Former leading New Zealand publisher and bookseller, and widely experienced judge of both the Commonwealth Writers Prize and the Montana New Zealand Book Awards, talks about what he is currently reading, what impresses him and what doesn't, along with chat about the international English language book scene, and links to sites of interest to booklovers.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Bookshop - Lucy Sussex looks at some recent titles
STONEMOUTH Iain Banks, Little, Brown, A$29.99
Banks is a writer who alternates between space opera and the literary novel. This is a realist novel, a return to grim Scotland. Once Stewart was in hog heaven, about to marry the princess of a crime clan. Next, he fled her thuggish brothers. Now he returns, warily, for a funeral. The novel is good on the awkwardness of homecoming, finding old friends unchanged - or stuck in a rut. It is a tender love story, with ultra-violence. Will Stewart heed the warnings to leave his beloved Ellie alone? For the Banks fans. THE GODS OF GOTHAM Lyndsay Faye, Headline, A$29.99
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Opening with a dictionary of an early incarnation of the flash mob (Victorian thieves), it is clear that Faye has fallen in love with this argot. It is 1845 New York, just as the city reluctantly inaugurates its first police force. Timothy Wilde is an unemployed barman, observant and understanding ''flash''. He joins the force just as a tide of Irish arrive, fleeing the potato famine. Worse, a killer is targeting child whores. This book is a rich cake of a mix that's ultimately undercooked. LAKE EYRE: A JOURNEY THROUGH THE HEART OF THE CONTINENT Paul Lockyer, ABC Books, A$59.99 Lockyer was one of the ABC's finest and his death last year in a helicopter crash was universally mourned. He died in harness and the product was this book on Lake Eyre, its history and ecology. The production values are stunning - this is a visual feast. Lockyer's text is also engaging, as are the two scientific chapters by Richard Kingsford. Best is the artwork by John Olsen, with photographs by John Bean and Gary Ticehurst, who also died in the crash.
Lockyer was one of the ABC's finest and his death last year in a helicopter crash was universally mourned. He died in harness and the product was this book on Lake Eyre, its history and ecology. The production values are stunning - this is a visual feast. Lockyer's text is also engaging, as are the two scientific chapters by Richard Kingsford. Best is the artwork by John Olsen, with photographs by John Bean and Gary Ticehurst, who also died in the crash.
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