Podcasts about whitcoulls

We Solve Murders by Richard Osman - more brilliant, gentle crime from the author who gave us The Thursday Murder Club. He's taking a break from that series and has started a new one, centred around a family - Amy, who's a bodyguard, her father in law Steve – a quiet, eccentric homebody ex cop - and his son Adam. There's a charming wit and interplay between the characters – and a globe-hopping plot - which makes this a real pleasure to read. Kingmaker by Sonia Purnell - Pamela Churchill Harriman was a fascinating figure – she married Winston Churchill's son Randolph – it was not a success – but was recruited as a courtesan to secure useful information for the British government during WW2. She eventually moved to America and married twice more , eventually being appointed as the US ambassador to France. Her story is remarkable, she was a singular figure. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

School holidays kick off this weekend and with that Whitcoulls has announced their annual Top 50 Kids' Books list. This year nearly a quarter of the titles included are new to the list, and more than a third come from New Zealand authors. So, if your kid is a bookworm and needs something to occupy your mind, Whitcoulls Book Manager Joan Mackenzie breaks down the list.

The Hidden Girl by Lucinda Riley. This was, in fact, her very first book written under another name and never made available here in New Zealand. Her son Harry Whitaker, with whom she had a long standing creative partnership, has edited it and given it a whole new life. It's classic Lucinda Riley and her thousands of fans will be thrilled. It's an epic multi-generational saga which moves from Europe in WW2 to the streets of New York - very typical of the kinds of stories she's so loved for. The Siege by Ben McIntyre. An account of the 1980 siege of the Iranian Embassy in London when 6 terrorists took 26 hostages inside the building in a dispute which raged on for more than 6 days. The SAS were eventually called in and stormed the building by abseiling down from the roof and in through the windows and killed five of the terrorists and managed to rescue most - but not all - of the hostages. It was remarkable because it was the first time the SAS's skills had ever been on such public display and the whole thing was televised and broadcast around the world. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The list was voted on by readers, with New Zealand authors featuring more prominently than ever, including Ockham award-winning novelist Emily Perkins and Fungi by Liv Sisson.

A Pasifika card game that is helping weave meaningful conversations is now available in Whitcoulls.

Liz Truss has a book out.  It's what you do when you have been Prime Minister, even though she was only Prime Minister for about three and a half minutes.  Slight digression - I am going to be fascinated to see how they promote Jacinda Ardern's book when it finally arrives.  My assessment of her legacy is that it is increasingly dark and as the cold, hard economic reality of what she left behind is heaped upon us, more and more New Zealanders have realised how badly she duped us.  In a Meghan Markle-esque kind of way she is not to be seen anywhere, just heard from occasionally through reports of speeches at conferences as she is adored by the luvvies offshore.  I find it hard to believe the publicists would place her in Whitcoulls for a signing.  Anyway, back to Liz. The sad thing for Liz is she makes a very, very good point when she suggests the West has about a decade to reassert itself and grab back everything it has lost of late.  Whether it's a decade, who knows. But in a very short space of time China has become something we didn't really see coming. They are not the world's friend, unless of course you do things their way.  They need to engage with us, but don't like or trust us. They spy, they infiltrate, and they exert influence in increasing areas by way of money in pockets. Look at Africa or, increasingly, the Pacific.    They are helping Russia in the war.  Speaking of Russia, they're another problem. The International Monetary Fund this week tells us they will grow economically this year more than any other major economy on Earth. Pick any country you like in Europe, the UK, Australia, Canada, Britain, the U.S, they will beat everyone.  How? Domestic consumption and oil. Who are they selling oil to? The Chinese and the Indians. While the West has talked tough and rolled out sanctions Russia has kept growing and China has kept growing. BRICS is another grouping that's growing and is one to watch.  Liz Truss is seen as a failure of a Prime Minister but on this she is worth listening to. She is more productive out of the office than in it and, most importantly, she is right.  The West are losing. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Now here's a story kids won't want to miss, It's the Whitcoulls Kids Top 50 list! Our Tamariki voted for their most favoured book, They love emotional tales - not just how they look. Some books have fairies, and some, well, they're scary. But this year's top spot? It's Hairy Maclary. Now let's talk to an expert, from Whitcoulls, it's Joan, She's here with us now, right on the phone... Joan Mackenzie spoke to Corin Dann.

Whitcoulls' hottest 100 is out - and this year there is more than one surprise, with the famous boy wizard, Harry Potter, taking a hit. Whitcoulls book manager Joan Mackenzie talks to Jesse about the list.

Hira Nathan takes that Kiwi can-do attitude into everything he does, from doing up houses, working as a sparky, to his latest venture - creating the worlds first bilingual gratitude journal with te ao Maori. Hira self published the Whakawhetai journal with the intention of maybe a few family and friends buying it - only to end up selling 3000 copies by himself. Whakawhetai journal was then picked up by publisher, Allen and Unwin, and his gratitude journal is now available in Whitcoulls stores around the country.

A claim an article in a conspiracy magazine sold in Whitcoulls could cause readers to run afoul of the law. The book chain is stocking a copy of New Dawn, a magazine with anti-vax conspiracies and an article insinuating that the Christchurch Mosque attack was a false flag operation. Disinformation Project Director Kate Hannah says that while some of the articles will be harmless, the one about the mosque attack details where to find the banned livestream of the attack. She says a naive reader may choose to look it up, which would be illegal. Whitcoulls has been approached for comment. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan. Yes, a dual effort for reasons which I will explain – this really is classic Jodi. Small town, ethical and moral dilemma, some court room drama - a young man is charged with the murder of his girlfriend, and at the trial it comes to light that not everything is as it seems. His mother is an apiarist, and there's quite a lot of really interesting narrative about bees and beekeeping which keeps the story rocking along, and the characterisations are really good. There's a lot in this book but at the heart of it is the question, if your father was a violent man, does that mean that you might be too…..?  The Boys from Biloxi by John Grisham. Two boys grow up in the 60's in the Mississippi town of Biloxi as best of friends. The father of one of them is the local criminal kingpin and the other's is a high profile prosecutor. The boys each follow their respective parents into those same careers, which ultimately leads the two families into a showdown, one which – of course, being Grisham – takes place in a courtroom.  These are two longstanding writers, both at the top of their game after all these years.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tomorrow, & Tomorrow, & Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. I loved this and didn't particularly expect to as it's about two kids who meet as children on the ward in a hospital where they play video games together; and then meet up 8 years later when Sam is at Harvard and Sadie's at MIT and together produce a game which is a massive global hit. Gaming is so not my thing but the guts of this story is actually about managing relationships when you're young and smart and successful, with work at the core of everything along with the challenges of friendship, jointly running a business and managing creativity. And love at the heart of things – though theirs is not a romantic relationship and I really liked the way that a longstanding friendship is put to the test over many years. And of course the title comes from Macbeth.  Seventeen by John Brownlow. A thriller – clever premise about our hero, let's call him Jones, who works in in covert black ops, and he's # 17 in a long line of assassins. He's had to climb over # 16 to become the pre-eminent guy, knowing full well that one day #18 will come and take him out. Turns out that #16 had gone to ground for a few years but now the guys in charge want him taken care of and 17 is sent to do the job - which gets interesting when you have two highly trained and skilled operators facing off against each other, both knowing all the tricks of the trade. It's highly entertaining and compulsively readable.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It seems TikTok can even influence what we choose to read. The Whitcoulls top 10 is out this morning - and the usual likes of Harry Potter dominate the list. But 20 out of the top 100 are books that rose to fame thanks to BookTok - a section of TikTok that's dedicated to book reviews and endorsements. Marketing manager at publisher Hachette NZ Sacha Beguely uses BookTok to advertise and she joined Mike Hosking. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Creative Punjabi's Show with Jasmeet Narang we have Simran Kaur who is Founder of Girls That Invest. GTI was started by 2 millennials (Simran & Sonya) in 2020 to share their knowledge around personal finance, Let's explore the journey of Girls that Invest from an Instagram Page to releasing a podcast which has a 1MN+ downloads and now launching their own book "Girls That Invest". In this podcast we discussed: -Simran's introduction to the world of Personal Finance -How Simran an Optometrist by qualification quit her job & became a full time content creator -What goes behind producing the content at Girls That Invest -Favourite instruments for Investing -Regulations for Content Creators -Long Term Investing Mindset -Whether to Invest in Crypto in 2022 -Identifying multi baggers or investing in fundamentally good stocks Preorder Link for Book US/Worldwide: Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Amazon AU/NZ: Booktopia, Whitcoulls, PaperPlus, The Nile Social Media Handles ⤵︎ Instagram: Girls That Invest Website: www.girlsthatinvest.com

Parents worried the younger generations are spending too much time on social media, and not enough time reading books, may not need to worry so much. Whitcoulls has released its annual top 100 list, and this year there are 49 percent more votes than usual, thanks in large part to Tik Tok. Novels which featured on the site's hashtag ‘booktok' did notably well, including some that Whitcoulls had never heard of until recently. Whitcoulls Book Manager Joan Mackenzie, spoke to Tova on Monday morning.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Slow Roll by Simon Lendrum. The author is an Aucklander – used to work in advertising and is now CEO of something called The Commercial Communications Council. The lead character is a guy called O'Malley who's a poker player (hence the title) and is known for doing favours for people, so no surprise when he's bailed up by a desperate father saying he needs O'Malley's help to find his daughter - which he very quickly does, but it appears not all is as it seemed and there's a lot more at stake than one missing girl. In the gruff, hardboiled world of gambling and big men playing big games, O'Malley's girlfriend Claire is a brilliant antidote, and Auckland shines.  The Partisan by Patrick Worrall. Set mainly during the Cold War era of the 1960s, the partisan of the title is a Lithuanian woman named Greta who has spent the years since WW2 hunting down the Nazis who killed her friends and she's become an extremely accomplished and successful assassin with one big target still in her sights. Meanwhile, a couple of young chess prodigies meet at a tournament and become unwitting pawns in a game of international espionage involving the Russian government, a Europe under threat and Greta's pursuit of justice. It's really good.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Girl, Forgotten – the latest by Karin Slaughter who writes brilliant thrillers. Her last one was Pieces of Her which is now a major Netflix series. In 1982, Emily Vaughn gets ready for prom night but she has a secret and by the end of the evening she'll be dead. Forty years later, with the murder still unsolved, a woman arrives in town to find justice for Emily – and to uncover the truth before the killer decides to silence her too… The House of Fortune by Jessie Burton. Sequel to a wonderful book called The Miniaturist which came out in 2014 and I loved – set in Amsterdam in the C17th, at a time when the Dutch had a thing about miniatures – replicas of their houses and all the furniture etc. The new book opens in 1705, with the same family but 18 years later and their circumstances have changed dramatically. It's Thea's 18th birthday and also the 18th anniversary of the death of her mother and the family are reduced to selling off their furniture and artwork to survive, then make plans for Thea to be married to a wealthy man which might solve all their problems – but Thea has other ideas. Great period drama, getting terrific reviews in the UK at the moment. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Love in a Time of War by Adrienne Chinn. First in an expected trilogy about three sisters in the years leading up to WW1, which was a time of great change – many young women left home for the first time, travelled overseas unchaperoned, did work which was usually done by men, and started to look beyond the traditional boundaries of how they were expected to live. One of the sisters – Cecilia – is studying German and falls madly in love with her teacher, but him being German is a bit problematic when the war starts. Jessie is a nurse who ends up on a hospital ship during the Gallipoli campaign and then on to Egypt; and Etta is studying art and mixing with a very bohemian crowd, much to her mother's horror. Nice historical family story with the ties that bind and all that. This is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay. This is not new – but I was desperate to find a book which is available in store – everything is running so late at the moment – and it's just started screening on both TVNZ and TVNZ on Demand. It's the diaries written by the author when he was in medical training from 2004 to 2010 and is a real insight into what it's like to be a doctor in the health system – UK admittedly but ours probably not too much different;  97-hour weeks, life and death decisions, a constant tsunami of bodily fluids, and the hospital parking meter earns more than you. It's very very funny – he subsequently left medicine and took up a career in comedy – but also heart breakingly sad. And all of this was pre Covid, so imagine what it's like now! I've only watched the first episode of the series and loved it. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The School for German Brides by Aimie K. Runyan. It's another WW2 story – God knows there are thousands of them and showing no signs of abating. This follows two young women – one of whom, Hanna, is set up to be married to a ghastly Nazi lieutenant, and is sent off to a place as per the title – a posh country house where young women are sent to learn how to be faithful and good wives and mothers and to obey their men thereby honouring the Fatherland. The other, Thilde, is Jewish, abandoned by her husband and needing to evade the authorities, all whilst about to have a baby in parlous circumstances. Thilde is a seamstress and makes clothes for the likes of Hanna, from which point their lives inevitably intersect. I really enjoyed it (after thinking I wasn't going to). Lying Beside You by Michael Robotham who always writes terrific books. This is the third in his series about Cyrus Vance. Twenty years ago, his family was murdered. Only he and his brother survived. Cyrus because he hid. Elias because he was the killer. Now Elias is being released from a secure psychiatric hospital and Cyrus, a forensic psychologist, must decide if he can forgive the man who destroyed his childhood.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Whalebone Theatre by Joanna Quinn: An epic, absorbing novel which follows three free spirited children from an unconventional, dysfunctional family estate in Dorset in the years leading up to and during WW2. It's a multi-layered story about the power of drama, of the bonds between siblings and the disparity of class; war work, espionage and making a life, and the compromises made on the way. I couldn't put it down. Counterfeit by Kirstin Chen. This has been compared to Crazy Rich Asians. Ava is a rule-abiding lawyer who has ticked all of life's boxes. She's married to a successful surgeon and has just taken an indefinite career break to raise her adorable toddler. A picture-perfect life. Meet Winnie: Ava's old college roommate. Once awkward, quiet and apparently academically challenged, she left Stanford in a shroud of scandal. But now, she is charismatic, wealthy and has returned to town dripping in designer accessories. An actual perfect life. When the two women bump into one another at a local coffee shop, it seems like fate has intervened: Winnie's new-found success is courtesy of a shady business and she needs a favour; Ava is realising she is not built for the stay-at-home life. But what starts as one favour turns into two, then three, and soon Ava is in far deeper than she ever imagined. Now Ava has to make the ultimate decision: cut and run, or risk it all? 

Horse by Geraldine Brooks (the wonderful Geraldine Brooks!) A wonderful mix of history and fiction, art and science, based on the true story of the famous 19th century Kentucky racehorse Lexington and the social milieu in which he came to fame amidst slavery, injustice, and an obsession with horses. A painting of him unites a young couple in 2019 – Jess who studies the skeleton to understand the champion's physiology, and an art historian named Theo. The care and reverence in this book is remarkable – as is always the way with Geraldine Brooks – and I loved it. The Secret World of Connie Starr by Robbi Neal. This is a real evocation of Australian life through the war to the 1950s, recreating a world that is now lost to us. It's a brightly coloured patchwork quilt of everything from shoes to polio, lemon trees to rivers, death to life that melds together – centred around Connie Starr who was always a difficult child and sees the world for exactly what it is. It's been compared to Cloudstreet and Boy Swallows Universe. 

Sparring Partners by John Grisham. It is, in fact, three novellas in one book, each of which is an intriguing read. One concerns Jake Brigance – a character familiar to Grisham readers, who's a lawyer in a town with too many of them, struggling to make a buck. Then there's a guy on death row whose time is running out; and a family law firm torn apart by murder, ego and plain bad behaviour. As always, Grisham delivers a truly entertaining read – these stories are up there with his best work.   How to be a Bad Muslim by Mohamed Hassan. He's a Muslim Kiwi, originally from Egypt. Known here through his journalism and performance poetry. This is a really thoughtful collection of essays on what it means to be Muslim in the modern world, and in New Zealand, covering identity, Islamophobia, surveillance, migration and language. Deeply moving in parts and bringing a really personal perspective. 

The Murders at Fleat House by Lucinda Riley – she's of course the author of the Seven Sisters series, who sadly died last year. She was incredibly prolific and managed to write this one even whilst unwell. It's a standalone story, not related to any other series, about the murder of a boy at a private school which the headmaster is very keen to call a tragic mistake but of course there's a lot more to it than that. This is the one I still need to read – but expect it to be great storytelling, and I know her fans are terribly excited about its publication.  Dirt Town by Hayley Scrivenor. There's recently been an explosion of crime thrillers out of Australia – in the last 2–3 years there's been a huge number published, many of them from previously unknown writers who are doing a great job and this is the first book from Hayley Scrivenor. It's really good … set in a small Australian town on the wane where there's an air of general hopelessness, and one day a 12-year-old girl doesn't come home from school. We know right from the beginning where she ended up, but we don't know who was responsible, or why. Two Sydney missing persons cops with their own issues are sent to the town to figure it out but one of the most interesting features of the story – to me, at least – is a kind of Greek chorus of the town's children who have their own chapters (headed up, We) and who comment on the goings-on in the town, seeing things that the adults might not. 

No Escape by Nury Turkel. This book is extraordinary – written by a man who was born in a Uyghur “re-education” camp during the Cultural Revolution, about the plight of the Uyghur people living in Xinjiang Province in Northwest China and much of it is simply unbelievable. The area has been turned into a huge open prison and while it's believed there are around 3 million people living inside the actual camps, life's not much better for those outside. China has set up the most repressive surveillance state the world has ever seen and there is constant monitoring and persecution of the inhabitants – who are labelled as potential religious extremists and a threat to the Communist Party's authority. The book is full of first-hand accounts and interviews with Uyghur people who've managed to get out and it's chilling – China denies it all of course but you read this and you know it has to be true. I've got loads of examples but will just give you this one: at 8am every Monday morning there's a flag raising ceremony at which attendance is compulsory. The temperature can get to minus 40 but head coverings aren't allowed because they could be a sign of religious devotion. They have an attendance booklet which needs to be stamped and if you go below 90%, you can be sent off to a re-education camp.   The Improbable Life of Ricky Bird by Diane Connell. Fiction. Ricky Bird is a 12-year-old tomboy who escapes into stories when her real life is turned upside down. Her parents have divorced and she moves with her mother into a London council flat, where she draws unwanted attention from her mum's new boyfriend. Meanwhile, her young brother Ollie has become terribly sick, and her mum is too distracted by the anxieties of that to notice what is happening to her daughter. It's been recommended as a book for people who loved The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, and Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine – seems to fit right in there with the very, very long title genre! Joan MacKenzie joined Francesca Rudkin.LISTEN ABOVE

Trust by Hernan Diaz. Terrifically clever novel – it's four interlinked books, the first of which tells the story of a hugely successful 1920's NYC financier; the second the memoir of Andrew Bevel, a similarly successful man who claims the first book was a fiction based on his life, and who believes his wife was misrepresented and wants to set the record straight – which he attempts to do by hiring a young woman to write it for him. In the third story that young woman, Ida, recalls how she became engaged with the project – and 50 years later on revisiting it discovers an entirely different perspective on what she'd written way back then; and finally, the diary of the misrepresented wife. City on Fire by Don Winslow. Wonderful author. The first novel in an epic crime saga about the Irish and Italian crime syndicates in America during the 1980s and 90s. Set on Rhode Island, two criminal family's control all of New England – until a beautiful modern-day Helen of Troy comes between them, launching a war that will see them kill one another, destroy an alliance and set a city on fire. This is really gritty. 

Four Treasures of the Sky by Jenny Tinghui Zhang. Fiction about a Chinese girl in the 19th century who is sent to the city by her grandmother when her parents disappear, and is subsequently kidnapped and sent to America – to a brothel in San Francisco. She eventually manages to make her way across the States, presenting herself as a young man as that's safer, ending up in Idaho where she has a good job and things are settled. This though was at the time of the Chinese Exclusion Act in US history, which was a law passed preventing Chinese immigrants from going to the US to work, and there was very strong anti-Chinese sentiment which comes to haunt her. A major event in the book is based on an actual incident in Idaho, where the author got the idea to write the book having come across a memorial. The Palace Papers by Tina Brown. You've probably read about this – great author and terrific subject matter, subtitled Inside the House of Windsor – the Truth and the Turmoil. Tina Brown is so well connected and has loads of insights, information and anecdotes about them all – it's a compulsive read

Wake by Shelley Burr. The latest in a crop of really terrific Australian crime thrillers – they all share similar characteristics. Small isolated town, atmospheric, the heat, and people in small communities telling lots of lies. Centres around the case of a missing girl which has never been resolved though her sister has often been suspected of the crime, and a Private Investigator turns up years later to try and solve it – or is he really just interested in the million-dollar reward…? Freezing Order by Bill Browder. I could talk about this for ages. He wrote a book called Red Notice a few years ago about how he became Putin's Number One Public Enemy. This is essentially a continuation of that story. He spoke to Hosking this morning though I haven't had a chance to listen to it yet but he's fascinating, and so courageous. He had a foreign portfolio investment company in Moscow, which at the time was the largest in Russia and ran afoul of the state when he discovered they'd stolen money from his company and laundered it out of Russia. He had a young (in his 30's) Russian lawyer called Sergei Magnistky who was imprisoned and beaten to death in gaol. Browder went on to drive through legislation in the US – and since adopted by other countries – called the Magnitsky Act, freezing the visas and assets of proven human rights abusers which has limited the Russian state in some of its activities. Putin hates him and he lives his life in constant danger but won't give up the cause. 

Death of the Black Widow by James Patterson: thought it was time we gave the great (well, prolific at least) James Patterson a bit of an airing. This is the story of a femme fatale black widow type of monster who preys (mostly) on men; and is something of an escape artist as the police just can't catch her. The cop in charge of the cases becomes obsessed with her but she's a hard one to hunt down. Brazen by Julia Haart: this is one of my favourite books of the year so far. Memoir of an incredible woman who was brought up in an ultra-Orthodox Jewish family, and the details of what that life is like were unbelievable – I had no idea how circumscribed the lives of those women are. At the age of 43, she finally broke away and unleashed her extraordinary entrepreneurial talents and her life since then has been, well, also incredible. There is a Netflix series about her – I watched one episode which was enough, it's all about the fabulous life she leads today – but the book gives the entire background about her life to that point and it's wonderful. LISTEN ABOVE 

The Bookseller at the End of the World by Ruth Shaw. She runs two tiny bookshops in Manapouri in the deep South. They sound simply charming and she's clearly a great character – with a very interesting back story. She's sailed through the Pacific for years, been held up by pirates, worked at Sydney's Kings Cross with drug addicts and prostitutes, campaigned on numerous environmental issues, and worked the yacht Breaksea Girl with her husband, Lance. The stories of the customers in her bookshops are colourful and sometimes hilarious. Great piece of local publishing  Daughters of Eve by Nina D. Campbell. A real thriller set in Sydney about a group who become known as Daughters of Eve who are killing off men who, it turns out, have been perpetrators of violence against women and children and this vigilante group is out for justice. Really well written with the big reveal about exactly who these people are, and why they're doing it – with of course the police trying to hunt them down and Detective Emelia Hart having a hard time of it both in her personal life and with her colleagues. I hope there might be another book about her, this was a great start. LISTEN ABOVE 

The Boy from Gorge River by Chris Long: 3rd book in a series about his family. There was originally A Life on Gorge River, and then A Wife on Gorge River and now the son of the family – he's 30 – has written his story about growing up in such an incredibly remote location and what that was like and what it's meant to his life. These people got off the grid long before most of the rest of us were thinking of it and I can't imagine what it must have been like – four and a half days' walk to civilisation back then, although it's easier now. Does sound like a pretty idyllic existence though it must have also been very hard sometimes. Memphis by Tara Stringfellow. Set in Memphis, Tennessee about three generations of women in a Black family and one daughter's discovery that she has the power to change the family legacy. I think it's probably a real homage to the city, but it's also a terrific story about women in difficult circumstances who are very tough, because they've had to learn to be. 

The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn. Author of The Alice Network which I loved. She has a real knack for identifying actual real women who've played critical roles in the world wars, and then writing a fictional account of them. This one is set during WW2 about an aspiring historian, Mila Pavlichenko, whose life in Kiev revolves around her young son – until Hitler's invasion of Russia changes everything and she discovers she has what it takes to be a great sniper. Amazing story – she was eventually shipped off to the US on a charm offensive when Russia needed more money for the war, and met Eleanor Roosevelt with whom she struck up a friendship.   The Uncaged Sky by Kylie Moore-Gilbert: The memoir of an Australian woman who was in Iran for an academic conference and arrested by the Revolutionary Guards and sentenced to ten years imprisonment in the notorious Evin prison. She ended up being there for just over 800 days – unimaginable. She spent months in filthy solitary confinement, was subjected to ongoing hours and hours of interrogation, and you could say had an utterly miserable time of it. On November 25, 2020, she was finally released in a high stakes three-nation prisoner swap deal orchestrated by the Australian government, laying bare the complex game of global politics in which she had become a valuable pawn. Joan Mackenzie joined Francesca Rudkin. LISTEN ABOVE 

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. Terrific story set in the 1960's about Elizabeth Zott (it's fiction) who's a real force of nature. Her dream of a career in science is thwarted when she's unmarried and pregnant and then given the chance to host a TV cooking show to which she brings all her scientific principles and sets about educating a generation of women (combine one tablespoon acetic acid with a pinch of sodium chloride). It's very funny while making some serious points about women's place in the world. Grand by Noelle McCarthy. She's an Irish born New Zealand broadcaster and this is her memoir of her relationship with her mother and alcohol. It's superbly written and incredibly brave. Steve Braunias at Newsroom is calling it the best book of the year so far, but also reckons it will still be that by the end of the year. 

The Match by Harlan Coben: Sequel to a book called The Boy from the Woods a couple of years ago – but reads perfectly well on its own. Wilde is the boy who was discovered living and growing up in the woods as a child, now keen to find his family so he sends off to a DNA website who give him a match for his father – but then finds himself caught up in an online community who work to expose anonymous online trolls, at which point things get really dangerous.  The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake: this was originally self-published and got a lot of attention – was recently picked up by one of the big international publishing companies who are putting a lot of effort behind it and expect it to be huge – interest has been driven by prominence on the TikTok book sharing platform #Booktok. The Alexandrian Society, caretakers of lost knowledge from the greatest civilizations of antiquity, are the foremost secret society of magical academicians in the world. Those who earn a place among the Alexandrians will secure a life of wealth, power, and prestige beyond their wildest dreams, and each decade, only the six most uniquely talented magicians are selected to be considered for initiation. When the candidates are recruited by the mysterious Atlas Blakely, they are told they will have one year to qualify for initiation, during which time they will be permitted preliminary access to the Society's archives and judged based on their contributions to various subjects of impossibility: time and space, luck and thought, life and death. Five, they are told, will be initiated. One will be eliminated. The six potential initiates will fight to survive the next year of their lives, and if they can prove themselves to be the best among their rivals, most of them will. 

I Am Autistic by Chanelle Moriah. A New Zealander who has written an interactive and informative guide to autism – as they say, by someone diagnosed with it. It explains a huge amount about autism – why autistics sometimes behave in the way they do, how they see and interact with the world, and really helps with better understanding. I think it's been done both for the interested reader, like me, (and parents, siblings, workmates etc) but also very much for fellow autistics (whether diagnosed or not) who may see themselves in these pages and have some sense of belonging – there are spaces to write notes and it's a very useful package. The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan. This is Handmaid's Tale territory. Frida is a solo mother, struggling to hold it all together and when she one day leaves her child alone for a few hours while she ducks into work to pick something up and gets distracted – she's eventually sentenced by the court to attend a School for Good Mothers where women who have transgressed – sometimes in the slightest of ways – are removed from their children and sent away for a year's re-education. The narrative about what this entails is spooky and awful. Of course, there is a parallel School for Good Fathers nearby but the men aren't subject to nearly the same level of oppressive rigour and as always women are held to a much higher standard. She does her 12 months and then when she gets out finds that the nightmare doesn't end. It's darkly dystopian but in a way that you feel could be just around the corner, the way the world is going. 

The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley. This is I think her 5th novel – she writes really intriguing books about people being caught in a time and place and what can go wrong. A few years ago, I loved The Hunting Party which was quite Agatha Christie-esque, set in a hunting lodge in Scotland during a huge snowfall when no one could arrive or leave, where a group of long-time friends are spending New Year. When one of the guests is murdered, they know that the perpetrator must be one of their own … it was fun. This new one is set in an apartment in Paris, not that you'd have guessed that from the title. Jess is an English woman who's a bit down on her luck and asks her half-brother Ben if she can come and stay at his place – which turns out to be a much nicer apartment than she'd imagined he could afford, and strangely when she gets there, Ben's missing and doesn't come home. The neighbours are odd, some less than friendly, and as more time passes his absence becomes more and more mysterious – and suspicious. Letters to You by Jazz Thornton. Subtitled Words of Support and Inspiration for Difficult Times. Jazz was of course the 2021 Young New Zealander of the Year. The book is based on something that helped her on her own journey towards mental health. A good friend wrote her a set of letters each in a separate labelled envelope. Every letter was specifically designed to help fight a particular feeling or situation, and Jazz read them all many times. So, following this model, in this book, each chapter is in the form of a letter, and they cover a range of emotions and situations, including the following, and much more: Also includes practical tips from a practising psychologist, a list of places to get help, and a toolbox of handy skills to use when in distress. 

Reputation by Sarah Vaughan. She wrote a wonderful book celled Anatomy of a Scandal a few years ago which I believe is coming to Netflix in April. Can't wait. It reminded me quite a bit of Apple Tree Yard which you must have read/seen? (and if you haven't, you must!) Emma is a British politician who knows that reputation is everything. So, having already sacrificed a great deal for her career, it all comes crashing down when a series of misjudgements culminates in a tabloid journalist being found dead in her flat. She's been a tireless campaigner for better protection for women and girls from online harassment – and now finds herself accused of the very thing she's been trying to prevent. It references the issues that woken face in public life really well – trolling, misogyny, being believed, being fearful. She writes really good books. Remember Me by Charity Norman – a British lawyer who gave it all up and moved to New Zealand. She lives down in Hawkes Bay and has written several excellent books. A close-knit community is ripped apart by disturbing revelations that cast new light on a young woman's disappearance twenty-five years ago. After years of living overseas, Emily returns to New Zealand to care for her father who has dementia. As his memory fades and his guard slips, she begins to understand him for the first time - and to glimpse shattering truths about his past. Perhaps some secrets are best left buried. 

Shelter by Douglas Lloyd Jenkins – a story of a relationship between a couple of gay guys – who are together, then apart and then together again – set in Auckland and with the author's strong architectural knowledge and sensibilities the city really comes alive.  It's his first novel. Dark Horse is the 7th book in the Orphan X series. All set around Evan Smoak who was plucked from an orphanage at a very young age by a government agency that trained him in dark ops – and after some years of that decided to use his skills as a force for good, so now if you have a problem, you can ring his number and hopefully, he'll take you on. But this time it's a bad guy asking for help to rescue his daughter and Evan has to decide whether he can act for a bad man. 

In Amber's Wake by Christine Leunens, who of course wrote the book on which the movie Jojo Rabbit was based (it was called Caging Skies). Local author. It's a romantic drama set in New Zealand during the 1980s.Ethan Grieg, a film student, is in love with his close friend Amber Deering, an environmental activist, who lives at her family's seemingly picture-perfect stud farm. Amber loves Ethan dearly, but not in the way Ethan longs for. Instead, the man Amber has offered her heart is widower Stuart Reeds, a charming, refined British investor almost two generations older than her. As a Korean war veteran, Stuart is mentally prepared for the long, subtle war that begins between his young rival and himself for Amber's heart. Set against background of the anti-nuclear movement, the Springbok tour and the Rainbow Warrior. Again, Rachel by Marian Keyes. Sequel to Rachel's Holiday all those years ago. Centred around the marvellous Walsh family – Rachel is out of rehab and is in fact the head therapist at the clinic which she attended back in the day. It's terrific – she has a great way of getting real-life onto the page – I think she's greatly undervalued as a quality writer. Her themes are ones which resonate with so many of us – addiction, relationships, love, families – and the dialogue is razor-sharp. 

Today it is my joy to bring you an interview. I know many of you will have heard me talk over these months about Joan, the head book buyer for the largest book chain in New Zealand, Whitcoulls. Joan has a section in every bookstore called Joan's Picks where she gives her favourite current book recommendations. I was lucky enough to wrangle Joan into giving me some time to have a chat. I hope you enjoy this interview. You can also watch this interview on my Youtube channel. 

Exit.45 by our own Auckland writer Ben Sanders. His hero is a guy named Marshall Grade, and this is a ride through the NY underworld. Living safely here in Takapuna Auckland, I'm never sure how he manages to get his US cities down so well and all the thugs who inhabit them but he's really good at it. When a former NYPD colleague is shot dead in front of him, private investigator Marshall Grade discovers there's far more to the killing than meets the eye.  The Deepest South of All by Richard Grant – he's a travel writer and went to Natchez Mississippi to have a look at a town built on slavery and cotton, which it's still trying to atone for all these many years later, but evidence of its history is found everywhere and it's full of some of the most extraordinary characters you could wish to meet anywhere. Readers who loved Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, which was a phenomenon many years ago, will love this. It's also run through with the saddest story of e genuine African Prince who was caught up in the slave trade and found himself captive in Natchez for most of his life. He deserves a book of his own. 

The Maid by Nita Prose. Molly the maid works at the Regency Grand Hotel. She's a loner, alone in the world and clearly somewhere on the spectrum but she takes enormous pride in her work. Then one day she finds a guest dead in his bed which starts a whole chain of events which change her life forever. Readers who liked Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine will love this.   Davos Man by Peter S. Goodman. This is fantastic nonfiction about the billionaires who rule the world – and gather every year at Davos in Switzerland for their World Economic Forum. He focuses on five men – all men, these books are always all men – Jeff Bezos, a hedge fund guy, a big league asset manager, the CEO of JPMorgan Chase and another one – and shows with great clarity how they're all really good at publicly worrying about the state of the world - inequality, poverty, all the usual stuff, speaking really empathetically and sounding almost like one of us, and then doing absolutely everything they can behind the scenes to protect their privilege and position and power – and, of course, their money. It's full of stories of people, organisations and countries that have been hugely disadvantaged by the hold they have on the world and I thought it was riveting. 

Love Marriage by Monica Ali.  She wrote a wonderful book called Brick Lane several years ago which made her one of the young darlings on the literary scene. Love Marriage is the opposite of an arranged marriage and this is about a Bengali immigrant family living in London; Yasmin the daughter is a medical student engaged to another trainee doctor but their families could not be more different and the love marriage is far from smooth sailing Violeta by Isabel Allende.  Fiction, this is a 100-year-old woman outlining her life to her grandson. It takes place in an unnamed country in South America, and Violeta, the key character, was born into the Spanish Flu and nears the end of her life during Covid. In between there's the Great Depression, marriage to an entirely unsuitable man and then a wild affair which changes everything, and has ramifications for the rest of her life. And all set against the background of history during those 100 years. It's terrific. LISTEN ABOVE

Anthem by Noah Hawley. Brand new, just out this week – this is a truly epic story set in the US post Covid where there's an epidemic of anxiety plaguing the younger generation and young Simon Oliver is packed off by his very wealthy parents (made their fortune in something similar to OxyContin), to an expensive Anxiety Treatment clinic near Chicago where he meets a group of similarly affected young people and they set out on an epic road trip across America, with plan to try and make their future – and the future of all American kids – better than it currently is. I loved it. Just FYI I also loved Noah Hawley's previous books, especially After the Fall and he wrote the screenplay for the TV series Fargo. Vanderbilt by Anderson Cooper with Katherine Howe. He is of course a very well-known US broadcaster but is also Gloria Vanderbilt's son and he's written their family history which is brilliant. Their wealth started in the early 19th century when 11-year-old Cornelius Vanderbilt was very entrepreneurial and went on to make a fortune in shipping and on railroads; then his son doubled the family fortune. They had rivers of money – oceans of the stuff – and later generations went on to squander it in some very creative and interesting ways, so that by the time Anderson came along there was none left. It's wonderful family history but in some ways also the history of America during that time. Highly readable and engaging. Joan MacKenzie joined Francesca Rudkin to discuss the current recommended reads.LISTEN ABOVE

Wish You were Here by Jodi Picoult. The story of two people in their 30s, living in NYC and planning a getaway trip to the Galapagos – where she's sure he's going to propose – when Covid arrives and spoils their plans. He's a doctor and the hospital where he works cancels all leave, but he says she should go instead. The book is told in two parts – the first being that change to their plans and then her time on the island, and the second part back in NYC where the full effects of Covid are being felt. Less of a moral dilemma than is her usual style but certainly a book for our times. Taste: My Life in Food by Stanley Tucci. A memoir about his lifelong love of food – he grew up in an Italian American family where gathering round the dinner table every night was integral to their family life. It talks about the foodie films he's been in – Julie and Julia – and has recipes, some excellent thoughts on cocktails – the martini – and is warm and chatty and very much like the man himself. Jane Mackenzie joined Francesca Rudkin. LISTEN ABOVE 

Joan Mackenzie has another pair of strong picks for our bookworms.LISTEN ABOVE

Whitcoulls' book manager Joan Mackenzie talks to Jesse about the Whitcoulls' Top 50 kids books, as chosen by kids.

When Things Are Alive They Hum by Hannah Bent: Marlowe and Harper are sisters, close as can be – and when Harper falls seriously ill, Marlowe leaves her happy life in London and returns to Hong Kong where she's determined, whatever it takes, to save Harper – soon finding herself in dangerous territory. How far will a person go for love? It's exquisite. The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell: a psychological thriller. A young single mother leaves her child in the care of her own mother and heads out for an evening of fun with her boyfriend – and then never returns. A year later, clues start to appear in what is now a cold case where an abandoned mansion, family trauma and dark secrets all play a part. Lisa Jewell is a prolific author, this is her 10th book.LISTEN ABOVE

This year's Whitcoulls Top 100 list features a new number one and 13 books from New Zealand. Whitcoull's Book Manager Joan Mackenzie talks to Jesse about who's in and who's out in 2021!

Today's guest makes something in a jar that brings so much joy to so many Kiwis, including my own mother who I have seen scoop it out of the jar with a spoon on MANY occasions! Pic Picot is the man behind Pic's Peanut Butter, which has become a bit of a national treasure. The funny thing is, Pic only started making peanut butter when he'd retired, in order to make a couple of hundred bucks a week. Now, Pic's Peanut Butter World (the factory in Nelson) pumps out 25,000 jars a day, destined for all parts of the globe. What's even funnier is the successful recipe was a fluke! Absolutely great chats with a great Kiwi! Pic's new book, entitled: Pic: adventures in sailing, business, and love is available at www.picspeanutbutter.com/nz/ and at Whitcoulls, Paper Plus, The Warehouse, Foodstuffs supermarkets, and independent booksellers nationwide. RRP: $29.95.    

Tall Bones by Anna BaileyFirst novel from a young writer (I think she's around 24) – set in a small conservative and deeply religious Colorado town, with all the hypocrisy that can go along with that. Emma and Abi are best friends and when Emma leaves Abi at a party out at the place on the edge of town known as the Tall Bones, she doesn't realise it's the last time she'll ever see her friend. As the town unravels in the face of her disappearance, all the secrets start spilling out. It's incredibly atmospheric and really well done. Fall : The Mystery of Robert Maxwell by John PrestonBorn into a poor Yiddish speaking family in Czechoslovakia, Robert Maxwell survived the war (unlike many of his family) and after arriving in England became a self made media tycoon – a Rupert Murdoch wannabe. He was larger than life – brash, rude, gluttonous, powerful and terrifying, and built an empire through sheer bravado, bluster and fraud.In 1991 he fell from the back of his boat, the Lady Ghislaine (that name sound familiar? – his daughter), and died in the Mediterranean, after which it was found he'd embezzled 763m pounds sterling of pension funds from his staff.

Win by Harlan Coben. I believe this is the first book in a new series which is a spinoff from the Myron Bolitar novels he's famous for. Windsor “Win” Horne Lockwood III (a billionaire, if you couldn't tell by the name) has been a sidekick to Myron in many of the previous books but takes centre stage in this one. He's a most unlikeable character, but gets caught up in a murder in which he somehow seems to be implicated, but he has three things the FBI doesn't: a personal connection to the case; an ungodly fortune; and his own unique brand of justice.Bright Burning Things by Lisa Harding.The story of Sonya, a single mother struggling with her demons while bringing up her four year old son in Dublin. It's a book about sinking very low, and finding your way back, and Sonya is entirely believable. It's very moving.LISTEN ABOVE 

Kia Ora! On today's podcast we had Reception Reception, this time Ben was supposedly "applying to be on The Bachelor". On another note, Ben admitted to us that he cried in the middle of Whitcoulls... The reason why is adorable. We also wanted to know the worst things about being an adult, and finally, John Campbell, Hilary Barry and Winston Peters were on the show!

Wild by Kristin Hannah: Who also wrote The Nightingale which has been a favourite for many readers. Dr Julia Cates is a child psychiatrist whose career is in tatters, and when her police officer sister asks her to come home and help with a case she's working on, she jumps at the chance. A mystery wild child has been found in the town, and Julia starts working with her, determined to find out who she is, and to help. But of course a case like this isn't plain sailing.The Miracle Typist: For fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz. Nonfiction about a Jewish man conscripted into the Polish army in WW2 and had a horrible time. He was held in a Hungarian internment camp from which he managed to escape – to Palestine, where his ability to type earned him the title of The Miracle Typist and he was put to work, then sent on to fight in Egypt, Tobruk and Italy – but of course all the time desperate to get home. Written by his son in law.LISTEN ABOVE

The Stranger by Simon ConwayTerrific thriller for anyone who likes a good one – Jude Lyon is employed by MI6 and was involved in the rendition of a prisoner, whom they hoped never to see again – but someone busts him out of the Syrian prison he's being held in and everything starts to go terribly wrong. Jude is sent back in to sort it out but ISIS have other plan.I think this is a really good book for anyone who loved I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes. There are a lot of fans for that out there waiting for the next one which is taking a very long time to come, but this is good in the meantime.Searching for Charlie by Tom ScottA really wonderful book about Charles Upham who was awarded the Victoria Cross twice – the only combat soldier ever to do that – and who was a remarkable character. Tom Scott has travelled in Charlie's footsteps and visited the battlefields, prisons and other places which Charlie was involved with during his military career. I knew very little about Charles Upham but I loved this.

The Pull of the Stars by Emma DonoghueThis is remarkable – she started writing it in 2018 years before we'd heard of Covid – but it's set in the middle of a pandemic - the Spanish Flu- and it feels eerily similar. Set over the course of just three days in a Dublin hospital. it's about young Julia Powers who is a nurse on a chronically understaffed ward for infected pregnant women, trying to save both mothers and babies; and young Bridie who turns up to help with absolutely no experience; and Dr Kathleen Lynn who in fact was a real person – a woman doctor in a time when there weren't any, and as an active member of Sinn Fein, a revolutionary.  They work desperately to save people in the midst of chaos and no resources, and what they learn from one another is remarkable, and very affecting. I thought it was wonderful.  Finding Freedom by Omid Scobie and Carolyn DurandAll about Harry and Meghan and their exit from the working royalty. They claim that H&M weren't interviewed for the book but they spoke to over 100 close friends and associates and it seems highly unlikely that a lot of them would have gone on the record without their blessing.Listen above as Whitcoulls' Joan Mackenzie talks with Francesca Rudkin  

The Girl in the Mirror by Rose CarlyleVery clever psychological thriller and it is very clearly, from day one, simply the book that everyone wants to read. I can't remember a new title from an unknown, first time author going as mad as this one has in the last few days. It was only published on Tuesday but sales have been amazing. Very clever story of twin sisters, Iris and Summer – Iris has always been jealous of her sister who seems to have the perfect life, husband, etc – but then an opportunity arises to take all of that and have it for herself. It's a terrific book and it'll be a great movie.This Farming Life by Tim SaundersHe's a farmer in the Manawatu and I reckon has the soul of a poet – writes beautifully about the seasons on a New Zealand farm, great descriptions about the land and the animals, with such a huge degree of respect for them. Funny that his wife is a vegetarian. This is a great book to get city folk like me thinking about the reality of life down on the farm, and will really resonate with rural people.  

Ben's least favourite game is back - Reception Reception! This is where Jono leaves an embarrassing message for Ben to see if they'll pass it onto Ben when he calls back. Also we've annoyed another Newstalk ZB host (not Mike Hosking this time) and she came in studio and confronted us. Whoopsies! And what place have you been banned from? Jono told the tale of when he was banned from Whitcoulls as a kid. Claaaaaaasic Jono.

Best NonfictionMe : Elton JohnLady in Waiting : Anne GlenconnerThe Body by Bill BrysonInto the Raging Sea by Rachel SladeListen above as Joan Mackenzie from Whitcoulls speaks Andrew Dickens.

Whitcoulls have reinstated Jordan Peterson's book.

New Zealand Book Store Whitcoulls has decided to pull Jordan B. Peterson's 12 Rules for Life.

Jordan Peterson's Book BANNED By Major Distributor??! Currently it is being reported that Whitcoulls, one of the largest distributors in New Zealand has pulled Jordan Peterson's book, 12 rules for life, following the major incident which occurred recently. A local media outlet reports that when calling the retail shops to follow up they were told his book is unavailable.Jordan Peterson is actually rather tepid in terms of politics but due to the constant lies and smears from the far left it has come to this, a kneejerk and overly emotional response. It would seem the culture war has dangerous ramifications and though the far left may be small they do have the power to cause serious harm to people.The regressive left and the far left in media may be facing industry collapse but the lies and smears can have lasting effects even now.Support the show (http://timcast.com/donate)

Whitcoulls book manager Joan Mackenzie reviews:The Girl Who Smiled Beads by Clemantine Wamariya, Penguin $38Take Me In by Sabine Durrant, Hachette $35

Interview with Pete Ryan has hunted and fished across four continents. His writing and images have appeared in quality books and magazines around the world, including Gray's Sporting Journal, Sporting Classics (USA), Field Sports (UK), Feathers & Fur and Wild Deer (Australia), Sporting Rifle (UK), The Flyfisher, On the Fly (USA) and The Hunter's Yearbook (Europe). He is a columnist for Fish & Game New Zealand magazine and features writer for Dallas Safari Club's Game Trails. He shares a small farm on New Zealand's South Island, close to his beloved Southern Alps, with his wife, son and daughter. Peter's first full length book web page is www.faraway.co   His Facebook page is  https://www.facebook.com/WildSouthPeterRyan   Print edition is available across NZ from Whitcoulls, PaperPlus and good bookstores.    Signed print editions and the Kindle edition are available on Amazon.com  http://www.amazon.com/Wild-South-fly-fishing-hemisphere-ebook/dp/B00E493Y9M/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1374819756&sr=1-1&keywords=wild+south Also available on Kobo, Barnes & Noble Nook and iTunes.   The trailer for the book is on You Tube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiCGwmZFXCU

Cameron Collie from Groggle talks to us about the battle between his company and Google over trade marks, Lufthansa offers Gray Powell a free flight to Germany, police raid the home of Gizmodo editor Jason Chen, McAfee announces it will compensate users affected by its recent blunder, Sony plans to stop manufacturing floppy disks, a well known Russian hacker may be living in New Zealand, Whitcoulls to launch ebooks later this month.