Today, Kiran reviewed Afterglow, Eileen Myles' memoir of their dog. Sadly, Myles has been a late cancellation for the Auckland Writers Festival but we recommend checking our their work as well as listening to this interview with RNZ's Kim Hill.
Event: Time Out is 30! /
Last night, Time Out toasted to our 30th birthday! It was especially special to have our two previous owners, founder Sue Lees & Joy Draper celebrating with us. Thank you for all of the publishers, sales reps, staff, fellow booksellers & customers that squished in our upstairs room to party with us.
RNZ's Nine to Noon: Circe by Madeline Miller /
Circe, well known from The Odyssey, was the first recorded witch in Western literature. Madeline Miller (winner of the 2012 Orange Prize for Song of Achilles) has captured her story in Circe, which will be a joy for classicists. Listen to Jenna chat about the book with Nine to Noon's Katherine Ryan below.
95bFM's Loose Reads: Ponti by Sharlene Teo /
On Monday, Jenna, Jogai and Mikey spoke about the excellent read, Ponti. With sweaty Singapore as its backdrop, this story interweaves the lives of three women. It's smart, captures the subtly of complex female relationships, has great pop culture references. Listen to the review below.
Sharlene Teo will be in town for the Auckland Writer's Festival in just a few weeks. Check out her sessions here.
Bestsellers for April 2018 /
Click on the covers to shop!
TOP 5 BOOKS
Bestsellers Gallery Archive (Pre 2022)
KID'S BOOKS
Kids' Bestsellers Archive (Pre 2022)
Lit Reads Book Club Report: Frankenstein in Baghdad /
Thanks to all of our book-loving members that came to our inaugural Lit Reads Book Club meeting!
For a long time, we’ve had customers longing to join fellow book-lovers in literary discussion, but struggling to find book clubs to call home. It felt like we had the perfect solution: a cozy upstairs space with brick walls and plush leather couches, a Village Winery across the road (for the essentials), well-read and enthusiastic customers and of course, lots of books!
It was great to see a mixture of new and familiar faces come together to discuss the irreverent Man-Booker International shortlisted title, Frankenstein in Baghdad. Gory, layered and exhaustive in its cast of characters, Frankenstein in Baghdad explores the impact of war on different intersections of Iraqi society, and sews together a political parable packed with nods to local and literary myths.
Starting the discussion with the title; its military green letters stitched into a beige background, our book club members dug into the relationship between Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and our contemporary monster, similarities between this and other political satires, the realities of daily life during war, and whether or not humour becomes lost in translation.
Our members all brought interesting ideas and new ways of thinking about the book to our discussion. Some had gone so far as to researching the Jewish architecture discussed in the book; others providing political and historical context to the post-War Iraq the book is set in.
The best part of any book club is watching the ice crack and hearing all of the thoughtful, intelligent and engaging conversation that takes part both during and after the session. Watching people who are connected by Time Out and their love for books engaging in discussion and sharing emails and phone numbers was an encouraging start for our book club.
Our mission with Lit Reads is to connect communities of readers and hear new and varied perspectives on fresh, contemporary titles. If this sounds like you, please email Suri at books@timeout.co.nz for more information.
95bFM's Loose Reads: Vinyl. Album. Cover. Art: The Complete Hipgnosis Catalogue /
Kiran's brought in a rock-infused number this week. Vinyl. Album. Cover. Art: The Complete Hipgnosis Catalogue is exactly what the title suggests: a full feature of design collective Hipgnosis, showcasing groundbreaking cover art created for iconic rock 'n' roll giants including Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, and Pink Floyd to name a few.
Customer Review: 3 Young Adults Novels with Shania Kumar /
Young adult expert Shania Kumar sent us three great reviews this week. Here's her feedback on Flawed by Cecelia Ahern, The Potion Diaries by Amy Alward, and The Iron King by Julie Kagawa. We're looking forward to seeing what Shania reviews next!
Flawed by Cecelia Ahern
“A heart-wrenching story of a young lady, Celestine North, standing up to society and challenging societal rules and expectations. I loved how this book talked about injustice in a unique way and showed injustice through there being ‘perfect’ human beings and then flawed human beings who were inferior to the ‘perfect’ human beings. Flawed also portrayed the idea that there is no such thing as being ‘perfect’ and that part of being a human is to be flawed. This allows us to learn from mistakes we make and become a wiser person because of it.”
Perfect, the sequel to Flawed is out now.
Our recommended reading age for this book is 10-14 years.
The Potion Diaries by Amy Alward
“Join Samantha Kemi, an extraordinary alchemist on a nationwide hunt to find the cure for a love potion which the Princess of Nova accidentally drank. During Samantha’s deadly quest to find the scarcest ingredients in the universe like Eluvian ivy and Abominable hair, she realises that all is not as it seems to be and her families’ rival family, the Aster family, might be up to something. This book is an easy and interesting book to read and is about embracing yourself and reaching your full potential.”
You can also read the sequel, The Royal Tour.
Our recommended reading age for this book is 10 years and up.
The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
“Enter a world where all the creatures from your darkest nightmares are alive! Meghan Chase thought she was an ordinary teenage girl but all this dramatically changes when the fae steal her little brother and replace him with a changeling. On a mission to find her brother, Meghan enters the Never Never, a paranormal world in which faeries, monsters, trolls and nymphs are all alive and she is a Princess of the summer fae. Experience Meghan’s quest to find her brother and along the way develop lifelong friendships with Prince Ash and Puck. This book will attract anyone who is into fantasy and mythological creatures and is a thrilling tale which you won’t be able to put down!”
Our recommended reading age is 12 years and up.
95bFM's Loose Reads: Educated by Tara Westover /
This morning Jenna reviewed the riveting memoir, Educated. Westover grew up in a radical survivalist Morman family in rural Idaho. She didn't attend high school, but studied on her own to gain University entrance. Listen to what else happens here and why you should read it!
95bFM's Loose Reads: Sodden Downstream by Brannavan Gnanalingam /
Kiran reviewed one of the 2018 Ockham shortlisted titles, Sodden Downstream on 95bFM this morning. A story about marginalised voices, refugees, class & zero hour contracts. You can listen here:
RNZ's Nine to Noon: Too Much and Not the Mood: Essays by Durga Chew-Bose /
This week, we've been so lucky to have Kiran Dass joining the Time Out team. Here's her review of Too Much and Not the Mood, from today's Nine to Noon. Also, don't forget that Durga Chew-Bose is here for the Auckland Writers Festival in May.
Bestsellers for March 2018 /
Click on the covers to shop!
TOP 5 BOOKS
Bestsellers Gallery Archive (Pre 2022)
KID'S BOOKS
Kids' Bestsellers Archive (Pre 2022)
95bFM's Loose Reads: Penguin Mini Modern Classics /
Ian speaks with Mikey in his last book review before he ditched Time Out for the mean streets of Dublin. Penguin's new series of Mini Modern Classics is packed full of incredible titles for only $3 each.
95bFM's Loose Reads: Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi /
Suri spoke with Jogai about the recently translated Frankenstein in Baghdad, which was the International Prize for Arabic fiction winner in 2014.
This is also our first Time Out Lit Reads Book Club title! You can read more information about the Lit Reads book club here and buy tickets here.
95bFM's Loose Reads: Down with Childhood by Paul Rekret /
Jenna chatted to Mikey about Down with Childhood, a slim book on a rather specific topic: children's voices in pop music.
RNZ's Nine to Noon: Peach by Emma Glass /
This morning on Nine to Noon, Jenna reviewed Peach, a 98 paged novella that hits you straight in the gut. Listen to Jenna's review below.
95bFM's Loose Reads: Talking to my Daughter about the Economy by Yanis Varoufakis /
Ian chats to Mikey Havoc about daughters! and the economy!
You can buy it here & you can listen here:
Bestsellers for February 2018 /
Click on the covers to shop!
TOP 5 BOOKS
Bestsellers Gallery Archive (Pre 2022)
KID'S BOOKS
Kids' Bestsellers Archive (Pre 2022)
95bFM's Loose Reads: Things to do when you're Goth in the Country by Chavisa Woods /
Jenna reviewed one of the best short story collections today on bFM's Loose Reads. Things to do when you're Goth in the Country is a collection eight short stories - American small town grime full of imagination, politics & black humour. Jenna's highlights are Zombie and A New Mohawk.
RNZ's Nine to Noon: Jenna's Summer Reads /
Things to do when you're Goth in the Country
Chavisa Woods
Woods has given us eight tales of American small town grime. A major highlight was the story, A New Mohawk, where the protagonist wakes up one day to have a miniature version of the Gaza strip living in his mohawk.
This is Roxane Gay's favourite read of 2017. An epic 500 page saga which follows four generations of a Korean family living in Japan over the 20th century. A fantastic read for those who love to learn about different cultures.
Hera Lindsay Bird's favourite read of 2017. This could be seen as just another university coming of age story, but it's so much more. We following Turkish American Selin in her first year of Harvard as she navigates classes, friends and this new fandangled thing called email. A very funny, crisp observation of language and what's lost in translation.