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The Orphans by Fiona McIntosh
Best-selling author Fiona McIntosh has set her latest novel in her home state of South Australia. The story starts with a birth in the outback of the Flinders Range in 1914 then moves to the cobbled streets of Adelaide in the 1930s. It follows the difficult lives of two orphans, Fleur and Tom, who meet as children and then again, 20 years later. As always, McIntosh creates a sense of place, so you can almost hear the cockatoos and galahs in the coolabah trees and smell the sweat and lanolin of the shearing shed floors. As the adopted daughter of an undertaker, Fleur shows a natural empathy for the bereaved and decides to become the country’s first female mortician – a role not thought appropriate for a woman at that time. Dealing with death and grief provides an interesting theme throughout the book.
Into Iraq by Michael Palin
Actor Michael Palin is well-known for his travel documentaries and his latest book takes us on a journey down the mighty Tigris River. Travelling with a camera crew, the book is a diarised account of the expedition from the river’s source in Turkey to Al Faw on the Persian Gulf. He steps back in time to the ancient cities of Babylon and Ur, as well as looking at contemporary conflicts that have ravaged many parts of the country. As always, Palin infuses his stories with humour and genuine empathy for the people, and particularly the children, he encounters along the way. He also includes interesting trivia. For instance, the famous crossed swords of Saddam Hussein’s Victory Arch were supplied by a German company because no-one in Iraq could make them, and the hands and forearms that grip the stainless steel swords, each weighing 24-tonnes, were made in Basingstoke. Like any good journal, the book also includes numerous colour photos which give life to the story.
Needs Adult Supervision by Emily Writes
Parents of young children will relate to many of the stories in this latest collection of random thoughts from Wellington writer Emily Writes (yes, it is a pen-name). Like her two previous books, Rants in the Dark and Is it Bedtime Yet?, Needs Adult Supervision is Writes’ take on the highs and lows of parenting, from birth to Minecraft, lockdowns and lessons on Zoom. It is a very personal look at parenting through the eyes of a mother with two young boys, who seem to have their own health challenges. The chapters are short and written with plenty of humour, making the book perfect for time-poor parents.
Next In Line by Jeffrey Archer
Now well into his eighties, prolific writer Jeffrey Archer still knows how to spin a good yarn. Next In Line is the fifth book in a series featuring Detective Chief Inspector William Warwick. In this instalment, Warwick and his Scotland Yard team are sent to investigate an elite Royalty Protection Command. It’s London 1988 and Royal fever is sweeping the nation, as Britain falls in love with the ‘people’s princess’. Royalty provides a backdrop for a fast-paced and action-packed plot with a whole cast of characters, good and bad. Warwick’s wingman, Inspector Ross Hogan, becomes the lead protection officer to HRH Princess of Wales and it is interesting to read this fictionalised account of the challenge of protecting someone so famous, beloved and high spirited. There are plenty of twists and turns, glamour and subplots to make this a great holiday page turner.
A Mother’s Heart by Carmel Harrington
No one blends love and loss, happiness and heartbreak quite the way Irish author Carmel Harrington does. A Mother’s Heart is a sweeping family drama set across generations. While Rachel Butler likes her life in a pretty Dublin coastal village, her heart lies in Hawke’s Bay, where she grew up. Visiting for the first time since tragedy tore her family apart, she and her stepchildren fall for its beauty and outdoor lifestyle. While she would like to stay where she would have the support of her family and the children could make a new start, the children’s Irish grandparents have ideas of their own. Rachel finds herself fighting the only people who might love the children as much as she does. This is the perfect book for fans of Jojo Moyes, Maeve Binchy and Jodi Picoult.
Cult Trip: Inside the world of coercion and control by Anke Richter
Anke Richter is a columnist and reporter, who worked in newsrooms in Hamburg and Cologne before immigrating with her family to New Zealand. At a new age festival in Byron Bay, Richter met a survivor of the Auckland cult Centrepoint. This chance meeting set her on a 10-year investigation into how and why cults attract, entrap and destroy otherwise ordinary people. As well as investigating Centrepoint, she visited the Osho ashram in India and the tantric Agama Yoga school in Thailand, culminating in a visit to Gloriavale on the West Coast. The book explores the intergenerational sexual abuse common among cults, which Richter says has for too long gone under the radar. The book also charts the author’s own journey to spiritual awakening, blurring the line between reporter and participant.
Book giveaway
Mahurangi Matters, in conjunction with Harper Collins and Penguin Random House, has copies of the following books to giveaway. If you would like to go into the draw, email editor@localmatters.co.nz and put the title of the book in the subject line. Winning entries will be drawn at 9am on January 31.
