Shadow Worlds: A History of the Occult and Esoteric in New Zealand by Andrew Paul Wood. MUP (2023). RRP: $55.00. PB, 424pp. ISBN: 9781991016379. Reviewed by Angus Smith. ‘It all distils to a yearning for spiritual experience.’ To the layperson, attempting merely to define the terms ‘occult’ and ‘esoteric’ seems an obscure task, breaching a…
Sea Skins by Sophia Wilson. Flying Islands Books/Cerberus Press (2023). RRP: $10.00 AUD. Pocket pb, 108 pp. ISBN: 978064550320. Reviewed by S J Mannion. I found myself mouthing the lines many times as I read this pukapuka. A finely scored collection, it seems to me an operetta of sorts, though one with some serious grace notes. …
A Bloody Difficult Subject: Ruth Ross, te Tiriti o Waitangi and the Making of History by Bain Attwood. AUP (2023). RRP: $59.99. HB, 320 pp. ISBN: 9781869409821. Reviewed by Vaughan Rapatahana (Te Ātiawa) Te Tiriti o Waitangi: a bloody difficult subject? It seems yes, according to Bain Attwood and his historical muse, Ruth Ross. After…
BITER by Claudia Jardine. AUP (2023). RRP: $24.99. Pb, 76 pp. ISBN: 9781776711017. Reviewed by Andi C. Buchanan. About halfway through her debut collection, Biter, Claudia Jardine opens a poem with: My father has several university degreesbut none of them prepared himfor opening a block of cheese. (‘Thoughts Thought After Surveying the Contents of the Fridge, p.…
Calamities! by Jane Arthur. THWUP (2023). RRP: $25.00. Pb, 72 pp. ISBN: 9781776920723. Reviewed by Hester Ullyart There is an unapologetic doom cloud running though this collection. Split into three sections, RISK ASSESSMENT, THE BEAR and HIGHLY FLAMMABLE, it is a poetry/prose/poetry triple decker charcoal sandwich that opens with: ‘This apocalypse is more boring/than Hollywood has…
Dream Girl by Joy Holley. Te Herenga Waka University Press (2023). RRP: $30.00. PB, 236pp. ISBN: 9781776920846. Reviewed by Naomi Mary Smith. When I was a kid there weren’t many lollies available at the cinema. Or maybe there were? But I only ever had eyes for tangy fruits. Much more than a sweet, each little ball…
Everything is beautiful and everything hurts by Josie Shapiro. Allen & Unwin (2023). RRP: $36.99. 287 pp. ISBN: 978-1-991006-44-8. Reviewed by Rebecca Styles. The closest I get to running is tripping over my partner’s sneakers. I’ve also waited while his depleted body crossed the finish line of an ultra-marathon. It seems such a punishing way…
How to Loiter in a Turf War by Coco Solid. Penguin Books (2022). RRP: $28.00. Pb, 176 pp. ISBN: 9780143778585. Reviewed by Sarah Maindonald ‘Ko te mea tuatahi he mihi aroha ki te whaea o Te Hoia, ngā mihi, ngā mihi, ngā mihi.’ To lose a child, I’ve always thought, would take away your will to…
Iris and Me by Philippa Werry. The Cuba Press (Ahoy! Imprint). RRP: $25.00. Pb, 182 pp. ISBN: 9781991950844. Reviewed by S J Mannion In the interests of honesty and transparency, and to guard against any accusations to the contrary, I hereby own, ‘YES, I absolutely loved this book,’ and NO, the author is not a friend…
Letter to ’Oumuamua by James Norcliffe. OUP (2023) RRP: $25.00. Pb, 96 pp. ISBN 9781990048517. Reviewed by Ray Shipley ‘Oumuamua, Norcliffe tells us in his notes of his 11th collection of poetry, was the name given to the first interstellar object to pass through our solar system, first detected in 2017. Asteroid, comet, or perhaps…