Books Archive
Briar Grace-Smith: What my library means to me
This isn't just a place for books and their readers, but a reflection of the community that it sits in.
Please excuse Chris Tse as he freaks out over these poetry finalists
Honouring a huge moment for poetry in Aotearoa.
Ockham NZ Book Awards shortlist, 2021: the brutal cull, revealed – plus, our pick for the win
179 entered; 40 made the longlist; 24 of those just bit the award dust. Here are the 16 that remain, with bonus analysis.
Tranquillity and Ruin: An essay collection to focus the mind
In which Danyl McLauchlan meditates himself into a hallucinatory state, several times.
An interview with Casey Lucas, moments before the avalanche hits
On ice hockey, geologic time, growing up queer in Utah – and falling in love at Queenstown airport.
The Garden Party 2021 – in pictures
Last weekend at the sun-bathed soundshell in the Botanic Gardens, Wellington, The Spinoff joined Verb Wellington to present the Garden Party.
The Unity Books children’s bestseller chart for the month of February
A little light reading on the Treaty, philosophy and the history of humankind.
The Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending February 26
A week dominated by homegrown non-fiction.
The Friday Poem: Gingerbread House, by Evangeline Riddiford Graham
A poem by New York-based Aotearoa poet Evangeline Riddiford Graham.
The fine art of naming your indie publishing house
'It's so hard to come up with something that isn't painfully earnest or stupid.'
‘This was what I wanted all my life’: Dan Carter on winning the Rugby World Cup
The man ranked by many as the greatest No 10 of them all reflects on the match fresh from holding the trophy aloft at Twickenham.
Live from the Garden: News and updates from Wellington’s Garden Party festival
All the news and gossip from the free summer festival brought to you by Verb Wellington and The Spinoff, happening this weekend at Wellington's Botanic Gardens.
Ranking every creature in the Hairy Maclary universe
Content warning: features fanfiction involving Miss Plum and a juicy bone.
The Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending February 19
Goodbye hygge, hello ikigai, "the happiness of always being busy".
The Friday Poem: My childhood by Tim Upperton
A new poem from Tim Upperton.
Stars in the Soundshell: Witi Ihimaera’s creation myths come to life in Wellington
This weekend's Garden Party festival sees the premiere of Navigating the Stars, based on Witi Ihimaera's acclaimed collection of the same name.
Gangland: a book about meth and the people whose lives it touches
A senior journalist tells the story of how meth arrived - and flourished - in Aotearoa.
How to cope with lockdown yo-yo
The world suddenly feels a lot more unpredictable and uncertain again
The Garden Party: 10 things to look forward to at Wellington’s new festival
A selection of highlights from the upcoming Garden Party Festival, presented by Verb Wellington and The Spinoff.
The Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending February 12
Strange old chart this week!
The Friday Poem: HISTORY, by Joan Fleming
A new poem by Joan Fleming.
The pandemic novel that’s about to be a phenomenon
The new virus was said to have a 100% kill rate. But it left one woman standing.
NZ author Meg Mason just landed a huge US film deal
A Q&A with the New Zealand author of the moment.
The Prebble adventure: Reading I’ve Been Thinking, a quarter century on
The great promise of neoliberalism: free markets solving problems centrally planned governments could not, bringing better economic results. The great failure of neoliberalism: it didn’t work.
