Books

Mary Fawcett of Schroedinger's Books in Petone reviews Egg Marks the Spot by Amy Timberlake. Second in the Skunk & Badger series for 7-11 year olds, published by Allen and Unwin. Audio

The rarest postage stamps, the fabled Plate 77 Penny Reds, are at the heart of the latest Detective Dan Calder crime novel by Ian Austin. You can throw in a terrorist bombing plot at Auckland Airport… Audio

Oxford mathematician Marcus du Sautoy says humankind's laziness might just be its saving grace. Despite being frowned upon, du Sautoy says our inherent reluctance for hard work can often lead us to… Audio

Briar Lawry from Unity Books Auckland reviews Wild Pets by Amber Medland, published by Faber & Faber. Audio

Listen in to hear New Zealand's brightest scientific minds discuss the merits of pop culture plot-drivers. From Wolverine's adamantium-fused skeleton to Star Trek's dilithium crystals. Audio

Jenna Todd from Time Out Bookstore reviews Orwell's Roses by Rebecca Solnit, published by Penguin Random House Audio

American author Marissa Meyer has spent much of the past decade reimagining the classic fairy stories we think we know so well, and turning them into smash hits. Her first novel, Cinder, became a New… Audio

We talk to Michelle Hurley, Publisher at Allen & Unwin, about their major new commercial fiction writing prize with a $10,000 publishing contract for the winner. Audio

Anne Else reviews Middle Distance: Long Stories of Aotearoa New Zealand edited by Craig Gamble, published by VUP Audio

Catherine Ross believes that books start conversations. She reviews her latest picks with Jesse. Audio

Louise Ward of Wardini Books in Havelock North reviews Dragon Skin by Karen Foxlee, and Poison for Breakfast by Lemony Snicket. Audio

Yorta Yorta woman Dianne O'Brien was raised in the era of the White Australia policy, a child of the stolen generation. Her memoir Daughter of the River Country - is a story of survival and triumph… Audio

When Scott Guy was shot dead at the gate of his family farm in Feilding 11 years ago, and his brother-in-law was charged with his murder (later acquitted), six of Jo Guy's grandchildren were made… Audio

She's a bestselling, prizewinning author with her own bookshop in native Nashville, Tennessee, but in her new collection of essays This Precious Life Ann Patchett reveals that below the surface of any… Audio

How do we determine and stand up for what is rational in 2021? Cognitive scientist Steven Pinker tackles this question in his new book Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters. Video, Audio

David Hill reviews Crocodile Tears by Alan Carter, published by Fremantle Press. Audio

Chemicals are in our food, our water, the air we breathe and everything we touch. Last year an international team estimated there were 350,000 chemicals registered for production and use, but it's… Audio

RNZ producer and onetime bookseller Robert Kelly presents his weekly quiz. Audio

Elisabeth Easther reviews Swift and the Harrier by Minette Walters, published by Allen and Unwin Audio