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Join the Kete community. Stay up-to-date on the latest in new books from Aotearoa, from reviews and events to giveaways.
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Join the Kete community. Stay up-to-date on the latest in new books from Aotearoa, from reviews and events to giveaways.
Read our independent reviews of the latest books from Aotearoa.
Pānuihia ā mātou arotakenga tūhake o ngā pukapuka hou nō Aotearoa.
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Review'Ngā kete e toru o te mātauranga, the three baskets of knowledge, are used to structure the book, and to loosely divide Māori art into three separate, but connected and overlapping...
Reviewed by Jade Kake
18 December 2024
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Review'One of the strengths of this book is the weaving of personal stories with official data and stories about food are particularly evocative. I particularly enjoyed Te Onehou Phillis...
Reviewed by David Veart
11 December 2024
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ReviewAnuja Mitra admires the empathy and reminder of our shared humanity within Emma Neale's new poetry collection, LIAR, LIAR, LICK, SPIT, in this capsule review and poem extract.
Reviewed by Anuja Mitra
9 December 2024
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Review'This book juxtaposes the stark dichotomy between the glamour and gruesomeness that the women were living. Silks, luxury clubs and stunning architecture rustle incongruously alongs...
Reviewed by Catherine Milford
8 December 2024
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ReviewDiana Wichtel writes that media can be 'magic, imbued with a dreamy, inexplicable aura'. After her many years as columnist, reviewer, essayist and journalist, UNREEL dives into tha...
Reviewed by David Hill
5 December 2024
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ReviewEverything is on fire in Carl Shuker's latest novel, THE ROYAL FREE. Grief, copyediting and vicious teens convene in a wry, expansive narrative.
Reviewed by Kirsteen Ure
1 December 2024
ReviewVeteran author Brannavan Gnanalingam is back with THE LIFE AND OPINIONS OF KARTIK POPAT, a novel set in the world of politics. Angelique Kasmara reviews it for Kete, covering the b...
Reviewed by Angelique Kasmara
28 November 2024
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Review'It brims with fast-paced action and mystery, shady villains, ambiguous strangers, feisty kids, one sadly messed up kid, and a bunch of passionately misguided conspiracy theorists....
Reviewed by Barbara Uini
27 November 2024
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ReviewAccomplished storyteller Barbara Else has a wide-ranging body of work. Anna Scaife considers how the attention-grabbing title reflects this collection of short fiction.
Reviewed by Anna Scaife
26 November 2024
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ReviewLuminous beauty in Jo McNiece's BLUE HOUR, which won the Kathleen Grattan Poetry Award in 2023, keeps reviewer Sophie van Waardenberg returning to its pages.
Reviewed by Sophie van Waardenberg
25 November 2024
Review'From the start it is pleasing to both the eyes and fingers with a woven textile hard cover and shiny contrasting inlaid title. Flick randomly through the pages and you’ll find an ...
Reviewed by Sam Dollimore
21 November 2024
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ReviewFleur, 13, takes a look at Mary-Anne Scott's latest young adult novel, pronouncing it 'deep' and 'poignant', and recommending it for fans of TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD.
Reviewed by Fleur
20 November 2024
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ReviewWorld famous for creating Aotearoa's 'Bird of the Year' competition, Michael Szabo here turns his hand to a guidebook of flora and fauna found in the Wellington region. Rebekah Str...
Reviewed by Rebekah Stretton
17 November 2024
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ReviewDavid Hill considers the masterful writing and predominantly male protagonists in Owen Marshall's latest book, the laconically-named NEW STORIES.
Reviewed by David Hill
12 November 2024
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Review'Each of the essays has their own story to tell, about an extraordinary wide range of subjects - from a religious sect in the late-18th/ early-19th century in rural New York State,...
Reviewed by Kelly Ana Morey
10 November 2024
ReviewTaranaki author Jacqueline Bublitz racked up accolades at home and internationally with her sublime debut Before You Knew My Name. Now she’s back with another fascinating feminist ...
Reviewed by Craig Sisterson
7 November 2024
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ReviewRacism against Māori is all around us, systemic and from individuals. David Veart considers the perspectives of Pākehā who are confronting this racism in this new Potton & Burton b...
Reviewed by David Veart
6 November 2024
ReviewDamien Wilkins's 14th novel mulls over the contradictions and privilege of ageing in a smart and sensitive way, writes Clare Travaglia.
Reviewed by Clare Travaglia
4 November 2024
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Review'Tapiata is upfront in sharing that these stories are the versions she knows. She has been deliberate in sharing a generalised version that does not rely on iwi and hapū-specific m...
Reviewed by Jade Kake
3 November 2024
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ReviewLianza reviewer Bernadette Cassidy takes a journey through high-country hills with Carly Thomas in her new book, THE LAST MUSTER, on the role of horses in mustering in Aotearoa.
Reviewed by Bernadette Cassidy
29 October 2024
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Review'I predict that this time around Kāwai will win at the Ockhams. It is essential reading for those in our increasingly multicultural nation...'
Reviewed by Vaughan Rapatahana
28 October 2024