Reviews

Review

Review: Unapologetically Me, by Bree Tomasel

'In her professional life, Bree’s job has been to select and edit the anecdotes that will entertain, amuse and connect with her audience. The writing it down part is new, but a lif...

Reviewed by Anna Scaife

22 October 2024

Review

Review: Kai Feast, by Christall Lowe

'...Kai Feast tells a very intimate family story. In large part, it’s a heartfelt homage to Lowe’s grandad Don Beadle, 'the hangi pit master who always had a good feed on the go', ...

Reviewed by Lucy Corry

20 October 2024

Review

Review: Pretty Ugly, by Kirsty Gunn

PRETTY UGLY, Kirsty Gunn's new collection of short stories, published by Otago University Press, goes out of its way not to be forgettable or ordinary. Nat Baker reviews it and is ...

Reviewed by Nat Baker

16 October 2024

Review

Review: Woman Uninterrupted, by Brodie Kane

'Kane’s memoir reflects a life lived large, whether she’s spooning All Blacks’ Ritchie McCaw atop a mountain, shimmying to Tina Turner in the final round of Dancing with the Stars,...

Reviewed by Becs Tetley

16 October 2024

Review

Review: Bloody Minded, by Susie Ferguson

...'a gripping, page-turning memoir, both due to Ferguson’s incredible career, but also due to her grasp of what makes a compelling story: drama, a touch of humour, and a theme to ...

Reviewed by Claire Williamson

15 October 2024

Review

Review: Faces and Flowers, by Dinah Hawken

Reviewed by Sarah Scott

14 October 2024

Review

Review: Poorhara, by Michelle Rahurahu

Savannah Patterson delves into the world of POORHARA, Michelle Rahurahu's debut novel, which won the Modern Letters Fiction Prize and was shortlisted for the Michael Gifkins Prize....

Reviewed by Savannah Patterson

13 October 2024

Review

Review: The Alternative Commentary Collective Almanack

'If nothing else, the book provides periodic dopamine hits of pure sporting pleasure, as you bathe in the glory of some brilliant sporting memories once more....'

Reviewed by Chris Long

9 October 2024

Review

Review: Kataraina, by Becky Manawatu

Kelly Ana Morey considers Kataraina, Becky Manawatu's much anticipated second novel, sequel to Auē, and is struck by the beauty of Manawatu's writing and her captivating characters...

Reviewed by Kelly Ana Morey

7 October 2024

Review

Review: Honey, by Honey Hireme-Smiler

...'the book is for anyone who doesn’t have it all together but keeps putting one foot in front of the other. Hireme-Smiler reveals her troubled childhood and candidly describes th...

Reviewed by Angela Walker

6 October 2024

Review

Review: No One Will Know, by Rose Carlyle

Rose Carlyle is back with her second novel, a new twisty thriller packed with secrets, lies, and boats, set in a remote part of Tasmania. Greg Fleming shares his thoughts in this r...

Reviewed by Greg Fleming

6 October 2024

Review

Review: The Invasion of Waikato: Te Riri Ki Tainui

'This book will go a long way towards restoring the Waikato War to its rightful place in our history, and to stimulate discussion about how we can best remember and honour it...'

Reviewed by Sarah Ell

1 October 2024

Review

Review: Modern Women: Flight of Time

'Julia Waite, from Auckland Art Gallery, should be commended for the breadth and depth of the research which lies behind both exhibition and publication, and for her interesting se...

Reviewed by Peter Simpson

29 September 2024

Review

Review: This is the F#$%ing News

'He's most impressive when he's most vulnerable: his own tribulations; his Mum's death; his involvement with Al Noor Mosque survivors and families; his work on behalf of cystic fib...

Reviewed by David Hill

24 September 2024

Review

Review: Better Left Dead, by Catherine Lea

Kerikeri author Catherine Lea has crafted a terrific heroine in Detective Inspector Nyree Bradshaw and, in a second outing for what deserves to be a long series, spins a page-whirr...

Reviewed by Craig Sisterson

24 September 2024

Review

Review: Edith Collier: Early New Zealand Modernist

'Massey University Press’ gorgeous new book on Collier is a comprehensive introduction to her life and art which follows on from Joanne Drayton’s excellent biography published in 1...

Reviewed by Linda Herrick

22 September 2024

Review

Ngā Hapa Reo nā Hona Black rāua ko Te Aorangi Murphy-Fell

'Ngā Hapa Reo, e puta ki te ao mārama hei nanao atu mā te hunga ako e whai nei kia pakari ake, kia Māori ake, kia tika ake ō rātou nā reo...' 

Reviewed by Nā Hēmi Kelly i arotake

18 September 2024

Review

Ringakōreko

Ngā arotake a ngā kaipānui tamariki. 'Ko Poaka taku tino kiripuaki, nā te mea he pōrangi rawa atu ia...' 

Reviewed by Nā Atareria (8) i arotake

17 September 2024

Review

Te Repo (The Mires), nā Tina Makereti i tuhi

'Mārama ana tā te kaituhi whakaatu i ngā kiripuaki me te kōrero whānui, rumaki tonu atu te kaipānui ki roto, nā runga i te hiranga o te tuhituhi a Makereti...'

Reviewed by Nā Natasha Lampard i arotake, ā, nā Hēmi Kelly i whakamāori

17 September 2024

Review

Tā Tātou e Mōhio nei (All That We Know), nā Shilo Kino i tuhi

‘He mea pei ia ki ētehi āhuatanga kāore i tonoa e ia, kāore hoki e paingia ana e ia, ā, kua hōhā, kua tūhāhā hoki a Māreikura Pohe.’

Reviewed by Nā Damien Levi i arotake, ā, nā Hēmi Kelly i whakamāori

16 September 2024

Review

He Tārū Kahika

Ngā arotake a ngā kaipānui tamariki. 'He kupu ātaahua, pēnā i ngā kupu nei, i te hoa piripono, ka mau te wehi, tētehi, me te kōpatapata...'

Reviewed by He arotakenga nā Ava (11) & Te Aurere (9)

15 September 2024