A book I recently finished reading was "A Land of Two Halves" by Joe Bennett. He's an English journalist who's lived for many years in New Zealand, and to find out just how much he likes his adopted land he hitch-hikes his way around it.

An ageing, ever-cynical, and often rather anti-social guy, his humour is biting and his descriptions are wonderful. He's got a way of using language that makes you laugh out loud, visualise exactly what he's telling you about, and want to read on.

I've googled him and found that he writes a regular column for Stuff, the New Zealand news website. Like his book, it's very funny. One particular article about how to greet people had me laughing and empathising.

He's probably not everyone's cup of tea due to his "grumpy old man" approach to life, but I really enjoyed A Land of Two Halves, and am delighted to see he has a forthcoming book – throwing the spotlight on his native England. You now know what to get me for my birthday.