Category: NZ Book Awards

Driving To Treblinka – Diana Wichtel

READ FOR BOOKCLUB Chosen by Sonya Driving To Treblinka is a memoir by New Zealand journalist Diana Wichtel. In it she seeks to redeem the past, a past in which she did not truly know her father Ben, nor his sufferings trying to evade… 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, told through the experiences of brothers Taukiri, 17 and Arama, 8. Tauriki decides to undertake a quest to locate his birth mother. Responsible for Ārama, he entrusts the… Continue Reading “Auē – Becky Manawatu”

Halibut On The Moon – David Vann

READ FOR NZ BOOK AWARDS A suicidal man visits his family in California before deciding his fate. ✚ “My previous experience of David Vann was of the book Goat Mountain, which both freaked me out and captivated me. I wanted to recommend it to… Continue Reading “Halibut On The Moon – David Vann”

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”

2019 NZ Book Awards

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”

The New Ships – Kate Duignan

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”

The Sound of Breaking Glass – Kirsten Warner

READ FOR NZ BOOK AWARDS Christel has two small children, a stressful job in reality television, an activist lifestyle, a Holocaust survivor father, and now her protest milk bottle sculpture has come to life, appearing in various spots around Auckland like a giant golem.… Continue Reading “The Sound of Breaking Glass – Kirsten Warner”

All This By Chance – Vincent O’Sullivan

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”

The Cage – Lloyd Jones

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”