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Books & Authors
Harry Potter's Invisibility Cloak
Colm Healy chats about the magic of material science and possible real life equivalents to Harry Potter's invisibility cloak. Audio
NZ Children and Young Adults book awards short list
The finalists for the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults have been announced today.Taking us through the list of finalists books editor and our own book critic Claire Mabey. Audio
New book sheds light on Antarctic expedition tragedy
Harrison Christian is the author of 'Terra Nova' and joins Emile Donovan. Audio
Book review: Long Island by Colm Toibin
Sonja de Friez reviews Long Island by Colm Toibin published by Macmillan. Audio
A life long infatuation with ABBA channeledi into book
Music writer Giles Smith was a 12 year old boy staying up past his bedtime 50 years ago to watch ABBA slay Eurovision with Waterloo. That night would kick off a lifelong infatuation with the Swedish… Audio
Book Critic: Catherine Ross
Today Catherine talks to Jesse about YA books with the theme historical fiction. The books she's covering are: For ages 10+ King of Shadows by Susan Cooper For ages 11+ One Shot by Tanya Landman For… Audio
Book review: At The Grand Glacier Hotel by Laurence Fearnley
Lynn Freeman reviews At The Grand Glacier Hotel by Laurence Fearnley published by Penguin Random House NZ. Audio
Emily Perkins with things to perk you up this public holiday
Wellington writer Emily Perkins is the country's latest literary darling, taking out the top prize at the recent Ockham Awards for her novel Lioness. Audio
Our souls travel at 3km/h
Nick Hunt is a travel writer who has published three books about walking in various parts of Europe. Audio
Matt Heath: learning to love your own life
A "miserable" moment on the banks of Lake Wakatipu was the initial inspiration for Matt Heath's new book A Life Less Punishing: 13 Ways To Love the Life You've Got. The radio host and writer… Audio
Book review: BBQ Economics by Liam Dann
Harry Broad reviews BBQ Economics by Liam Dann published by Penguin Random House NZ Audio
Bookmarks with Dr Jade De La Paz
Dr Jade De La Paz, is a Professional Forensic Anthropologist at the University of Otago and she's also one of only four people from Aotearoa to be a Fellow in the American Academy of Forensic… Audio
Book review: Landfall 247: Autumn 2023 Edited by Lynley Edmeades
Holly Walker reviews Landfall 247: Autumn 2023 Edited by Lynley Edmeades published by Otago University Press. Audio
From high flyer to fraud: Bob Calkin's incredible life
Bob Calkin considers himself a lucky man. Too young for both world wars and entering the workforce in the '50s and '60s, New Zealand gave working-class men like him tremendous opportunities. Audio
Book Critic: Claire Mabey
Today Claire talks to Jesse about two very different memoirs, First Things by Harry Ricketts and Splinters by Leslie Jamison. She also talks about Jane Arthur's children's novel Brown Bird. Audio
How to slow down and be productive
Work isn't working. We are so busy staying busy, with constant emails and new message apps, we end up exhausted says professor Cal Newport. Audio
Book review: Night Swimmers by Roisin Maguire
Jenna Todd of Time Out Bookstore reviews Night Swimmers by Roisin Maguire published by Serpent's Tale. Audio
Mark Antony: ally, enemy, lover and the fall of Rome
Professor of Classics at Victoria University in Wellington Jeff Tatum, has released a new book, called A Noble Ruin, which examines Mark Antony's life and career and a pivotal time in history. Audio
Recreating Ringworld
In Larry Niven's 1970 science fiction novel, Louis Wu and his companions crash land on a rotating ring world constructed by aliens. Dr Chris Bumby and Bryan Crump discuss whether we might one day… Audio
Dame Wendy Pye: Teaching the World to read
After almost 40 years of creating literacy tools for children all over the world, Dame Wendy Pye has written her memoir TEACHING THE WORLD TO READ - My multi-million dollar story covering her life… Audio