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TOP 5 BOOKS
KID'S BOOKS
Jenna reviewed the brilliantly funny The Ice Shelf on 95bFM's Loose Reads today. Listen in to hear why a book about a woman wheeling a fridge around Wellington could be so dang good!
This week on RNZ’s Nine to Noon, Kiran reviewed Human Relations and Other Difficulties by Mary-Kay Wilmers. Wilmers co-founded the London Review of Books in 1979 and has been its editor since 1992. This collection brings together 23 polished, informative and entertaining self-contained pieces which are fine examples of her wonderfully dry and brittle wit.
On 95bFM’s Loose Reads, Kiran and Mikey talked about Mars By 1980: The Story of Electronic Music by David Stubbs. A thrilling deep dive into technology and invention, it propels us into sonic space and charts how developments in technology have shaped music over the years. One of the best music books of 2018!
Today we have a special school holiday edition of Loose Reads. Jenna & Eli (13) popped into the 95bFM studio to chat to Mikey about Munmun by Jesse Andrews.
Set in a world where your physical size is based on your wealth, this is a compelling and poignant read for a young generation. This is a book that Eli recommends for readers 12+.
Kiran reviewed The Only Girl: My Life and Times on the Masthead of Rolling Stone by Robin Green on 95bFM’s Loose Reads. A juicy, candid memoir from journalist Robin Green who wrote excellent and often damning long-form profiles for iconic magazine Rolling Stone in its 1970s heyday, this is essential reading for lovers of pop and counter culture, West Coast bohemia, political reportage and pacey biographies.
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TOP 5 BOOKS
KID'S BOOKS
Jenna’s favourite novel of 2018!
It’s the year 2000 in New York, and our unnamed narrator decides to take a year off from life. By carefully mixing a cocktail of prescription medication, she will sleep through the year, emerging a new person, ready to slot back into society.
A laugh out loud, black as black comedy, that is layered, smart and sharp.
If you like to snuggle down with a grisly tale full of twists & turns, Ellen is the staff member for you!
Recently we've had a lot of requests for a great psychological thriller, so as Time Out's resident crime & thriller reader, Ellen’s put together a few recommendations:
Resin by Ane Riel
Narrated both by 7-year-old Liv and various unsuspecting observers, Resin is a dark, captivating look at one man's crumbling mental state and his increasingly disturbing efforts to keep his dysfunctional family together. Translated from Danish, Resin's atmospheric prose builds an ethereal and claustrophobic forest world in which its characters slowly fall apart.
Snap by Belinda Bauer
In 1998, siblings Jack, Joy, and Merry are left to wait in their broken-down car while their mother goes to call for help—and doesn't return. Three years later, Jack, forced to become a serial burglar in order to keep his family afloat, begins to unravel the mystery of his mother's murder just as mum-to-be Catherine's happy world begins to disintegrate. Snap is a tense, dark, slow-burn of a thriller and well worth its praise - including a spot on the 2018 Man Booker longlist.
Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage
Battling her body at the same time she's locked in an increasingly disturbing battle of wills with her daughter, Suzette is nearing her breaking point. 7-year-old Hanna doesn't speak and doesn't go to school, but she knows there's not enough room in the world for both her and mommy—and she's determined to drive her out so she can have her daddy all to herself. Zoje Stage’s sharp, tense prose builds suspense until the very end, creates a deeply unsettling picture of family life, and raises a very uncomfortable question: is it possible for a child to be a psychopath?
The Nowhere Child by Christian White
Sammy Went disappeared three days after her second birthday, taken from her front garden in America. Twenty-eight years later, in Melbourne, photography teacher Kim Leary is approached by a stranger claiming to be her brother. Cutting between past and present, The Nowhere Child unravels the secrets of two families and a small American town, and though there are plenty of tense moments, it is an easy--but compelling--read.
The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn
Anna Fox's agoraphobia keeps her trapped inside her home, forced to live vicariously through the snippets of life she sees unfolding across the street. Just as she starts to befriend her newest neighbours, she witnesses something she shouldn't. As Anna's carefully constructed life comes under siege, she is forced to confront her demons – and her neighbours. The Woman in the Window is an excellent mix of an unreliable narrator, slowly building suspense, and false starts that lead to an unexpectedly explosive conclusion.
On this 95bFM book review, Jenna takes a look at the first ever graphic novel to be longlisted for the Man Booker Prize. Sabrina is a quietly intense story of the people left behind after a woman goes missing. It’s a story of this moment - the internet age, the media & truthers and is well worth a read - even if you’re a graphic novel novice!
Listen below:
Kiran nipped into the bFM studio to talk to the wonderful Rach and Tess about Messing Up the Paintwork: The Wit and Wisdom of Mark E. Smith, a book that celebrates the very quotable late Mark E. Smith from iconic group The Fall. A crabby, belligerant codger, Smith was known and loved for his sharp wit, caustic insults and wonderful way with words. You’ll want to read bits of the book out to anyone who’ll listen!
A spunky and glamorous figure of the 1960s and 70s LA counter culture, Eve Babitz was an alluring ‘It Girl’ who wrote startlingly sharp essays, memoir and fiction. Kiran reviewed the reissued edition of Babitz’s 1979 novel Sex & Rage: Advice for Young Ladies Eager for a Good Time on RNZ’s Nine to Noon.
Te wiki o te reo Māori! Jenna visited the 95bBM studio to kōrero about Maori Made Easy & Maori Made Easy 2 - Scotty Morrison's reo learning series. If you're thinking about making the step to learning, these books are the place to start!
We also gave away a copy of the brand new Gecko Press book, Paraweta. You'll have to listen to find out what that means.
Haere mai koutou ki te Time Out toa pukapuka kia tipu ōu reo. Come to Time Out Bookstore to grow your reo. We've got a great selection in stock.
Suri gets serious on today's Loose Reads review. Dopesick is a deeply human investigation into the American opioid epidemic and the greed of corporations with blood on their hands.
A top pick from the current affairs section! Listen below:
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TOP 5 BOOKS
KID'S BOOKS
Today's 95bFM review is about Dame Fiona Kidman's This Mortal Boy. This is a novel based on the true story of Albert 'Paddy' Black, the second last man to be hanged in New Zealand.
Masterfully crafted, this is a heartbreaking tale. Jenna found it very engaging, very sad and it captures a strong sense of the time. The facts are there, but they are incredibly human.
Listen to the review below! And if you're in Hamilton this week, Kiran will interviewing Dame Fiona Kidman, Catherine Robertson and Julie Thomas for the ‘Fiction Three Ways’ panel discussion this Friday at Hamilton Book Month. It’s at the The Meteor, 6.30pm. It’s FREE and you even get a glass o’ wine. People of Hamilton, roll up!
Never Anyone But You is a straight-up, no nonsense, excellent read. Through the eyes of two inspiring women, we see the glitz of the roaring 20's in Paris to the horrors of the German occupation on Jersey, we are reminded of the value of true love and companionship, whatever form that may take.
This is one of Wendy's favourite books of the year! Listen to Jenna's review below:
Suri sat down with a familiar face from All Tomorrow’s Poets 2016, Samuel Te Kani. Sam is a writer and artist who works with a variety of different mediums. You can find his work on Pantograph Punch, Vice New Zealand, The Wireless and at various art shows in Auckland and Wellington.
Suri: So Sam, what have you been up to these days?
Sam: Well, the Vice show, ‘Sex With Sam’ so that took up quite a bit of time before Owen and I went to Wellington. We’re meant to be filming again this month, but no-ones hit me up, so I’m just going to wait for them to do that. There ends up being a lot of invisible labour around that stuff, like I don’t necessarily have a production credit, but they do expect me to go out and create content with them. That has to be negotiated with them.
Suri: What does the show centre around?
Sam: It’s just me talking to people about sex, so the title’s very self-explanatory. We’ve done three episodes; one at The Basement cruise Lounge. I was talking to Stu, he’s one of the owners, so just talking to him about what the BDSM culture’s like here and what goes on at a cruise lounge. Then we talked to a guy at the University of Auckland who’s looking at porn and porn addictions at a research level; I think his name’s Chris Taylor. Then we talked to Pierre who works at one of the Peaches and Cream [stores] down K Road, the one on the corner that I didn’t realize still has one of the cruise spaces out the back. I thought that once they’d been taken over and franchised, they would have shut those spaces down, but they’re still operating. We did not expect to find that when we went in. At the back of that, in the corner, there’s a porn cinema and you can pay twelve bucks and go out the back, watch some porn, fuck a stranger.
Suri: Did you watch anything there?
Sam: Yeah, we did. They cut that out for the episode, though. I was thinking while they were doing the interviews there, whether they were going to have to subtitle it, blur out the huge queef that was going on behind us, but they just cut it out altogether.
Suri: That’s a shame, that would have been cool to have in there.
Sam: Yes it would have been; very ambient.
Suri: You have your hand in so many different art mediums
Sam: That’s entirely accidental. I’ve just been chugging along, doing little freelance things; the hustle. The sex blog I did ages ago- that provided a bunch of opportunities once that became semi-popular. You know Le Roy by DDMMYY? Through the sex blogs, they were like ‘Woah this is rad, do you want to contribute?’ and I was like ‘sure!’ That was the first time anyone had asked me to write for them. I contributed to three issues and then he went and published the whole blog in a one-off called LR: Stories We Tell Ourselves which was rad. I’ve written for art shows. One of my short erotic sci-fi stories went to this art show with Dan Nash and Tim Webbie down in Christchurch. It was in the show rather than just being part of the publication. Also writing for publications alongside art shows, mostly for Artspace; then was in a an art show for Artspace last year. I’d never done anything in a visual medium before. I made a Lady Gaga sculpture with a black demon sitting in a pink coffin filled with dirt.
Suri: IN-CREDIBLE
Sam: It was amazing, it’s sitting in my room now.
Suri: Do you have a photo? I’d love to see that.
Sam: Yeah I’ll take a photo and send one to you haha. The sculpture itself which is a giant black demon that’s got plastic vines and LED lights on it, is in one corner of my room, and I’ve taken the pink coffin; it obviously doesn’t have dirt in anymore; and used it as a bookshelf in the other corner of my room.
Suri: Multipurpose
Sam: Yes, utilities.
Suri: I feel like Lady Gaga would love that
Sam: I know, I did call it Garden of Failure though, so I don’t know how she’d feel about that. But I love her and the whole idea was that the Artpop album, which was a commercial flop compared to Born This Way which was a huge album for her; after that her career got really weird, and it was almost like that failure gave her an opportunity to be more free. I had Lady Gaga and the album as a visual reference for the work, but then it was also like Halberstam’s The Queer Art of Failure. Gaga’s career trajectory definitely ties in with that.
Suri: What drew you to poetry?
Sam: I never actually wanted to write poetry and a lot of the readings that I’ve done have been like poetry nights and I’ve either read a piece of fiction or an essay. I don’t even really write poetry but there are aspects of my experimental prose that you could call poetic.
Suri: Are you reading any good poetry books at the moment or have you come across anything recently?
Sam: I’m mostly reading sci-fi at the moment. I’m reading this tome called Helliconia and it’s about this planet called Helliconia and one seasonal year on this planet is like 1800 earth years. There are aspects of it that are very Game of Thrones like the idea that there are long summers and long winters. It pre-dates Game of Thrones by about 20 years. I feel like George R Martin is definitely aware of Helliconia.
Suri: Have there been any poets in the past that you’ve loved or enjoyed?
Sam: The one poetic text where I was like ‘oh, that’s rad’ was The Autobiography of Red by Anne Carson. Really, really liked that. It’s very prosey but definitely counts as poetry. Also the classics, like The Odyssey, The Aenid. The Aenid’s the one with Dido, right? Dido’s like crying out for her dead lover on a cliff. Oh, I also loved Sylvia Plath in school. Sylvia speaks to the 14 year old in me.
Suri: Same, so moody
Sam: Yeah so fucking moody, oh my god.
Suri: I’m such a sucker for misanthropy, especially in poems
Sam: I’m there right now girl, after my 50 hour week.
Suri: We’ve also been talking to our poets about the irreverence in poetry nowadays. I found that with your last reading at All Tomorrow’s Poets, your ability to be clever and not take yourself so seriously, was really refreshing. Now you have people like Hera and Tayi who write about sex so audaciously.
Sam: I do like that. I love that. I do think poetry itself takes some of the formality of language and exposes its fluidity so it can really disassemble what we might take for granted as formal codes and liberate them. I guess it makes sense then, that in a contemporary form, poetry is a lot more open to talking things like sex and a modern pathos where everything is in flux and there’s a volatility to living in the times that we do right now where institutions that have stood as monoliths post-War are now kind of like dying.
Suri: Jamie (de Jong) wanted to ask our other poets about their writing process. Do you have any advice?
Sam: Muscle memory; I think a lot of writing boils down to muscle memory and getting used to sitting down and writing every day
Suri: Do you have any questions you’d like to ask our other poets?
Sam: If you were microdosing, what would you be microdosing with?
Sam will be performing at Time Out's All Tomorrow's Poets on National Poetry Day. Check out the event details here.
In anticipation of this week's NZ Poetry Day and our All Tomorrow's Poets event, Suri visited Mikey and Sarah in the bFM studo to talk about Poukahangatus by Tayi Tibble, published by Victoria University Press.
Kiran reviewed Mayhem: A Memoir by Granta publisher and editor Sigrid Rausing on RNZ's Nine to Noon. It's a beautifully poised and clear-sighted account of addiction, and is such an extraordinary and bizarre story, you couldn't make it up!
