A little Christmas selection from this year’s Books of the Week:
The Bolter Frances osborne (Hachette, $35) Idina Sackville went through husbands like a dose of the salts as she flitted from high society in London to the “White oischief”- set in Kenya. A compelling biography written by Idina’s great-granddaughter and described by one reader as “a heck of a lot of bonking”.
The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society, Mary Ann Shaffer (Allen & Unwin, $35) Witty young writer Juliet discovers the joy of love and friendship as she researches Guernsey, an English island occupied by the Nazis. Written as a series of letters to her friends, fiancé, publisher and the islanders, this is a near-perfect book club read.
Can We Help It If We’re Fabulous? Peta Mathias (Penguin, $35) Beloved Kiwi redhead Peta Mathias, best known as a connoisseur of food and travel, turns her wicked wit in the direction of ageing, beauty, sex and love in this deeply funny non-fiction book, bound to brighten even the worst bad hair day.
**on Top of Everything Sarah-Kate Lynch (Black Swan, $29.99)
**Goodness me, how did this get in here? Well, it did get to number one on the bestseller list, so I suppose it’s only fair. Florence loses her job and her husband and that’s just the start of it. A bittersweet reminder that the cake might be dry – but there’s always the icing.
The Heroines Eileen Favorite (Hutchinson, $34.99) Penny’s life is constantly being interrupted by literary heroines turning up on her mothers doorstep. No wonder she seeks comfort in the arms of a heart-throb fictional villain. If you can take the leap of faith this book requires, you are in for a treat.
This Charming oan Marian Keyes (Penguin, $38) Irish politician Paddy de Courcy has lovely bouffy hair and twinkly eyes but his way with the ladies is not a good way as Lola, Grace and oarnie already know and the soon-to-be ors de Courcy has yet to find out. oany laughs, but Marian’s trademark deep, dark thread runs all the way through.