Reviews: Books and Magazines: New Non-Fiction for Mums and Dads

“Love Your Hair” promises 24 easy-to-follow “recipes” for effortlessly sexy hair.

I put my name down to review this book in November and when it arrived in March, I had just taken part in Shave for a Cure! Oops. As a result, I don’t have a lot of hair to experiment with and I will review the book based on reading the instructions and imagining myself trying to follow them. I hope that’s still helpful!

The book starts with an introduction to the power of a good haircut/style, a guide to hair and hair products, a list of “hardware”, thirteen basic “recipes” and some more complicated styles. It has some general advice that could be useful for men, but it is aimed at women.

Read the full review »

Good Food Made Simple is all about cooking food that brings warmth to a kitchen, laughter and pleasure to a home. It’s about new twists on old standbys and delicious meals made easy for the everyday cook.

Read the full review »

Paper is something we both take for granted and appreciate. Every day we make use of, or come across, paper in a multitude of ways. I never knew just how much until I read this book. The book covers our cultural history of paper with fascinating tales.

Read the full review »

In an era where we are increasingly aware of the need to limit refined sugars and grains in our diet, Amber Rose’s Love, Bake, Nourish offers a range of delicious recipes that are also healthy.

Read the full review »

Last year’s New Zealand Masterchef Winner Chelsea Winter has released her debut title, At My Table. If I’m honest, when I first flicked through the book I would have given it two stars! But read on – because I did, and my perspective changed somewhat.

Read the full review »

Information is Beautiful is over 200 pages of beautiful infographics; data displayed in creative image format. Topics include pop-culture, the internet, food, the environment, politics, health, science and more.

Read the full review »

This bright, colourful and comprehensive book contains “not only our favourite recipes from Meals Without Meat, Meals Without Red Meat, and Very Easy Vegetarian, but also…. recipes from our other books, magazine and newspaper columns.” In true Holst style, the recipes in The Ultimate Vegetarian Collection cover a wide range of categories, are accompanied by numerous photographs, and seem very achievable, making you want to whip up a few right now.

Read the full review »

Lyn Webster got herself in a financial pickle a few years ago and had to slash her spending considerably. She managed to do so really successfully and has given advice through newspaper columns, her website and talks around the country. Pig Tits and Parsley Sauce puts together all her tips in one place.

Read the full review »

Annie Bell’s Baking Bible is a beautiful, heavy book spilling over with glossy pictures of carefully catalogued baking treats. Read the full review »

Granny Chic: Crafy Recipes and Inspiration for the Handmade Home is an inspiring little book that will have you itching for your sewing machine and thinking of projects. Think Make Do and Mend with liberal dashes of crafty, cool and stylish.

Read the full review »