2019 First ed. Becky Manawatu's debut novel Auē won two Ockham New Zealand Book Awards and Best Crime Novel at the Ngaio Marsh Awards. She is of Māori and Pākehā* background, as are Keri Hulme and Alan Duff with whose novels, The bone people and Once were warriors, Auē has been compared. These books address the intergenerational … Continue reading Becky Manawatu, Auē (#BookReview)
21st century literature
Shaun Micallef in conversation with Adam Shirley
We got to this week's Meet the Author evening early, and found the author, Shaun Micallef, signing books, so I bought a copy and got in line. When it came to my turn, I told him that only he could get me to read a book about vampires, to which he answered, teasingly but also … Continue reading Shaun Micallef in conversation with Adam Shirley
George Kemp, Soft serve (#BookReview)
George Kemp's debut novel, Soft serve, explores big themes in a quiet, compassionate little package. Coming-of-age is tough enough, but when young people are confronted with the devastating loss of one of their own, it becomes an almost insurmountable challenge. Put this terrible grief against a backdrop of climate-change-fuelled bushfire and you might expect something … Continue reading George Kemp, Soft serve (#BookReview)
Geraldine Brooks, Memorial days (#BookReview)
Grief memoirs are a problematic lot. Some of us love them, some of us hate them, while others, including me, sit somewhere in the middle. The most recent I've read, Marion Halligan's Words for Lucy (my review) and Gideon Haigh's My brother Jaz (my review) were moving, intelligent books that added something to my understanding. … Continue reading Geraldine Brooks, Memorial days (#BookReview)
Stella Prize 2026 Winner announced
The event opened with a Welcome to Country given by Aunty Kathryn Fisher, a First Nations elder from Magandjin (Meanjin). She was born and grew up on Cherbourg Aboriginal Reserve, and is linked to the Turrbal People through kinship ties. She talked about our shared histories and, interestingly, quoted Albert Einstein's statement that "The world … Continue reading Stella Prize 2026 Winner announced
Maxine Beneba Clarke, Beautiful changelings (#BookReview)
Maxine Beneba Clarke's latest book, Beautiful changelings, is the first poetry collection scheduled by my reading group in our 38 years, and it went very well. I should clarify, lest you think we are poetry-avoiders, that we have read some verse novels and we've had a couple of poetry evenings where we've shared favourite poems, … Continue reading Maxine Beneba Clarke, Beautiful changelings (#BookReview)
Tasma Walton, I am Nannertgarrook
As we got ready for our recent Melbourne trip, I was thinking about the then upcoming announcement of the Stella Prize shortlist, so I packed the two longlisted books I already had. But then, en route, we listened to the Secrets of the Green Room interview with Tasma Walton about her longlisted novel, I am … Continue reading Tasma Walton, I am Nannertgarrook
Ann Patchett, Tom Lake (#BookReview)
I have not read Ann Patchett for a long time. In fact, I've only read one novel, Bel Canto, way before blogging, and one nonfiction piece, “The bookshop strikes back” (my review). So, when I saw all the love her latest novel, Tom Lake, was getting in 2023's end-of-year lists (including Kate's annual compilation), I … Continue reading Ann Patchett, Tom Lake (#BookReview)
Stella Prize 2026 Shortlist announced
Past performance, they say, is no indicator of future performance, but when it comes to me, past performance is often a very good indicator. What I mean is that once again I have not done well at having read the Stella Prize shortlist at the time of its announcement. In recent years, the most I've … Continue reading Stella Prize 2026 Shortlist announced
Paris Rosemont, Barefoot poetess (#BookReview)
Fierce, raw, honest are all clichés used to describe strong, powerful writing, but when it comes to Paris Rosemont's poetry collection, Barefoot poetess, they are hard to go past. However, I prefer to avoid review clichés, so let's start again ... Paris Rosemont's second poetry collection, Barefoot poetess, turned out to be quite the page-turner … Continue reading Paris Rosemont, Barefoot poetess (#BookReview)
Whispering Gums 