THE GROOVE BOOK REPORT

WOMAD's popular World of Words programme is back for 2018! This year's line-up features 10 exciting sessions, including a chat with fashion designer Denise L'Estrange-Corbet, an hour with New Zealand’s multi-award winning crime writer Paul Cleave, a look at the life of Tame Iti, and even a Poetry Slam!

The new heart-warming and hilariously brilliant story from number one bestselling author David Walliams. Beautifully illustrated by artistic genius, Tony Ross. Dads come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. There are fat ones and thin ones, tall ones and short ones. There are young ones and old ones, clever ones and stupid ones. There are silly ones and serious ones, loud ones and quiet ones. Of course, there are good dads, and bad dads . . . A high-speed cops and robbers adventure with heart and soul about a father and son taking on the villainous Mr Big – and winning! This riches-to-rags story will have you on the edge of your seat and howling with laughter! Bad Dad is a fast and furious, heart-warming story of a father and son on an adventure – and a thrilling mission to break an innocent man into prison! David Walliams brings us on more fun and frolics in this epic adventure. For the older readers due to topics such as crime; prison; adultery. I do love how DW reflects...

She can’t prove he did it. But she might die trying... From the Sunday Times No.1 bestselling author of the Logan McRae series, comes a standalone spinoff featuring DS Roberta Steel. Revenge is a dangerous thing... Detective Chief Inspector Roberta Steel got caught fitting up Jack Wallace – that’s why they demoted her and quashed his sentence. Now he’s back on the streets and women are being attacked again. Wallace has to be responsible, but if Detective Sergeant Steel goes anywhere near him, his lawyers will get her thrown off the force for good. The Powers That Be won’t listen to her, not after what happened last time. According to them, she’s got more than enough ongoing cases to keep her busy. Perhaps she could try solving a few instead of harassing an innocent man? Steel knows Wallace is guilty. And the longer he gets away with it, the more women will suffer. The question is: how much is she willing to sacrifice to stop him? Ok, first things first.  This is not a...

Think you’ve got some spoken word skills that could wow a WOMAD audience? Well, we’re calling for entries for the WOMAD NZ Poetry Slam! Up for grabs is the title of WOMAD Slam Champ and 2 x three day WOMAD 2019 VIP tickets. To be in with a chance, simply upload a clip of you performing an original piece via our website! Our judges will select seven contestants to compete at WOMAD –  and if you make the cut you’ll be notified in early March. Please note - slam entrants are responsible for purchasing their own WOMAD 2018 tickets. ENTER HERE Event Sponsored by POETRY SLAM JUDGES  Penny Ashton is New Zealand’s own global comedienne who has been making a splash on the world stage since 2002. She has performed more than 600 solo shows and has sold out from Edinburgh to Adelaide to Edmonton. She has represented both New Zealand in The World Cup of Theatresports in Germany, and Australasia in a Performance Poetry Slam Tournament Tour of the UK. ...

“Envy the reader of Before the War who has never read anything by Fay Weldon. That reader is about to be changed by Weldon’s trademark voice.” ―The Washington Post Oh, there is a familiar, friendly voice speaking directly to us throughout this  book and Weldon takes huge delight acting all god-like throughout.  Not the all seeing power deity.  More the audible fly on the wall.  The benevolent god.  Mostly.  It's a common thing, she's done it before and uses it as her favourite voice in this, her 34th novel.  And she gets to tell you a few secrets of her creation.  Towards the start of the book she gives the 'nod' to Kurt Vonnegut, a contemporary author who'd accompany his readers in this way: She is standing in her shapeless clothes ... with no idea at all of what I have in store for her. I will give her an easy death. It’s the least I can do. She will drift away painlessly from loss of blood giving birth to twin daughters a day after their ...

The Susie K Files - The Life of The Party! (File #1)  by Shamini Flint, illustrated by Sally Hein ($12.99) Susie K is a bit of a nerd.  She prefers science to sport.  The class goldfish is her best friend. Her mum is worried and constantly makes her do stuff she doesn't want to do.  Susie goes along with Mum to please her but doesn't really want to. Mum is thrilled to hear that Susie is going to Clementine's party.  trouble is Susie hasn't got an invitation.  And Susie would rather stay home and read about endangered animals.  she's not really an extrovert or a party animal but to overcome her fears and to please Mum she she uses all her problem-solving skills to become the life of the party!  In this fresh new series find out how Susie's unconventional problem-solving skills + Mum's optimistically high expectations = hilarious results.  My 8 year old loved this one and really identified with the character who was often ostracized bec...

The CoffeeBar Kid was honored to interview writer and traveler Ruth Hobday, who along with Geoff Blackwell and Photographer Kieran Scott visit 200 women around the globe to hear their unique stories. This book was released late last year and is already enjoying great success.   200 women from around the world, famous and unknown, answer the same 5 questions, such as “What really matters to you?” and “What would you change in the world if you could?” The answers are inspiring, moving, sometimes funny, sometimes painful, but always powerful. Interviewees include Graca Michel, widow of Nelson Mandela and an impressive political and social activist, author Margaret Atwood, Nobel laureate Jody Williams, US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, and women from around the world making a difference. Each interview is accompanied by a photographic portrait, resulting in a volume that is compelling in word and image as it is global in its scope. It is published to coincide with a...