New Zealand Books

Many mushroom enthusiasts have done it. This book tells you how, beginning from how to collect dung specimens and incubate them to identifying the growing mushroom.There are no photos but the illustrations are pretty good and what they lack is compensated by descriptions and keys. I would recommend this book,( amongst other guides) for anyone serious about mushroom hunting.

This book is from the My Story series published in New Zealand, which is their version of the Dear America series. The books are diaries of fictional boys and girls during important events and eras in New Zealand history.

It is June 1930 in the town of Napier, New Zealand. Eleven-year-old Katie Bourke's father has just died, and she decides to begin a journal, writing down her feelings for her father who she greatly misses. She describes school, friends, the hardships faced by her family as a result of the Great Depression, and finally, the earthquake in February 1931 that devastates the city.

This was an enjoyable book in the My Story series from New Zealand. Katie was a likable character, describing both ordinary childhood concerns with school and friends, as well as the hardships of losing a parent, and dealing with economic hardships and a devastating natural disaster. I'd recommend this book to readers who enjoy historical fiction in diary form.

This is a very informative book for someone interested in moving to New Zealand - FROM EUROPE (not from the U.S.) but, it is still a good start to my interest in moving there.

This subject of this book is listed as economics and business. I don't know why. In fact, the book tells the story of the author's family, from the time his grandparents arrived in Australia. It goes beyond a nostalgic tale of pioneers and interweaves the intimate story of his family with the broad scale economic history of the country- and in particular, its dependence on exploiting and desecrating nature. Among Lines' targets are economics (in general), Keynesian economics in particular, materialism, bureaucracies and (some) environmentalists. Its general approach is, I think, a deep-ecology one.

This is a challenging book that has no simple message about how we can change our lives for the better.

FAMILY FROM BARRA by Beryl Martin is the true story of the author's childhood in New Zealand, growing up as Pat Ridge, the daughter of a working man and his emotionally unbalanced wife. It is not until after years of abuse that the author learns that she was adopted and begins the search for her blood relations that eventually leads her back to the island of Barra in Scotland. The descriptions of her early years are captivating, not only because they are a window into the mind of her eccentric and sometimes brutally unfair step-mother, but also because they so clearly capture the spirit of the Depression era with its escapes through endless movies and its many economies. Eventually the author becomes acquainted with her brothers in New Zealand and finds a sense of belonging and happiness. This true story is a triumph of the human spirit, full of admitted failings, but never despairing that there is a place in the world for everyone.

This book traces the origins and paths taken by a number of immigrants from various parts of England to their new life in New Zealand. A word of advice; it is very academic in style and takes a little bit of persistence but it is well worth the effort.

This is a great little book, full of photographs and detailed descriptions. It also seems to be the only guide to New Zealand alpine flora I could find. It is a little bit dated in publication but of course the plants haven't changed much in my lifetime!

Interesting case studies in developing countries and established areas of infrastructure. Offers information, statistics, and conclusions drawn in each area. I focused mainly on the case study of Nepal which offered strong counter arguements to the commonly accepted views of conservation and tourism interaction. The authors seem quite well informed and interested in the topic.

If you want a grasp of the ambience of Fremantle, Western Australia, then consider this book. It takes you through the town and its cultural scene. Fremantle is actually quite small, and overshadowed by being in the urban sprawl of Perth, the capital city of the state.

In spite of this, Fremantle struggles to maintain a slightly separate identity, as suggested by the book. For an American familiar with Los Angeles, think perhaps of how Long Beach and the South Bay (Torrance, Redondo, San Pedro) try to have a different vibe from downtown LA and the Westside.

The premise behind _Gene Wolfe's Book of Days_ is that each story in the book is written for a different holiday. There's a a story for Lincoln's Birthday, one for Halloween, even one for Armistice Day. The connection between story and holiday sometimes seem tenuous, but it's all in fun. The real treat here is yet another fabulous Gene Wolfe story collection.

If you're familiar with Wolfe you know that his fiction is occasionally opaque. Wolfe stories very often have multiple meanings that require multiple readings to fully understand. Stories like "Paul's Treehouse" fit this description. Two neighbors are sitting on their lawns. One neighbors son has built a treehouse very high in a tree and refuses to come down. Interspersed with this story is background about some unnamed unrest in the city. Suddenly National Guardsmen swarm the backyard. The son throws rocks at the Guardsmen. The End. Don't ask me for an explanation because I have no idea.

Fortunately, for those of us who are 'regular' readers, many of the stories are much simpler. Among the better pieces are "Forlesen", "The War Beneath the Tree", and "Melting". "The War..." has become one of Wolfe's more well-known pieces. A boy plays with his sentient toys on Christmas Eve. The toys watch packages being placed under the Christmas tree with apprehension. When everyone has gone to sleep, the new toys emerge. The old toys fight them and throw the new toys into the fire. The story ends on a chilling note that I'll let the reader discover for himself.

Gene Wolfe has never disappointed me. He is a writer of quality and passion. His intricate stories can amuse me for hours. He is a top-notch writer and I strongly encourage all fans of speculative fiction to read his works. Highly recommended.