I recently joined a book club - a first for me - and have been intrigued, enlightened and entertained by the perceptiveness and wisdom of my fellow bibliophiles, 10 or so women of varying ages. We bring along a clutch of books, mostly fiction, to discuss and swap, and also contribute to a fund for interesting additions. They've introduced me to the great historical novelist Rose Tremain (I know, not before time; her latest, Lily) and the lively Aussie newcomer Pip Williams (The Dictionary of Lost Words).
I've raved on about Francis Spufford's Light Perpetual and Caroline Criado Perez's must-read Invisible Women: exposing data bias in a world designed for men, surely the 21st century's update on Betty Friedan's seminal The Feminine Mystique. I'll report back my admiration for Bernardine Evaristo's Manifesto: On Never Giving Up, an honest but compassionate telling of her journey from the racism of her London childhood to actor, poet, activist, playwright, academic and Booker prize-winning novelist. And I'll tell them about John McCrystal's Worse Things Happen at Sea: old shipwreck stories, true, but never more terrifyingly or better written.
Two New Zealand books have of late given me the greatest pleasure: first, Gavin Bishop's Atua: Māori Gods and Heroes, his fourth recent big book and the most extraordinary yet. It's not something you whizz through looking at the pictures: time is essential to savour every page, the stunning artwork, the stories, the design. No better way to introduce children and adults to the glories of Māori mythology. Second is Shifting Grounds: Deep Histories of Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, by Lucy Mackintosh. Through my long-standing interest in early Auckland history, especially the diarist Sarah Mathew, I'm reasonably familiar with the period's literature and imagery, but this magnificent landmark book does indeed shift the ground, enriching how we experience and appreciate three key sites: Pukekawa/Auckland Domain, Maungakiekie/One Tree Hill and the Ōtuataua Stonefields at Ihumātao. Bravo!
The 40th anniversary edition of Tessa Duder's Night Race to Kawau (Penguin, $20) is out now.
