OUT in paperback is Lesley Downer's account of Japan's Tsutsumi family and their Seibu business empire. The Brothers (Vintage $94) traces the rise of the family to astonishing wealth, from its farming roots to the corridors of political and economic power.
You may not have the energy or willpower to tackle next weekend's Trailwalker race, which pits walkers against time and the 100-kilometre MacLehose Trail, but taken in short doses, the route moves within reach of Everyperson. To inspire you to try, Richard Peace has brought out a guide to the path and the countryside it traverses in Magic Walks: The MacLehose Trail and Its Surroundings (The Alternative Press $87). It provides tips on transport to the various stages of the walk, the length and estimated time for each stage, maps and advice on what to bring with you.
A series of books called Living Wisdom from Macmillan offers illustrated guides to the world's great beliefs and spiritual traditions. Two recent titles are The Sacred Earth by Brian Leigh Molyneaux ($170) which looks at ideas of creation and fertility; and India by Richard Waterstone ($170), an examination of the country's rituals, gods and meditation practices. Each book is designed to smooth the reader's way through the philosophies under discussion with colour pictures throughout and attractive layouts.
James Champy, co-author of the hugely successful Re-engineering the Corporation (with Mike Hammer), has a new project underway. This time he's Re-engineering Management (HarperCollins $96) examining the role of managers once a company has revamped its operational processes to improve productivity and cost-effectiveness. He tackles the problems which arise if the management doesn't change along with the rest of the business and offers plenty of case studies to get his message across.
Agatha Christie turns up in a different guise in Come Tell Me How You Live (HarperCollins $60), now re-issued. In the 1930s, her archaeologist husband Max Mallowan went excavating in Syria and Iraq. Christie decided to go too. On their return, to stop friends' never-ending questions about their adventures, she wrote this 200-page work. Some snapshot photos included.
What Your Mother Couldn't Tell You & Your Father Didn't Know (Vermillion $105) finds psychologist John Gray (Men Are From Mars and Women Are From Venus) out to help the two sexes improve their knowledge of each other. Topics include the hidden reasons why women and men find themselves getting dissatisfied in a relationship, the different way the two sexes deal with stress and handling the changes that occur over time in every relationship.
