PONSONBY LIVING

One of the many pleasures of living in the Auckland inner city suburb of Ponsonby is the monthly edition of Ponsonby News delivered free to our letterbox. A full colour 132 page magazine it is crammed with news and information about what is happening in this lively area.

A recent innovation in the magazine is The Boys Book Club and with Father's Day approaching magazine editor Martin Leach approached three local independent bookshops - Dear Reader, Novel, and the Women's Bookshop - and asked for their top five suggestions for Father's Day gifts.

Here by kind permision of Ponsonby News is The Boys' Book Club page from the August issue of the magazine:

THE BOYS' BOOK CLUB
PONSONBY NEWS is delighted to announce the launch of the Boys Book Club.
Everyone knows that despite the name of her business, Carole from The Women’s Bookshop welcomes male customers and the Boys Book Club will naturally welcome female readers! But all the books featured will be aimed to appeal more to the male of the species. We intend to bring you reviews and special offers – every issue. And knowing how much blokes like a good read, (especially in the bath!) PONSONBY NEWS asked three local independent book stores to tell us their five top reads, (fiction and non-fiction) which would make an appropriate gift for father’s day next month - all are in stock or due in store during August.

THE DEAR READER TOP FIVE

1. ‘Let the Great World Spin’ by Colum McCann (Bloomsbury) $ 37
2. ‘The Death of Bunny Munro’ by Nick Cave (Text Publishing) $37
3. ‘The Defector’ by Daniel Silva, Michael Joseph (Penguin UK) $37
4. ‘Welcome to the Urban Revolution: How Cities are Changing the World’ by Jeb Brugmann (University of Queensland Press) $37
5. ‘Big Ideas: 100 Wonders of New Zealand Engineering’ by Matthew Wright, (Random House NZ) $45

THE WOMEN’S BOOKSHOP TOP FIVE

1. Netherland by Joesph O’Neill, (4th Estate), $25
Cricket in New York! Shortlisted for Man Booker Prize 2008. Barak Obama loved it.
2. The Beach by Alex Garland, (Penguin), $12.95
From the Popular Penguin series- 100 other great titles to choose from - all only $12.95!!
3. A Single Swallow: Following an epic journey from South Africa to Wales by Horatio Clare, (Chatto & Windus), $38
Magical & gripping; combines the best of travel writing & nature writing.
4. Eat My Globe: One man’s search for the best food in the world by Simon Majundar, (John Murray), $40 “Simon Majundar knows his sh**” – Anthony Bourdain
5. Le Café Petit on O’Sullivan Street by Raymond McGrath, (Puffin), $19
A wonderful NZ children’s book in which a girl & her Dad go to the local café & …

THE NOVEL TOP FIVE

1.‘Zeitoun’ by Dave Eggers $37 (Hamish Hamilton)
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina two longtime New Orleans residents are cast into an unthinkable struggle. This is a haunting, poignant, ethereal story
2.‘American Rust’ by Philipp Meyer $38 (Allen & Unwin)
A literary thriller, dark, disturbing and powerful My pick as the best novel year to date
3. ‘D-Day – the Battle for Normandy’ by Antony Beevor $65 (Viking)
Churchill said of D-Day 'there has never been such an undertaking. Anthony Beever's gripping narrative conveys the whole experience in gripping detail.
4.‘Born to Run’ by Christopher McDougall $40 (Profile)
A true adventure story, brilliantly life -affirming written with wit and exuberance, simply the best book you will ever read about running.
5.‘Leroy Grannis by Leroy Grannis $65 (Taschen) Iconic surf photography from the 60's and 70's