Books & Authors

Dune - adapting fantasy and sci-fi - when does it work and when doesn't it? Audio

Ralph McAllister reviews Philip Roth:The Biography by Blake Bailey, published by Penguin Random House. Audio

David Hill reviews Second Innings: On men, mental health and cricket by Barry Nicholls, published by Freemantle Press. Audio

It was a case that gripped Japan. Shimoyama Sadanori, head of Japan National Railways, was found dead on the tracks of a commuter rail line one July morning in 1949. The day before he disappeared he'd… Audio

Jared Savage and Steve Braunias explore the art of crime writing in Aotearoa. Rob Kidd chairs this highlight of 2021's Dunedin Writers & Readers Festival. Audio

Aotearoa author Patricia Donovan is having a very busy 2021. Earlier this year she released her debut novel The Remarkable Miss Digby and she's following it up a few months later with a second novel… Audio

Abbas Nazari's new book, After the Tampa: From Afghanistan to New Zealand is the story of escaping the Taliban as a young child. He joins the show from Christchurch to discuss the book and the current… Audio, Gallery

Wall Street Journal reporter Tim Higgins' new book, Power Play: Tesla, Elon Musk and the Bet of the Century, examines the history of the world's most famous electric car company. He joins Jim to… Audio

Following on from her critically acclaimed 2018 debut Tinderbox, Wellington-based author Megan Dunn has returned with new book Things I Learned At Art School. Billed as part-memoir and part essay… Audio

Felix Marquardt is a French author, former PR consultant and senior advisor to world leaders and CEOs, some he admits shady. His first book The New Nomads boldly proposes the future of humanity and… Audio

Leah McFall reviews Sinatra and Me: in the wee small hours by Tony Oppedisano, published by Simon and Schuster. Leah says "Inevitably respectful and at times, reverential, this memoir by a confidante… Audio

With a flood of recent autobiographies/memoirs by NZ politicians, Dr Grant Morris is looking at the history of these books in Aotearoa. Simon Bridges' new book is the latest but earlier this year… Audio

Would Hiroshima have been bombed if the Japanese language contained a phrase meaning 'no comment'? Did a mistaken translation of the Italian "canali" -- or channels -- shape the space race to Mars… Audio

Deadlines can actually be lifelines for perfectionists and procrastinators who never think good is good enough. Christopher Cox is a former chief editor of Harper’s Magazine and former executive… Audio

Lockdowns are not easy, and in some households they're terribly difficult. Clinical Psychologist Jacqui Maguire has written a children's book with effective tools for helping children through scary… Audio

If you are a budding author, or would like some advice on how get started putting pen to paper, author and teacher, Diane Brown has some handy tips. She is the founder of Creative Writing Dunedin and… Audio

Luke Finnegan reviews Ten Acceptable Acts of Arson, and other very short stories by Jack Remiel Cottrell, published by Canterbury University Press. Audio

What's the biggest bike trip you've done? Whether it's a few hours or a few days, it likely doesn't compare to the epic bike ride of Freddie Gillies. Alongside his brother and two friends, they cycled… Audio, Gallery

The price and consequences of being Facebook are actually design choices according to New York Times writers Cecilia Kang and Sheera Frenkel. They talk to Jesse about their book, An Ugly Truth: Inside… Audio