RNZ's Nine to Noon: Lonely Castle in the Mirror by Mizuki Tzujimura /  by Time Out Bookstore

The winner of the Japanese Booksellers’ Award (the book Japanese booksellers most loved to sell.)

Kororo is a Japanese middle schooler, who has given up going to school due to bullying. One day, she notices her mirror is glowing and is able to step inside. There, she finds herself in a castle with 6 other teenagers - she’s not sure why they are there, but it seems they have something in common.

With elements of magic, fairy tales, Matilda and The Breakfast Club - Lonely Castle in the Mirror is a book full of heart, conquering your fears and human connection. Perfect for all fans of Japanese translation but also suitable for young adult readers.

Listen to Jenna’s review with Kathryn below and buy the book here.

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95bFM's Loose Reads: 2021 Ockham NZ Book Awards /  by Time Out Bookstore

Jenna previews the Ockham NZ Book Awards, which are happening this Wednesday 12th at 7pm.

Previous reviews of shortlisted titles are:

Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for fiction:
Pip Adam - Nothing to See
Brannavan Gnanalingam - Sprigs
Catherine Chidgey - Remote Sympathy
Airini Beautrais - Bug Week

General Non-Fiction Award:
Alison Jones - This Pākehā Life

The rest of the shortlisted titles are here.

You can go to the ceremony! Check out details here.

 
 

95bFM's Loose Reads: We Run the Tides by Vendela Vida /  by Time Out Bookstore

From the author of the excellent The Diver’s Clothes Lie Empty, Vendala Vida gives us a coming of age story set in 1984-5 San Francisco.

Vida continues her trademark style of dry humour, with a compelling mystery running through. We Run the Tides is effortlessly cool and nostalgic - it will take you back to both the joys and horrors of being thirteen, almost fourteen.

Listen to Jenna chat with Rachel below!

 
 

95bFM's Loose Reads: Devil's Trumpet by Tracey Slaughter /  by Time Out Bookstore

Tracey Slaughter's latest short-story collection, Devil's Trumpet, explores the intimacies and oddities of everyday life. Slipping between motels, Four Squares and small towns, Tracey Slaughter serves us offerings of yearning, lust and violence in 31 extraordinary short stories. This alive, pulsating collection is a masterwork of Antipodean goth.

Tracey Slaughter is a poet and writer and currently teaches Creative Writing at The University of Waikato.

Have a listen to Suri’s review below:

 
 

95bFM's Loose Reads: The Believer - Encounters with Love, Death and Faith by Sarah Krasnostein /  by Time Out Bookstore

Sarah Krasnostein is the author of the incredible The Trauma Cleaner, and we’re so happy to see a new book from her.

Told with sharp journalistic skill and a curious mind, The Believer: Encounters with Love, Death and Faith explores different societies with varying beliefs - including UFOs, mennonites, a death doula, creationism & paranormal activity.

Have a listen to Jenna’s review with Annabelle and Zoe below:

 
 

95bFM's Loose Reads: How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House by Cherie Jones /  by Time Out Bookstore

Longlisted for 2021 Women’s Prize for Fiction, How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House by Cherie Jones is an intense journey through generations of domestic violence in Barbados.

It’s definitely not a light read, but a page turning and nuanced portrait of three generations of women and their surrounding community.

Have a listen to Jenna’s review with Rachel and Zoe below.

 
 

95bFM's Loose Reads: Funkhaus by Hinemoana Baker /  by Time Out Bookstore

Hinemoana Baker's newest collection of poetry explores transient spaces; physical and psychological, with a sharp, enigmatic humour and deep warmth.

Using her acerbic wit and keen eye, Hinemoana Baker paints a vivid portrait of of a poet and intellect's inner world.

Hinemoana Baker is a musician and writer, who has won the the New Zealand Berlin Creative Writing residency in 2016 and continues to live and write from Berlin. Funkhaus has been shortlisted for the Mary and Peter Biggs Award for Poetry 2021, the winner of which will be announced at the Ockham awards in May.

Listen below to Suri’s review with Rachel and Zoe from 95bFM.

 
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95bFM's Loose Reads: Bug Week by Airini Beautrais /  by Time Out Bookstore

The shortlist for the 2021 Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction has just been announced! We've previously reviewed Nothing to See, Sprigs and Remote Sympathy, so it's time to check out the fourth finalist, Bug Week.

Bug Week is well worth a read. Listen to Jenna's review with Rachel and Zoe below. Also, check out the rest of the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards shortlist here.

 
 

Have you heard about our Book Subscriptions? /  by Time Out Bookstore

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A new book, every month, hand-picked just for you. It’s the coolest gift in town!
Read on to find out just how great our Book Subscriptions are.

“Just need to say how much I enjoyed your chosen x 6 books for me over the last while. Wonderful variety and they are now doing the rounds at our 30 year-old book club.” Joyce Barry

“I have loved receiving your really well chosen books and look forward to this next one. Who ever does the selecting is brilliant !!! This is the best birthday present my daughters have given me.” Sylvia Cavanagh

“Been loving your choices so far!” Evan Cameron

“Every book I have received has been incredibly enjoyable to read, spanning a wide variety but all fitting within my reading preference. It has been a wonderful six months as I have been introduced to some great authors, like Banana Yoshimoto and Toni Morrison, and I look forward to purchasing their other works. It is a lovely and unique gift because it continues beyond the date you received it, such as your birthday, as you get to look forward to a gift every month or two months for the whole year following. I enjoyed it so much and I will miss it. I purchased the same service for my grandfather’s 90th birthday and I think it will make a great Christmas present for someone for sure.” Seira Shin-Clayton

“Have so enjoyed this wonderful gift. Whoever it is who matches books with people has done an amazing job.” Lee George

“Thrilled to bits with your latest selection!” Bridget Baynham

Intrigued? You can read more about our Book Subscriptions and other gift services here.

95bFM's Loose Reads: A Crooked Tree by Una Mannion /  by Time Out Bookstore

Back into Level 3, Jenna reviews Una Mannion’s A Crooked Tree from the shop.

With an instantly enticing premise - a harried mother pulls her car over and demands her young child out to walk home. It’s cold, dark and far away from their home in the mountains. This act sets off a series of events that will change the lives of a family.

Told through the eyes of 15 year old Libby, this is literary fiction that’s part mystery, part coming of age. This is smart and surprising character novel.

 
 

95bFM's Loose Reads: Land by Simon Winchester /  by Time Out Bookstore

Here’s Suri’s latest 95bFM review - we are sharing this today, on her birthday!

Simon Winchester's latest book examines humans' relationship with the land over centuries. Comparing the dueling philosophies of Rousseau and Locke, Winchester draws a compelling thread between private land ownership, climate crises, wealth inequality and political borders.

Listen below with Suri, Rachel & Tess. A big farewell to Tess who is leaving the bFM team - thank you for being so awesome.

 
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95bFM's Loose Reads: Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu /  by Time Out Bookstore

Hello from Level 3! On today’s 95bFM Loose Read’s review, Jenna talks about Interior Chinatown, the latest winner of the National Book Award for Fiction.

Written as a script, this book is a sharp and smart satirical observation of the portrayal of Asian American stereotypes in Hollywood.

Interior Chinatown is on the shelf now!

 
 

RNZ's Nine to Noon: Best of 2020 /  by Time Out Bookstore

Jenna chats with Kathryn about some of her ‘forgotten favourites’ from 2020.

Earthlings is an absurd & twisted foray into the ‘factory’ of Japanese culture.
Homeland Elegies is a modern day American auto-fiction classic - from the perspective of a Muslim American life post 9/11.
In the Dream House is a searing collection of vignettes that explore an abusive queer relationship and the history of queer relationships in pop culture.

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95bFM's Loose Reads: Surviving Autocracy by Masha Gessen /  by Time Out Bookstore

In their new book about the erosion of Western democracy, Putin critic and New Yorker journalist Masha Gessen explores the rise of autocracy in Trump's America and offers practical ways of psychologically and physically surviving an autocratic state.
With deep insight from her Russian reporting, Masha Gessen builds on the work of Hannah Arendt to offer a full story on the creation of autocracy.

 
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95bFM's Loose Reads: Remote Sympathy by Catherine Chidgey /  by Time Out Bookstore

Kia ora all! Here’s our first 95bFM review for 2021.

Jenna delved into Catherine Chidgey’s Remote Sympathy over the holidays. A weighty tome, this book follows four characters whose lives are intertwined with the concentration camp, Buchenwald.

Characters are expertly weaved together to portray different sides of the Nazi regime while reflecting the way a society can be blind to what’s happening right in front of them. This is a must-read novel, it’s bloody brilliant.

Listen to Jenna’s review with Keria and Tess below: