Find out what books the girls of the Gloss office have got their noses buried in this month…

WORTH A DETOUR – New Zealand’s Unusual Attractions and Hidden Places
by Peter Janssen
There’s a saying that before travelling the world you should get to know your own country first. There’s much in the way of glorious terrain and quirky small town characters to be discovered in New Zealand and this book will help you uncover things not found on the beaten track or in the ‘other guide books’. Take it with you on your next road trip and see what you find. On a recent trip to Taranaki I used it to discover Cape Egmont Lighthouse, and the Aotea Waka Monument in Patea. Next up, the surfboard museum in Mount Maunganui and Kapiti Island in Foxton. There’s something for everyone in this book – be it tucked away treks and empty beaches or rural pubs and Morris Minor collections. Grab a copy before your summer road trip.
RRP: $29.95
Published by Hachette Livre

THE LITTLE DICTIONARY OF FASHION – A guide to dress sense for every woman (Christian Dior)
Cutely old fashioned and yet with some timely advice for classic elegance, this book is ideal for dedicated followers of fashion and is a compilation of Christian Dior sound-bites on the elements of style. It’s especially amusing when he gets a little opinionated, “I hate dyed hair. The colour God has given to you is always the best and matches your personality.” I’m naturally blah mousy brown so I completely disagree, but howsoever… We love the fabric cover and the black and white photos and illustrations which make it that little bit extra special for a stylish gift.
$29.99
Published by V&A Publications

AGAINST THE MACHINE – being human in the age of the electronic mob by Lee Siegel
Siegel is an interesting man… He is a blogger for the New Republic’s Web site but was shamed after he very naughtily made scathing comments attacking his readers when they criticised him. Cowardly he used a false name and then when he was discovered, he used his ‘suspension’ time from New Republic to write his book. Ironically, for someone who clearly spends a lot of time ‘blogging’ and posing as someone else, this book is an at times funny and controversial argument that the internet encourages polite people to be downright abusive. An interesting, if aggressive read.
$32.99
Published by Serpents Tail
Distributed by Allen and Unwin

13 BULLETS by David Wellington
Vampire novels have a tendency to be a little archaic – conjuring up images of gothic mansions, predictable plots and romanticized gore. Well, forget all you knew about vampire books, David Wellington is re-shaping the genre. Witty, well-written and contemporary, 13 Bullets unleashes some serious gratuitous violence on the reader – picks you up by the scruff of the neck and refuses to let you go. We won’t spoil it, but the ending is a really cool twist! Read it late at night of you can handle it – or take it for a long weekend at the beach…
RRP: $14.95
Published by Allen and Unwin

THE BEACH HOUSE by Jane Green
The tale of a slightly eccentric widow named Nan, whom when times get tough decides to take the bull by the horns and rent rooms out in her gorgeous yet deteriorating Nantucket beach house.
The new lodgers are a divorced father trying to find himself, a single mother with a very angry teenager and Nan’s son who returns for the summer.  The house fills with laughter, tears and noise and everyone begins their journey to finding happiness under the watchful eye of Nan.
This book is a real heart warmer.  I could almost smell the sea salt in the air and completely identified with Nan’s no nonsense character, read it from start to finish without putting it down.  A great summer read for all those romantics that want a happy ending for everyone.
Reviewed by Sheree Warman
RRP: $37
Published by Penguin Books

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