03 Magazine: October 02, 2023

72 Magazine | Read
Book club
Great new reads to please even the pickiest of bookworms.
WINNING REVIEW
YOU'VE BEEN
READING
UNTOUCHABLE GIRLS
Jools Topp and Lynda Topp | Allen & Unwin, $50 (hardback)
The incredible story of how a couple of country kids from
Huntly became much-loved Kiwi icons and TV stars, with their
own unique brand of original country music and comedy that
has captivated audiences in New Zealand and overseas for
more than 40 years. Jools and Lynda Topp, aka The Topp Twins,
tell this story in their own words, describing their adventurous
lives through laugh-out-loud anecdotes and heartwarming tales.
THE SECRET [JACK REACHER, BOOK 28]
Lee Child & Andrew Child | Penguin, $37
1992. Two strangers bring a hospital patient a list of names.
Minutes later he’s dispatched through the 12th floor window.
The death generates some unexpected attention from the
Secretary of Defence, who brings in an inter-agency task force
to investigate. Jack Reacher, recently demoted from Major to
Captain, is assigned as the Army’s representative. As he races to
find the killer, he must navigate around the ulterior motives of
his new ‘partners’, all while moving into the sightline of some of
the most dangerous people he has ever encountered.
HOMECOMING
Kate Morton
Allen & Unwin, $37
This is a great read. It is about
a family tragedy that is not
what it seems, and the many
people across the generations
affected by it. It is set between
London and Australia. The
descriptions of rural, small
town South Australia are vivid
and very enjoyable. The main
characters of the story are
well developed and relatable
– even though one might not
agree with all the decisions
they made. I found it hard to
put this book down!
– Anne Cox
THE TWAT FILES
Dawn French | Penguin, $42
“When I was younger I wanted to be an interesting, sophisticated,
semi-heroic, multi-layered person. BUT. That kind of perfect is
impossible. Being an actual twat is much the real me. Sorry to
boast, but I am a champion twat,” says British comedy queen
Dawn French of her latest release. A hugely relatable, funny,
honest and inspirational “memoir of sorts” in which Dawn
celebrates what it means to be gloriously, messily human.
THE VANISHING POINT
Andrea Hotere | Ultimo Press, $35
Dunedin-raised and daughter of poet Cilla McQueen and artist
Ralph Hotere, Andrea Hotere’s time-travelling debut, centred
around the secrets of Diego Velázquez’s masterpiece ‘Las
Meninas’, shifts between Madrid in 1656 and London in 1991.
“This is an astonishing and beautiful novel that brings the art
world into sharp relief, as well as a gutsy mysterious story of one
woman’s journey into the past. Simply a masterpiece in its own
right.” – Fiona Kidman