Jenna
“I stood on the most God-forsaken patch of earth I hope ever exists and I thought: I wonder how Elly is.”
Alice Winn’s In Memoriam demonstrates both the despair of war and the distraction of love as we meet two young men in love, Ellwood and Gaunt as they leave their boarding school to sit at the front lines of World War I.
Listen to Jenna’s review with Kathryn below.
Tama leaves behind his life in Wellington, of Te Ao Pākeha to head home to Waituhi after the sudden death of his father. As the oldest son, it’s expected that he will return to take over the family farm.
Tangi was the winner of the 1973 New Zealand Book Awards and for its 50 year anniversary, this new edition
has been re-edited to celebrate. This piece by Emma Hislop (Kāi Tahu) explains more about Witi’s process of rewriting.
This incredibly moving novel has more than stood the test of time and is the perfect read for Matariki.
Big Swiss has quickly become a staff favourite at Time Out, nicely fitting alongside titles such as My Year of Rest and Relaxation and The First Bad Man.
Greta transcribes the therapy sessions of sex coach, Om, and becomes enamoured with a patient whom she calls Big Swiss. When she hears Big Swiss’ voice in the dog park, she introduces herself as Rebekah - leading to a very intense infatuation between the two.
Told with the darkest of humour - Big Swiss explores moral boundaries, trauma relationships.
Catherine Chidgey is back (already!) with her new novel, Pet. Brimming with 80’s nostalgia, questionable characters and an unpredictable ending, Chidgey has stayed on track after her recent win at the Ockham NZ Book Awards.
Listen to Jenna’s review with Rachel and Stella, with some bonus knitted jersey chat.
This week, Jenna reviews Josie Shapiro’s Everything is Beautiful and Everything Hurts, which is the inaugural winner of the Allen & Unwin Commercial Fiction Prize.
Mickey Bloom is an underdog - small, dyslexic and bullied, she finds solace in running. However, this also comes at a cost. Set in Auckland, Everything is Beautiful explores big dreams and what happens if they’re not realised. Highly recommended.
This week, Jenna previews the session she’s chairing at the Auckland Writer’s Festival this week.
Katherena Vermette is an award winning Red River Métis author, from Manitoba, Winnipeg. Her second novel The Strangers, follows Phoenix Stranger, a character from her first novel The Break, to continue her story alongside the story of her family and how she got to where she is now.
You can listen to Jenna, Rachel & Stella’s chat about the book below!
Katherena Vermette: It’s in the Bones is at 2.30pm on Friday.
Suri thinks there’s something that would interest everyone in The Big Con. Looking at the interconnection of private and public sections in the consulting industry, Mazzucato & Collington have put together a well researched and fascinating read.
Listen to Suri and Rachel’s chat below.
We think Dr. Emma Espiner’s debut memoir, There’s a Cure for This, is going to be a favourite for 2023.
"I don't know why medicine felt like coming home but, for some reason, it fits. I keep thinking about how the tohu, once awarded, can never be taken back. Better not fuck it up."
Through nostalgia, whānau & the grit of medicine this collection of essays explore being a mother, a daughter & a Māori doctor.
You can listen to Jenna, Annabel & Stella’s chat below!
This week, Jenna visited the studio to talk about a current Time Out staff favourite, Rebecca Makkai’s I Have Some Questions for You.
A cross between The Secret History and Serial Podcast, this is a page-turning read that cleverly captures the zeitgest of the fascination of true crime, the #metoo movement and social justice.
You can listen to Jenna, Rachel & Stella’s chat below!
Sally Diamond’s Father told her that when he died, to put him out with the rubbish, so when he did die, that’s what she did. This act brings a lot of attention on this woman who has spent her life in her Irish Village pretending to be deaf outside the house.
With a good chunk of the novel set in New Zealand, this book alternates between a Rosie Project-esque tale and a compelling psychological thriller.
Listen to Jenna’s review with Kathryn below.
Recently longlisted for the 2023 Women’s Prize, Cursed Bread is already one of Jenna’s favourite books for the year. Small but perfectly formed and fable-like, this feels like an instant classic.
Jenna phoned into the studio, pre-stocktake day! Listen to her chat with Rachel below.
Last week, the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards shortlist was announced. Jenna delves into the fiction finalists today.
Listen to her chat with Rachel below.
The Trees is a book that is both incredibly grim and incredibly funny. Shortlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize, this was one of Jenna’s favorite reads of the summer.
Listen to her chat with Rachel below.
Epic music producer and all round guru, Rick Rubin, has collated his thoughts on creativity, art and your place in the universe. This is the perfect read to set you up for a 2023 full of ideas.
Listen to Jenna chat with Rachel and Zoe below.
Poor Suri is sick today, so Jenna dialed for a last minute review. She gave advice on three great music books, which would be great for a Christmas present (or just yourself.)
Surrender by Bono - a life story told in forty songs which contains beautiful images & drawings.
Re-Sisters by Cosey Fanni Tutti - a memoir spanning centuries, Tutti interweaves the amazing lives of three women (including herself) who paved the way in both music, writing and creativity.
A Book of Days by Patti Smith - a diary of of year, told in images. As only Smith can be, this is considered, thoughtful and is an ode to art, thinkers, music, family and politics.
This morning, Jenna reviewed the first novel to be translated into English, by Argentine author, Mariana Enriquez. This is a horror, but as a non-horror fan, Jenna thinks okay for those who are squeamish (mostly!)
Filled with the dark arts, magic and politics, this is the perfect summer saga at 700 pages.
Listen to much more about this book in Jenna’s review with Rachel and Zoe below.
Kevin Wilson seems to be an undiscovered gem in the Southern Hemisphere, Jenna was very excited to read Now is Not the Time to Panic after loving Nothing to See Here and Tunneling to the Center of the Earth.
A Tennessee based coming-of-age story, that involves an art mystery. An excellent read!
Listen to Jenna’s review with Kathryn below.
Poet and storyteller, Dominic Hoey, brings us a tale of Avondale ratbags in Poor People with Money. Monday has a ‘face like a broken dinner plate’ and can barely hold together her minimum wage job but dreams of being a champion kickboxer. When she gets an opportunity to fight in a tournament in Thailand, she needs to get some money quick.
Narrative threads from both Monday’s mysterious past and adventurous present are weaved together in a compelling read, where you find yourself rooting for the underdogs.
Listen to Jenna’s review with Rachel and Zoe below.
The Axeman’s Carnival is narrated by a magpie called Tama, which is short for Tamagotchi. He lives in the yolk-yellow house of Marnie and Rob, which sits on a struggling High Country sheep farm in Central Otago.
Tama is quite clever and much to the delight of Marnie and the horror of Rob, starts parroting back what he hears around him. Marnie casually starts a Twitter account for him and this soon brings fame to this small town family.
This story is not all comedy. Marnie recently had a miscarriage and there’s a leering, nasty side to Rob that Marnie bears the brunt of. Marnie needs to leave, however her ties to Tama keep her home.
Chidgey is a master of voice. She’s a funny writer, but this humour cuts to a darkness beneath the surface. As with her previous works, the research and descriptions of place are impeccable. An excellent read from one of the best writers in Aotearoa right now.
Listen to Jenna’s review with Rachel and Zoe below.
