Book shopping for pre-teens? These titles tick all the boxes
Ann Packer surveys the best new books for pre-teens.
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Latest from Books
Why NZ’s Living Wage Movement is bigger than you think
Unions don’t have a monopoly in caring about poverty wages.
Top 10 best-selling New Zealand books: September 7
Call it the Father's Day bump, but books by blokes dominate the top 10.
Short cuts: Books to check out this weekend
From a charming history of Auckland's villages to a look into Alexei Navalny's life.
Catherine Lea’s fast-paced thriller sees DI Bradshaw return with a bang
DI Bradshaw's troubles mount in gritty Far North-set sequel.
History of maths adds up to more than the sum of its parts
Robyn Arianrhod provides a history of maths, along with its fundamental principles.
Loyalties of lifelong comrades tested in Malcolm Knox’s brilliant satire
Knox has written a satire so caustic it is hair’s breadth from reality.
Horsepower: How our equine friends transformed human history
Timothy C Winegard’s The Horse is an epic tale of one animal's global impact.
Man & myth: A spirited new biography of England’s warrior king
Apart from his miraculous victories in war, what more do we know about Henry V?
Matt Haig’s The Life Impossible is a whimsical tale of transformation
Matt Haig's new book is a warm, entertaining and pleasingly bonkers read.
Short cuts: Books to read this week
A “midlife mer-moir", a curious history of the gut and a bilingual guide.
Nina Kenwood's The Wedding is a romcom for our times
Australian YA author's foray into romance for grown-ups is a satisfying, humorous read.
Whowunnit? 2024 Ngaio Marsh crime writing award winners announced
Memorable characters under extreme pressure make winners at the 2024 Ngaio Marsh Awards.
Recommended thriller reads
Two gripping reads from established writers cement their rightful place in thriller genre.
From photosynthesis to philosophy: Peter Godfrey-Smith’s epic tale of life and Earth
Philosopher on how life transforms - for better or worse - the environment that shapes it.
I was born in NZ, but stayed away for 47 years because I thought it was cursed
NZ author on coming home, the shadow of a serial killer, and family links to Janet Frame.
Jodi Picoult flips the bard while Fintan O’Toole struggles to offer new insights into Shakespeare’s tragedies
Two books about Shakespeare, not alike in genre.
Tina Shaw’s latest novel deftly tackles the terror of our times: Dementia
Shaw’s book won the Michael Gifkins Prize for an Unpublished Novel. You can see why.
New poetry collections explore trauma and ordinary life in comic detail
Two very different collections from Tracey Slaughter and James Brown.
Julia Phillips’ new novel is a great American modern-day parable of horror and hope
A sense of innocence, delight and transformation pervades this fairytale-inspired novel.
Acclaimed author Joanne Harris’s The Moonlight Market delivers a magical tale
Fantasy novel’s complex and imaginative plot will appeal to lovers of history and whimsy.
Best recent crime and thriller books reviewed
Serial killers, conference murders and bookshop puzzles occupy new thrillers.
Words of wisdom from a father to his son
Book takes: More than a conversation between a father and son.
Rēwena and Rabbit Stew: What early NZ cooks endured to put dinner on the table
Food gathering and preparation was no picnic in rural NZ.
Whaea Blue: The long-awaited debut from one of NZ’s best writers arrives
Talia Marshall is both journalist and sage in this impressive collection.
From cops to crime writers: How Gareth and Louise Ward turned their past into a bestseller
Gareth and Louise Ward share their journey from police officers to bookshop bosses.
Major new history reconsiders role of NZ women artists in modernist movement
Our female artists and their connections beyond NZ feature in new book and exhibition.
Biggles from downunder? If the flying ace were real, he would have been NZer Keith Caldwell
Long-overdue biography captures the story of NZ’s most famous pioneer of aerial warfare.
The intriguing stories behind one of NZ’s most common plants
Scientist Leon Perrie snorkelled in a cold South Island lake to find rare species.
Famed author’s conflicting attitudes towards the women in his life
A deep dive into Victorian novelist Thomas Hardy's relationships.