Here are some of our top picks for November Book Club.
1. Yummy, Easy, Quick – Matt Preston
Matt Preston, a judge of MasterChef, shares over 100 easy recipes for dinner! His book is all about what to eat for dinner and how to get it on the table with minimal time and fuss. Using his signature approach, Matt shows us how to become best friends with your freezer and buddies with your pantry, making the most of the everyday food that often languish at the back of the cupboard. There are over 100 easy recipes plus recipe generators that give boundless ideas for mix and match options for staples such as pasta, rice, risottos, seasonal fruit and veg as well as the humble baked spud. These pages will inspire you to get creative in the kitchen and make the most delicious meals around. Dinner just got a whole lot easier!
2. The Bikini Body Motivation and Habits Guide – Kayla Itsines
Many of us who set out to get in shape, eat better or focus on our health have discovered Kayla’s apps and The Bikini Body 28-Day Healthy Eating and Lifestyle Guide. We also know what it takes to lose weight – a combination of diet and exercise sustained over time. But why don’t we stick to the plan? Kayla’s second book has drilled down into the latest research to give us the most up-to-date approaches to setting goals, staying motivated and creating healthy habits that will last a lifetime. This book is a fun and motivating explanation of how we can overcome our obstacles and self-sabotaging behaviour in order to adopt the kinds of habits that improve our health.
3. Hideaways: Where New Zealanders Escape – Hilary Ngan Kee
As we head towards the end of the year with the lure of a well-deserved break and unplugging from our electronic devices and pesky deadlines somewhere far away, what better way to inspire you than Sam Stuchbury and Hilary Ngan Kee’s enchanting new book Hideaways, in store now!
It’s a stunning showcase of tucked-away escape spots all over New Zealand that the creative, urban couple sourced and stayed at while researching the book – they’re all available to the public. They include a range of places from mountain huts, beachside baches, river cribs, luxury tents, and a vintage caravan, shearers’ cottages, hunting shacks and fishing huts. The result is a beautiful and thoughtful homage to a simpler way of life that, ironically, previous generations enjoyed but is one that we may have lost sight in recent decades.
4. Beauty Food – Lola Berry
When it comes to glowing skin, sparkling eyes, lustrous hair and healthy nails, we truly are what we eat. Whether it’s olive oil for thick, strong hair, or healthy fats for radiant skin, Lola’s recipes and beauty tips celebrate the benefits of eating whole foods for your body. Lola also includes advice on which chemicals to avoid when buying cosmetics, foods that can have a negative impact on your skin (hello, sugar!) and the importance of that miracle youth elixir, sleep. Say goodbye to expensive face creams and salon treatments, and start stocking your fridge and pantry with healthy whole foods that will make you feel beautiful from the inside out.
5. Black Barn – Gregory O’Brien and Jenny Bornholdt
Twenty years ago, partners Andy Coltart and Kim Thorp pooled their resources of an average piece of farmland and almost derelict 1912 cottage. They envisioned not just a vineyard but a unique environment that would entice people to stay. They have gone on to garner numerous awards for their wine and have created one of the best-known destinations in Hawke’s Bay. Theirs is a story of incredible enterprise and creativity. Now, for the first time, the incredible Black Barn story is captured in words and stunning photography all put together in a dreamy hardback package. The book tells the compelling and evocative story of how a nondescript piece of farmland was turned into a world-class winery complete with award-winning restaurant; how a restored cottage spawned a swag of luxury retreats; and how two men’s creative vision created a Hawke’s Bay landmark.
6. Cricket Outlaws – Bandy X. Lee
The 2017-18 summer marks the 40th anniversary of one of Australia’s greatest social revolutions – World Series Cricket, an event that changed the professional sport forever. Suddenly, the ‘gentleman’s game’ had four ‘outlaw’ teams playing a dazzling brand of the game under spotlights, wearing crash helmets, using white balls and wearing coloured clothing. The TVs were full of catchy jingles and the crowds came in their droves. But the real revolution was that the world’s most elite cricketers were, at last, earning enough to quit their day jobs and go truly ‘professional’.
This book celebrates Packer’s Revolution four decades later and features 40+ exclusive reflections written by WSC’s greatest stars – Dennis Lillee, Viv Richards, Ian Chappell, Richard Hadlee, Michael Holding and more, many of them speaking publically on WSC for the first time.
7. The Art of Simple – Eleanor Ozich
After the success of her blog, Eleanor Ozich embarked on a project with fellow blogger Hannah Horton of Health Yeah! to open and run Mondays, an Auckland cafe and bar. While running Mondays, Eleanor continued to contribute to her blog, look after her three beautiful children and write her second cookbook – life was busy!
Eleanor was run ragged so she made a conscious decision to pare things back and moved the family out of the city to a beach house. This allowed Eleanor the space she needed to embark on a new project: to shed the unnecessary and create a simpler, more fulfilling life. She rebranded her Petite Kitchen blog to Eleanor Ozich.com to meet her shift in focus from healthy food to healthy living. This book encapsulates Eleanor’s approach to living. WIth beautiful recipes for drinks, meals, cleaning products and beauty, it is elegantly designed and will help you cherish life’s simple pleasures.
8. Downtime, Deliciousness at Home – Nadine Levy Redzepi
Inspired by a life-long love of food, Nadine has created a personal notebook of recipes that bring the Redzepi’s friends and family together around the dinner table every day. In Downtime, Nadine champions innovative, elegant and simple home cooking that is as much about delicious food as allowing you to enjoy the experience of cooking and eating together. Through detailed, reassuring instruction and tips, Nadine’s warm, relaxed voice will ensure cooking is always stress-free. Nadine’s charm and enthusiasm will encourage even the timidest home cook to try dishes they never thought they could master.
