Tag: reading

Tell Me Everything – Elizabeth Strout

READ FOR WOMEN’S PRIZEElizabeth Strout returns the reader to the town of Crosby, Maine, and finally brings together characters from her past fictional successes: Lucy Barton, Olive Kitteridge and Bob Burgess. There is a shocking crime committed, relationships examined and many stories told as… Continue Reading “Tell Me Everything – Elizabeth Strout”

The Book of Guilt – Catherine Chidgey

READ FOR BOOKCLUBChaired by Tessa Triplet orphans spend their life isolated in a special home cared for by Mother Morning, Mother Afternoon and Mother Night, learning about the world from The Book of Knowledge, having their dreams analysed in The Book of Dreams and… Continue Reading “The Book of Guilt – Catherine Chidgey”

Good Girl – Aria Aber

READ FOR WOMEN’S PRIZEA coming of age about Nila, a girl born in Berlin to Afghan immigrants. For Nila there is a constant negotiation between her inherited grief and her desire to belong in a culture that doesn’t reflect her. As a result she… Continue Reading “Good Girl – Aria Aber”

Fundamentally – Nussaibah Younis

READ FOR WOMEN’S PRIZE Nadia Amin, a PhD graduate, publishes an article on deradicalisation, and ends up with a job rehabilitating Isis brides in Iraq. Relishing the opportunity to escape her claustophobic mother and broken relationship she realises she needs to heal herself as… Continue Reading “Fundamentally – Nussaibah Younis”

Wild Dark Shore – Charlotte McConaghy

READ FOR BOOKCLUBChosen by Rachel Dominic Salt and his three children are caretakers of Shearwater, a tiny sub-antarctic island that is home to the world’s largest seed bank. It is being destroyed by climate change and while the Salts await rescuers, a woman washes… Continue Reading “Wild Dark Shore – Charlotte McConaghy”

The Persians – Sanam Mahloudji

READ FOR WOMEN’S PRIZE The story of an Iranian family, some of whom flee to the US during times of conflict, and some who stay. Five women from three generations of the Valiat family narrate their past and present as members of the Iranian… Continue Reading “The Persians – Sanam Mahloudji”

2025: NZ Book Awards

This year’s Book Awards brings together four quietly powerful novels that reflect a focus on subtlety and social resonance. Delirious by Damien Wilkins, The Mires by Tina Makereti, Pretty Ugly by Kirsty Gunn, and At the Grand Glacier Hotel by Laurence Fearnley each offer… Continue Reading “2025: NZ Book Awards”

Her Side Of The Story – Alba De Cespedes

READ FOR BOOKCLUBChosen by Rachel Alessandra Corteggiani recalls her youth and the lives of women during the rise of fascism in Italy, the resistance, and the fall of Mussolini. Originally published in 1949, it is a timeless portrayal of the complexity of the female… Continue Reading “Her Side Of The Story – Alba De Cespedes”

Delirious – Damien Wilkins

READ FOR NZ BOOK AWARDS Retired cop and librarian Mary and Pete are struggling with ailments and deciding whether to move into a retirement home or stay in their family home. Then the police ask to speak to them about the accident that killed… Continue Reading “Delirious – Damien Wilkins”

Pretty Ugly – Kirsty Gunn

READ FOR NZ BOOK AWARDS Thirteen darkly compelling stories look directly into the troubled human heart and draw out what dwells there. The ‘ugly’ of these stories is to do with ‘considering how much a person’s life can bear’. The unease and compassion for… Continue Reading “Pretty Ugly – Kirsty Gunn”