period of barnstorming in South Africa followed, but did not produce the financial rewards hoped for. Oscar then went back to England to complete his pilot training, and became a career airline pilot, starting with United Airways, one of several companies that merged to form British Airways. In 1938 he joined Imperial Airways with the goal of gaining experience in flying boats, because he had the dream of flying a service across the Tasman. 
    He realised his dream when in April 1940, despite the difficulties of the war, the service between Rose Bay in Sydney and Mechanic’s Bay in Auckland began, Oscar being commanding pilot of the second flight. 
    The two aircraft, Awatere and Aotearoa, had many adventures, mainly involving the weather, but as they gathered experience they began to lower the trans-Tasman flight times by significant amounts. There was no long range weather forecasting, the planes were not pressurised and the cabins were not adequately heated, so the captain would ask the passengers, “do you want to stay low and suffer airsickness, or shall we climb higher where it’s smoother but colder”. They generally agreed that they could put up with a little cold in exchange for smoothness. 
    Oscar became operations manager for TEAL, but they parted company because of a disagreement over the aircraft chosen to replace the flying boats. He wanted pressurised, land based aircraft, but the management bowed to political pressure and insisted on buying British made Solent flying boats, over American land based aircraft. He then became a horticulturist running a successful tomato farm near Tauranga, until his death at age 93. 
    I found this book really interesting, as it tells the life story of the almost unnoticed of New Zealand’s aviation pioneers. Sometimes I would have liked more details of various incidents in his flying exploits, and sometimes the accounts of the various civic receptions became a little repetitive, but overall it’s a good read and I can recommend it.

Review by Harold Bernard
Title: Oscar Garden – A Tale of One Man’s Love of Flying
Author: Dr Annamaria Garden
Publisher: Mary Egan Publishing 
ISBN: 9780473516536
RRP: $45
Available: bookshops
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Thoroughly enjoyable read

2/11/2020

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​Retribution
by Christina O'Reilly


From the back blurb – ‘What was Lucy hiding? Why has she no family or friends? As the number of suspects mounts up, Archie begins to conclude that the real answer lies in Lucy’s dark and mysterious past, and that the murderer may be just a little too close for comfort....’
   I reviewed the first book of DSS Archie Baldrick - Into the Void - and when I closed the final page, I hoped Christina would have another novel for him in mind. Apparently she did for Retribution is a great follow up.
   We are thrown straight into another case. A murder and Archie and the reliable DC Ben Travers are at the scene. Archie has an aching back and a desperate fear about the daughter who has cut ties with him. The young woman found dead on Ripton Beach has a strangely empty life, a life her husband knows curiously little about.
   Christina writes a very linear story, straight down the line, no deviations, no sub-plots and yet manages to hold interest and she is excellent at picking up the pace in the latter stages of her novels. I find myself racing along with the story. Great little twists and again nice domestic touches of Archie’s life, although this time, they felt slightly more forced somehow. In Retribution, Archie’s family, though obviously important, didn’t reach out to me so vividly and seemed a bit crow-barred into the narrative rather than belonging there naturally. I would have liked maybe more character development for DC Travers too, but these are minor quibbles I almost feel guilty writing about for I enjoyed this book. As with Into the Void I demolished it in one sitting.
   Like Into the Void, Retribution is expertly handled with natural dialogue and a nice way of moving the plot forward without unnecessary re-telling of evidence. I feel Christina trusts the reader to remember the important bits. 
   So, Christina, thanks again for a thoroughly enjoyable read. Got another one coming?

Review by TJ Ramsay
Title: Retribution
Author: Christina O'Reilly
Publisher: Christina O'Reilly
ISBN: 9780473536664
RRP: $25.00
Formats: Paperback available from Paper Plus stores in Feilding, Palmerston North, Te Rapa, Cambridge and Te Awamutu. Poppies Bookshop Hamilton. Or order directly from the author by emailing via her website: christinaoreilly.com or Facebook page: Christina O'Reilly - Author.
Ebook available from Amazon
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