Dog's quest to find his calling heartrending

REVIEWED BY JILLIAN ALLISON-AITKEN

BOOK REVIEW: Alveridgea and the Legend of Lonely Dog
By Ivan Clarke and Stu Duval (Atlantic Books, RRP $40)

The Queenstown-based artist Ivan Clarke has produced something special in this hard- cover tribute to Lonely Dog, an orphan hound who is growing up in Alveridgea, a land where cats and dogs live together but apart.

The title character was inspired by Clarke's family pet, Arthur Snout the dachshund. Legend has it, Clarke did a painting several years ago of Arthur looking sad as the family drove off for a holiday without him.

That painting, titled Bon Voyage, showed Arthur in a suit standing on a wharf as he waves at a ship steaming away. It paved the way for the story of an orphan hound who is growing up in the segregated society of Alveridgea, where aristocratic cats lord it over the downtrodden dogs.

He was tucked inside an old boot and left on the steps of the Houndside orphanage.

From our reviewers: NZ books

From The Southland Times book reviewers.

Diplomatic Ladies: New Zealand's Unsung Envoys
By Joanna Woods (Otago University Press, RRP $50)

Reviewed by Lauren Hayes

Miles away from friends and family, the wives of New Zealand's diplomats were expected to cope with a lot.

Surviving food rationing in Moscow and war in Vietnam, playing down sex scandals with British authors and helping prepare Samoa for independence was just part of the job for an ambassador's wife, and she was expected to do it all with the smile and charm of a high society hostess.

Bringing the moa to life

REVIEWED BY JILLIAN ALLISON-AITKEN

BOOK REVIEW: Moa: The Life and Death of New Zealand's Legendary Bird
By Quinn Berentson (Craig Potton Publishing, RRP $50)

There has been much written about the long-extinct moa but this book by Dunedin-based writer, documentary film-maker and photographer Quinn Berentson manages to be both comprehensive and accessible.

These unusual birds developed in isolation millions of years ago but became extinct fairly quickly after the arrival of Maori and were nothing but a distant memory by the time European explorers landed here.

This book begins with the discovery of moa bones during the 1840s, which caused something of a worldwide sensation and was believed by some to be the zoological find of the century.

It then documents the many discoveries and revelations about moa over the years, some of which have been the result of DNA testing and radio- dating.

Not-so-reticent Kiwis' pithy utterings collected

REVIEWED BY JILLIAN ALLISON-AITKEN

BOOK REVIEW: Quotable New Zealand Quotes
Compiled by Jim Weir (New Holland Publishers RRP $28)

Us Kiwis always have something to say and there's no denying that some of us manage to say things that are worth repeating.

Not all of us, mind you. Some of us stagger through the day barely managing to string two words together. However, there are plenty of New Zealanders who have uttered words worth repeating: quotable quotes, in fact.

This book features snippets from politicians, columnists, sportsmen, actors, comedians, poets and more.

There's everyone from Joe Bennett, Sam Hunt and Steve Braunias to Dai Henwood, Helen Clark and Sam Neill.

Fascinating insight to financial crisis

REVIEWED BY JILLIAN ALLISON-AITKEN

BOOK REVIEW Crisis: One Central Bank Governor and the Global Financial Crisis
By Alan Bollard with Sarah Gaitanos (Auckland University Press, RRP $35)

There's no denying the global economy is in pretty bad shape and the forecasts for where it is heading go from one extreme to the other.

However, there are few people as well qualified to comment on the New Zealand economy as Dr Alan Bollard, governor of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand for a decade until last year, who has also held the positions of secretary to the Treasury, chairman of the Commerce Commission and director of the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research.

This book was originally published in 2010 and Dr Bollard's first-hand account of the global financial and economic meltdown was a best-seller.

Now, he brings the reader up- to-date, telling the story of the overheated markets and investment bank collapses and of the scarily fragile recovery both here and overseas since 2010.