Books: Recent releases June 21

Author Liza Klaussmann marries history and invention to revisit a golden era. Photo / Supplied

Author exposes the emotion behind the glitter and the glamour.

Villa America
By Liza Klaussmann (Macmillan)

Here's yet another novel that reimagines that golden era of literature: the jazz age when writers like F Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway were drinking furiously and writing books that would become classics. Klaussmann focuses on a non-literary couple at the centre of this world. Gerald and Sara Murphy made high summer in the south of France fashionable, throwing beach fetes and galas at their villa near Antibes. Gerald an artist, Sara a devoted mother, the place littered with famous friends. It's all very fabulous. But this perceptive and gracefully written story takes us beyond the surface glitter and shows us all the fragilities beneath. Klaussmann has cleverly married history and invention, producing an intensely sad love story, laced with loss and repressed emotions. Possibly things get a little too epistolary towards the end but that change of pace is a minor flaw in a hugely satisfying novel.

Eat the Week
By Anna Barnett (Murdoch)

Anna Barnett runs pop-up restaurants in her London home, a converted pub, and in her first cookbook, she takes a quirky approach to the week's cooking. On Monday she's assuming you'll be broke and hungover from the weekend so provides suggestions for wholesome budget dishes and comforting carbs. On Tuesday you'll be flat-out at work so there are meals you can prepare from leftovers or after a quick dash to the corner shop. On Wednesday you might be tempted to go out to eat but why not make something fancy at home instead. And so it goes ... It's a clever way to present what is essentially a random series of recipes that veer from simple snacks - ciabatta rolls filled with baked beans and cheese - to family favourites, feed-a-crowd food and outrageous sweet treats like the decadent chocolate and Guinness date cake with white chocolate and lemon topping. A great place to look for vegetarian options and lighter meals; I think this is one of those books where you're likely to find a recipe or two you'll go on making and enjoying for years.

Preventing Cancer
By Richard Beliveau and Denis Gingras (Allen & Unwin)

A lot of unreliable health information is out there these days. This book, by experts in the field, delivers exactly what it promises, sound advice, founded on science, to help readers reduce their risk of developing cancer. Some of it is obvious - exercise more, drink less, be slim, don't smoke, stay out of the sun, cut down on red meat - but it's the science behind why these factors are so important that is compelling. Based on the results of 400,000 studies by the big cancer-fighting agencies, the book is commendably free of medical jargon and, although it's not exactly a fun read, neither is it an especially taxing one. Recommended for anyone thinking of overhauling their diet and lifestyle - far better than relying on advice from some self-styled wellness guru.

The Well
By Catherine Chanter (Text)

Ruth and Mark have escaped the city and bought their dream property, a lush garden paradise, but it isn't long before everything begins to sour. It hasn't rained in Britain for three years and people start to accuse Ruth and Mark of stealing and hoarding water. Cranks and believers are drawn to the property as word spreads of possible rain. Mark copes by looking after the animals and trying to keep the Government from confiscating the property. Ruth finds the self-imposed exile difficult but then is drawn to a group of women called the Sisters of the Rose who have set up camp in one of the fields. As tensions escalate, Ruth makes a decision that will ultimately change all of their lives. The Well is a haunting novel that probes the fragility of our personal relationships and the mystical connection between people and the places they call home.

Review by Tracey Lawton who owns and runs The Village Bookshop in Matakana.

Something is Rotten
By Adam Sarafis (Echo)

A grisly death in Auckland University's library kick-starts this debut from a new voice in Kiwi crime writing. Former terrorism adviser Sam Hallberg, now muddling through life as a mechanic, is beseeched by a young sex worker to investigate the demise of her troubled friend, ruled a suicide by authorities. Hallberg's reluctant hunt for a missing manuscript threatens to tear the top off a Pandora's box of government and big business machinations, at the same time as top business journo Lynette Church is being stonewalled on several fronts as she investigates dirty politics in relation to New Zealand's meat exports to Europe. Novelist Linda Olsson and playwright Thomas Sainsbury have combined under the Adam Sarafis pen-name to produce an intriguing tale that raises wider issues of how we deal with tragedy and the connection between business, politics and the media.

Review by Craig Sisterson who blogs about crime fiction here.

Clementine Rose and the Movie Magic
by Jacqueline Harvey (Penguin Random House)

Former teacher Jacqueline Harvey has tapped into her insight into the primary-school-aged girls' mind and produced the 10th in her Clementine Rose series. This time, 5-year-old Clementine Rose is going to be on the big screen, filmed by her neighbour Basil Hobbs. Things don't go quite as planned, though, and Clementine Rose has to draw on all her skills to expose the truth. The illustrations of a rather posh little girl with a blond bob and a big bow in her hair, along with a teacup pig by her side, are enough to make even the most reluctant reader pick up the book. And the writing is engaging and fast-paced enough for a young reader just graduating from beginner chapter books.

Review by journalist and author Danielle Wright

Nicky's best read

I enjoy the book reviews on offtheshelf.com for their friendly, unpretentious tone. They're often by authors or people in the publishing world and there is a "Your Shelf" option where you can click and save the names of books you want to add to your personal must-read list.