Holly Melville-Bell is the writer and illustrator of A Hug So Tight and the graphic designer behind Twig. She started Twig with the intention of creating designs with the reader in mind, designs that people could understand and 'Twig' onto. Holly talks to NZ Booklovers. Tell us a little about A Hug So Tight. The story follows a naughty, lonely Loris who bullies other animals. The other animals can’t catch him because he's up in the tree, but he meets his match when he bullies a baby monkey, who, of course, has a mother who can catch him. The monkey’s mother shows love and kindness, which ..read more

Hine Toa: a story of bravery by Ngāhuia te Awekōtuku is a stunning coming of age memoir by a strong and proud Māori lesbian woman, an activist and academic trailblazer. She does not shy away from telling it as it was, the physical and sexual abuse, the drugs, the alcohol, and the sex. It is both heart wrenching and courageous.  As a child, she dreamt of going to university and studying law. Despite opposition from her working-class whanau, who wanted her to get a job, earn money, settle down, get married and have kids she would not give up on her dream and succeeded against ..read more

Minky Stapleton is a multi-faceted illustrator with a range of styles, all with a heavy dash of humour. She spent her formative years as an award-winning Art Director and later Creative Director in Johannesburg, working in some of South Africa’s best advertising agencies. After many years of corporate life, she threw it all in to follow her first love, illustration. She now resides in Auckland, where she balances a number of local and international illustration projects with running classes for kids on how to design scary monsters. Minky talks to NZ Booklovers.   Tell us a little ..read more

Nick is a divorced English law lecturer, charismatic and entertaining, but his world changes when his relationship with one of his law students, Adrienne, a young Korean woman, becomes complicated. First, there are allegations of sexual harassment from Adrienne, but then she joins forces with him to help investigate that his grandfather, William, was a friend of Ernest Hemingway.  It looks like William influenced Hemmingway’s work and inspired the character of Harris in The Sun Also Rises.  As Nick and Adrienne work on this project, a very rocky and confusing relationship ensues ..read more

An amazing building rises on the edge of town – it’s the dream factory. Every night, it sends out magical mist. Flying cars, flower cakes and talking tigers fill people’s dreams. And the next day, the people make those dreams come true. But when a kererū flies into the dream factory, and a feather floats into a cog, everything goes terribly wrong. This is a fantastic and fantastical story, about the importance of dreams, creativity and individuality. Author Steph Matuku uses rich language to tell the story of the dream factory, with phrases and words that roll of the tongue. It's interesti ..read more

Hydie Balle-Hands graduated from the University of Auckland with a Bachelor of Arts in English and History. She also has a Graduate Diploma in Teaching (Primary) from Unitec Institute of Technology. Andy and The Little Rimu Tree is her debut children’s picture book. Hydie talks to NZ Booklovers. Tell us a little about the story Andy & The Little Rimu Tree. Andy & The Little Rimu Tree is a delightful story about how things that may appear to look bad at first, can turn into little or big blessings. Andy is given an opportunity to wish upon a little rimu tree and because he belie ..read more

Miriam Sharland felt unsettled, although she had lived and worked in New Zealand for 17 years. She was making plans to fly back home to England for good when suddenly and unexpectedly, in 2020, Covid made travel impossible. In Heart Stood Still, her eco-memoir, she recounts how having to stay put for another year in her house in the Manawatū, changed her life.  Covid caused me to pause. I’d never considered myself part of nature-never, really, stopped to consider myself at all: I was too busy moving forwards, or sideways, or backwards, rather than just stopping and looking at where I ..read more

How do you start again after losing everything? Find out in Marian Keyes' latest warm-hearted and witty novel, My Favourite Mistake. Forty-eight-year-old Anna Walsh was living a dream life in New York - according to everybody else. She had a long-term boyfriend and worked in beauty PR for a successful company. But when Anna lost her purpose, she dismantled her perfect existence and returned to Dublin. There, she finds herself living with her parents, with no partner, no job and no direction. When her friend Brigit calls on her skills to tackle a PR crisis in the quaint town of Maumtully ..read more

  Bubbles is a lovable, funny, one-of-a-kind manatee with a love for speed. While the other young manatees practice moving gracefully and slowly, Bubbles is a gassy little manatee who loves swimming fast. The more she eats, the more she toots, and the faster she zoots. Her elegant mother and aunties are horrified, but when trouble arrives in the form of an alligator, can Bubbles save the day? This is another fun picture book from Minky Stapleton. Yes, it's potty humour, but it's based on manatees, which use farting to adjust their buoyancy. Stapleton includes fun and farty facts about ..read more

  Aotearoa is full of incredible, edible wild food. From fruit to fungi, seaweed to herbs and much more, there's a feast awaiting those that seek them out. Foraging New Zealand is the ultimate guide to unearthing more that 250 of our country's tastiest wild plants. Peter Langlands has spent a lifetime compiling a database of wild foraged species, running workshops and tours, and sourcing wild foods for chefs. He is one of New Zealand's only licensed professional foragers. This book generously shares his insights to the general public, sharing his personal knowledge to inspire and ..read more