95bFM's Loose Reads: The Beautiful Afternoon by Airini Beautrais /  by Time Out Bookstore

Jenna called into the studio this morning, to chat about The Beautiful Afternoon, a collection of essays from Airini Beautrais. You may know her from her short story collection, Bug Week, which was the winner of the 2021 Acorn Fiction Prize at the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards.

Combining research with the personal; exploring feminity, sexuality, motherhood, pop culture, consumerism, activism and more, this is a insightful delve into a different genre of writing for Beautrais.

Listen below!

95bFM's Loose Reads: The Extinction of Irena Rey by Jennifer Croft /  by Time Out Bookstore

The debut novel by Olga Tokarczuk’s translator, Jennifer Croft.

Eight translators are brought to Polish forest to translate a beloved author’s latest work and the translators’ love of the them, becomes almost cultish. However when the author goes missing, all goes awry.

Surreal, absurd and clever, The Extinction of Irena Rey asks questions of authorship. role and credit of a translator. This is great read for language lovers.

Listen to Suri’s review with guest host, Aneeka and producer, Stella.

95bFM's Loose Reads: Kids Run the Show by Delphine de Vigan /  by Time Out Bookstore

Jenna visited the studio to speak about Kids Run the Show by Delphine de Vigan, translated from French by Alison Anderson.

Two women are brought together when Clara (a policewoman) meets Melanie, an influencer whose child has just been kidnapped.

Spanning the begiining of the Big Brother generation to 2031, this is a cautionary tale about family youtube channels, this is a literary thriller that observes the ethics of putting your children online.

Listen below!

95bFM's Loose Reads: Clarice Lispector & Sarah Bernstein /  by Time Out Bookstore

On the first day back at Uni, Suri slipped into the bFM studio to talk about two books that she’s been reading lately.

Study for Obedience by Sarah Bernstein was shortlised for the Booker in 2023. When a woman returns to her ancestral land to become a housekeeper for her newly separated brother,
Allusive, observational and atmospheric.

Auto-fiction Argentinian queen, Clarice Lispector is here with her complete publicatoin of her essays (Too Much of Life), which she started writing when she was 7 years old. A great mix of writing - the relationship between humanity and technology, the domestic, philosophy and literary critique.

Listen below!

95bFM's Loose Reads: Lord Jim at Home by Dinah Brooke /  by Time Out Bookstore

Jenna dialed into the bFM studio today from her tent at the Camp A Low Hum festival, in Wainuiomata.

Lord Jim at Home is a fantastically strange found classic from 1973. With an introduction by Ottessa Moshfegh, Lord Jim is based on the true story of the ill-fated Miles Giffard, this book explores class and violence - all with a very black sense of humour.

95bFM's Loose Reads: The Librarianist by Patrick deWitt /  by Time Out Bookstore

Today, Jenna reviewed Patrick deWitt’s The Librarianist, a book that’s at risk of being too light or cheesy, but is actually very good.

Bob Comet, a retired librarian, finds himself volunteering at a retirement centre, when he realises he already knows a resident. deWitt’s expert dialogue leads us through a most heartwarming (and sometimes heartbreaking) and funny return to significant events from Bob’s life.

Listen to Jenna’s chat with Rachel and Stella below!

95bFM's Loose Reads: The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride /  by Time Out Bookstore

Suri reviews this beautiful, funny, clever, poignant novel - from the author of The Colour of Water & Deacon King Kong. Part mystery, part Dickensian tale, The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store explores race, class & the American dream whilst revealing subtle universal messages through character,

One of Barak Obama’s top reads 2023.

Listen below to Suri’s in studio chat with Stella.

95bFM's Loose Reads: Prophet Song by Paul Lynch + Christmas agony aunt /  by Time Out Bookstore

Jenna brings in the recently minted 2023 Booker winner, Prophet Song by Paul Lynch. A powerful, gut-punch of a book, set in modern day Ireland - following a mother of four as she desperately tries to keep her family together during a civil war.

Jenna, Rachel & Stella also some Christmas agony aunt questions!
Wafting 95bFM listener: The Vulnerables by Sigrid Nunez or Sonic Life by Thurston Moore.
Big reader aunt: The Postcard by Anne Berest
Tween read: Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell

Also! Don’t forget to get tickets to the Save the B gig. This Wednesday, 20th December.

95bFM's Loose Reads: Suri's Christmas picks! /  by Time Out Bookstore

Suri is in the studio today with her picks for Christmas.

Listen to her kōrero with Rachel and Stella below for the hot tips.

95bFM's Loose Reads: Bird Life by Anna Smaill /  by Time Out Bookstore

Bird Life is a lyrical, present novel set in Japan. Dinah, grieving the suicide of her twin brother, moves from Aotearoa to Japan to teach English. There, she meets Yasuko, a mother grieving her son leaving home. Together, the kinship between Dinah and Yasuko deepens as they navigate their own paths.

Listen to Jenna’s on studio chat with Rachel and Stella below.

95bFM's Loose Reads: Baumgartner & A Thread of Violence /  by Time Out Bookstore

Suri reviews two books on 95bFM’s Breakfast show today.

In A Thread of Violence, Mark O’Connell revisits a close to home in Dublin. A dramatic true crime featuring interviews with the killer.
Baumgartner by Paul Auster tells the story of Cy, a widower moving through domestic activities. Filled with human moments that are told with the ghost of his wife in mind.

You can listen below!