Book Loving Kiwis discussion

Kia ora everyone

Please use this as a space to discuss the BLK's Reading Challenge for 2021.
You're welcome to set up a TBR post, share your ratings or simply discuss the books you've read.

Links to help find your next NZ read
Top 50 from the last 50 years: https://thespinoff.co.nz/books/14-05-...
NZ listopia: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
By NZ authors listopia: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

Book prizes
2020 Longlist: https://www.nzbookawards.nz/new-zeala...
2019 Longlist: https://www.nzbookawards.nz/new-zeala...
Past winners: https://www.nzbookawards.nz/new-zeala...

Perhaps people would like to start the thread listing a couple of their favourite NZ reads to inspire others. My top three would be (in no particular order):

The Rehearsal by Eleanor Catton
The Denniston Rose by Jenny Pattrick
Bulibasha: King Of The Gypsies by Witi Ihimaera

Hoping to read 10 kiwi authors this year.

I recommend As the Earth Turns Silver by Alison Wong.

This was probably a monthly read a few years ago... it was definitely a Book Loving Kiwi's recommendation. It;s a story of a chinese family who immigrated to New Zealand in the 1900s. It's a great read. In one part you could almost smell the stench of tobacco.

ooh that sounds like a good one Sharlene :)

I've added that to my TBR list Sharlene, it sounds good.

A few of my favourites are:
Wild Pork and Watercress by Barry Crump
The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera
This Mortal Boy by Fiona Kidman

These are the books I've included in my list of kiwi books to read this year:

Potiki by Patricia Grace (hoping to get this one done as part of our Book Pool)
The Bone People by Keri Hulme
The Virgin and the Whale by Carl Nixon
Once Were Warriors by Alan Duff
The Vintners Luck by Elizabeth Knox
Te Puea by Michael King

I really enjoyed The Virgin and the Whale when I read a few years back. I also want to get to Potiki as part of Book Pool :)

Some very solid recommendations here.

Since some of mine are already up, I'll go back to my old favourite The Complete Works of Katherine Mansfield: Short Stories, Poetry, Letters, Diary, Essays & Book Reviews: Bliss, The Garden Party, The Dove's Nest, Something ... Villa Pauline, Child Verses and many more

For nonfiction I will recommend my favourite nonfiction read of 2020 Barry Brickell: A Head of Steam both the author and subject were very honest.

Cookbook I will go with Digby Law's Pickle and Chutney Cookbook other than the Green Tomato Sauce it has never let me down!

I am setting a goal of 22 NZ books this year. I get the feeling it might be a slow start, as although I am going to read Potiki I can't get hold of A Necklace of Souls which is the other NZ one I liked the look of!

I try to read some kiwi writers each year and past favourites include:

Wulf by Hamish Clayton
Predicament by Ronald Hugh Morrieson
The Bone People by Keri Hulme
Death of a Superhero by Andrew McCarten

I'm about to get started on my first read by a Kiwi Author - A History of New Zealand Women. I plan on dipping in and out of this over the next month or two.

Erica wrote: "I'm about to get started on my first read by a Kiwi Author - A History of New Zealand Women. I plan on dipping in and out of this over the next month or two."

I read this years ago - its a wonderful book!

I am a person who reads romance! I have found three Authors that I always grab & they happen to be Kiwis! Serenity Woods, Kris Pearson & Tracey Alvarez live there. They set their books all around New Zealand & the Authors live on Stewart Island, Wellington & In the subtropical Northland. We have been to NZ twice and the first time B&B from the tip top to Stewart Island. The next time with our family which, included four teenage grandkids, we stayed on the So. Island. With ten of us it was better to do one island at a time!

The one thing I found was the people are as nice as their country is beautiful! Plus their Authors are their hidden resource! Love them!

I'm (finally) making a start.

Sort of.

#0.Hyacinths and Biscuits I reserve the right to change my mind, but I think this will be a DNF. Like most collections from writing clubs/groups this one is very uneven. Includes a very good story from Patricia Grace. 2.5★

Finally on the board #1 Potiki 4https://www.goodreads.com/book/edit/2... I don't know what it is with Grace. I can admire the craft, this particular book is very thought provoking, but it doesn't touch my heart. Finished 16/2 4★

#2 & I'm starting to worry about making my target! Ten Years in Wellington Michael McCormack is a very talented artist!5★

#3 Yay! Back in the game! A Wanganui Photo Album: Pages From the Past from 1982 so still using the old spelling! Wonderful photographs from wonderful authors who capture their subjects as living people, not still & awkward waxworks! 5★

#4 Not doing very well, but I hope my NZ reading will pick up soon! Opera for Lovers by Kiri Te Kanawa. An account that is both honest but reserved, Dame Kiri's insights on the world of Opera are fascinating. 5★

#5 Goddess Muscle Wow 5★

#6 The Years Before My DeathVery readable & honest as far as it went. Finished 29/5 5*

#7 Auē Flawed but I have given it 5★ for its sheer emotional power. Finished 5/6/21

#8 Mozart the Man Behind the Music GR not picking up this title for some reason. Very good but not as good as Bixley's Shakespeare one - possibly because this is a reworking of an earlier Bixley work? Entertaining none the less. 4.5★ Finished 30/6/21

Yay finished my first book for this challenge - A History of New Zealand Women. What an incredible book! I feel like I've learnt so much about NZ history and NZ women.

5* read. Definitely recommend.

I've read very little NZ non-fiction so was great to read for that reason as well.

Erica wrote: "Yay finished my first book for this challenge - A History of New Zealand Women. What an incredible book! I feel like I've learnt so much about NZ history and NZ women.

5* read. De..."

Glad you enjoyed this one, Erica!

I thought it was great.

I feel like I'm on a roll this year with my Kiwi Author's challenge. At this time last year I'd only read one book - so far this year I've read 4 and about to finish a 5th. Books 2-4 are below:

The 52 Week Project: How I Fixed My Life by Trying a New Thing Every Week for a Year

Really enjoyed this book - I think I read it over a few days. If it sounds like it would interest you then I'd recommend. 4*

Nothing To See

I liked the writing in this book but the overarching story just went over my head (was a bit too odd). 3*

Impossible: My Story

I had this on reserve at the library for ages - had been hoping to pick up as part of the Book Pool Challenge. Finally got my hands on it after several months. Read over the Easter break. Hearbreaking story initially but in the end full of hope. Love how much he talks about his connection to his land, family and tikanga Maori. Worth a read. 4*

And just finished book #5 ... The Residents: Made in Wellington

Beautifully written and artfully designed, this is a book every Wellingtonian should read and keep pride of place on their coffee table.
I've loved Wellington ever since I moved here in 2009; and as this book testifies, it's the people and community that makes it the exceptional city that it is. 5*

I can highly recommend Ghost Bus - Tales from Wellington's Dark Side.



I read this over the summer and it is light and whimsical. A perfect antidote to everything the '20's have been so far.

I have got Pip Adam's Nothing to See in my holds so hopefully will get to read that soon.

Halfway through the year but not half way through this challenge! :(

Morning fellow BLKs,
Bit late to the party I know! I thought I would let you know that the NZ school curriculum is doing a massive shift towards NZ content which is pretty exciting. I'm looking forward to checking out your favourites! I recently read Aroha by Dr Hinemoa Elder which was superb and even made it to one of Oprah celebrated booklists! I'm going to set a realistic goal of 10 NZ books. I also read Violet Black by Eileen Merriment which was a tad disappointing despite the interesting premise. Look forward to finding some great new NZ fiction.

Claude's wrote: "Morning fellow BLKs,
Bit late to the party I know! I thought I would let you know that the NZ school curriculum is doing a massive shift towards NZ content which is pretty exciting. I'm looking for..."

That is so good to hear! NZ children's books are second to none. What age group do you look after, Claude?

I work at a high school library in Christchurch, Carol. I must confess I do struggle to find NZ books for this age group that aren't older ones, so any recommendations are appreciated!

Claude's wrote: "I work at a high school library in Christchurch, Carol. I must confess I do struggle to find NZ books for this age group that aren't older ones, so any recommendations are appreciated!"

I haven't read much NZ YA sadly. I do think Donovan Bixleys books Much Ado About Shakespeare & Mozart: The Man Behind the Music are aimed at all age groups & present both men in quite a different way.

Thank you Carol and Kathleen! I'll add these to my list and read some for this NZ author challenge!

Claude's wrote: "I work at a high school library in Christchurch, Carol. I must confess I do struggle to find NZ books for this age group that aren't older ones, so any recommendations are appreciated!"

Hi Claude, I can highly recommend both Gareth Ward and Isa Pearl Ritchie as authors for this age range.

K.M. wrote: "Claude's wrote: "I work at a high school library in Christchurch, Carol. I must confess I do struggle to find NZ books for this age group that aren't older ones, so any recommendations are apprecia..."
Thank you! I really appreciate it!

#9 Dear Donald Trump Gently amusing 4.5★ Finished 18/07

#10 The Food Truck Cookbook No.2 I think with the Eat Well for Less TV programme Michael has learned not to have too many ingredients & make things too fiddly for home cooks. Still found a couple of delicious recipes though. Finished 12/8. 4★

#11 The Infinite Air by Fiona Kidman A lot of this book didn't work for me but I liked the more charitable explanation of Batten's relationships. 3.5★ finished 13/9

#12 Mophead Tu: The Queen's Poem Loved the first one, loved this one too! Finished 15/10 5★

#13 A Vegetable Cookbook by Digby Law My guru! Finished 18/10 5★

The Weather Girl A new one for the list, only published recently, it's a gritty but great read.

Claude's wrote: "I work at a high school library in Christchurch, Carol. I must confess I do struggle to find NZ books for this age group that aren't older ones, so any recommendations are appreciated!"

I was on the Storylines committee for a number of years. There are many great NZ books for this age group, though some will now be out of print. Check out the winners and shortlists of most NZ children's book awards, Margaret Mahy Medal winners such as Sherryl Jordan, Fleur Beale and David Hill.
https://my.christchurchcitylibraries....

Kerry wrote: "Claude's wrote: "I work at a high school library in Christchurch, Carol. I must confess I do struggle to find NZ books for this age group that aren't older ones, so any recommendations are apprecia..."

Thank you Kerry! Hopefully they have written some more recent ones.

I just finished These Violent Delights and absolutely loved it. I'm calling her a kiwi author as she was raised in Auckland so I hope that's okay. It is a spectacular reimagining of R and J set in 1920s Shanghai. Such a lushly written and compelling story.

Hi Rita - I can't seen anywhere online that says Carmen Cruz is a kiwi author. If you continue to post incorrectly in threads even though you've been told not to, I'll remove you from the group. I've deleted your comment.
Kind regards,
Moderator.

I read another kiwi book in June and thought it was really good - not surprised it one the Ockham fiction prize last year.

#6 Auē by Becky Manawatu

Was quite heavy though so had to be in the right mind-frame to read it. But was also hopeful.

On a related note - what do others think of the cover? If you're buying a new book how much does the cover impact your decision?
I feel like sometimes maybe NZ publishers skimp on the cover design or something but I ended up getting this out from the library as I didn't like the cover so didn't want to buy. Maybe that makes me incredibly shallow but I have limited space on my shelves so I only buy books I think are great on the outside and hope they'll be as good on the inside :)

Erica wrote: "I read another kiwi book in June and thought it was really good - not surprised it one the Ockham fiction prize last year.

#6 Auē by Becky Manawatu

Was quite he..."

I think covers are so important as they give you your first impression. I am updating some of the books in the library with the newer covers as they are more eye catching.



I know which one I would read!

In terms of NZ YA books the covers aren't great either! They seem to be opting for drawings of one character and whilst they look striking they don't tell me much about the book itself.

Claude's wrote: "Erica wrote: "I read another kiwi book in June and thought it was really good - not surprised it one the Ockham fiction prize last year.

#6 Auē by Becky Manawatu..."

Good - I'm glad I'm not the only one :) Great that you're updating some in the library, I imagine for teenagers covers are probably even more influencing. Particularly important for books where you've not read the author before, haven't heard too much about the book - it's a huge part of what draws a reader in and makes us pick it up off the shelf.

In saying that there are some kiwi books with great covers - some I particularly like are:



The last two I actually bought in large part because of the covers haha.

Erica wrote: "In saying that there are some kiwi books with great covers - some I particularly like are:

[bookcover..."

It's nice to have attractive books around the house!

Erica wrote: "I read another kiwi book in June and thought it was really good - not surprised it one the Ockham fiction prize last year.

#6 Auē by Becky Manawatu

Was quite he..."

I read this edition of Aue & even though everything in the first edition had significance, visually the second cover worked much better.

If you start a cover thread Erica (hint, hint!) I can give a couple of non Kiwi examples I read because of the cover - even though I ended up with a different cover!

Erica wrote: "In saying that there are some kiwi books with great covers - some I particularly like are:

[bookcover..."

I liked the cover for This Mortal Boy too - so perfect for the book.

Claude's wrote: "Kerry wrote: "Claude's wrote: "I work at a high school library in Christchurch, Carol. I must confess I do struggle to find NZ books for this age group that aren't older ones, so any recommendation..."

Hi Claude - Sherryl Jordan's latest YA book is a finalist in this year's Children's and Young Adult's book awards (The King's Nightingale pubbed by Scholastic), David Hill's latest, just out, is called Coastwatcher (Penguin) and Fleur Beale's most recent is The Calling (Penguin, 2021). They're all historical. You could also try books by Brian Falkner (also a finalist in the book awards in the YA category with Katipo Joe: Spycraft), Rachael Craw (YA spec fic), Lani Wendt Young (also a YA finalist) and Gareth Ward (steampunk). Mandy Hager has many great YA books, also Bernard Beckett and great newer YA writers include Steph Matuku (Flight of the Fantail and Falling in to Rarohenga), Whiti Hereaka (Bugs and Legacy) and Shilo Kino (The Porangi Boy - another YA finalist for 2021). You could also try Pamela Morrow for AI/sci fi and Cristina Sanders for more historical. Hope this helps - cheers, Melinda

Melinda wrote: "Claude's wrote: "Kerry wrote: "Claude's wrote: "I work at a high school library in Christchurch, Carol. I must confess I do struggle to find NZ books for this age group that aren't older ones, so a..."

This is incredibly helpful! Thank you so much for taking the time to make this wonderful list, Melinda!

My pleasure - I'm always very happy to answer any NZ kidlit related questions :-)

I just finished Make A Hard Fist by Tina Shaw. The assault scenes were surprisingly brutal which shocked me a bit as in YA they mostly keep it to references and vague details. It was a good book but the numerous references to girls being weak bugged me somewhat. This is book 3 for my Kiwi Challenge.

Loving my kiwi challenge reads this year! Also really enjoying the range of different genres I've been dipping into. In the past I've generally just gravitated towards historial fiction about NZ but this year I've read several non-fiction books (memoirs and history), novels, poetry and short stories. Latest reads are:

#7 National Anthem by Mohamed Hassan

I rarely read poetry so didn't give this a rating. But did find it really interesting and enlightening.

#8 Bug Week by Airini Beautrais (winner of the Ockham Prize).

Loved all of these short stories. 5*. I just really enjoyed her turn of phrase and her quirky stories. You never quite knew what to expect.

#9 Eketahuna: Stories from Small Town New Zealand by Peter Best

My dad grew up on a farm in Newman (tiny settlement just north of Eketahuna). I really enjoyed this short dip into the small rural town's history. I've driven through this town soooo many times but realised there is so much I've never seen. I'm planning a spring camping trip to discover it more closely :) If you can't travel overseas it's fun to delve deeper into our own backyards.

And just like that I finished book ten and the final book in my Kiwi Authors Challenge for 2021. Hoping to read a few more before the year is out though - now that I'm on a roll :)

#10 Sorrow and Bliss

I thought this was a really well-written book and always felt compelled to pick it up and read some more. Also - love the cover haha 4*

I just finished reading “Talk Irty to Me” by Ali Parker. It was my 69th book!

Rita wrote: "I just finished reading “Talk Irty to Me” by Ali Parker. It was my 69th book!"

Hi Rita - Is Ali Parker a Kiwi author? From her profile it looks like she's an american living in Tennessee? Please make sure you comment in the right thread.

I'm reading Before You Knew My Name by Jacqueline Bublitz at the moment. It was selected by my book club and I hadn't realised the author was from NZ until the book club was offered a Q&A session with her.

Enjoying the book so far.

Angie wrote: "I'm reading Before You Knew My Name by Jacqueline Bublitz at the moment. It was selected by my book club and I hadn't realised the author was from NZ until the book club was offered..."

I bought this one from Unity Books a few weeks back - it was a pure cover buy :) But I lent it to my sister and she really enjoyed it so I'm looking forward to reading it soon. Hope you enjoy the rest of it :)

I haven't been reading so much this year and so my NZ books read is not that many -
Tell Me Lies by JP Pomare - psychological thriller, not as good as his In The Clearing
People from the Pit Stand Up - poetry collection by Sam Duckor-Jones
Draw Me a Hero by N K Ashworth - liked this YA a lot
The Inkberg Enigma by Jonathan King - graphic novel with good artwork and the story was fairly good too.

Diverse collection of nz reads Kerry :) I've been wanting to try out JP Pomare, maybe later this year