Rugby League in New Zealand: A People’s History by Ryan Bodman. Bridget Williams Books (2023). RRP: $59.99. PB, 364pp. ISBN: 9781991033444. Reviewed by Robert McLean. I remain more convinced than not that an interesting book can be written about almost anything at all; which is to say, such books may throw an unexpected light on…
HIWA: Contemporary Maōri Short Stories edited by Paula Morris and Darryn Joseph. AUP (2023). RRP: $45. PB, 271pp. ISBN: 978 86940 9951. Reviewed by Vaughan Rapatahana. He aha te tikanga o tēnei kupu, Hiwa? I roto i tāna Tīmatanga Kōrero, ko te tohutoro a Paula Morris ‘Hiwa-i-te-rangi, te iwa me te whetū whakamutunga o te…
A garden is a long time by Annemarie Hope-Cross and Jenny Bornholdt. THWUP (2023). Published in association with Rim Books. RRP: $50.00. HB 151pp. ISBN: 9781776920839. Reviewed by Michelle Elvy. I find myself going back to this book time and again. In fact, it invites us to go beyond notions of time—to sit with objects,…
Bird Life by Anna Smaill. THWUP (2023). RRP: $38.00. PB, 296pp. ISBN: 9781776921249. Reviewed by S. J. Hook. No one wants to begin a literary review quoting 90s self-help guru Steven Covey, author of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Especially since our two main protagonists, Dinah and Yasuko, may not be who Covey had…
a liminal gathering: Elixir & Star Grief Almanac 2023, edited by Iona Winter. Elixir & Star Press (2023). RRP: $32.99. PB, 188pp. ISBN: 9780473689179. Reviewed by Hester Ullyart. It is the day of a dear friend’s father’s funeral. I open the new collection resting on my desk. The epigraph reads: ‘Love knows not its own…
Tsunami with Mushrooms by Te Awhina Rangimarie Arahanga. Steele Roberts (2023). RRP: $25.00. PB, 174pp. ISBN: 9781738589272. Reviewed by Moata McNamara. Te Awhina Rangimarie Arahanga, of Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Te Ati Haunui a Paparangi, and Ngāti Hauiti ki Rata descent, has a rich and varied background as writer, curator and heritage and historical advisor. This, her…
You Are My Sunshine and Other Stories by Octavia Cade. Stelliform Press (2023). RRP: $31.00. PB, 208pp. ISBN: 9781778092640. Reviewed by Alexander Pyles. The slow-moving horror of extinction and knowledge of what humanity could have done differently pervades Octavia Cade’s debut collection, You Are My Sunshine and Other Stories. The inherent grief embedded in some…
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
Tongariro National Park: an artist’s field guide, by Desmond Bovey. Craig Potton (2023). RRP $39.99. PB, 200pp. ISBN 9781988550510. Reviewed by Andrew Paul Wood. It might be argued that our national parks are already works of art in their own right. In that respect, Tongariro is one of the most beautiful. Artist Desmond Bovey’s beautiful…
Tung by Robyn Maree Pickens. OUP (2023). RRP: $25.00. PB, 87pp. ISBN: 9781990048609. Reviewed by Michelle Elvy. Robyn Maree Pickens is an art writer, poet, curator, and text-based practitioner, all of which is evident in her debut poetry collection. Tung opens with an invitation, a weaving of words and wonder on the page: Brush the…