The Free-Range Bookclub
Bookclubbers without boundaries in Nelson, New Zealand
Category: NZ Book Awards
Better The Blood – Michael Bennett
READ FOR NZ BOOK AWARDS ● At first I was surprised to hear a crime story had secured a place on the shortlist over literary greats like Lloyd Jones and Vincent O’Sullivan. But who’s to say genre fiction doesn’t deserve a place on literary… Continue Reading “Better The Blood – Michael Bennett”
The Axeman’s Carnival – Catherine Chidgey
READ FOR BOOKCLUB & NZ BOOK AWARDS Chosen by Suzy From New Zealand author Catherine Chidgey is a story quite unlike her former novels. Instead of wartime Germany, this time the setting is rural New Zealand and the protagonist is a magpie called Tama,… Continue Reading “The Axeman’s Carnival – Catherine Chidgey”
2022 NZ Book Awards
Identity comes through as a strong building block for all the fiction shortlisters this year. Misunderstanding of identity, attempts to place ones self in the realms of “normality”, studies of those with identity issues. Not only is this topical but important for writers to… Continue Reading “2022 NZ Book Awards”
From The Centre: A Writer’s Life – Patricia Grace
READ FOR NZ BOOK AWARDS The memoir of writer Patricia Grace ❝Patricia Grace is a stalwart of New Zealand literature and someone whose work I have read a lot of and deeply admired. So her memoir was always going to be a hit for… Continue Reading “From The Centre: A Writer’s Life – Patricia Grace”
Nothing To See – Pip Adam
Read for NZ Book Awards Peggy and Greta become sober, using a unique form of identity as a coping mechanism ⫸ “The lives of Peggy and Greta are detailed in three different decades in this book. In 1994 they are aged 24 and breaking… Continue Reading “Nothing To See – Pip Adam”
Driving To Treblinka – Diana Wichtel
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”
2020 NZ Book Awards
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”
Auē – Becky Manawatu
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”
A Mistake – Carl Shuker
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”
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