A Little Bit Booked

Claire and Erica share some of their standout fiction and non-fiction Kiwi reads from 2025, plus what book events and launches they’re looking forward to for 2026. The book snake pattern I mentioned is by Han Lee (@bookaroundfindout) and you can purchase it on Ravelry: www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-book-snake. Books mentioned in this episode: -Wonderland, Tracy Farr (The Cuba Press) -Hoods Landing, Laura Vincent (Aporo Press) -The Luminaries, Eleanor Catton (Te Herenga Waka University

Editor and writer Philippa Tucker joins me to talk about how editing is an art, the trust and vulnerability involved and (yes) our grammar pet peeves.Books mentioned in this episode: -Orbital, Samantha Harvey (Vintage) -All Her Lives, Ingrid Horrocks (Te Herenga Waka University Press) -Wonderland, Tracy Farr (The Cuba Press) -Headlands: New Stories of Anxiety, edited by Naomi Arnold (Te Herenga Waka University Press) -Ulysses, James Joyce (which does have a sentence that is 3,000 words long!)

From her lifestyle block in Central Otago, “Gill of all trades” Gillian Swinton talks about her accessible homesteading guide, “The Good Life,” and the importance of community. Books mentioned in this episode: -The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, Kim Michele Richardson (Sourcebooks Landmark) -The Book of Guilt, Catherine Chidgey (Te Herenga Waka University Press) -Northbound, Naomi Arnold (HarperCollinsNZ) -Outlander, Diana Gabaldon (Cornerstone) -Little House on the Prairie, Laura Ingalls

Writer and educator (and ex-cage fighter) Airana Ngarewa dives deep into the history behind his latest book, “The Last Living Cannibal,” which is set in rural Taranaki during World War II.Books mentioned in this episode: -The Last Living Cannibal, Airana Ngarewa (Moa Press); -Te Āhua o Ngā Kupu Whakaari a Te Kooti, Tā Pou Temara (Auckland University Press; -Poor People with Money, Dominic Hoey (Penguin); -Mana, Tāme Iti (Allen & Unwin NZ); -Pātea Boys, Airana Ngarewa (Moa Press); -The Bone Tree,

Writer and poet Harold Coutts joins me in a quest to read half of the notable Booker Prize 2025 shortlist. We talk about why literary prizes can feel so intimidating, what we liked about each book, and make some predictions before the award ceremony on 10 November. Books mentioned in this episode: Flashlight, Susan Choi (Jonathan Cape) Audition, Katie Kitamura (Fern Press) The Loneliness of Sonia & Sunny, Kiran Desai (Hamish Hamilton) AUP New Poets 9, Sarah Lawrence, harold coutts and Arielle

Journalist, tramper, and author Naomi Arnold channels the confidence of a white male CEO while discussing her latest memoir, “Northbound,” and reliving the experience of hiking Te Araroa trail and then writing about it.Books mentioned in this episode: Rocco, Sherryl Jordan (Scholastic) Descending Fire: The Story Behind The Stories, Sherryl Jordan (David Bateman Ltd) Feijoa, Kate Evans (Moa Press) No Words for This, Ali Mau (HarperCollins NZ) Surplus Women, Michelle Duff (Te Herenga Waka University

Ahead of Bookshop Day on 11 October, Claire is joined by Jo Dippie, proprietor of beloved Nelson independent bookshop Page & Blackmore, to talk book buying, matching the right story to the right person, and penguins. Books mentioned in this episode: An Inconvenience of Penguins: Epic Voyages in Pursuit of the World's Most Beloved Bird, Jamie Lafferty (Headline Publishing Group); Life Cycle of a Moth, Rowe Irvin (A&U Canongate); Hard-Case Heroes, Gerard Hindmarsh (Swamp Press); Up the Lake: The