Bookclubbers without boundaries in Nelson, New Zealand
READ FOR BOOKCLUB Chosen by Sonya A New Zealand woman traces her father’s World War II history and discovers a heartbreaking truth. ✚ “Driving To Treblinka is a memoir by New Zealand journalist Diana Wichtel. In it she seeks to redeem the past, a… Continue Reading “Driving To Treblinka – Diana Wichtel”
Internationality, borders and sentimentality over the comforts of home have been under the microscope lately with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. When disaster strikes it’s in one’s nature to analyse what home really means, what it comprises and the emotions it stirs up.… Continue Reading “2020 NZ Book Awards”
READ FOR NZ BOOK AWARDS Auē is about the struggles to escape a life of violence ✚ “A young man called Tauriki decides to undertake a quest to locate his birth mother. Responsible for his orphaned half brother Ārama, he entrusts the boy’s care to an… Continue Reading “Auē – Becky Manawatu”
READ FOR NZ BOOK AWARDS A surgeon is investigated after the death of a patient. ✚ “I have to preface this by saying it’s been at least six months since I read A Mistake. I bought it after reading numerous positive reviews. I remember the… Continue Reading “A Mistake – Carl Shuker”
The past few years have been an interesting time globally as opinions around nationalism and free-speech have become hot topics. Yet, is it new? Or is history simply repeating itself in a more raw, no-holds-barred medium? Perhaps we can look back on history and… Continue Reading “2019 NZ Book Awards”
READ FOR NZ BOOK AWARDS Peter Collie reassesses past events in the wake of his wife’s death only to discover new secrets. ⚑ “Family matters are at the fore of Peter Collie’s life. Upon his wife’s death Peter learns of secrets kept about his… Continue Reading “The New Ships – Kate Duignan”
READ FOR NZ BOOK AWARDS A moving multigenerational family saga about the legacy of the Holocaust and the burden of secrets never shared ⚑ “I was all in for I would say three-quarters of this novel but then as the characters we focused on… Continue Reading “All This By Chance – Vincent O’Sullivan”
READ FOR NZ BOOK AWARDS A profound and unsettling novel about humanity and dignity and the ease with which we’re able to justify brutality. ⚑ “It’s like Lloyd Jones got in my head and seeing my worst fears was then inspired to write the… Continue Reading “The Cage – Lloyd Jones”
READ FOR NZ BOOK AWARDS The re-creation of one of the last executions in New Zealand leading to the abolition of capital punishment. ⚑ “Poor Albert Black. I appreciated the way this novel explored the impact on everyone involved in his trial and sentencing… Continue Reading “This Mortal Boy – Fiona Kidman”
Social commentary is a traditional feature of literature, but with Millennials coming of age, outspoken hypothesising on the state of the world looks to become a staple of modern story telling. This year’s Ockham’s shortlist highlights this. A solipsistic tale of youth and immediacy, an immigrant’s… Continue Reading “2018 NZ Book Awards”
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