February 2024

Bird Child & Other Stories, by Patricia Grace (January 2024, PenguinNZ)
Drawing on mythology and history, kuia Patricia Grace weaves wondrous tales of pre-colonial Māori, of supernatural birds, of gods and goddesses.
Her style is contemporary and colloquial; these stories would be easily absorbed by rangatahi.
This is her first new fictional work since Chappy (2015); she wrote her autobiography - From the Centre: A Writer's Life (2021) - in between. Patricia Grace is a taonga.
Tracey

End Times by Rebecca Priestly (October 2023, Te Herenga Waka University Press)
This begins with earnest hilarity as our road-tripping pair find themselves atop a rupture point at Franz Joseph. Reverse four decades or so and Rebecca and her good friend Maz are just meeting as two-year-olds, their families already aligned decades prior. Rebecca (a science historian) and Maz (a civil engineer) have reunited, again, on a road trip and are pondering the state of the planet generally, of New Zealand specifically, and how they ended up having a born-again Christian phase in their teens. Rebecca is wise and witty and a bit sweary.
You may have met Rebecca Priestly's writing around 2019 via her Fifteen Million Years in Antarctica.
Tracey

Fifteen Wild Septembers, by Karen Powell (December 2023, Allen and Unwin)
This is a wonderfully written reimagining of the life of Emily Brontë.  If you love beautiful writing, and are a fan of the Brontë sisters, this is a wonderful addition to understanding their lives. From their sheltered childhood inventing fantasy worlds, to life at school and beyond. Going out into the world had a huge impact on Emily in particular. A totally believable novel that was shortlisted for the Nero Book Awards in 2023.  The Financial Times called it “unbearably moving”. I loved it. 
Jacqui

Normal Women, by Phillipa Gregory (September 2023, Harper Collins)
Beginning with the Norman Conquest in 1066, this impressive book is a sweeping historical record of women across the ages, from all walks of life, most of whom had been relatively unknown. With the invasion of the Normans, women lost many of their rights and yet, also women found ways to survive and to rebel. There are many stories here of women who led incredible lives. The book was ten years in the making from a historical writer at the top of her game. One to read all at once, or dip and out of. Fascinating stuff! 
Jacqui

The Beach Activity Book: 99 Ideas for Activities by the Water around Aotearoa New Zealand, by Rachell Haydon & Pippa Keel (January 2024, Te Papa Press)
I've recently bought two copies of The Beach Activity Book because it's such a fantastic resource. I am part of a group working with tamariki on the Ōtaki sand dunes and beach, and the book has given me lots of practical and interesting ideas for projects during the year. I also have young whānau who will enjoy some of the activities. I thoroughly recommend the book.
[Rachel and Pippa also created The Nature Activity Book in 2020]
Helen W (guest reviewer)

World War 1,  DK Eyewitness (2023)
I recently purchase this lavishly illustrated book as offered by the ‘Imperial War Museum’ London, dealing with the history of World War 1 in seventy-two illustrated chronological steps .Each page is intellectually and pictorially appealing, highlighting the background, military equipment, uniforms, squalor, casualties, the trenches, the brutality, stalemate, combatants, aircraft developments, naval actions, decorations, humour, and pathos as the reader is taken on a journey through the ‘War to end all wars.’
A selection of the information presented to tempt you to purchase this modestly priced but fascination and engaging book.
It is like experiencing an ‘eye witness’ account of the conflict, life in the muddy trenches and what it was like to be a soldier on the front line. This book is presented for children around 10 years of age.
As a bonus, a 56 x 80cm poster is included to drive home (in colour) the variation of equipment and ‘combatants’ involved in this epic battle.
John S (guest reviewer)