Books & Authors

In the year 2182, an asteroid travelling between Mars and Jupiter right now, may end up on a collision course with planet earth. So NASA decided to pay it a visit. Dr Dante Lauretta is a planetary… Audio

Bestselling writer Deborah Challinor explores the world of Victorian funeral customs in the first book in a new series Black Silk and Sympathy. Deborah has written eighteen novels of historical… Audio

Jerusalem-based American journalist and author Nathan Thrall's new book is named on ten best books of the year lists, including The New Yorker, The Economist and the Financial Times. A Day in the Life… Audio

University of Massachusetts Professor Dr. David Toomey looks at this growing field of study that was once considered laughable. But now, research is showing how many animals, just like humans. Audio

Harry Broad reviews Portrait of a War Artist by John Gillies published by Quentin Wilson Publishing. Audio

Grace Yee's book, Chinese Fish, is a collection of poems, which tells the story of the Chin family, Chinese immigrants who move to New Zealand in the 1960s. The poems explore themes of migration… Audio

Nicole Avant's father - Clarence - is known as the Black Godfather and her mother Jacqueline Avant - a philanthropist and community pillar. They opened their Beverly Hills home to an incredible array… Audio

Kate De Goldi is one of New Zealand's most celebrated authors, an Arts Foundation Laureate, and a voracious reader. She joins Susie to share three books she's loved; Cahokia Jazz by Francis Spufford… Audio

Irish novelist and short story writer Claire Keegan was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2022 for her book Small Things Like These. It's the story of a coal merchant whose eyes are opened to the… Audio

As a child watching the film Apocalypse Now, writer Viet Thanh Nguyen felt split in two - was he one of the Americans doing the killing or one of the Vietnamese being killed? "That moment really… Audio

Bianca Bosker has written a book about her experience of the New York art scene called:  Get the Picture: A Mind-Bending Journey among the Inspired Artists and Obsessive Art Fiends Who Taught Me How… Audio

This week for Bookmarks we speak to one of New Zealand's best selling novelists Deborah Challinor. The talented writer has a knack for writing gripping, accurate historical fiction. Audio

Carole Beu of the Women's Bookshop reviews The Space Between by Lauren Keenan published by Penguin Random House. Audio

Dr Rob Drummond is Professor of Sociolinguistics at Manchester Metropolitan University. He joins Kathryn to discuss the way we speak.  Audio