Latest from Books

Twelve Questions: Ann Andrews
"I'm writing a book on caring for people with Parkinson's. I hope I can finish it because I'm now facing the really heavy stuff. You don't die from Parkinson's, you die with it."

Book review: Skyfaring - A Journey with a Pilot
In an age of low-cost carriers, DVT and crappy movies on crappy little screens, we often lose sight of the old-fashioned wonder of flight, writes Winston Aldworth.

Book review: Sweet Caress, William Boyd
British novelist William Boyd's latest book, Sweet Caress, tells the story of a young female photographer. It is published at the end of the August.

What did Shakespeare smoke?
South African scientists have discovered that 400-year-old tobacco pipes excavated from the garden of William Shakespeare contained cannabis, suggesting the playwright might have written some of his....

Book review: Terrain, Geoff Chapple
When he founded Te Araroa - the national walkway - Geoff Chapple encouraged us to go out and see the extraordinary beauty of this land of the long white cloud.

Author's vivid novel tells story of America gone wrong
In Benjamin Markovits' vivid new novel, the city becomes a symptom of America gone wrong. He tells Mick Brown about losing out and fitting in.

Twelve Questions: Bianca Zander
Bianca Zander is a lecturer in creative writing at AUT and recently published her second novel, The Predictions. She talks about leaving her journalism career to write fiction.

NZ Book Awards secures sponsorhip with property developer
The future of the country's premier book honours - the New Zealand Book Awards - is now secured, thanks to sponsorship from an Auckland property development company.

Experts reveal how to crack Agatha Christie's 'whodunnit' formula
It is the greatest mystery in fiction - but now experts claim to have revealed the secret to Agatha Christie and have come up with a formula of how to spot whodunnit.

Inmates 'threw poo' at Hey Dad! star
A new book has detailed how sexual predator Robert Hughes has suffered daily in jail, with fellow inmates throwing faeces at his face.

NZ authors slow to seduce locals
Kiwi readers have named international titles as their favourites over local works, to the dismay of a book buyer who says New Zealand has "terrific" fiction.

London: Where to get the best dumplings
Food is a family business for an expat pair who headed to Britain to study and found they just couldn't stay away from the kitchen.

Jack the Ripper mystery 'solved'
The author of a new book claims Jack the Ripper carried out his earlier murders as a cover for his true intention: getting revenge on his wife.

This man binge-read eight Donald Trump books
I spent this past week reading eight of his books hoping to develop a unified theory of the man, or at least find a method in the Trumpness, writes Carlos Lozada.

Why Italian author Roberto Saviano lives in hiding
Roberto Saviano's exposé of the Mafia earned him an armed guard. Now he's taken on the cocaine trade. Ian Thomson meets him.

The winning move we nearly abandoned
In the final exclusive extract from his new autobiography, Jerome Kaino gives an insider's perspective on the 2011 Rugby World Cup final.

Kaino: What saved him from the booze
In the second exclusive extract from his new autobiography, Jerome Kaino explains how he bounced back from his 2008 drink-driving conviction.

New Zealand writer longlisted for Man Booker Prize
Just two years after The Luminaries won the prestigious literary award, another New Zealand writer has been longlisted.

Red-letter day for kid writers
Eight young Kiwi authors will be bubbling with inspiration after meeting their sporting heroes and getting a story published, all in one day.

Kaino: Hero from humble roots
In the first of three exclusive extracts from his new autobiography My Story, Jerome Kaino talks about his humble origins in Papakura.

Pupils are the stars in new digital book
Children from a Māori immersion class in Pukekohe are the stars of a new digital book released by Auckland Transport for Māori Language Week.

Playing the field: Sonny Bill Williams
A new unauthorised biography of SBW details the rift with ex-AB coach Sir Graham Henry and reveals a story of controversy, changing loyalties and damned hard work.

Sonny Bill 'felt lied to', new biography reveals
SBW was told to quit the All Blacks in the lead-up to the 2011 Rugby World Cup, an explosive new biography has revealed.

New Zealand's own celebrity baby whisperer
She's shared the homes of Hollywood celebrities and media magnates, and is now one of the world's most sought-after baby sleep consultants.

First-class writer with space to roam
If only commercial realities allowed New Zealanders to enjoy long-form journalism.