Books & Authors

Stanford Law School professor and author Richard Thompson-Ford details the importance of fashion throughout the centuries in his new book Dress Codes - How the Laws of Fashion Made History.  Audio

When the Berlin Wall came down how did over 100,000 Stasi officers manage to disappear? In his book The Grey Men, former FBI agent Ralph Hope investigates what happened to the former East Berlin… Audio

Briar Lawry from Unity Books reviews Temporary by Hilary Leichter, published by Faber. Audio

Harry Broad reviews Checkmate in Berlin by Giles Milton, published by Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand. Audio

On March 25, 1942, 997 young, mainly middle class women boarded a train in Slovakia. They'd been told to report to central locations in the country's east to sign up for what was described as… Audio

Does it really matter how you spend your 20s? If you treat the decade as "developmental downtime" you're missing an opportunity to get a head start at life, argues Dr Meg Jay, author of the… Video, Audio

Asked to think of a "typical Kiwi farmer" and your mind might stray to a Fred Dagg or a Wal Footrot, but a new book has captured the diversity of those making a living off the land. The Kiwi Farmers… Audio

Faith Wilson reviews Party Legend by Sam Duckor Jones, published by VUP. Audio

Psychologist and author Steve Biddulph is a best known for his very popular parenting books Raising Boys and Raising Girls. His latest book takes on a slightly bigger subject: the human race in… Audio

Kiran Dass reviews the 2021 International Booker Prize winner At Night All Blood is Black, written by David Diop, published by Pushkin. Audio

American journalist Sebastian Junger's latest book ruminates on the concept of freedom and what it means to be free in a modern society. He had ample opportunity to do it during his 600-kilometre hike… Audio

Australian author Suzanne McCourt, found inspiration for her latest novel from a diary sent to her husband in the post. It had come from his Uncle Kazimierz in Poland, and contained the details of his… Audio

Can young readers deal with complex themes, issues and feelings? The judges for the 2021 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults say yes, and writers are crediting their readers with… Audio, Gallery

Mana Tangata: People of Action by historian Dr Stephen Clarke sheds light on Rotary Club's stellar record of community service in New Zealand over the past century. Dr Clarke joins the show to discuss… Audio

Amy Winehouse's best friend Tyler James has spent the last four years writing a book about the star's life, My Amy. Tyler joins the show to talk about his special bond with Amy and why she pushed the… Audio

We humans have been evolving for millions of years, so why do we still have dodgy knees, crooked teeth and need glasses? Alex Bezzerides looks to answer those questions with his debut book. Audio

Was there a link between the brutal attacks on Sir Peter Blake and Captain Pete Bethune in Brazil? In his new documentary, The Garden of Evil, Larry Keating investigates. Audio