95bFM's Loose Reads
On our final review for 95bFM’s Loose Reads for 2020, Suri chose her top books of 2020.
Listen below for some last minute Christmas present advice on:
Hiakai: Modern Māori Cuisine by Monique Fiso, The Meaning of Mariah Carey by Mariah Carey, Railways Studios by Neill Peter Atkinson Alsop, What We'll Build: Plans for Our Together Future by Oliver Jeffers, Summer by Ali Smith, and Magnolia 木蘭 by Nina Mingya Powles.
This morning on 95bFM’s Loose Reads, Jenna reviewed Victory Park by Rachel Kerr.
A fantastic character novel based around a council flat in Wellington. Single mother Kara starts spending time with new tenant Bridget, who has moved in after her husband is caught up in a Ponzi scheme. Subtle, yet still punchy and compelling, this is the newest novel from the publisher of Becky Manawatu’s Auē.
Another Now is an an experiment in building utopias; in envisioning and implementing progressive futures. Bouncing between dystopia and Socratic dialogue, Another Now tells the story of three politically divergent characters who are connected through love and friendship. Telling the story of 2008-2035, Yanis Varoufakis explores the impact of the 2008 financial crisis and the long-term impacts in a refreshing and thoughtful new way.
For fans of Rutger Bregman, Yuval Noah Harari and Joseph Stiglitz.
This morning on 95bFM’s Loose Reads, Jenna reviewed Stan Walker’s Impossible.
Walker has an epic story - an unstable and violent childhood, abused by a cousin, winning Australian Idol and having stomach cancer. Throughout this, whanaungatanga (relationships between people) and kotahitanga (unity) have kept his whānau together.
Stan’s voice shines throughout this memoir with a kaupapa that no matter your past, you can succeed. A great read.
Another book from the 2020 Booker Prize shortlist, Kiran reviewed Real Life by Brandon Taylor on 95bFM Breakfast’s Loose Reads. In the tradition of The Secret History and Stoner, this is a brilliant “campus novel” and is perfect for fans of A Little Life and Normal People.
'If Then' explores the origin story of the first data company in existence, The Simulatics Corporation. Started in the 50s at the height of the Cold War and housed in a sci-fi-esque geodome, this group of scientists, engineers, academics and ad-men pioneered the blueprint for today's data giants.
Revealing the political and philosophical underpinnings behind today's data economy and the growing power of trading human futures, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Jill Lepore sounds a warning bell about the future of our privacy and the quiet ways to resist its dissolution.
The perfect Christmas present for fans of strange history!
A spooky book for a spooky week. Jenna reviews this true ghost story by Kate Summerscale, which explores the period of ghost hunting between the two world wars.
This has a little bit for every reader - for fans of true crime, ghosts, history, psychology and ethics. Kate Summerscale’s impeccable research makes for fascinating reading. This is also shortlisted for the UK’s top nonfiction award - the Baillie GIfford, announced late November.
Jenna makes a case for everyone to discover the brilliance of Sigrid Nunez’s writing in this 95bFM breakfast show review.
Her brand new novel, What Are You Going Through, is a conveniently topical read for a New Zealand audience. The narrator is asked to accompany her terminally ill friend on a trip where she plans to end her life on her own terms. “I promise to make it as fun as possible.”
Of course, because it’s Sigrid Nunez, this book is not just about euthanasia. It’s about women, ageing, companionship, writing, teaching and philosophy. A warm and smart read by an incredible writer.
Don’t forget to check out her previous novels: National Book Award winning The Friend, The Last of her Kind and Salvation City.
Today, Jenna reviewed two wonderful memoirs that have both recently been published, are by New Zealand women and are about identity and memory.
First, Alison Jones’ This Pākehā Life: An Unsettled Memoir. Alison tackles the task of reflecting on her upbringing and life as a Pākehā in Aotearoa. What is a Pākehā? How do Pākehā live and respect Te Ao Māori? A frank, yet respectful memoir.
Then, we have Tree of Strangers by Barbara Sumner. This memoir tells of Barbara’s experience as an adoptee child, however story is quite unbelievable. Personal history alongside research and insights into the often tragic circumstances that adoption can lead too. A wonderful read.
Listen to Jenna, Rachel and Tess chat below.
Set in the summer of 1975, Box Hill is a glorious queer love-story with biting wit and gentle humanity.
Told through the eyes of a young man exploring his new-found sexuality, Box Hill explores a submissive relationship in an England on the brink of change; a burgeoning gay rights movement and the genesis of Thatcher's new conservatism.
Bold, playful and keenly observant, Box Hill is a satirical love-story full of moments of genius.
Shortlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize, Burnt Sugar tells the story of Antara, an artist who has never had a good relationship with her mother. But when her mother’s memory starts declining, Antara is the only person who knows how to help.
Set in India, this is an intense, blazing narrative that takes us between past, present and explores the great tension of a mother/daughter relationship. Rich in prose, contemporary in style.
Listen to Jenna, Tess and Mary Margaret chat below:
Exploring familial relationships, native myths and gendered violence, Betty is a tender elegy to a mother and a cutting examination of race and class. Living with her family of ten in a white, working class town, Betty and her siblings escape inside swirling oral histories and the gentle comforts of familial myths. As Betty gets older and the smooth veneer of her childhood begins to crack, she uncovers the racist and sexist violence of her family and town's past.
Based on her own mother's life, Tiffany McDaniels latest novel is a stunning look at generational trauma and the unreckoned, uncomfortable truths of a nation.
For fans of Aue and Sing, Unburied, Sing.
On 95bfm’s Loose Reads, Kiran reviewed the dazzling new Ali Smith novel Summer. In this satisfying conclusion to her much-loved radical and piercingly contemporary seasonal quartet, Smith tracks current events in real time: COVID-19, lockdown, Black Lives Matter… breathtakingly, it’s all here.
TW: Sexual assault.
On Monday’s 95bFM’s Loose Reads, Jenna reviewed Brannavan Gnanalingam’s Sprigs. Set in Wellington, we open with an end of season rugby game between two rival schools, St Luke’s and Grammar which leads to a horrific sexual assault at the after party.
A cast of 100 characters are managed with ease as we move through four distinct scenes - The Game, The Party, The Meeting & The Trial.
This is a novel that Jenna lost herself in for an entire weekend, barely coming up for breath. Filmic, powerful, emotional and intense, Sprigs an incredibly immersive and compelling novel that explores masculinity, power and reputation.
On 95bFM’s Loose Reads, Kiran reviewed the eagerly anticipated new novel by David Mitchell Utopia Avenue. Set in 1967 right on the cusp of the Summer of Love, it follows the rise of a fictitious British psych/folk/rock/blues group called Utopia Avenue. The novel charts the group coming together, playing gigs, recording albums, falling apart, and sex, drugs and rock and roll scandals as well as the mundane vicissitudes of being in a rock group. Music lovers will have fun spotting the many cameos from famous musicians and bands as well as characters from previous Mitchell novels.
Today on 95bFM’s Loose Reads, Jenna reviewed Lil O’Brien’s Not That I’d Kiss a Girl. This astonishingly compelling memoir captures Lil’s experience of coming out in at the turn of the 21st century in Aotearoa. Funny, brutally honest and capturing the complexities of family relationships - this is an important story that’s well worth a read.
Suri reviewed Megha Majumdar’s A Burning on this week’s Loose Reads. This book is a searing portrait of social mobility, class and racism in modern India. Told through the eyes of three central characters looking for fame and greatness, A Burning explores the Indian Dream with biting satire and political urgency.
A Burning was also our Lit Reads title for July! Listen to the review below:
Today, Jenna highlights some kick ass novels that are set in her old home of South Korea. With the rise of K-Pop, K-Beauty, films and of course, Han Kang’s The Vegetarian becoming popularised in the West, there’s no time like the present to delve into this spectacular pile of writing by Korean women.
If I had your Face by Frances Cha - a compelling, fast paced novel that follows a group of four women navigating urban society in Seoul.
Winter in Sokcho by Elisa Shua Dusapin - Translated from French by Aneesa Abbas Higgins. A moody novel set in a tourist seaside town in the freezing winter. Atmospheric, sparse and
Untold Night and Day by Bae Suah - Translated from Korean by Deborah Smith. Jenna’s favourite of the pile. Filmic, sensory and surprising.
Listen to Jenna chat with Rachel and Mary Margaret below:
On 95bFM’s Loose Reads Kiran reviewed the incendiary novel Hurricane Season by Fernanda Melchor which is on the Booker International Prize shortlist. Set in a small Mexican village, this intoxicating novel has the feel of a Southern Gothic modern classic and looks at small town folklore and mythology, inequality, violence and superstition.
