Tag: Bookclub

Sydney Bridge Upside Down – David Ballentyne

READ FOR BOOKCLUB Chosen by Sophia A dark story set in the sleepy coastal town of Calliope Bay where the children play in the abandoned slaughterhouse and welcome the allure of their city cousin. David Ballantyne (Ngati Uenukukopako, Ngati Hinepare) helped shape the characteristics of… Continue Reading “Sydney Bridge Upside Down – David Ballentyne”

2015 – Unexpected Twist

Where would we be without an unexpected twist or two to add to proceedings? Let’s face it, surprise events and out-of-the-blue announcements are what make a reader’s day. Whether shocking or pleasing they grab us by the shoulders and shake us about a bit, until we… Continue Reading “2015 – Unexpected Twist”

2014 – End Of Year Thoughts

NZ’s literary world was thrown into the headlines this year with the war of words between one of our most recognised authors Eleanor Catton and Prime Minister John Key. Catton slung about superlatives announcing the Government’s lack of culture; Key said The Luminaries was “pretty… Continue Reading “2014 – End Of Year Thoughts”

On Beauty – Zadie Smith

READ FOR BOOKCLUB Chosen by Sophia Based on E M Forster’s Howards End, this book follows the lives of a mixed heritage US family, addressing ethnic and cultural issues ✎ Howard Belsey is one of the central characters in On Beauty. He is a professor,… Continue Reading “On Beauty – Zadie Smith”

To Rise Again At A Decent Hour – Joshua Harris

READ FOR BOOKERTHON A New York dentist has his identity stolen via social media ✎ Paul O’Rourke is a New York dentist with a troubled mind. Stemming from the suicide of his father, he constantly questions himself, his actions, the state of the world,… Continue Reading “To Rise Again At A Decent Hour – Joshua Harris”

How To Be Both – Ali Smith

READ FOR BOOKERTHON Written in two parts, both titled ONE, this is a book about art’s versatility, told by a renaissance painter of the 1460s and a child of the 1960s. ✎ How to Be Both is written in two halves, using both a… Continue Reading “How To Be Both – Ali Smith”

We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves – Karen Joy Fowler

READ FOR BOOKERTHON Rosemary Cooke reveals the awful truth about her sister who was sent away aged five ✎ This book opens when the main character is a College student, revealing her strained relationships with her mother, father and brother. A return to the… Continue Reading “We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves – Karen Joy Fowler”

The Narrow Road To The Deep North – Richard Flanagan

READ FOR BOOKERTHON ✎ This is the story of Dorrigo Evans, an Australian surgeon. It is about his time in a Japanese prisoner of war camp, his loves, his affairs and his old age. The central event is Dorrigo’s time in the prisoner of… Continue Reading “The Narrow Road To The Deep North – Richard Flanagan”

J – Howard Jacobson

READ FOR BOOKERTHON A love story set in a dystopian future  Decades in the future Kevern lives in a cottage on sea cliffs near Port Reuben and makes art with wood. He meets Ailinn and falls in love. The two begin a passionate romance, and… Continue Reading “J – Howard Jacobson”

The Lives Of Others – Neel Mukherjee

READ FOR BOOKERTHON Set in 1966 Calcutta, the Ghosh family represents the nation as it battles an imploding business and family battles ✎ The Lives of Others is a big book in every sense of the word. It has many pages, many characters and… Continue Reading “The Lives Of Others – Neel Mukherjee”