95bFM's Loose Reads: Jenna's Christmas Picks / December 16, 2019 by Time Out Bookstore

Alright, it's the end of the year and wowee, Jenna has a full list of reckons for the last Loose Reads of 2019.

NOVEL OF THE YEAR The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead

ADVENTURE STORY OF THE YEAR The Burning River by Lawrence Patchett

EPIC SUMMER READ Ducks Newburyport by Lucy Ellman

BEST BOOK FOR KIDS The Adventures of Tupaia by Courtney Sina Meredith
BEST BOOK FOR BABIES My First Words In Māori by Stacey Morrison

BEST FANCY BOOK Private Gardens of Aotearoa by Suzanne Turley

BEST CLIMATE SCIENCE BOOK Fifteen MIllion Years in Antarctica by Rebecca Priestley

BEST BOOK FOR A 2020 RESOLUTION Tales from a Hot Financial Mess by Frances Cook.

95bFM's Loose Reads: Great Music Books for Summer! / December 11, 2019 by Time Out Bookstore

For Kiran’s final 95bFM’s Loose Reads slot for 2019, she raved about three great new music books for the music nut in your life, or maybe to go on your own Chrimbo wishlist. Acid for the Children by Flea, Face It by Debbie Harry and Bowie’s Books: The Hundred Literary Heroes that Changed His Life by John McConnell.

95bFM's Loose Reads: Me by Elton John / December 2, 2019 by Time Out Bookstore

Jenna reviews this bloody excellent memoir by Elton John. Filled with incredible tales of celebrity, drugs and music - you will find yourself repeating these anecdotes around the dinner table.

This is the perfect Christmas present for any music lover in your life. Listen to Jenna’s review with Rachel and Tess below:

95bFM's Loose Reads: It Gets Me Home, This Curving Track by Ian Penman / November 25, 2019 by Time Out Bookstore

This beautiful collection brings together music criticism, history, social commentary and biography in eight intelligent and elegantly written long-form pieces by music journalist Ian Penman who has contributed to the NME (when it was still a class act!), Guardian and London Review of Books (from which some of these essays originated). Penman eloquently covers the mod revival, James Brown, Charlie Parker, Frank Sinatra, John Fahey, Steely Dan, Elvis Presley and Prince.

95bFM's Loose Reads: Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo / November 18, 2019 by Time Out Bookstore

Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo is the ‘other’ winner of the 2019 Booker prize, alongside Margaret Atwood’s The Testaments.

Perhaps deserving of being the only winner, Evaristo’s novel takes us into a deep character study of 12 mostly black, mostly women.

Investigating the complexity and variety of gender, class, feminism, politics and sexuality - Girl, Woman, Other explores form with whip smart observation. Listen to Jenna’s review with Rachel and Tess on 95bFM’s Loose Reads below:

95bFM's Loose Reads: Country: The Twisted Roots of Rock & Roll by Nick Tosches / November 13, 2019 by Time Out Bookstore

Think you know about country music? Think again! To celebrate the wild, gutsy and pioneering music journalist Nick Tosches who just passed away, Kiran reviewed Country: The Twisted Roots of Rock & Roll on 95bFM’s Loose Reads. Looking at the history of country music from honky tonk hell to rockabilly heaven, Tosches goes way beyond Hank Williams and excavates the true dark heart of country music, activating the colourful personalities behind it. A super juicy book, filled with tales of brawling, murder and intrigue, it will appeal to any music lover - whether you like country music or not!

95bFM's Loose Reads: A Sharp Left Turn by Mike Chunn / November 4, 2019 by Time Out Bookstore

Mike Chunn’s new autobiography is the NZ rock bio that everyone is going to want this Christmas.

A founding member of Split Enz, Chunn suffered from debilitating panic attacks that caused him to quit the band two albums in. This didn’t stop his music career however - he moved on to found Citizen Band, worked for Mushroom and Sony records, APRA and founded Play it Strange.

A beautiful hardback book full of endearing yarns about Otahuhu in the 1960’s, the love of music, the NZ music industry and mental health.

We finished the review by playing Late Last Night from Split Enz’s second album, Second Thoughts.

Listen to Jenna, Rachel & Tess chat below:

95bFM's Loose Reads: 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World by Elif Shafak / October 30, 2019 by Time Out Bookstore

Kiran reviewed Booker Prize shortlisted novel 10 Minutes, 38 Seconds in this Strange World by Elif Shafak. The publication of this brave novel has seen Shafak come under investigation by the Turkish government for her unflinching but compassionate look at violence against women in her homeland. This is a profound story of friendship, love and Turkish history, told through the eyes of its marginalised people.

95bFM's Loose Reads: Trick Mirror by Jia Tolentino / October 6, 2019 by Time Out Bookstore

On 95bFM’s Loose Reads, Kiran reviewed New Yorker staff writer Jia Tolentino’s piercing collection of essays Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self Delusion. It dives deep into the evolution of the internet, the effects of late capitalism, the definitive scams of the millennial era, and the diminishing gap between personal and political delusion. These perfectly pitched essays also come with an endorsement from Rebecca Solnit so what more could you ask for?

95bFM's Loose Reads: On Fire: The Burning Case for a Green New Deal by Naomi Klein / September 30, 2019 by Time Out Bookstore

On 95bFM’s Loose Reads Suri spoke about On Fire by Naomi Klein where we find essays on varying stages of ecological crisis to current calls for policy reform, in hope of saving our planet. A necessary read.

95bFM's Loose Reads: Year of the Monkey by Patti Smith / September 22, 2019 by Time Out Bookstore

Jenna is a huge Patti Smith fan and was very happy to step back into her comforting words with Year of the Monkey. Set in the year of 2016 - this is a poetic musing on grief, solitude, dreams & travel. Year of the Monkey is Smith’s third memoir after Just Kids (2010) & M Train (2015).

Today we played The Go-Go’s We Got the Beat after the chapter, Why Belinda Carlisle Matters.

Listen below:

95bFM's Loose Reads: The Testaments by Margaret Atwood / September 15, 2019 by Time Out Bookstore

The most highly anticipated release of 2019 is finally here! Jenna reviewed Margaret Atwood’s The Testaments, the sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale , on this morning’s 95bFM Loose Reads.

Listen to the spoiler free review below!

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95bFM's Loose Reads: The Man Who Saw Everything by Deborah Levy / September 10, 2019 by Time Out Bookstore

On 95bFM’s Loose Reads Kiran reviewed our Book of the Month The Man Who Saw Everything by one of her favourite writers Deborah Levy. An intriguing and expertly plotted novel abut politics, history, surveillance, beauty and envy, this book shows Levy is a clever writer of immense control and clarity.

95bFM's Loose Reads: Lanny by Max Porter / September 2, 2019 by Time Out Bookstore

On her latest Loose Reads review and in anticipation of the Booker shortlist being announced, Jenna reviewed the longlisted Lanny by Max Porter. This book is an expertly crafted exploration in narrative form and dialogue.

Another longlist title that Jenna mentions is The Testaments by Margaret Atwood - Booker judges can only say that it’s ‘terrifying and exhilarating’. This is out on September 10th!

The shortlist is announced at 9pm (NZ time) on September 3rd.

Listen to the review below:

95bFM's Loose Reads: The Golden Sword by John Pain / August 25, 2019 by Time Out Bookstore

You all know and love the iconic 95bFM logo (you’re not allowed to change it, bFM!) and today Kiran was lucky enough to be joined on Loose Reads by the man who designed it, John Pain, who listeners will also know from Hallelujah Picassos. They talked about his debut novel The Golden Sword published by local outfit Dunbar Noon who describe it as “Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness via Lee Falk’s The Phantom.”

95bFM's Loose Reads: The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead / August 18, 2019 by Time Out Bookstore

This new novel from Colson Whitehead (The Underground Railroad) is Jenna’s favourite book of 2019.*
*so far

The Nickel Boys follows Elwood Curtis, a young, idealistic African American teenager in 1962. Motivated by the words of Martin Luther King, he joins Civil Rights marches and is working hard to get into college.

However, after being in the wrong vehicle at the wrong time, Elwood’s path dramatically changes when he is sent to Nickel Academy, a segregated reform school for boys.

Based on Arthur G Dozier School for Boys in Florida, which only closed down 10 years ago,

This book is an example of masterful storytelling and is bound to be read for years to come. Listen to Jenna’s review with Rachel and Tess below:

Read more about Arthur G Dozier School & The White House Boys.
Spoiler free review from Roxane Gay’s Book Club.
Great interview with Colson Whitehead on NPR’S Fresh Air.

95bFM's Loose Reads: Wild Honey: Reading New Zealand Women's Poetry by Paula Green / August 11, 2019 by Time Out Bookstore

Just in time for National Poetry Day, Kiran spoke about Wild Honey: Reading New Zealand Women’s Poetry by Paula Green. Compiled with an attentive care, it’s a beautifully structured and presented book which celebrates New Zealand’s women poets, bringing some out of obscurity and into the limelight they deserve.

95bFM's Loose Reads: A Dream About Lightning Bugs by Ben Folds / August 5, 2019 by Time Out Bookstore

A throwback to the 90’s and a new title for our Music Bio section, Ben Folds’ A Dream about Lightning Bugs is a compelling memoir of his piano rock band, Ben Folds Five, as well as his solo career.

While it’s not a sex & drugs tell all, Folds delves into the realities of touring with a baby grand, his often obnoxious behavior and the evolution of the music industry over the 2000’s. A great read for any music fan.

Listen to Jenna, Rachel & Tess’ review and if you’re really keen, give Brick a listen for old times sake.

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95bFM's Loose Reads: Tatau: A History of Sāmoan Tattooing by Sean Mallon & Sebastien Galliot / July 31, 2019 by Time Out Bookstore

Tatau: A History of Sāmoan Tattooing by Sean Mallon and Sebastien Galliot published by Te Papa Press cleaned up at the PANZ Book Design Awards last week, picking up awards for Best Illustrated Book, Best Typography, Best Book and the People’s Choice Award. Our Kiran was a judge at the awards and spoke about this triumph of a book on 95bFM’s Loose Reads.