Book reviews: April 2024

Pick of the month

Fireside Warmers
Emily Vikre
$45

With the cold weather setting in, there’s nothing better than a warm, cosy fire on winter evenings. Take your gathering at the campsite, cabin, or backyard firepit from fun to fantastic with delicious cocktails and fireside treats in Emily Vikre’s new book.

The book features dozens of all-new recipes as well as a few great hits and remixes from Camp Cocktails and The Family Camp Cookbook. From classic s’mores and steaming cups of hot chocolates to snacks and drinks as you transition from day to evening, you’re sure to find the perfect pairing that will keep you warm.

The book is packed with inspiration and comes in a handy size, making it the ideal companion for your next outdoor adventure. Whether you’re embarking on a camping trip or simply craving the warmth of a firelit evening, Vikre’s collection promises to keep you snug and satisfied.

More good reads

Until August
Gabriel García Márquez
Penguin Random House
$40

An extraordinary lost novel from Nobel Prize-winning author Gabriel García Márquez, Until August is a hauntingly beautiful exploration of freedom, regret, and the mysteries of love.

Sitting alone, overlooking the still and blue lagoon, Ana Magdalena Bach surveys the men of the hotel bar. She is happily married and has no reason to escape the world she has made with her husband and children. And yet, every August, she travels here to the island where her mother is buried, and for one night takes a new lover.

Amid sultry days and tropical downpours, Ana journeys further each year into the hinterland of her desire, and the fear that sits quietly at her heart.

It’s a masterpiece of literature from one of the greatest writers the world has ever known.

Alpine Panorama: a view to a climb
Andy Buchanan
Quentin Wilson Publishing
$59.99
Reviewed by Tony Orman

Canterbury’s alpine horizon embracing the Southern Alps is impressive, particularly on a clear winter’s day. That distant alpine skyline drew author Andy Buchanan as a youngster towards it.

Family holidays took in tramping and skiing and thus grew a love of the mountains to the west of Christchurch. Through text and excellent photographs, the author describes the peaks and the climbs that he and his companions have accomplished.

It’s a book that will inspire keen trampers to explore the mountain areas that Andy Buchanan knows so well. It’s both a personal recounting of alpine journeys and a field guide of value.

Girl Of The Mountains
Trish McCormack
Glacier Press
$35

Set in the Southern Alps of New Zealand and inspired by real-life history, this multi-layered novel follows two stories across different eras: the 2019 story of a veteran Wellington journalist who disappeared leaving behind some puzzling old mountaineering photos, and the life of mountain guide Stella, based at the Hermitage Mt Cook in 1946.

Skilfully shifting between the decades, the mystery is slowly and carefully revealed, and author Trish McCormack’s upbringing in Franz Josef adds another layer to the tale, beautifully capturing the landscape and setting.