Books

The Spinoff Review of Books is proudly brought to you by Unity Books

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Unity Books + Creative New Zealand

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Christmas reading (and gifting) ideas galore.

The Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending December 8

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A new poem by Ōtepoti poet Jasmine O M Taylor.

The Friday Poem: ‘a retreat’ by Jasmine O M Taylor

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New year, new books – and there's plenty to look forward to.

Aotearoa books to look forward to in 2024

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The best fiction, nonfiction, poetry and children's books published in New Zealand this year, according to our panel of readers.

The Aotearoa books of the year for 2023

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A beguiling look inside the latest in a series of Aotearoa-made ‘picture books for adults’.

The Arks of Arks: an excerpt from Little Doomsdays by Nic Low and Phil Dadson

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Want to smell like you've just been retrieved from the stacks of the Turnbull Library? We try out the new fragrance designed for book lovers.

This perfume smells like old books. Is that a good thing?

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The Friday Poem: ‘crude public behavior’ by Kate Aschoff

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Have you read the Booker Prize winner yet?

The Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending December 1

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Let us consider the art of the book launch speech – and read a very fine example of one.

What Emily Perkins said at the launch of Bird Life by Anna Smaill

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RNZ host by day, The Project NZ host by night – with a healthy reading life in between.

‘I take fiction as medicine’: Jesse Mulligan’s reading diet revealed

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A review of a landmark new book about one of Aotearoa’s most inventive and visionary architects.

The bold legacy of Rewi Thompson

Elizabeth Knox

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What makes Elizabeth Knox's love story of a wine maker and an angel so extraordinary? A look back at The Vintner’s Luck, published 25 years ago this month.

The enduring magic of The Vintner’s Luck

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A new poem by performance poet Carrie Rudzinski.

The Friday Poem: ‘Heirloom’ by Carrie Rudzinski

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Including the Irish novel tipped to win the Booker, and a stunning new novel from Aotearoa writer Anna Smaill.

The Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending November 24

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What did the Covid pandemic teach us? And what is life like for those who can't just go 'back to normal'?

On isolation and connection when parenting a medically fragile child

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The Ōtepoti-based theatre producer, director and writer on attending a book festival while covered in blood, why the Edmonds Cookery Book is overrated and more.

‘He didn’t even bat an eyelid’: HJ Kilkelly’s ‘on brand’ author encounter

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'Another Christmas come and gone. Money spent. Liquor consumed.'

The very relatable diaries of New Zealand playwright Robert Lord

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Beyond the hot celeb goss in Britney Spears' memoir, the most interesting revelations are about how society treats women it deems 'crazy'.

Women, madness and Britney Spears: A book review

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The best place to perform poetry in Aotearoa? How about the edge of a cliff as hundreds of festival-goers swim or lounge by the river below.

‘Start your own damn festival’: A poet’s history of Welcome to Nowhere

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The latest book from Clementine Ford makes a passionate argument against marriage. We unpick its pros and cons.

‘I have no interest in marriage’s salvation’: A review of I Don’t by Clementine Ford

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Growing very tall and slender isn’t always a good thing.

Their house, my garden: What to do when your plant is bolting

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It’s the best, biggest screensaver you’ll ever watch.

XYZZY is a buzzy good time at the Stardome

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It's the vibe. It's the mojo. It's the rizz.

Gone By Lunchtime: Do Te Pāti Māori-led protests set the tone for the term ahead?

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It's more crucial than ever that young indigenous people get along to events like Cop, says Kaeden Watts. 

A rangatahi Māori perspective on Cop28

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The tensions within the industry were heavy in the air on Tuesday night.

The dark shadow over the NZ TV Awards

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London has always been a hard place to live, but in 2023, it's almost impossible. Why do we keep heading there?

Is the London OE still worth it?

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There may be less than a fortnight left in the political year, but politicians seem determined to make the final days count. 

MPs settle into new roles as parliament cranks back into action

Poetry-Shelf

New verse by Oturehua writer Brian Turner.

The Spinoff

BooksNovember 20, 2015

Books: The Friday Poem – Chum, by Brian Turner

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BooksNovember 20, 2015

Books: The Friday Poem – Chum, by Brian Turner

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