New ZealandBooks: Recent releases May 17Parisian feel-good tale amuses despite its implausible plot.16 May 06:00 PM
LifestyleMy, what big prospects she's got...Karen Attwood meets first-time novelist Kate Hamer, whose 21st-century Little Red Riding Hood is tipped to be a best-seller.15 May 06:00 PM
LifestyleBooks: Exploring the dark side of utopiaNigerian author Ben Okri uncovers the dark side of Arcadia in his latest novel. Stephen Jewell chats to the writer.08 May 06:00 PM
LifestyleBooks: Wait until it's rightSuccess has given Tim Winton, one of Australia’s best-loved authors, the luxury of time to craft his books into their ideal form, writes David Larsen.08 May 06:00 PM
LifestyleBooks: Life's a messy businessA debut novel has readers curious about how they’ll be remembered when they die.25 Apr 05:00 PM
LifestyleBooks: Life and love over the divideRegular flashes of brilliance in the prose don't entirely steady the wobbles in this second novel from UK actress and writer Emily Woof.28 Mar 09:34 PM
LifestyleBooks: How to build a lifeAustralian writer Kate Grenville’s new book is a homage to her mother Nance, an ‘ordinary’ woman who decided she wasn’t going to follow in her own mother’s footsteps. She talks to Linda Herrick.27 Mar 05:00 PM
LifestyleBooks: Mildly amusing nonsenseI really like the actress Celia Imrie, one of the stars of the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel movies. So I wanted to like her debut novel, but I struggled at times.21 Mar 04:00 PM
TravelTravel book review: <I>Thailand's Best Street Food</I>There's nothing like a little local knowledge - someone who can point a visitor in the direction of the best pub or offer the inside word on where to find the least crowded beach spot and how to get a good price on tickets for the museum or gallery.19 Mar 04:00 PM
LifestyleBooks: Mother's sad, mad declineIndian novels tend to be sprawling, colourful and chaotic affairs. Em and the Big Hoom is some of those things but not all.14 Mar 05:00 PM
LifestyleBooks: The boatman's callNever mind the name, Kazuo Ishiguro is one of the best British writers in the business, and his dazzling latest novel, The Buried Giant, may just be his best yet.06 Mar 05:00 PM
LifestyleBooks: Out of violence comes loveSometimes, as a reviewer, it pays to wait a few days after finishing a book before beginning the review.06 Mar 05:00 PM
LifestyleBooks: An intriguing monsterYou can buy a deluxe edition of this new, independent New Zealand publisher's handsome production, with "Yulong cream paper ... Woodfree real leather ... foil stamping".27 Feb 05:00 PM
LifestyleBooks: The illusion of controlS.J. Watson’s ambitious follow-up to his best-seller Before I Go To Sleep delves into the murky world of cybersex, he tells Stephen Jewell.27 Feb 05:00 PM
LifestyleBooks: Will Smith is a Swiss army knifeKnown as an actor in TV satire The Thick Of It and as a comedy writer for Veep, Will Smith has written a mystery thriller set in the Channel Islands. It’s John le Carre meets Middlemarch, he tells Alice Jones.27 Feb 05:00 PM
LifestyleBooks: Secrets behind ordinaryUntangling the dramas of a seemingly normal family makes for an authentic read.21 Feb 05:00 PM
LifestyleBooks: When life is on repeatRoddy Doyle’s new novel, aimed at people with poor literacy, is inspired by a death in his own family, the Booker winner tells Arifa Akbar.20 Feb 05:00 PM
LifestyleBooks: Life after deathTo begin a novel with a character who is dead from the very first page is a risk.20 Feb 05:00 PM
LifestyleBooks: On the trail of a melodyKiwi author’s first novel explores fantasy and memories set to a compelling tune.14 Feb 10:40 PM
LifestyleBooks: Rich storytelling has ending that satisfiesNew Zealand-born Peter Walker has been living in Britain for nearly 30 years now. He's made a considerable reputation as an author there, under as many as six nom-de-plumes, writing well over 100 books.13 Feb 05:00 PM
LifestyleBooks: The love of LinkI would rather read Kelly Link than breathe. Writing about her is another thing again. I do not know why her new book is called Get In Trouble.13 Feb 05:00 PM
LifestyleBooks: For whom the bell tollsDebut novel combines writer’s love of music with her love of words, writes Rebecca Barry Hill.13 Feb 05:00 PM
LifestyleBooks: Mad fun in animal satireOrwellian theme conjures up masterly and witty parable for our times.07 Feb 05:00 PM
LifestyleBooks: Patience brings its rewardsBack in the familiar rural midwest of her previous novels, Moo, Horse Heaven and A Thousand Acres, Pulitzer prize-winner Jane Smiley presents us with the first volume of a projected trilogy.06 Feb 05:00 PM
