Tag: must-read-books

The Wren, The Wren – Anne Enright

READ FOR WOMEN’S PRIZE Three generations of women carry trauma brought upon them by the famous poet in their family. Phil McDaragh was a man of beautiful words and brutal actions. Years after his death, his daughter and granddaughter try to find their place… Continue Reading “The Wren, The Wren – Anne Enright”

Soldier Sailor – Claire Kilroy

READ FOR WOMEN’S PRIZE A stream of consciousness narrative from a mother to her infant son detailing her struggles with love, identity and control, and the strains parenthood places on her marriage. Dawn arrived on Good Friday and with it despair – no sleep… Continue Reading “Soldier Sailor – Claire Kilroy”

Restless Dolly Maunder – Kate Grenville

READ FOR WOMEN’S PRIZE Kate Grenville gives life to her grandmother Dolly Maunder by documenting her life in New South Wales at the turn of last century. Her obstacles as a woman of the time and her successes as a strong minded woman are… Continue Reading “Restless Dolly Maunder – Kate Grenville”

I Am Homeless If This Is Not My Home – Lorrie Moore

READ FOR BOOKCLUBChosen by Jo A tragic-comic ghost story set in the 19th and 21st centuries. I Am Homeless If This Is Not My Home is a story of death and passion via characters who are haunted by the past and history and their… Continue Reading “I Am Homeless If This Is Not My Home – Lorrie Moore”

2024 – NZ Book Awards

The notable feature of this year’s longlist was the number of big name authors who have won literary awards in the past and featured on all sorts of national and international prize lists. Previous winners of this award Stephen Daisley, Pip Adam, Eleanor Catton,… Continue Reading “2024 – NZ Book Awards”

A Better Place – Stephen Daisley

READ FOR NZ BOOK AWARDS Two Kiwi brothers head off to WWII but only one comes home. A graphic, realistic portrayal of war that pulls no punches but also a tender story of grief and love amongst the brutality of conflict. He saw the… Continue Reading “A Better Place – Stephen Daisley”

Audition – Pip Adam

READ FOR NZ BOOK AWARDS Oversized people crammed in a space ship hurtle through space. Experimental fiction about New Zealand’s unjust justice system, the state of our prisons and how to be a good coloniser. It was one of the worst places Alba had… Continue Reading “Audition – Pip Adam”

Lioness – Emily Perkins

READ FOR NZ BOOK AWARDS Therese Thorn is a luxury homewares retailer and married to a wealthy man who is accused of corruption. Newly 50, Therese must now take control of her life and reinvent herself, with the help of her kind-of-muse and friend,… Continue Reading “Lioness – Emily Perkins”

Birnam Wood – Eleanor Catton

READ FOR NZ BOOK AWARDS A guerilla gardening group and an immigrant billionaire are both using beautiful New Zealand land illegally. Unsurprisingly they discover one another and clash but when trouble strikes there is benefit in them colluding. A political and eco thriller about… Continue Reading “Birnam Wood – Eleanor Catton”

Kim JiYoung, Born 1982 – Cho Nam-joo

READ FOR BOOKCLUBChosen by Rachel Kim Jiyoung is a new wife and young mother living in Seoul. One day she begins channelling dead women from her past, speaking eerily. The book is a look at important events in her life and the way in… Continue Reading “Kim JiYoung, Born 1982 – Cho Nam-joo”