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Current Reading Header
I’ve been reading
Below are some of the books I’ve been reading.
For an in-depth review of each book, please click on the cover image. -
LIONESS
Lioness
Emily Perkins
This award-winning novel is told from the perspective of a wealthy, middle-aged businesswoman, who finds herself examining her life choices after her husband gets caught up in a fraud investigation. Perkins is exacting in the way she explores the personal and ethical compromises that can come from inhabiting both a marriage and a life of privilege. Highly recommend.
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LEAVE THE GIRLS BEHIND
Leave The Girls Behind
Jacqueline Bublitz
Jacqueline Bublitz once again defies traditional crime-writing tropes to push a missing-persons’ mystery into fascinating new territory. Exploring the impact of childhood trauma on a victim’s life, as well as beliefs around an afterlife, this complex, character-driven novel provides so much food for thought! Just as in real life, where not all aspects of a mystery might be resolved, Bublitz invites the reader to answer some of the unknows.
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ALL THE COLOURS OF THE DARK
All The Colours of the Dark
Chris Whitaker
A vast, engrossing and emotional novel about the abduction of a young boy, ‘Patch’ Macauley, by a serial kidnapper. We witness the impact of the crime not only on the marginalised teenager, but on his friends, family and the community at large – an impact that changes the trajectory of lives forever.
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JAMES
James
Percival Everett
James, the skilful reimagining of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, is told from the perspective of Huck’s companion, enslaved ‘Jim’. The two novels should be read side by side, the commentary and power of the ‘complete’ story greater than the sum of individual parts. Highly recommend. -
ORBITAL
Orbital
Samantha Harvey
The winner of this year’s Booker Prize is a slim wee book, but a cosmic and beautiful read. It’s a book to savour slowly – a hopeful and staggering summation of life on planet earth. -
THE SURVIVORS
the survivors
Steve Braunias
Prize-winning journalist and crime-reporter Steve Braunias reflects on an eclectic mix of individuals whose lives and/or deaths in New Zealand made the newspapers, and frequently the courtroom too. Sometimes dark, often poignant, and rich in human detail, the stories about lives lived and lives lost resonate all the more for the way they interleave with Braunias’ honest refection’s about his own life and profession.
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PROPHET SONG
prophet song
Paul Lynch
One woman’s struggle to keep her family intact as a ruthless political regime threatens to destroy it. A timely, dystopian read that viscerally explores the consequences of fascism.