FOUR RECENTLY ENJOYED TITLES

THE MAN WHO LOVED BOOKS TOO MUCH

Allison Hoover Bartlett

Riverhead Books (a member of the Penguin Group USA) - NZ$41.00

With a title like this I couldn’t resist buying this attractive hardback when I came across it at the University Bookshop Canterbury a few weeks back. Sub-titled “The true story of a thief, a detective, and a world of literary obsession” it proved to be an absolutely fascinating and highly readable account of a serial book thief, a collector’s obsession that had gone wrong. Unlike most thieves who steal for profit John Charles Gilkey steals because of his love of books.  The other main character in the book is Ken Sanders a lifelong rare book collector turned sleuth who chased Gilkey for years and finally caught him. Provides an interesting look into the world of antiquarian books too, I loved it.

THE GIRL IN THE POLKA-DOT DRESS

Beryl Bainbridge

Little Brown - $39.99

Beryl Bainbridge, DBE, won the Whitbread Awards prize for best novel in 1977 and 1996; she was nominated five times for the Booker Prize. She was described in 2007 as "a national treasure" and in 2008, The Times newspaper named Bainbridge among their list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945. She wrote 20 novels, had two collections of short stories and four non-fiction titles published. Quite a pedigree.
She was in the process of finishing The Girl in the Polka-dot Dress when she died in July last year. Her long-time friend and editor, Brendan King, prepared the text for publication from her working manuscript, taking into account suggestions Beryl made at the end of her life. No additional material was included.
It is an unusual book, a road trip across the US in 1968 featuring Rose, from Kentish Town, who has gone to the US looking for Dr.Wheeler who saved her from a terrible childhood, and Harold who is also seeking the elusive doctor. The story does seem to end rather abruptly and one wonders whether or not this is the way the author had planned it.

SIMPLE INDIAN COOKERY
Madhur Jaffrey – BBC Books - $35
This is one of the pile of books I bought at the wonderful pop-up bookstore at the recent Auckland Writers & Readers Festival where Madhur Jaffrey was one of the stars. The book is a collection of 40 classic Indian recipes and they are a model of clarity, an excellent introduction to Indian cooking.
In the past when I have made curries I have always used ready-made curry powder but when I made Jaffrey’s Goan prawn curry from this book it requires you to make your own curry paste using eight ingredients and I must say the effort was well worthwhile.

TUPAIA
The remarkable story of Captain Cook’s Navigator
Joan Druett – Random House - $55
This handsome hardback book from maritime historian Joan Druett tells the remarkable story of the extraordinary but previously unacknowledged Tahitian who sailed with Captain Cook from Tahiti and acted as the go-between in dangerous first contacts with the Maori people. Druett gives stunning insights into this pivotally important, yet largely unknown, figure in New Zealand’s early European history.