Books

Drongo. Its Australiasian slang you don't hear much these days. A drongo: an idiot, a no-hoper. The name apparently derives from an Australian racehorse in the 1920's who showed much promise but never… Audio

Elisabeth Easther reviews The Toll by Neal Shusterman, which is published by Walker Books. Audio

Bronwyn Wylie-Gibb of University Book Shop, Dunedin, reviews Wearing Paper Dresses by Anne Brinsden, which is published by Pan Macmillan Australia. "Compelling, clever writing; vivid characters and a… Audio

Louise O'Brien, from quarterly review periodical New Zealand Review of Books Pukapuka Aotearoa, reviews Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir. This book is published by Macmillan. Audio

Carole Beu of the Women's Bookshop reviews Bruny by Heather Rose, which is published by Allen & Unwin. Audio

David Hill reviews Zealandia, the valley that changed a nation by Jim Lynch. Published by Kotare Publications. Audio

The Wonky Donkey has been on the bookshelves of Kiwis and Aussies since it was released in 2009 but then last year it became famous around the world, after a video of a grandmother reading it to her… Video, Audio

Tilly Lloyd from Unity Books reviews Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo, published by Penguin Books and Booker Prize joint winner 2019. "Joyfully polyphonic and sparklingly contemporary, Girl… Audio

Ralph McAllister reviews The Testaments by Margaret Atwood, which is published by Penguin Random House. Booker Prize joint winner 2019. Audio

Jack McDonald reviews Whitiki! Whiti! Whiti! E!: Maori in the First World War by Monty Soutar. This book is published by Macmillan. Audio

Leah McFall reviews Inside Out by Demi Moore, which is published by HarperCollins. Audio

Reading and writing in the digital era is celebrated by Lani Wendt Young, who charts the increase in brown, Pacific and LGBTQ voices. More people then ever are reading what speaks directly to them. Audio

What is a children's book in 2019, what language do children and young adults communicate in and has it changed since the days of Beatrix potter? Wellington Author Michael Petherick has a new book out… Audio

Poet and writer Kate Camp returns for the latest instalment of Kate's Klassics. This week she reviews Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann. The American writer's debut book became the biggest… Video, Audio

David Hill reviews On the Plain of Snakes by Paul Theroux, which is published by Penguin Random House. Audio

Read NZ Te Pou Muramura and NZ Cricket have teamed up to get more primary and intermediate school-aged children reading this summer. Read NZ Te Pou Muramura CEO Jo Cribb explains. Audio

Verb Festival, featuring the LitCrawl is on again in Wellington over four days from 6 - 10 November. A literary fest and feast for anyone who likes the written word, especially if it's a doing word… Audio