Short cuts: Quick reviews on recent book releases

Mark Broatch gives quick reviews on new Kiwi and international titles. Photos / Supplied and Getty Images

“Stars and planets spurred the invention of mathematics; the Moon, that of the calendar,” notes Roberto Trotta, a professor of theoretical physics. In Starborn (Basic Books), he wonders if homo sapiens’ close attention to the heavens gave us an edge over other humans. We sailed, figured out clocks and growing seasons, built religions. The book moves back and forth but is informative on early navigation, telescopes, Newton, Galileo and the birth of computers.

Starborn by Roberto Trotta and The Last Yakuza by Jake Adelstein. Photos / Supplied

Few Westerners have come as close as Jake Adelstein to understanding the nature of organised crime in Japan. His captivating book Tokyo Vice told of his job as the first non-Japanese staff writer for the country’s largest newspaper. Now he’s written The Last Yakuza (Scribe), a biography of a Japanese mobster with the pace and verve of a thriller, rolling in a history of these unique crime syndicates.

After last year’s successful guides on plants and birds, Te Papa Press has returned with more about things New Zealand. Native Insects of Aotearoa and Native Shells of Aotearoa stick to the formula of attractive, compact books featuring black-and-white images and precise expert descriptions.

Native Insects of Aotearoa and Native Shells of Aotearoa, and Begin Again by Oliver Jeffers. Photos / Supplied

Oliver Jeffers is a picture book auteur, creating beautiful, whimsical drawings alongside heart-rending stories about a penguin who wants to fly or a girl who puts her heart in a bottle after loss. Begin Again (HarperCollins) is a kind of history of humanity, full of beguiling illustrations and requests to change our ways of thinking and acting about love, truth, beauty and what we tell ourselves and the world. But it’s 112 pages, ending with a long author’s note. Can picture books appeal beyond kids? We shall see.