My Paris Dream
By Kate Betts (A&U)
France, high fashion, an insider view of the world of glossy magazines, a young woman just starting out and trying to make her mark - this autobiography from Kate Betts, former editor-in-chief of Harper's Bazaar, has the lot. It tells of a time when the greats of fashion were still truly great, and not hostages to huge luxury corporations, and it should be irresistible to fans of The Devil Wears Prada and The September Issue. Betts is ultra-glamorous and her memoir includes personal shots of her hanging with designer Karl Lagerfeld and having her wedding veil adjusted by shoe-genius Christian Louboutin. Though sentimental at times about Paris and the glitter of her lost youth, she's not shy about describing the hard graft of getting to the top and the personal toll she paid. She takes us from international catwalks to her years on W magazine and working under Anna Wintour at American Vogue. One thing I'd have liked lots more of is pictures - that would have made me feel as if I was getting a lavish look inside this stylish life instead of what seems a carefully curated one.
The Writers' Festival
By Stephanie Johnson (Vintage)
I would imagine this novel has ruffled a few feathers in the literary world. Stephanie Johnson co-founded what is now the hugely successful Auckland Writers Festival so she's had a front-row seat to years of literary dramas and scandals. She claims this fictional account of the planning and staging of a festival, and the lives of the people involved, is "entirely imaginary" but do we believe her? Well no, not really. And given that she doesn't seem to like any of its characters very much, there is more than a whiff of wickedness about the whole thing. Rae, the festival director, is feuding with a colleague and splitting with her husband. Gareth is judging a major book prize but struggling with a conflict of interest as well as a chequered love life. Writer Merle has discovered a way to revive her flagging career but can she maintain the lies required? Ardash the celebrated young novelist is adjusting to his newfound fame. This new novel shares characters with Johnson's previous book The Writing Class. She is as insightful and assured a writer as she is naughty so there is plenty of interest to be found in it, even if you don't get all the in-jokes and references (and I'm quite sure I didn't).
The French Baker
By Jean Michel Raynaud (Murdoch)
Look away if you're gluten-free or on a weight-loss regime. Sydney-based Jean Michel Raynaud's first book teaches us to recreate classic French patisserie and breads in our kitchens. Baking is an exact science and this is a detailed guide to getting it right, complete with instructions on ingredients and equipment. Recipes range from simple biscuits to opulent gateaux, sweet and savoury tarts (no frozen pastry here), traditional croissants, brioches and breads. The indulgence is completed with a final chapter on compotes, creams and spreads. I don't think there is a single thing in the entire book that I don't long to sink my teeth into but I'm especially desperate for the tarte gratinee (potato and cream tart), the more unusual liquorice and banana tart and the outrageous-sounding chestnut cake with salted caramel ganache. This is not a cookbook for the time-poor, the corner-cutters or the ill equipped. However, keen and proficient bakers will be in heaven.
Stroppy Old Women
Compiled by Paul Little and Wendyl Nissen (Paul Little Books)
Fifty-two stroppy old women (one for every week of the year) capture their thoughts on what's wrong with the world and how it can be fixed. Stroppy Old Women follows on from Grumpy Old Men 1 & 2, and presents opinion pieces from fascinating women. What is most wonderful is the range of issues deemed worthy of stroppiness, and the raw honesty of such a variety of voices. Whether it's bad parking, customer service, colonialism, Maori sovereignty, technology or fashion, opinions are genuinely held and strongly argued. Who could not love peeking into the minds of Judith Ablett-Kerr, Sue McCauley and Shona Laing? A percentage of the proceeds of sales of Stroppy Old Women will benefit Alzheimer's New Zealand, so readers get to do some good and enjoy a great read.
