Nick Davies is an actor-turned-writer from Wellington, New Zealand who has appeared internationally in both film and on TV. He has written a collection of travel stories entitled The Lost Gringo Chronicles and has worked as a freelance contributor on Mexico for The Dominion Post. Nick talks to NZ Booklovers about his debut novel. Tell us a little about El Flamingo. El Flamingo follows the adventure of Lou Galloway, a disillusioned actor who leaves Los Angeles and heads to Mexico to drown his sorrows in cheap mezcal. But after a round too many, he is mistaken for a rogue assassin known simply ..read more

Reading C.K. Stead is like understanding the world in new ways. Such is the beautiful exploration of language throughout this collection which spans works from 2018 - 2022. Also, it's a refreshing lack of emphasis on COVID that so many of our poets fixated on during this time. Rather, it is the presentation of life with all its perfect imperfections. For decades Stead has been a leading figure in the literary world across pretty well all forms of writing. His prowess has been long celebrated both locally and internationally - and rightly so. It is with a little trepidation that this review is ..read more

This is the fifth book of Rebekah’s I have reviewed! I’m a big fan of the New Zealand author, coach and counsellor. Why? Because she shares practical strategies to help people change the way they see themselves and create lasting changes. From your inner critic to perfectionism, self-sabotage and procrastination, soothing your nervous system, to limiting beliefs, boundaries and self-love, she’s got you covered. If you’ve never delved into the self-help genre, Be Your Best Self is the ideal place to start! Rebekah expertly blends insights and tips with her trademark illustrations to help you r ..read more

Cristina Sanders grew up in the family’s Gateway Bookshop in Wellington and has been a keen reader ever since. She worked in publishing and book marketing and had a career in business before becoming a writer. An obsession with New Zealand's colonial history and geography defines her stories for adults and young adults. Cristina talks to NZ Booklovers. Congratulations on being shortlisted in the NZ Booklovers Awards 2023! Can you tell us a little about your shortlisted novel, Mrs Jewell and the Wreck of the General Grant? Sure, and thank you very much for the shortlist. I’m delighted. It’s 18 ..read more

Conversations with Money opens with a marriage breakup, as Lynda Moore shares about her breakup with her husband Gaz, something that devastated her. But she had the chance to talk to Gaz twelve years later when he was terminally ill with cancer. They got to talk about their relationship, realising that their inability to communicate about money contributed in a very significant way to their relationship ending. Lynda is determined to prevent other people and couples from making the same mistake. ’70-80% of relationships that break up blame money, yet it doesn’t have to be that way,’ Lynda say ..read more

As she swims at the lake above the old town, author Shelley Read is haunted by images of what lies below: the flooded Colorado town of Iola. And so seeds the idea for this marvellous book. From the outset, knowing from the cover notes that the town of Iola will soon make way for a new dam, my mind wanders, and I consider again the fate of a town closer to home – that of Cromwell in Central Otago. The original town of Cromwell, once at the heart of the gold-mining boom, was flooded when the Clyde Dam was built. Its construction was completed in 1992, and the lake which backed up behind it in t ..read more

A former children’s librarian, Bill Nagelkerke has written short stories, poems, plays and books for all ages, as well as translating other people’s books from Dutch into English. Bill talks to NZ Booklovers. Congratulations on being shortlisted in the NZ Booklovers Awards 2023! Can you tell us a little about your shortlisted Junior Fiction Book, The Ghost House? David’s family moves to a house on the edge of the Red Zone – a strange wilderness that’s returning to nature after earthquakes destroyed the homes there a decade before. But David doesn’t venture into the area. He’s not well – he ca ..read more

This beautiful book is a new edition of Robin Morrison’s The South Island Of New Zealand From The Road, which was first published more than 40 years ago in 1981. By that time, he was already a highly acclaimed and popular photojournalist and documentary photographer. In 1982 it was the first photographic book to win a New Zealand Book Award (now the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards). In the winter of 1979, he set off on a six-month road trip of the South Island with his young family. His aim was to document a slice of the real New Zealand through his portraits of ordinary people in their homes ..read more

Bri DiMattina is a second-generation Italian-Kiwi, a trained chef and home gardener, and inspired by the concept of ‘Nostrana’, which means homegrown, with the intent of sharing food with others, she has created this beautiful recipe book. Nostrana is organised seasonally, and it includes growing guides for the hero ingredients, such as asparagus, herbs, passionfruit, cucumbers, corn, capsicums, apples and peaches. There are so many delicious recipes to choose from, but here are just a few mouth-watering gems from each of the seasons: SPRING: All the Greens Ricotta Tart, Fresh Butter-dipped R ..read more

Andris Apse is one of New Zealand's leading landscape photographers. During a career spanning more than thirty years, he has won many major awards and is acknowledged as one of the finest wilderness photographers in the world. Andris talks to NZ Booklovers about The Deep South, shortlisted in the NZ Booklovers Lifestyle Award 2023. What inspired you to create the book? For the past 30 years, I have taken every opportunity to explore the South Island’s southernmost National Parks, Solander Islands, Chatham Islands, Stuart Island, The Snares Islands, Auckland Islands, Campbell Island, Antipodes ..read more