THE GROOVE BOOK REPORT

No. 12 in the series.  Logan McRae is back.  And he only has one objective - don't get stabbed, again! Last year's superlative novel  The Blood Road was possibly McBride's best.  Hard to top, by all accounts - and his most action packed to date.  His new one - out this month - is more a slow burn, with a focus on the nutty characters, more crazy internal fighting and backbiting among the top brass at Scottish Police and added sinister ingredients of Scottish Nationalism, alt-rights and BREXIT, plus a slight hint at future parenthood. Once again Logan McRae is the central figure.  This time he's lumped in with a failing detective, DI King.  King is an embarrassment to the Department, with a media revelation about his alleged past as a member of an alt-right Scottish nationalist group hanging over him like the sword of Damocles.  The Department don't really care about his actual political leanings - they only give a 'rats arse' about the me...

A beautifully designed and richly illustrated retelling of the unique and powerful history of Sāmoan tattooing was the big winner at the 2019 PANZ Book Design Awards. The PANZ Book Design Awards were established by the Publishers Association of New Zealand (PANZ) to promote excellence in, and provide recognition for, the best book design in New Zealand.  The 2019 PANZ Book Design Awards winners are: Publishers Association of New Zealand People’s Choice Award Tatau: A History of Sāmoan Tattooing  by Sean Mallon and Sébastien Galliot (Te Papa Press), designed by Arch MacDonnell (Inhouse Design) received the  overall accolade of the  Gerard Reid Award for Best Book Sponsored by Nielson Book  along with the  Penguin Random House New Zealand Award for Best Illustrated Book  and the  Mary Egan Publishing Award for Best Typography  at a ceremony held in Ponsonby, celebrating the best in New Zealand book design. The judges praised the de...

Alternative facts anyone ? UK journalist Dorian Lynskey has written the first biography of 1984 that examines the Orwell's novel in all its aspects.  The CoffeeBar Kids investigates. It is hard to escape the influence of George Orwell's famous book  Nineteen-eighty Four .   Every day we hear phrases and concepts like, 'Big Brother', the 'Thought Police', 'Room 101', 'Doublespeak' and even 'Orwellian' have infiltrated the language and consciousness of countless individuals whether they've read the book or not.  In the case of some, like "Big Brother", we've even spun out the concept into an entertaining and pervasively predatory television spectacle. Surely, with the increasing number of surveillance cameras, geo-tracking, cell-phones, even micro chipping our pets, Orwell's horror has become our reality.  These phrases are more than just a collection of memes - although that does explain why many people reached...

"Let's be honest, not many people come to Wellington for the weather", claims Garage Project co-founder Peter Gillespie.  "They come for the beer!"  Along with his mate Jos they started the Wellington maverick beer company in an old servo up in Aro St. back in 2009.  And now they've just released a fantastic book which celebrates their amazing branding journey.  Garage Project: The Art of Beer is a one-of-a-kind book. As expected the book covers the story behind the decision to go against the grain and create a series of unique labels and designs for their brews which utterly define their products.  Early in their career, they were told to design a logo and stick to it!  Beer drinkers liked conservative images, that were consistent, masculine and reliable.  Don't try to be fancy of provocative.  Look what happens to wine when the labels get too creative, they were told.  Build trust with a robust design.  They chose to comple...

According to US author David Epstein in his new book  Range  there is growing evidence that shows many of the most successful people do well because they are generalists, not in spite of being  generalists.  In this new book he gives the example of  tennis star Roger Federer, who credits the hours he spent dabbling in various sports with helping him develop his hand-eye coordination and his well-rounded athleticism.  It all seems to go against the notion that kids need a "head start" if they are ever to achieve excellence.  Flies in the face of popular opinion. Experts argue that a person wanting to develop a skill, play an instrument, or lead in their field should start early, focus intensely, and practice as much as possible.  If you waver, you’ll never catch up to the people who got a head start.  But a closer look by Epstein shows that sometimes the world’s top performers (from professional athletes to Nobel laureates) hav...

Funny As - will be available in 4 dif ferent covers Funny As is the big, authoritative and hilarious illustrated account of our funniest men and women. Releasing to coincide with the TVNZ 1 documentary series of the same name,  Funny As   tells the story of comedy in New Zealand through more than 300 pictures and an engaging text based on over 100 interviews with our greatest comedians. Featuring four variant covers starring some of the very best in the business: Billy T. James, Fred Dagg, The Topp Twins and Flight of the Conchords. From the Kiwi Concert Party to The Topp Twins, Billy T. James to Rose Matafeo, Fred Dagg to Flight of the Conchords, New Zealanders have made each other laugh in ways distinctive to these islands. Funny As   tells the story of comedy in this country through more than 300 pictures and an engaging text based on over 100 interviews with our best comedians. Published alongside a major TVNZ 1 documentary series at a time when...

A drawing competition is giving Kiwi kids the chance to tap into their creative talents and come up with a cool new character to inhabit Donovan Bixley’s Flying Furballs world. Donovan, who is one of New Zealand’s most acclaimed illustrators with over 100 books to his name, will pick his favourite entry and incorporate the winning character into an upcoming Flying Furballs title.  The winner will have their name acknowledged in the book and receive a signed copy. “I loved drawing characters from my favourite books and comics when I was young. I would have been hyped with excitement if I’d been given the chance for one of my creations to appear in those books,” says Donovan. “The exciting thing for me now is wondering what kids will come up with – they always have such a fresh take on everything. I don’t know what I’m looking for, so I’m ready to be wowed by some new imaginative ideas. The winner doesn’t have to be a spectacular drawing, but it needs to be a s...