Five great weekend reads

Here are five great books to pick up this weekend. Photo / 123RF

Books editor Linda Herrick picks five great books to pick up this weekend.

The English Spy by Daniel Silva
(HarperCollins $34.99)
New York writer Daniel Silva's 16th thriller featuring Israeli intelligence officer Gabriel Allon will have you turning the pages faster than someone trying to defuse a bomb. It opens with the murder of the ex-wife of a member of Britain's royal family and sends Allon on the trail of one very wily terrorist. Silva's a smart writer, combining intricate plotting with a solid grasp of real politics in the Middle East; see Saturday's Canvas for an interview.

Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson
(Orbit $37.99)
If fantasy has never been your thing, nevertheless you must try this amazing account of humanity's first attempt at interstellar travel. Kim Stanley Robinson is a master of the genre; his big concerns are ecological sustainability, and the relationship between technology and the natural worlds. Here, the space ship's 200-year voyage into another star system is narrated by its artificial intelligence system. It is absolutely stunning.

The Predictions by Bianca Zander
(Little, Brown $29.99)
Auckland writer Bianca Zander takes a trip back to the late 70s and a commune in the Coromandel in her new novel. She focuses on seven kids who have no idea who their biological parents are, which becomes a problem as they mature into adolescence and become attracted to their friends who may also be their siblings. Then the arrival of an American hippie clairvoyant who predicts their futures really muddies the waters. This will put you off hippies for ever.

Life In a Cold Climate: Nancy Mitford
by Laura Thompson
(Head of Zeus $49.99)
Thompson, who has written biographies of Agatha Christie and Lord Lucan, throws new light on English aristocrat Nancy Mitford and her crazy, eccentric family. So many books have been written about the Mitfords (many written by the Mitfords), but they all led such flamboyant lives, the stories keep coming. The tragedy of Mitford's life was her love for French man Gaston Palewski, who was not kind to her. But she bore her unhappiness with great style, wit and humour. Once you start reading about the Mitfords, you'll be hooked for life.

Digby Law's Soup
(Hachette $29.99)

Auckland food writer Digby Law released three books in the late 70s/early 80s on soup, vegetables, and pickles and chutneys which sold more than 100,000 copies. These new editions allow you to engage with the gentle charm of Law, who died in 1987 at age 51. This collection of soup recipes covers a huge variety of tastes which range across cuisines from around the world. On a cold winter weekend, there's nothing like a pot of soup simmering on the stove to warm you up inside and out, accompanied, hopefully, by Law's cheddar cheese dumplings. Yum.

- Canvas