Books
Book Critic: Julia Alvarez & Josephine Baker
Book critic Bill Hastings gives his latest recommendations; Julia Alvarez, The Cemetery of Untold Stories (Little Brown, 2025) and Josephine Baker, Fearless and Free - A Memoir (Penguin Random House… Audio
Book review: Yilkari: A desert suite
David Hill reviews Yilkari: A desert suite by Nicolas Rothwell and Alison Nampitjinpa Anderson. Audio
Jade May: Intimacy is a 'human right', no matter what your body looks like
Hospitalised with Crohn's disease throughout her teens and 20s, Jade May found escapism, self-discovery and sexual liberation in romantic novels and erotica. Now the 39-year-old writes her own.
What’s My Book About: Lauren Roche
Lauren Roche's latest novel Julia Eichardt - A Life of Grit and Grace brings to life the untold story of one of Queenstown's resilient settlers. Audio
Jane Austen Wrecked My Life
This year marks the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen's birth, with celebratory events in England and now a French rom-com. Audio
Jack Fairweather - The Prosecutor
The Prosecutor is the remarkable true story of Fritz Bauer, a gay German Jew who survived the Nazis and sought to hold his countrymen to account. Audio
Book review: In the Hollow of a Wave by Nina Mingya Powles
Melissa Oliver from Unity Books Wellington reviews In the Hollow of a Wave by Nina Mingya Powles, published by Auckland University Press. Audio
Author Kerri Andrews on the desire to walk
Kerri Andrews, author of Pathfinding, talks about what it means to rediscover oneself through the land we walk on. Audio
The Reread with Elizabeth Knox
Esteemed Aotearoa author Elizabeth Knox shares her thoughts on her reread of The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin. Audio
Book review: Sleep by Honor Jones
Lucy Black reviews Sleep by Honor Jones, published by Fourth Estate. Audio
Books: Author Catherine Robertson with her latest picks
We're going to talk about books, specifically what our critic Catherine Robertson calls her "to be read pile of shame" books, also known as those books you've bought and haven't yet got around to… Audio
Book review: Invisible Intelligence by Welby Ings
Louise Ward from Wardini Books reviews Invisible Intelligence: Why your child might not be failing by Welby Ings, published by Otago University Press. Audio
Josh Drummond: A cynic's guide to self-help books
In a quest to optimise his own life, writer Josh Drummond has spent years consuming and reviewing self-help books for his Substack The Cynic's Guide to Self-Improvement. He joins Emile Donovan. Audio
Fantasy claims 25 percent of NZ's top books list
Ruby Wallace, the owner of Auckland romance bookstore Enamoured Books, joins Emile Donovan to explain the craze behind fantasy, and particularly the steamy sub-genre romantasy. Audio
Top 100 books list as voted by NZ readers
Bookstore Whitcoulls has just released their 2025 Top 100 books list. This list - voted by readers - provides a snapshot of our every shifting reading habits. To talk us through this years winners and… Audio
Book review: An Uncommon Land by Catherine Knight
Harry Broad reviews An Uncommon Land by Catherine Knight, published by Totara Press. Audio
Regional Wrap on the Waikanae River
This week for our Regional Wrap on Culture 101 we visit the beautiful Waikanae River on the Kapiti Coast, and the settlements on its banks of Waikanae and Otaihanga. Audio
A 27-year-old novel still getting loved is turned into star-studded film
"There are moments when you feel trapped by the life that you are on as if it is a commuter train ride in and back every day," screenplay writer and author Niall Williams says.
Booktowns saving towns: Peter Biggs
Arts and culture can help revitalise a once prosperous town - Featherston, Aotearoa's only Booktown and one of 23 worldwide, is the living proof. Audio
Niall Williams: Four Letters of Love
After decades of writing novels, bestselling author Niall Williams has turned his hand to the screen, adapting his first novel into a star-studded movie. Audio
