What if you knew the date of your death? How would that affect how you lived? This is the central question posed to the reader in the novel, The Immortalists. The four siblings of the Gold family go to a fortune-teller in New York, 1969. She gives each child a date and the story follows …
Writing in New Zealand is a tough business. I’ve recently started reading a lot more New Zealand fiction and as a country, we are producing some great work. I’ve discovered some talented authors in the Twitter writing community. These hard-working creatives should get more exposure. The idea for this segment grew from a desire to …
August is my birthday month, so I have already been pondering the onward march of time and the date of my own demise. A little dramatic? Maybe. Last weekend, a friend and I went to a discussion at the Word Festival on writing about time travel. US author Ted Chiang and NZ authors Whiti Hereaka …
Is it lazy to research the history of a place by reading fiction stories set there? Asking for a friend. I do love finding out about the history of countries before I travel there and a good novel is such an interesting way to do it. Before we went to live in France, I searched …
This novel is, quite simply, a work of art. And like most great art, it is supremely confronting and will divide its audience. I enjoyed it, but that’s not the right word. It is probably more accurate to say I stayed with it, felt all the feels and was better for it. Find below my …
Look at this fab pile of books! On a weekend of relentless rain and snotty noses here in New Zealand, I’m simultaneously reading two of these and my husband is reading the other. I have been looking for reviews of great books to make you think and these ones kept coming up. My feet are …
Every now and then, a reader emerges from a story surprised that the world around them still exists. How can the world still be turning when everything has changed? How can my house still be standing when the walls of my consciousness have been shaken this much? This book honestly changed my perspective on everything. …
I think I discovered this gem at the exact right time. It comes at a point when I am roughly 75% through my first draft and I alternately swing from writing doggedly on to throwing up my hands in despair at the large pile of dog faeces words I have created. Note: This post contains …
Writing in New Zealand is a tough business. I’ve recently started reading a lot more New Zealand fiction and as a country, we are producing some great work. I’ve discovered some talented Kiwi authors in the Twitter writing community. These hard-working creatives should get more exposure. The idea for this segment grew from a desire …
Author: Mackenzi Lee Genre: YA Historical Rating: 3.5 / 5 A glowing review sparked my interest in this book so I was determined to find it. I’m not normally a huge reader of YA but I couldn’t resist the French history. I really enjoyed this wild romp in the 1700’s. I expected something dry l …
Review: The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue Read More »