Пилот вертолёта Марк Лоу спас 12 человек на извергающемся вулкане, но позже оштрафован на сотню тысяч долларов

1. (1) Lucky You’re Tough by Mark Law & Ron Crosby (Allen & Unwin) The memoir of an unassuming true-life hero. From the publisher: “Lucky You’re Tough chronicles the life of helicopter pilot and NZSAS soldier Mark Law, from growing up in the rural wilds of Whangamōmona through to surviving a series of life-threatening events that would shape his life and career. “After a career as a badged soldier in the NZSAS that led to an intriguing stint with the British SAS and then working as private security in active war zones, Mark returned to New Zealand to start his own helicopter business, Kāhu NZ. While on a sunny day off on 9 December 2019, he got the call that Whakaari/White Island was erupting. All those years of service and expertly trained instincts led to a split-second decision: Mark and his Kāhu NZ colleagues would fly to the erupting volcano to rescue any survivors they could find. “This daring rescue mission would ensure that Mark and the other pilots were able to comfort the injured, as well as to fly those 12 stranded survivors off the island, after they were left there when authorities announced that no official rescue would be coming. Mark’s decision led to himself and his fellow heroic pilots being awarded medals for bravery by the New Zealand government. “Within 12 months of the Governor General presenting his medal, however, his one-man company was hit with a six-figure penalty based on charges brought by WorkSafe related to Kāhu’s past tours on Whakaari. The decision to lay those charges made a year after the eruption outraged New Zealanders and led more than 140,000 Kiwis to sign an online petition asking the government to drop the charges. They didn’t. “From Whangamōmona to Whakaari, Lucky You’re Tough is a story of service, adventure, humour and resilience, and surviving when the odds are against you.” 2. (NEW) Home Again by Jon Toogood (Hachette) Memoir of the former Shihad frontman. From the publisher: “Toogood looks back on a 37-year career that helped define New Zealand rock music, and the personal cost that came with it. From a music-obsessed childhood in Wellington to the deafening roar of international stages, this is the story of a relentless quest for musical greatness. Beginning with his childhood and the formation of a band that would go on to become a cultural force, Jon Toogood takes us inside the chaos and camaraderie of life on the road – the rock’n’roll antics, touring with icons, chasing global success, and the pressure to perform across the ages. “Digging into his past and sharing never-before-told stories, Jon Toogood opens the doors to the recording studio and the artistic process of songwriting, while reflecting on his long-term struggle with anxiety, the breakdown of relationships, and the moments that forced him to confront who he was beyond the stage. There’s also a deeply personal story of redemption found through love. In the coming together of two different worlds, Toogood discovered a renewed sense of purpose, and the beginning of a new adventure shaped by family, connection and an unexpected, hard-won peace. At its heart, this is a book about why we create, how music becomes survival, and what is possible when the noise finally stops.” The Listener’s interview with Jon Toogood is here. 3. (4) A Bushman’s Book of Yarns by Sam Gibson (A&U) Stories from the bush and a guide to edible native plants from the Gisborne-based bushman, hunter, trapper, conservationist, and Instagram star. From the Listener’s review: “Gibson offers us the creamed rice tree (mamaku), bush asparagus (kareao), jewelled fruit (mingimingi) and bush noodles (hakeke). From hors d’oeuvre to dessert, the New Zealand bush features something for every taste. Should you suffer from digestive upsets otherwise known as Bush Belly, Gibson suggests a handful of koromiko leaves brewed in a tea is highly efficacious. No fern roots here but he offers the new shoots of mouku (hen and chickens) ferns. Harvest the manehau, the new shoots, sustainably and responsibly, fry in butter and garlic or serve in a salad. Manehau are also a balm for skin ailments … What separates this book from many others is that it fuses Gibson’s own work and experiences with how the plants and trees inhabiting the forest must provide food and medicine on a sustainable basis. New Zealand’s bush has always occupied a special place in the collective heart of Māori and Pākehā. But it is also an environment which demands respect and understanding … We can enjoy New Zealand’s bush for its own merits, but it also demands respect and understanding to ensure its survival. ‘This is a book which can help us transition from thinking ‘that is a tree’, ‘that is a fern’ or ‘that fluffy stuff on the ground is a moss’ to understanding a little more of who a plant is and what our relationship with that plant could be,’ he writes. ‘We need to understand the context of what a plant is and the actions we need to take to ensure that they remain abundant.’” 4. (2) One Last Question, Prime Minister by Barry Soper (HarperCollins) Barry Soper’s memoir-through-Parliament is like its author: feisty, honest, no-nonsense. Soper signed up for the police aged 17, but within six months realised its hierarchy and requirement to bend to authority weren’t for him. Back in Gore, he ran into a writer for the Southland Times and the rest is history. It’s a very readable account, Soper’s views are refreshingly independent-minded, and his memory of people and events is elephantine. After a brisk personal account of his life, he jumps into what he thinks of 12 PMs from Muldoon to Luxon. Helen Clark he rates the highest; John Key comes not far behind. Jacinda Ardern he rates the weakest, judging her government largely ineffective despite a huge majority. As for Hipkins and Luxon, for him the jury is still out. 5. (RETURN) Become Unstoppable by Gilbert Enoka (Penguin) If there’s one thing Kiwis love as much as a biography from a veteran All Blacks player or coach, it’s a guide to how the ABs perform as well as they do, as consistently as they do – with the idea that the “winning mindset” lessons might just rub off on the reader. From the publisher: “In a career spanning almost three decades, visionary psychological coach Gilbert Enoka changed the way the All Blacks played their game. With a 77% winning record in test match rugby, the highest of any professional sports team, they are the only international team to have a winning record against every opponent. That is only possible because they leave no part of their preparation to chance. Their winning mindset and resilience are as important as the physical training and Gilbert Enoka was their secret weapon. “For the first time, Gilbert distils his essential lessons to building unshakeable staying power – particularly at times of high pressure where others would crumble – creating a winning team mentality – and leaving things better than how you found them so that we can all learn the All Blacks way. Discover how to build a winning culture, hone your leadership to inspire your team in times of need and establish iconic rules for performance that will become your competitive advantage for years to come.” 6. (5) Murder and Mojitos by Gareth and Louise Ward (Penguin) The third and apparently final cosy crime novel in the Bookshop Detectives series by two actual bookshop owners. From the publisher: “Booksellers Garth and Eloise Sherlock (and their cowardly dog, Stevie) have been roped into hosting Murder and Mojitos, a glamorous Art Deco festival event starring Cuba’s queen of crime fiction. Between flapper frocks, rooftop hijinks and competitive cocktail shaking, it should be the bookshop’s biggest break yet. But when mysterious parcels arrive at the shop and a body turns up on a quiet local beach, every clue points back to Arthur Pinter – the literary-obsessed serial killer from the Sherlocks’ past. With the mojitos flowing and half of the town in costume, Garth and Eloise must untangle a web of old betrayals, new alliances and international intrigue before the festival’s finale turns into a bloodbath. Can they protect their staff, their small town and their beloved bookshop – or will this be their final chapter?” 7. (RETURN) Better Never Stops by Paul Wood (HarperCollins) A guide to the “art and science of continuous improvement”. From the publisher: “From delinquent to doctor, Paul Wood knows first-hand how far we can take our lives if we address what holds us back. At the age of 18, Wood was sent to New Zealand’s toughest prison. Almost 11 years later, in 2006, he walked out a free man, escaping his past and becoming a leading expert in the psychology of personal prisons, limiting mindsets, and the pursuit of excellence. In Better Never Stops, Wood explains the neuroscience behind our innate human desire to strive for improvement and how we can supercharge our ability to grow. Mastering the art of continuous improvement is not only essential to happiness and personal fulfilment - it also offers a better quality of life as we age and, crucially, a life without regrets. Written as an easy-to-understand guide, Better Never Stops combines ancient wisdom, proven psychological techniques, and the latest research to form a blueprint for people wanting to discover how great their lives can truly be. 8. (NEW) One Day a Taniwha by Tīhema Baker (Hachette) From the Listener’s review: “Tīhema Baker’s new novel is part of emerging ground in contemporary local fiction, the Modern Family Man: a male protagonist, often middle class, deals with the social pressures and conflicted expectations around being a hands-on father, sensitive partner, inoffensive colleague and engaged citizen, while still being one of the bros … One Day a Taniwha has an added dimension, one that gives it an increasingly raw power as the story builds. Baker’s protagonist, Hepa, is Māori. He has traded a government job in Wellington to become a lanyard-wearing council accountant in Paraparaumu, closer to home: there he is the go-to for every karakia and the target for a throng of NIMBY protestors who hate ‘their rates being used on anything Māori’. He and partner Āniwa are exhausted because their baby boy, Wī, won’t sleep; money is tight and Hepa sees chores as well as bills mount … Hepa has always had vivid dreams, but now they are haunted by a lizard with pāua-shell eyes who grows into a menacing shapeshifter. He starts to lose his grip on what is real and what is a dream, and within his dreams the monster rampages … At times One Day a Taniwha can feel too pointed in its lessons. Hepa’s mentor Uncle Bush says there is ‘expectation placed on you fullas that our generation never had to deal with. Be more present, more involved. More gentle. Can’t be easy when you never really had that from us’ … Reclamation is needed, he says, including of the ‘knowledge and healing practices of our tupuna, and the mana of fatherhood’. The novel, intense and vital, interrogating our particular historic moment, makes a persuasive case.” 9. (8) Dreamslinger by Graci Kim (Penguin) Fresh from its win in the NZCYA awards, Dreamslinger makes a reappearance in the bestseller list. It’s the first in a very readable series for older tweens/young adults from the Korean Kiwi about 14yo Aria Loveridge, who has a special genetic mutation that transports her to a magical realm in her sleep. It also gives her special powers, and when she heads to a tournament for dreamslingers in a Korea-like city state, she begins to find her community. The sequel, Royalslinger, is just out. 10. (RETURN) Royalslinger by Graci Kim (Penguin) Sequel to Dreamslinger. From the publisher: “Fifteen-year-old Aria is about to start her second year of magical training at the Royal League of Dreamslingers. She and her bloom dragon, Rio, must pass the final exam to become fully fledged Fellows. But before training can begin, the king of Royal Hanguk gives Aria and the other novices a mission. They are to help the League reclaim the Touch of Death, a powerful ancient relic stolen from the kingdom – by Aria’s own mother.But then Aria experiences a devastating loss and her dream of becoming a royalslinger evaporates. What now? One option is to join the freeslingers, a rogue faction, but Aria isn’t so sure about their methods. How far is Aria prepared to go to regain what she’s lost? And will her decisions result in the end of the League?” Data courtesy NielsenIQ BookScan: Week ending August 29.