Vivienne’s Blog

Posted 3:11pm Sunday 29th March 2015

Stephen K. Leaton’s novel, Vivienne’s Blog, is described by its blurb as a psychological thriller and, to a certain extent, this is true. The titular Vivienne is seemingly delusional and dangerously obsessed with her ex-boyfriend, Callum. A court order prevents her from having personal contact with Read more...

The Rise and Fall of National Women’s Hospital: A History

Posted 5:43pm Sunday 22nd March 2015

The Rise and Fall of National Women’s Hospital: A History is exactly that. Author Linda Bryder covers the history of the National Women’s Hospital in Auckland, beginning with the political and social circumstances that led to the hospital’s opening in 1946, and ending with the conditions that led to Read more...

Panguru and the City: Kāinga Tahi, Kāinga Rua

Posted 2:32pm Sunday 15th March 2015

Panguru and the City: Kāinga Tahi, Kāinga Rua, by Melissa Matutina Williams, shares the history of the migration of Māori from the community of Panguru in North Hokianga to establish new lives in Auckland. Covering a time period from the 1950s onwards, Williams takes apart the Read more...

Thunderstruck & Other Stories

Posted 2:32pm Sunday 15th March 2015

Whenever I read contemporary literary short stories I tend to feel like I’m missing the point. I must be missing the point, because there must be one. No one would publish entire collections of meaningless stories where nothing happens to boring people. And if they did, scores of critics wouldn’t Read more...

Yesterday's Kin

Posted 5:30pm Sunday 8th March 2015

Yesterday’s Kin by Nancy Kress is a science-fiction novel about the experiences of geneticist Marianne Jenner and her adult son, Noah, after the arrival of aliens on Earth. The aliens have already established their presence in New York City when the story starts, probably because this novel is very Read more...

Demons

Posted 6:26pm Sunday 1st March 2015

Demons, by Wayne Macauley, tells the story of seven Australians who retreat from the world for a weekend to get drunk and tell each other stories but find, as the weekend goes on, that the experience is becoming a disturbing one. The title and this premise make it sound like Demons might be a horror Read more...

Asleep: The Forgotten Epidemic That Remains One of Medicine's Greatest Mysteries

Posted 4:35pm Sunday 22nd February 2015

D o you like horror stories? Do you ever wish for factual proof that the world is completely terrifying? Asleep: The Forgotten Epidemic That Remains One of Medicine’s Greatest Mysteries is about a disease known as encephalitis lethargica. It’s not surprising if you haven’t heard of it. It was Read more...

Endless Night by Agatha Christie

Posted 11:52pm Sunday 7th September 2014

You have of course heard of Agatha Christie, possibly because I just mentioned her, but far more likely because she is incredibly famous. Her patented brand of murder fiction was the cuddly sort. The official genre term is “cosy,” and the notions inherent in the term cosy, are pretty Read more...

Drowning City

Posted 9:43pm Sunday 3rd August 2014

Other reviews i’ve read of Ben Atkins’ first novel Drowning City tended to sound something like: “ZOMG this teenager wrote a book when he was like 17 and then it was published when he was 19 ZOMG and it sounds just like a real person wrote it, this is incredible!” The problem with this is that his Read more...

Cross Fingers

Posted 4:32pm Sunday 18th May 2014

Cross Fingers is a thriller by Paddy Richardson. The tagline says that Cross Fingers is, in fact, psychological crime fiction, but I don’t feel that the pacing gives you time to stop and think. So thriller it is. One Rebecca Thorne, a not too hard-assed, plucky reporter lady who gets sexually and Read more...