Books

The Spinoff Books section is proudly brought to you by Unity Books and Creative New Zealand. Visit 

strong

Unity Books + Creative New Zealand

FeatImgKartikPopat.png

There's little to like about figures like American politician Vivek Ramaswamy, but there is a lot to learn.

A new novel imagines a New Zealand version of the conservative South Asian grifter

jackdaw.jpg

The Friday Poem: ‘THE THING IS’ by Johanna Cosgrove

Unity1Nov.png

The onward march of Intermezzo, a bundle of new releases, and Wild Robot.

The Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending November 1

Most Haunted Pubs.png

Fancy some paranormal activity with your pint? Here's where to go.

These are New Zealand’s most haunted pubs

HalloweenReads.png

We asked a handful of New Zealand writers for some recommended Halloween reading. Here's what they said. 

Writers pick their favourite scary stories for the spooky season

avo_student_loan.png

Now 48, Megan Dunn is still paying off the huge student loan she first took out when she was 17. This is her story.

My number one regret? My $100,000 student loan

O&#8217;MalleyWaitakoCover.png

'This was a defining and transformative conflict in the nation’s history … It is the story of how we got to where we are today.'

Remembering the Waikato War, Te Riri ki Tainui

Poorharafeatimage.png

A debut novel that's one part family drama, one part harrowing road trip, and one of the most honest portraits of Aotearoa you're likely to find.

‘Observations that hit like a truck’: Poorhara by Michelle Rahurahu, reviewed

Changeoverfeatimage.png

Books editor Claire Mabey sings the praises of Margaret Mahy’s 40-year-old supernatural thriller.

The Changeover by Margaret Mahy is still the greatest young adult novel ever

EpisodesFeatimageUnity.png

A stunning new graphic novel, dystopias, new non-fiction and more.

The Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending October 25

uniform.jpg

The Friday Poem: ‘Uniform’ by Jackson McCarthy

EK launching DW.png

The speech delivered at the recent launch of Damien Wilkins' novel, Delirious.

‘Death cleaning’, ageing and loss: Elizabeth Knox on her favourite New Zealand novel

Laureate-Awards-Party-24_1931-JC-1927_webres-1200px.jpg

A new poem as performed by Tusiata Avia at the 2024 Arts Foundation Laureates Awards.

‘I’m writing you a poem about art’: a new poem by Tusiata Avia

JewishnotZionist.png

Marilyn Garson calls for a religious space not distorted by nationalism.

Justice as our common cause: What can an Aotearoa Jewish identity look like?

MauriceGee.png

Remember the Wilberforces? Here's an interview with their creator. 

‘You can’t kill Jimmy Jaspers!’: An interview with Maurice Gee

pukepotorubysollycrop.jpg

The Friday Poem: ‘Kōauau kōiwi’ by Ruby Solly

Your-paragraph-text-23.png

Featuring the boldest cover of the year, so far.

The Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending October 18

BooksConfessional_BookSeller_Gavin-Bishop.png

Children's author and illustrator Gavin Bishop on which of his books he most wants to see adapted for the screen, the classic he struggled to finish and more.

‘I became besotted’: Gavin Bishop on finding Middle-earth in the school journal

IMG_3933.png

Which political party benefitted most from the parliament protests in 2022?

Populists, populism and the 2023 election

celebswithbooks.png

Reese Witherspoon is co-writing a thriller. At first this annoyed books editor Claire Mabey, but then she did a full 180. Here's why.

Is celebrity book culture… good, actually?

RNZ-concert.png

Pets of The Spinoff tuned in to RNZ Concert last night to catch its special programme designed to chill them out. Did it work?

The great Spinoff pet review of RNZ Concert’s Guy Fawkes programme

longest-commute-33.png

Day three of one man's foolish attempt to travel from the bottom of the country using only public transport.

The longest commute, day three: Today, Tomorrow, Timaru

HMH_FeatureImage-4.png

The ideal candidate for a foreign exchange is personable, adventurous and charismatic enough to transcend the language barrier. I was none of these things.

My Greatest Trip: My awkward high-school exchange to Germany

overtourism-1.png

Pressure to visit as many European destinations as possible is causing harm to local communities and the climate. Is there an alternative?

New Zealanders in London are engaging in competitive ‘overtourism’. Can we redeem the classic OE?

Stewarts-images.png

Tensions over tobacco regulations hit boiling point in parliament yesterday.

Conflicts over conflicts: Why perception in politics matters

policementalfeat.jpg

Police say they shouldn't be first responders to mental health incidents, but is the health system ready to take over?

The police pullback on mental health callouts, explained

WVY6gUhq-Travel-Week-Feature-Image.png

A cheap tent, overnight lows in the single digits and a four-legged friend for company – what could possibly go wrong?

I survived a night camping with my dog

rainbow-3.png

Exclusive: New messages released under the OIA show Rainbow acknowledged he 'didn't get the HRC job' – then suddenly he did. 

‘I didn’t get the HRC job’: Stephen Rainbow’s Human Rights Commission appointment just got weirder

Untitled-design-51.png

Day two of one man's foolish attempt to travel from the bottom of the country using only public transport.

The longest commute, day two: Joel makes it to Dunedin

New verse by Dunedin writer Michael Hall.

The Spinoff

BooksJune 30, 2017

The Friday Poem: ‘The Survivor Series’ by Michael Hall

Loading...

BooksJune 30, 2017

The Friday Poem: ‘The Survivor Series’ by Michael Hall

More Reading

Loading...