Tag: book-recs

How To Loiter In A Turf War – Coco Solid

READ FOR NZ BOOK AWARDS A day in the life of three brown friends hanging out in Auckland, eating, chatting, catching the bus, amongst racism, gentrification and the modern effects of colonisation. That’s the third person I know without a house.What the hell is… Continue Reading “How To Loiter In A Turf War – Coco Solid”

The Axeman’s Carnival – Catherine Chidgey

READ FOR BOOKCLUB & NZ BOOK AWARDSChosen 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, who… Continue Reading “The Axeman’s Carnival – Catherine Chidgey”

Lessons – Ian McEwan

READ FOR BOOKCLUBChosen by Jodie In a type of anti-memoir, McEwan has created Roland, a character who has lived the same years as him, observed the same global events and pondered the same questions about humanity and society. Roland has even lived in some… Continue Reading “Lessons – Ian McEwan”

2023: Escape From Reality

Looking for an escape from reality is a primary reason why many people read: to forget the worries of the world, the stresses of work, the demands of family and to take a moment to indulge in a fantastical world that stretches and opens… Continue Reading “2023: Escape From Reality”

2022: End of Year Thoughts

2022 was the year of adverse reactions to strong sentiment. Covid and its consequences may have been the catalyst but the effects reached all facets of the world. In literary circles, 2022 saw a hark to the mid 20th century with the banning and… Continue Reading “2022: End of Year Thoughts”

Potiki – Patricia Grace

READ FOR BOOKCLUBChosen by Suzy Potiki tells the story of land developers who have their eye on coastal Māori land for commercial development with no understanding of the community’s needs or of their strong connection to the land. Grace (Ngāti Toa, Ngāti Raukawa, Te… Continue Reading “Potiki – Patricia Grace”

The Color Purple – Alice Walker

READ FOR BOOKCLUBChosen by Jo The lives of two African-American sisters growing up in rural Georgia in the early to mid 20th Century are detailed in The Color Purple. Celie is raped by her stepfather and bears two children to him who are sent… Continue Reading “The Color Purple – Alice Walker”

The Dictionary of Lost Words – Pip Williams

READ FOR BOOKCLUBChosen by Jodie ❝ Esme Nicholl is the daughter of a lexiographer, raised in the Scriptorium where the first dictionary is collated. She hides beneath the table and collects slips of paper containing words that are lost or deemed unsuitable. As she… Continue Reading “The Dictionary of Lost Words – Pip Williams”

Bookerthon – 2022

❝ The announcement of the long list was an impressive start to the 2022 Booker season. Strong contenders from around the world covered off important real life events or offered evocative interpretations of them. We had already read some of the books and were… Continue Reading “Bookerthon – 2022”

The Seven Moons of Maali Ameida

READ FOR BOOKERTHON A war photographer dies in 1990 during the Sri Lankan civil war and is caught inbetween life and the afterlife. He has seven days, or seven moons, to discover who killed him, ensure a series of important photographs he has taken… Continue Reading “The Seven Moons of Maali Ameida”