BloggerAtLarge's Megan Singleton is off on a Nashville adventure overseas.

She highlighted the live bands, the country bars, and the Opry as her personal highlights - and purchased a pair of authentic cowboy boots.

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BloggerAtLarge's Megan Singleton is off on a Nashville adventure overseas.
She highlighted the live bands, the country bars, and the Opry as her personal highlights - and purchased a pair of authentic cowboy boots.
LISTEN ABOVE

News, opinion, analysis, lifestyle and entertainment – we’ve got your Sunday morning listening covered with The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin on Newstalk ZB.

The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin

Megan Singleton: BloggerAtLarge writer on her highlights and recommendations from Nashville

Smoke by Michael Brissenden. Crime……Detective Alex Markov returns to her hometown of Jasper, California after a stint with the LAPD where she’s been accused of corruption – some good ole boys on the force there want her gone – but her colleagues back at the Jasper precinct don’t want her either. After a wildfire sweeps through the town a body is found in a shed, and the other cops are certain it’s just a casualty of the fire – but turns out the shed was locked from the outside. As Alex investigates she discovers a really dark underbelly to the town which seems to be for sale to the highest bidder, and the authorities are playing games within games, where she’s the prize pawn.

Everest, Inc. by Will Cockrell. In the 1980s, some entrepreneurial climbers started offering guided tours up Mt Everest – which has ballooned into an enormous industry where today, more than 90 percent of people who go to climb the mountain are clients or employees of guided expeditions. It’s morphed from being a heroic endeavour on the part of individuals, to becoming Big Business. There’s been triumph and tragedy along the way – notably the expedition which included Jon Krakauer (author of Into Thin Air) and during which five people died, among them New Zealander Rob Hall. New Zealand guides have been very active on the mountain, though today several of the big companies operating there are owned and staffed by the Nepalese. The book is subtitled The Renegades and Rogues who Built an Industry at the top of the World – which is exactly what they did.

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Smoke by Michael Brissenden. Crime……Detective Alex Markov returns to her hometown of Jasper, California after a stint with the LAPD where she’s been accused of corruption – some good ole boys on the force there want her gone – but her colleagues back at the Jasper precinct don’t want her either. After a wildfire sweeps through the town a body is found in a shed, and the other cops are certain it’s just a casualty of the fire – but turns out the shed was locked from the outside. As Alex investigates she discovers a really dark underbelly to the town which seems to be for sale to the highest bidder, and the authorities are playing games within games, where she’s the prize pawn. 
Everest, Inc. by Will Cockrell. In the 1980s, some entrepreneurial climbers started offering guided tours up Mt Everest – which has ballooned into an enormous industry where today, more than 90 percent of people who go to climb the mountain are clients or employees of guided expeditions. It’s morphed from being a heroic endeavour on the part of individuals, to becoming Big Business. There’s been triumph and tragedy along the way – notably the expedition which included Jon Krakauer (author of Into Thin Air) and during which five people died, among them New Zealander Rob Hall. New Zealand guides have been very active on the mountain, though today several of the big companies operating there are owned and staffed by the Nepalese. The book is subtitled The Renegades and Rogues who Built an Industry at the top of the World – which is exactly what they did. 
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Joan's picks: Smoke and Everest, Inc.

BloggerAtLarge writer Megan Singleton managed to find a way into the elusive Gibbs Farm sculpture park - and she says it's worth a look.

Situated north-west of Auckland in the Kaipara Harbour, the carefully curated collection belonging to Kiwi rich-lister Alan Gibbs gives visitors a wide range of art and sculptures to see.

Megan says it's an 'extraordinary' experience exploring the wide open spaces of the area.

Read more about Megan's experience at Gibbs Farm here.

LISTEN ABOVE

BloggerAtLarge writer Megan Singleton managed to find a way into the elusive Gibbs Farm sculpture park - and she says it's worth a look.
Situated north-west of Auckland in the Kaipara Harbour, the carefully curated collection belonging to Kiwi rich-lister Alan Gibbs gives visitors a wide range of art and sculptures to see.
Megan says it's an 'extraordinary' experience exploring the wide open spaces of the area.
Read more about Megan's experience at Gibbs Farm <a href="https://www.bloggeratlarge.com/visiting-gibbs-farm-sculpture-park/">here.</a>
LISTEN ABOVE

Megan Singleton: BloggerAtLarge writer on her experience at Gibbs Farm sculpture park

This week on the Sunday Panel, TV producer and journalist Irene Gardiner and Freebairn and Hehir Lawyers partner Liam Hehir joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!

ZB host Heather du Plessis-Allan has accused Finance Minister Nicola Willis of overspending in the 2024 Budget - do we agree? Were the tax cuts the right call during a tough economic climate?

Former President Donald Trump has been found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up payments to adult entertainer Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election. How can America justify having a presidential candidate with these convictions?  

LISTEN ABOVE

This week on the Sunday Panel, TV producer and journalist Irene Gardiner and Freebairn and Hehir Lawyers partner Liam Hehir joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!
ZB host Heather du Plessis-Allan has accused Finance Minister Nicola Willis of overspending in the 2024 Budget - do we agree? Were the tax cuts the right call during a tough economic climate?
Former President Donald Trump has been found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up payments to adult entertainer Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election. How can America justify having a presidential candidate with these convictions?  
LISTEN ABOVE

Megan Singleton: BloggerAtLarge writer on her highlights and recommendations from Nashville

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