The Lightning Tree
By Emily Woof (Faber)
Regular flashes of brilliance in the prose don't entirely steady the wobbles in this second novel from UK actress and writer Emily Woof. Set in Newcastle, it is a love story of sorts, told in an intense and fanciful stream of consciousness style. Ursula grows up in a middle-class part of the city with an activist mother who's always off on rallies and an ever-present grandmother whose mind is in the past. Ursula falls for Jerry, who comes from the rough side of town, and they believe they'll be together forever. But Jerry goes to university and Ursula sets off to India where she has a mind-blowing, quasi-religious experience that their relationship can't survive. As adults, struggling with their lives, something seems always to be missing, and their paths continue to collide. Woof's talent as a writer shines most brightly in the earlier parts of this novel. There are duller moments as we speed through Ursula and Jerry's lives and an apparent attempt at tragi-comedy - in the character of grandma Mary - doesn't hit its mark. An ambitious novel about life and love that never quite lives up to its early promise.
The Altogether Unexpected Disappearance of Atticus Craftsman
By Mamen Sanchez (Double Day)
These days there is a genre of "quirky and charming" bestsellers. They tend to have extra-long titles and feature characters who aren't meant to be entirely believable and lots of gentle humour. This novel, a bestseller in Mamen Sanchez's native Spain, falls squarely into that category. Atticus Craftsman is a young Englishman who travels everywhere with a suitcase of Earl Grey tea, which he believes cures all ills. His father sends him to Madrid to shut down a small literary magazine that is failing to make a profit for the family publishing company. This task proves more complicated than he had imagined because of the feisty women staff who are determined to keep their jobs. They come up with a plot that results in the disappearance of Atticus and easily flummoxes the bumbling Spanish detective, Inspector Manchego. There's a mystery of sorts, love stories, characters battling heartache, literary allusions, cliched repressed English folk and hot-blooded Andalusians. A funny, friendly tale.
A Treasury Of New Zealand Baking
Edited by Lauraine Jacobs (Penguin Random House)
No matter what the wellness experts say, for most of us there will always be a place for a few sweet treats. This new edition of a modern Kiwi classic is packed with sugary delights from some of our top food writers. Treasured, "utterly reliable" family recipes and updated Kiwi staples, slices to fill lunchboxes, healthy bran muffins and rich chocolate delights, cakes filled with courgettes and carrot - all are here, temptingly photographed by Aaron McLean. A book to inspire non-bakers to give the art of dessert-making a go, plus satisfy long-time fillers-of-tins with fresh ideas and interesting twists. It's tough to pick stand-outs among so many stars but Fiona Smith's chocolate, custard and fruit pastries are calling to me. The royalties on this book go to The New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation.
Bridled Passion
By Margot Butcher (Bateman)
