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Books & Authors
Gregory O'Brien - Always Song in the Water
Author, artist, poet Gregory O'Brien has always been enchanted by water, and in particular the role it plays in the lives and imaginations of New Zealanders. Hs new book Always Song In Water explores… Audio
Robert Macfarlane goes Underland
Nature and travel writer Robert Macfarlane grew up in coal country, just next to limestone country. What was underground defined what was up above for him from a very young age. His new book Underland… Audio
Book review - On Fire by Naomi Klein
Anne Else reviews On Fire by Naomi Klein, which is published by Penguin Random House. Audio
Book review - We are the Weather by Jonathan Safran Foer
Sonja deFriez reviews We are the Weather by Jonathan Safran Foer. Published by Penguin Random House. Audio
Pico Iyer: why I love Japan
Japan is a country of beauty, depth and surprises, says English-American writer Pico Iyer who has lived there for 32 years. Video, Audio
Book Critic: Jonny Potts
Cultural Daredevil Jonny Potts discusses Ducks, Newburyport and the Booker prize. Audio
Author Joshilyn Jackson, domestic noir & prison literacy
US author Joshilyn Jackson's ninth book Never Have I Ever is best described as domestic noir. It is set in a bookclub, where everything is not as it appears, and a new member disrupts the equilibrium… Audio
Book review - Craven by Jane Arthur
Chris Tse reviews Craven by Jane Arthur, which is published by Victoria University Press. Audio
Fixed It: taking on mistreatment of women by the media
The media often goes to astounding lengths to remove the responsibility for violence from men, says Australian journalist Jane Gilmore. So, for the past three years, Gilmore has made it her mission to… Audio
Lately Bookclub: Tracey Slaughter's Short Back & Sides
It's time for Lately Book Club where we go exploring in the world of literature and invite you to come along. Tracey Slaughter's short fiction and poetry have been widely anthologized in New Zealand… Audio
Question of the Day for 24 September 2019
The Booker prize is coming up in 3 weeks, so maybe WHAT book do YOU think should have won a Booker Prize? Audio
Coining a genre: "Detective Magicalism"
It's time our Tuesday book critic and RNZ producer Robert Kelly is here to have another go at making up a genre. This week - murder most foul in historical and fantasy worlds. Audio
The story of Zealandia
In the early 90s, Jim Lynch dreamed about creating the world's first predator fenced community eco-sanctuary. And today the sanctuary, now known as Zealandia, is still going strong. Audio
Book review - Lost and Somewhere Else by Jenny Bornholdt
Harry Ricketts from quarterly review periodical New Zealand Review of Books Pukapuka Aotearoa, reviews Lost and Somewhere Else by Jenny Bornholdt. Published by Victoria University Press. Audio
Corey White: 'A little bit of rock-bottom is good for a person'
Melbourne comedian and writer Corey White has been through a lot, but it took writing a memoir, The Prettiest Horse in the Glue Factory, for him to realise just how much. He talks to Kathryn Ryan… Audio
Does dangling the carrot work?
Incentives rule the world. Throughout history dangling carrots to motivate us to innovate or change behaviour has resulted in spectacular success and spectacular failure. Audio
Book review - This Is How We Change the Ending
Gail Pittaway reviews This Is How We Change the Ending by Vikki Wakefield, published by Text Publishing. Audio
My Van, My Castle: Life On The Road In New Zealand
Jackie Norman met her soulmate, sold her suburban home and swapped it for life on the road travelling around New Zealand in a campervan. She tells her fascinating tale of discovery in her new book, My… Audio
Sarah Edmondson: How I escaped the NXIVM sex cult
Vancouver actress Sarah Edmondson spent 12 years in the NXIVM cult. She eventually blew the whistle and has a new book, Scarred: The True Story of How I Escaped NXIVM, The Cult That Bound My Life. Audio
Calling Home: Catherine O'Connell in Tokyo, Japan
The Rugby World Cup kicked off in Tokyo on Friday night, so it is apt that Calling Home is heading there for the first time this weekend. We're joined by ground-breaking Kiwi lawyer Catherine… Audio