New Zealand Books

this is a great book to rea

Honestly? I can say, without any hesitation: this is the most extraordinary work of literature I have ever read. The prose is breathtaking, the characters are like relatives to me now, and the experiences within the book will be familliar to any Native person who reads it.

How this woman missed out on the Nobel Prize (or the Booker, at *least*) is an utter mystery to me.

If you are an Indigenous person of any stripe, do yourself a favor and buy this book. Patricia Grace is a literary kaumaatua, and I thank her for her words.

Although I read this book some time ago, I will try to make a review for some other readers passing by this page. It is about the different lifes and happenings of the members of a Maori family, mainly three women of the family, and the story spins around in time, in past and present. This is the second book I have read written by Patricia Grace and I'm lokking forward to reading some more of her work. I like her style so much, the way she can express so many feelings; you get into the story and the main caracters as you read the book, and you wish it didn't come to an end.

This marvellous book is a must-read for anyone interested in this subject.

This book is a story of comradeship and fighting spirit among ordinary people in the face of tyranny and the most acute evil. The Summer of 1944, when Allied forces were sweeping towards Paris, was the beginning of the end for Hitler's Third Reich. However for a group of downed airmen evacuated from Fresnes Prison ahead of the advancing troops, the worst of the war was about to begin. 168 Allied airmen (including several from Australia and New Zealand) were transported illegally to the infamous Buchenwald concentration camp where they experienced first-hand the black heart of Nazism. Miraculously they survived the order for their mass execution, but not before members of their group had died through starvation, brutality and neglect. The author, Colin Burgess, has interviewed many of the survivors and carried out extensive research to create this gripping account of the full story - from tense days in the care of the French Underground through to the only recently resolved fight for proper compensation.

This book is a story of comradeship and fighting spirit among ordinary people in the face of tyranny and the most acute evil. The Summer of 1944, when Allied forces were sweeping towards Paris, was the beginning of the end for Hitler's Third Reich. However for a group of downed airmen evacuated from Fresnes Prison ahead of the advancing troops, the worst of the war was about to begin. 168 Allied airmen (including several from Australia and New Zealand) were transported illegally to the infamous Buchenwald concentration camp where they experienced first-hand the black heart of Nazism. Miraculously they survived the order for their mass execution, but not before members of their group had died through starvation, brutality and neglect. The author, Colin Burgess, has interviewed many of the survivors and carried out extensive research to create this gripping account of the full story.

It isn't too often that you find a book covering Australia and New Zealand primeval life, and especially a Harvard publication, for that matter. Some excellent visuals and examples of fauna, with a chart of genus.

As specified in the book title, it focuses on dinosaurs, so no flora representation, nor elaborate info on geologic time. It really is a book aimed at curious individuals, perhaps early to late teens, and something that is uncommon to find now days in subject matter. This was published following the time period of Jurassic park, where curiosity about genetic involvement with amber were all the rage. Such things are relegated to sci-fi, though it doesn't mean such intrigue about the dinosaurs must end in the 1990s. It's an excellent book, and one that I wish I knew of earlier on. Perhaps supplement this book alongside the first Dinotopia book? :)

RMP

DINOSAURS OF AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZELAND (ISBN 0-674-20767-X) by John A. Long, Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology at the Western Australian Museum, Perth, may at first glance seem primarily a beautiful picture book, because of the many fine photos and illustrations. BUT EXAMINE THE TEXT! The book is imbued with reader-friendly scientific insight and description. Not just dinophiles, but all lovers of ancient vertebrates will find a book to celebrate, one beautifully filling a hitherto serious void. Here is an admirable synthesis of quality information, technical data, and easily comprehended explanations that will prove a joy to both amateur and professional paleontologists. Furthermore, magnificent color photos of Australian dinosaur tracks, along with detailed descriptions, and photos of opalized dinosaur bones add a welcome dimension to this exciting 'journey' around the Land of Oz (as Australia is often called)during Mesozoic times. John A. Long, the well-known author of The Rise of Fishes: 500 Million Years of Evolution, can add one more feather to his hat. Meanwhile, we dinophiles should tip ours to him!

DINOSAURS OF AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZELAND (ISBN 0-674-20767-X) by John A. Long, Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology at the Western Australian Museum, Perth, may at first glance seem primarily a beautiful picture book, because of the many fine photos and illustrations. BUT EXAMINE THE TEXT! The book is imbued with reader-friendly scientific insight and description. Not just dinophiles, but all lovers of ancient vertebrates will find a book to celebrate, one beautifully filling a hitherto serious void. Here is an admirable synthesis of quality information, technical data, and easily comprehended explanations that will prove a joy to both amateur and professional paleontologists. Furthermore, magnificent color photos of Australian dinosaur tracks, along with detailed descriptions, and photos of opalized dinosaur bones add a welcome dimension to this exciting 'journey' around the Land of Oz (as Australia is often called)during Mesozoic times. John A. Long, the well-known author of The Rise of Fishes: 500 Million Years of Evolution, can add one more feather to his hat. Meanwhile, we dinophiles should tip ours to him!

A very entertaining read about two young dare-devils. Interesting,informative and the author's dry wit is reminiscent of Bill Bryson

An amusing collage of adventures through New Zealand and Australia.

Drive-About is an attention engaging travelogue by Jeff Green of a road trip he took that introduced him to the sights, wonders, and cultures of New Zealand and Australia. From "crazy kiwis"; to lush rainforests; to meeting Aboriginals and sampling their "witchetty grub" (the larval stage of a large moth) as a snack, Drive-About is colorful, adventurous, exotic, which is especially recommended for armchair travelers -- and would well serve as a trip-planning template for anyone contemplating vacations in Australia or New Zealand.

A plug for the "local talent" !! I just took a couple of weeks off to travel from Auckland down to and around the South Island, using Peter Mitchell's book "Great Escapes" as part of my routing.

I had put together a general itinerary and then incorporated excerts from about a dozen of his rides into my travels so that, instead of just going directly from Point "A" to Point "B", I would purposely detour to take advantage of recommended roads from the book and, when time permitted, would take off altogether on some of his suggested "diversions". Worked out terrifically !! The descriptions and directions are "spot on" (particularly his description of the Takaka Hill as "tortuous"), and the information and suggestions provided were fabulous for an impressionable immigrant such as myself.

If you're heading off into an area that you're not that familiar with, and want to really enjoy the ride like the locals might, pick up a copy of this super little book and stick it in the tankbag. If you don't get your money back in grins, then shame on you!

Victor Solomon
K75RT with substantially less tire tread than before it left!

Three trips to New Zealand on a motorcycle. First two without "Great Escapes" and 15,000km, saw a lot. Using an American authors book was just barely ok. The third trip this last time for 10 weeks, did 12000km. Using the "Great Escapes" book I experienced New Zealand up close and personal. It's a GREAT book and an absolute must in order to get "inside" what I consider one of the great countries of the world!!

Peter Mitchell, in his GREAT ESCAPES, motorcycle touring guide to New Zealand has raised the bar in the domain of motorcycle tour guides. I should know.

It was 1995, I got sucked into a bet and the next thing I knew I was riding a Buell S-2 Thunderbolt or a leisurely tour of 37 of the United States. Sure, I saw a lot. But, I also learned alot and if I had a book like Peter Mitchell's GREAT ESCAPES, the fantasy trip of a lifetime would have been much more graceful.

The first thing that strikes one about GREAT ESCAPES is that Peter KNOWS of what he speaks. This is revealed, not in words, but in the physical construction of the book. We'll get to content in a moment, but those of you who ride (and who among us has not dreamt of riding New Zealand) will appreciate the 6"wx8"t size of the book, coupled with the spiral binding. Ever tried to fit a "normal" book in the top of a tank bag? Mitchell makes it easy, in fact convenient.

In the book, New Zealand is divided into the North Island and the South Island. Mitchell does a neat transition between the two by, you guessed it, by turning page 90 into a primer on "Crossing Cook Straight". Frankly, this book threatens to make even the most unseasoned motorcycle tourer look like a pro.

The rides (23 North Island / 22 South Island) are described in precisely the kind of detail I want and need. Where to start, distance, time, when and where to plan fuel stops, suggested diversions, safety considerations weather, hotels, and the one item that makes motorcycling so special to me. . . FOOD. This is not book, this is a valuable tool that I hope Mitchell comes to the US (like so many of my riding makes from his Homeland) and replicates the book.

To insure you've little else to pack when headed to New Zealand, GREAT ESCAPES is packed full of information on "What makes a motorcyclist", basic riding skills , accommodations (lodging for you Yanks)and enough weather information to qualify you for a job at the Channel 4 Meteorologist here in New York City.

The book has imbued me with a list of 3 things I must do:

1) Learn more about the fabulous country of New Zealand 2) Ride more 3) Consider a tip to New Zealand to explain to Peter Mitchell what we call "stock effluent" in the United States.

Bottom line: Don't even think about leaving the USA without reading GREAT ESCAPES cover to cover.

Courtney L. Canfield New York City

I've got hundreds of motorcycle books, this one goes on top.

Useful Field guide with plenty of information on where to watch birds in NZ. Illustrations of the birds I know are good except the Common Mynah. Nice size for walking/touring holidays. Will rereview after visit to NZ in November.

I had no experience with ornithology or bird-watching and I wanted to learn. I bought every NZ bird book in the store. This is the one I found most usefull, with its detailed descriptions and detailed images. The binding is robust enough to survive being carried in my pack since 2002.

Great book. There are excellent pictures and useful information. Information on where you are likely to find the birds...Fun to read while planning a trip.

We found this to be an excellent handbook. There were handy maps of each region and fairly comprehensive reviews of things to do both in the major destinations and off the beaten track. For example, on our visit to the Waitomo region we noticed a few nature sites noted on our driving map withoout explanation. Checked the location in the Moon Handbook and discovered memorable side trips we would not have taken otherwise.

This book is great for backpackers and students. It is also helpful members of Hostelling International and VIP backpackers. It explains the cheapest way to travel and the must sees in New Zealand

A must for traveling and truly enjoying the people and countryside. Details of out-of-the-way places as well as the city life. Able to get around without driving (on the wrong side of the road). Will long remember all of the friendly people and the cleanliness of cities and countryside.

In the wake of the Tampa crisis and the appalling problems in refugee detention centres in Australia and the expensive 'Pacific solution' for the processing of asylum seekers, this book is a timely wake up call. It traces how the term 'security' has been used by governments as an organising principle, as a justification for policy, as an emotive term to encourage support for policy positions and military action.

It's an important book with global resonance in this time of the 'war on terrorism' structured by a strong philosophical framework which helps us think in new ways about global politics.

This book is an incredibly important addition to what's available on Australian foreign policy and defence relations. It's particularly timely because of the Tampa crisis of late 2001, the current Liberal Government policy of mandatory detention and the 'Pacific solution' for asylum seekers.

It traces Australian history to evaluate how 'security' as an idea has been an organising force and powerful signifier used by governments for their own purposes. What has happened during and since Tampa proves the thesis of this book in a startlingly contemporary way.

The book also has a solid philisophical underpinning that gives the book wide relevance in international relations studies and should be compulsory reading for anyone interested in global politices.

This book will become influential I think, in how we perceive the current war on terrorism, in general, and Australia's invasion anxiety, in particular.

This book is an incredibly important addition to what's available on Australian foreign policy and defence relations. It's particularly timely because of the Tampa crisis of late 2001, the current Liberal Government policy of mandatory detention and the 'Pacific solution' for asylum seekers.

It traces Australian history to evaluate how 'security' as an idea has been an organising force and powerful signifier used by governments for their own purposes. What has happened during and since Tampa proves the thesis of this book in a startlingly contemporary way.

The book also has a solid philisophical underpinning that gives the book wide relevance in international relations studies and should be compulsory reading for anyone interested in global politices.

This book will become influential I think, in how we perceive the current war on terrorism, in general, and Australia's invasion anxiety, in particular.

I first heard of this book in a 1927 review of it by Dorothy Parker (available in the 1944 edition of The Portable Dorothy Parker, as well as subsequent editions I believe, including the 1973 one). Parker's review is beautifully apt. She says, "I think that the Journal of Katherine Mansfield is the saddest book I have ever read. Here, set down in exquisite fragments, is the record of six lonely and tormented years, the life's-end of a desperately ill woman. So private is it that one feels forever guilty of prying for having read it." Mansfield suffered from a heart condition and later tuberculosis which kept her in a constant state of physical misery for years. Even worse for her was the constant torment of never being able to achieve enough as a writer to satisfy herself. Parker is completely right: I can't think of who could capture that constant, acute sorrow better than Katherine Mansfield. As Parker said, "She was not of the little breed of the discontented; she was of the high few fated to be ever unsatisfied."

If you've never read her short stories (she never wrote anything else), please do, and I would advise you to read them before you read her journal.

The book itself seems like it could be published as a stream-of-consciousness novel (it's impossible to follow at times but no worse for it. It seems to make perfect sense - even the numerous cryptic little notes). It's full of little pieces of stories never finished. Mansfield's body of work was so small (something that upset her deeply) that these little fragments would be enough to make any fan of hers need to read this journal.

She is most often compared to Chekhov, and it's not difficult to see why. I truly believe that Mansfield innovated and practically invented the English (language) short story. Besides Chekhov (whom she often mentions in her journal) I've never read anything quite like her, particularly not anything that predates her.

What else you need to know:
1. Mansfield was born in New Zealand, the influence of which can be seen in short stories like "At the Bay".
2. Her husband, J. Middleton Murry, published her journals, causing some to accuse him of taking advantage of her.
3. You must read this book.

I first heard of this book in a 1927 review of it by Dorothy Parker (available in the 1944 edition of The Portable Dorothy Parker, as well as subsequent editions I believe, including the 1973 one). Parker's review is beautifully apt. She says, "I think that the Journal of Katherine Mansfield is the saddest book I have ever read. Here, set down in exquisite fragments, is the record of six lonely and tormented years, the life's-end of a desperately ill woman. So private is it that one feels forever guilty of prying for having read it." Mansfield suffered from a heart condition and later tuberculosis which kept her in a constant state of physical misery for years. Even worse for her was the constant torment of never being able to achieve enough as a writer to satisfy herself. Parker is completely right: I can't think of who could capture that constant, acute sorrow better than Katherine Mansfield. As Parker said, "She was not of the little breed of the discontented; she was of the high few fated to be ever unsatisfied."

If you've never read her short stories (she never wrote anything else), please do, and I would advise you to read them before you read her journal.

The book itself seems like it could be published as a stream-of-consciousness novel (it's impossible to follow at times but no worse for it. It seems to make perfect sense - even the numerous cryptic little notes). It's full of little pieces of stories never finished. Mansfield's body of work was so small (something that upset her deeply) that these little fragments would be enough to make any fan of hers need to read this journal.

She is most often compared to Chekhov, and it's not difficult to see why. I truly believe that Mansfield innovated and practically invented the English (language) short story. Besides Chekhov (whom she often mentions in her journal) I've never read anything quite like her, particularly not anything that predates her.

What else you need to know:
1. Mansfield was born in New Zealand, the influence of which can be seen in short stories like "At the Bay".
2. Her husband, J. Middleton Murry, published her journals, causing some to accuse him of taking advantage of her.
3. You must read this book.

Both Katherine and her work are like a flower that has grown within the weeds that make up life.

I spent nearly six weeks studying at the University of North London a few summers ago. Before heading across the pond, I picked this one up when a friend recommended it to me. Of all the literature I used and/or purchased for the trip, this was by far the best. It pointed out tourist hotspots, good restaurants, neat quiet spots, and even had a lot of background about the sites of reference. If you're spending a good few weeks in London and it's your first time (or second or third), you should check this one out! You'll really enjoy it.

I've spent a year in England and have made >30 visits all together.

Here are my reviews of the best guides....to meet you r exact needs.....I hope these are helpful and that you have a great visit! I always gauge the quality of my visit by how much I remember a year later......this review is designed to help you get the guide that will be sure YOU remember your trip many years into the future. Travel Safe and enjoy yourself to the max!

Fodor's
Fodor's is the best selling guide among Americans. They have a bewildering array of different guides. Here's which is what:
The Gold Guide is the main book with good reviews of everything and lots of tours, walks, and just about everything else you could think of. It's not called the Gold guide for nothing though....it assumes you have money and are willing to spend it.
SeeIt! is a concise guide that extracts the most popular items from the Gold Guide
PocketGuide is designed for a quick first visit
UpCLOSE for independent travel that is cheap and well thought out
CityPack is a plastic pocket map with some guide information
Exploring is for cultural interests, lots of photos and designed to supplement the Gold guide

MapGuide
MapGuide is very easy to use and has the best location information for pubs, hotels, tourist attractions, museums, churches etc. that they manage to keep fairly up to date. It's great for teaching you how to use the underground and the double decker buses. The text sections are quick overviews, not reviews, but the strong suite here is brevity, not depth. I strongly recommend this for your first few times learning your way around the classic tourist sites and experiences. MapGuide is excellent as long as you are staying pretty much in the city centre. When you get to be an old London hand, remember that the classic Londoners guide will always be an A to Z (zed) map and guide. If you want to go a bit beyond the central core of the city (perhaps to Windsor, Hampton, or further away) you really need the proper AtoZ to be able to find exact routes and streets.

Time Out
The Time Out guides are very good. Easy reading, short reviews of restaurants, hotels, and other sites, with good public transport maps that go beyond the city centre. Many people who buy more than one guidebook end up liking this one best!

Blue Guides
Without doubt, the best of the walks guides.... the Blue Guide has been around since 1918 and has extremely well designed walks with lots of unique little side stops to hit on just about any interest you have. If you want to pick up the feel of the city, this is the best book to do that for you. This is one that you end up packing on your 10th trip, by which time it is well worn.

Michelin
Famous for their quality reviews, the Red Michelin Guides are for hotels & Restaurants, the Green Michelin Guides are for main tourist destinations. However, the English language Green guide is the one most people use and it has now been supplemented with hotel and restaurant information. These are the serious review guides as the famous Michelin ratings are issued via these books.

Let's Go
Let's Go is a great guide series that specializes in the niche interest details that turn a trip into a great and memorable experience. Started by and for college students, these guides are famous for the details provided by people who used the book the previous year. They continue to focus on providing a great experience inexpensively. If you want to know about the top restaurants, this is not for you (use Fodor's or Michelin). Let's Go does have a bewildering array of different guides though. Here's which is what:
Budget Guide is the main guide with incredibly detailed information and reviews on everything you can think of.
City Guide is just as intense but restricted to the single city.
PocketGuide is even smaller and features condensed information
MapGuide's are very good maps with public transportation and some other information (like museum hours, etc.)

Lonely Planet
Lonely Planet has City and Out To Eat Guides. They are all about the experience so they focus on doing, being, getting there, and this means they have the best detailed information, including both inexpensive and really spectacular restaurants and hotels, out-of-the-way places, weird things to see and do, the list is endless.

The Blue Guide is without doubt THE best guide to have with you in London (or Rome, or Florence, or Paris...)as you are touring the sites. For most attractions you don't need to buy the pricey guidebooks at the site to figure out what you are seeing - the Blue Guide will take you room-by-room through musuems, explain the who,what, where and when of the art and architecture around you and give you a decent history lesson. Take this guide, a general guide like Time Out or Frommer's and a good map (A-Z London)and you are set to enjoy London without breaking your back or the bank. This is NOT the guide to plan your trip with; although they recommend excellent lodgings and restaurants the descriptions are one-liners - most people like more information particulary when choosing accommodations.