Masson lives next to a friend of mine, the architect, Tony Watkins, who had a pig stand for mayor of Auckland.

So the people who live in Karaka Bay can't be all that bad. In fact they are an eclectic bunch and Masson's romantic over view of New Zealand is his ode to his new found paradise. Masson is a very good writer, with a string of best sellers to his name, including When Elephants Weep and the Pig Who Sang to the Moon. What makes this book really sing is Masson's quirky original thinking. He sees the strangeness in a lot of New Zealand and in our history, our fauna, flora, and beaches and its never dull. He makes everything bigger than life, fun, and sets it in its historical or geographic context. I kept finding out more information about the country I've spent all my life in and reading and thinking about. Masson's love affair with New Zealand can easily be yours. You'll see New Zealand in a new light and believe me you won't be disappointed !

What I have been reading lately 

Slipping into Paradise

Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson_Random House_227 pages

From Mayor Bob Harvey’s web page
14 November 2008.