Tag: Must Read Books

The Female Eunuch – Germaine Greer

READ FOR BOOKCLUB Chosen by Rachel ✔ The Female Eunuch is a 1970s book that became of international note for being an important text in the feminist movement. The author’s theory is that the traditional family represses women sexually, and this devitalises them, rendering them eunuchs. Greer… Continue Reading “The Female Eunuch – Germaine Greer”

Sons For The Return Home – Albert Wendt

READ FOR BOOKCLUB Chosen by Suzy A Samoan family migrates to Wellington in the 1960s, leaving the sons unsure to which culture or country they belong. ✔ “Sons for the Return Home is a love story set amongst a time and setting of racism.… Continue Reading “Sons For The Return Home – Albert Wendt”

Ragtime – E L Doctorow

READ FOR BOOKCLUB Chosen by Sophia Centering on an unnamed New York family, Ragtime hosts an array of fictional and real characters who seek to find their way at the turn of last century. ✔ Ragtime is a snapshot of life in the US… Continue Reading “Ragtime – E L Doctorow”

Crime And Punishment – Fyodor Dosteovsky

READ FOR BOOKCLUB Chosen by Jo A Russian student commits a murder believing humanitarian ends justify the crime ✔ “Raskolnikov is a destitute and impoverished former student who wanders through the slums of St Petersburg in this 1866 Russian classic. Without warning he commits… Continue Reading “Crime And Punishment – Fyodor Dosteovsky”

Bliss & The Garden Party – Katherine Mansfield

READ FOR BOOKCLUB Chosen by Rachel Bliss tells the story of a dinner party where secrets abound. The Garden Party captures the story of an upper-middle class NZ family preparing for a garden party. ✔ “Considered Mansfield’s finest piece of short fiction, The Garden Party… Continue Reading “Bliss & The Garden Party – Katherine Mansfield”

In A German Pension – Katherine Mansfield

READ FOR BOOKCLUB Chosen by Rachel A young woman observes the absurd and grotesque while staying in a German pension.  ✔ “In A German Pension was Mansfield’s first short story collection, written when she was 22. The stories are semi-autobiographical because Mansfield herself was… Continue Reading “In A German Pension – Katherine Mansfield”

Where We Once Belonged – Sia Figel

READ FOR BOOKCLUB Chosen by Suzy Where We Once Belonged is written in the traditional Su’ifefiloi style. Literally this means a woven garland of flowers. As a narrative technique, it refers to the stringing together of individual stories or fragments, told in different styles… Continue Reading “Where We Once Belonged – Sia Figel”

Back Booker 2002

Time for another Back Booker and this time we’ve focused on 2002. A year with a kind of seriousness about it. Though not in a moralistic or melancholy kind of way, rather the authors have demonstrated the impact of significant themes and topics with… Continue Reading “Back Booker 2002”

2011 – Thematic Construction

The best characters exist within the construct of firm guidelines, and life-changing literature becomes so because of the meaning which permeates every turn of events. It is these sturdy but often subtle parametres which define our love of books. With this is mind we have opted… Continue Reading “2011 – Thematic Construction”

2010 – End of Year Thoughts

Harry’s Bar was our destination for EOY bookclub in 2010. Joined by our newest arrival, the fabulous Sophia, we had a lot to discuss. We found that we had many conflicting opinions on this year’s readings, which we welcomed as it makes for lively… Continue Reading “2010 – End of Year Thoughts”