THE GROOVE BOOK REPORT

This just in: LitCrawl Wellington is evolving, and now become part of a larger structure called Verb Wellington .  This is an annual writers festival featuring LitCrawl.  6 - 10 Nov 2019 (LitCrawl on 9 Nov)   Verb Events We are presenting international writers throughout the year and have a number of great experiences coming up, including Helen Zaltzman (The Allusionist podcast), John Boyne (Irish novelist of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas) and UK performance poet Luke Wright. For details and tickets see Verb Events here:  https://www.verbwellington.nz/events Verb Residencies Verb is supporting Aotearoa writers with residency experiences to encourage and nurture their work. Read more about those here:  https://www.verbwellington.nz/festival/residencies Verb Collaborations Verb is excited to be partnering with other organisations to deliver literary events. Read more about those here:  https://www.verb...

Our reviewer Couchdiva meets a very cryptic and disturbing genius, known for solving impossible cases. He's also a psychopath with a dark secret, and also the FBI's last resort for solving a particularly difficult case. When a 14-year-old boy vanishes on his way home from school, the FBI are called in to solve the disappearance before the ransom deadline. Enter Timothy Blake, codename Hangman. He is a genius, able to see and unlock puzzles on the most tricky of cases. He’s also the FBI’s last ditch effort to get to the bottom of this case.  They are desperate. I always like to read any background information an author might include about their novel. Generally, I find it helps to get an insight that might explain the story’s genesis or highlight a reason for a character’s trait or personality. In his author’s note, Heath explains how he wants his titular character, Blake (aka Hangman) to be viewed by the reader. He wanted to know how repulsive he could make the main cha...

A scenographer by training, the Randell Cottage’s 2019 French resident is Karin Serres whose work traverses many genres - novels, picture books, plays, for stage and radio, and translation.  Join us for an evening of conversation, readings and reflection on the new perspectives that come from writing away from home on Wednesday 27 March at the National Library.   Wednesday, 27 March 5:30pm - 7:30pm Programme Rooms, Ground Floor National Library, corner Molesworth and Aitken Streets Thorndon Karin Serres was born in 1967. Her studies in scenography guide her through the discovery of dramatic writing, leading her to writing novels and radio programmes and to translation.  As a grant holder in the Île-de-France region of the National Book Centre of France (CNL) and of the French Department of Music, Dance, Theatre and Performing Arts (DMDTS), she has written more than eighty theatrical pieces – often performed, translated and published – half of whi...

Michele A'Court with Mr Bruce of The Correspondents at WOMAD 2019 (Photo: Tim Gruar) Six-time winner of the NZ Comedy Guild's Best Female Comedian Award, Michele A'Court has forged a successful career as a stand-up comedian, corporate entertainer, actor, voice artist and writer. She has two books out - Stuff I Forgot to Tell My Daughter and her latest How We Met . During WOMAD 2019 The CoffeeBar Kid had a bit of a chat about her writing, comedy and being on the road with her husband, Jeremy Elwood . Michele is the Lead Columnist for Your Weekend  magazine which she co-shares with Jeremy. She's also regular guest on TV3's current affairs comedy show, 7 Days ; on Radio NZ National's The Panel with Wallace Chapman; and 9 to Noon  with Kathryn Ryan and Te Radar. Michele also reviews books for Radio NZ National and the NZ Listener. As a veteran of the industry, Michele is a funding assessor for Creative New Zealand's Theatre Panel. She is als...

Our fabulous reviewer, Couchdiva, takes a journey back to the '70's to find out why the band really split up and discovers that making music is never just about the music. Sometimes it can be hard to tell where the sound stops and the feelings begin. “At first, I think you start to get high to dull your emotions, to escape from them. But after a while you realise that the drugs are what are making your life untenable, they are actually what are heightening every emotion you have.  It’s making your heartbreak harder, your good times higher. So coming down really does start to feel like rediscovering sanity.  And when you rediscover your sanity, it’s only a matter of time before you start to get an inkling of why you wanted to escape it in the first place.”  – Daisy Jones  A thrilling story told in the form of an extended oral history, Daisy Jones and the Six transports the reader to the world of '70's rock 'n roll; creative chaos, music...

Wellington's central library is being closed indefinitely after a new engineering report raised concern about its safety in a significant earthquake. The library - which was opened in 1991 - and public car park will be closed from 8.30pm tonight. Wellington Mayor Justin Lester claims it is necessary to do so to keep the 3000 people who visit it each day safe. However he said every effort will be made to ensure that library services will be back in action, as he knew they were crucial to the city and closing the library would be disruptive. As a precaution the Council will also close some areas of the footpath around the library, as these areas are within the building foot-print. This includes some access routes to the Civic Precinct; alternative routes will be put in place. Mr Lavery said no job losses were expected as a result of the closure and the Council was looking at how to deliver alternative library services, including making use of the library branch network, ...

Fiona Kidman, Jo Seagar and Kimberly Andrews are winners in the inaugural NZ Booklovers Awards announced today.    ‘These are books that all families in New Zealand will enjoy,’ says NZ Booklovers Director Karen McMillan. ‘Between the three winners, there is a novel that is an excellent piece of storytelling that takes the reader back in time to New Zealand in the 1950s, a lifestyle book that will be used repeatedly for family celebrations, and a children’s book that is likely to become a favourite and foster a love of reading.’ This Mortal Boy  by Fiona wins the NZ Booklovers Award for Best Adult Fiction Book 2019.     The judges say, ‘This novel is a portrayal of a real event in New Zealand, one of the last times the death penalty was invoked. Set in the 1950s, the social climate of the time is beautifully portrayed – conservative, prejudiced against immigrants, and suffering from an upsurge in juvenile delinquency. It is very easy to engage ...

  The Prime Minister, Jeff Tweedy, Sir Antony Beevor  among Stellar 2019 Auckland Writers Festival Line-up     The 20th Auckland Writers Festival programme launches today, revealing a line-up of more than 200 events featuring over 230 globally acclaimed public intellectuals and much-loved literary stars offering conversation, laughter, ideas and inspiration for audiences of all ages from 13 to 19 May.   Jeff Tweedy Appearing exclusively in New Zealand is memoirist and founding member and leader of American rock band Wilco,  Jeff Tweedy . Joining him is acclaimed British historian  Sir Antony Beevor ; Canadian writer, visual artist and author of the iconic work, Generation X –  Douglas Coupland ; memoirist and former Straitjacket Fits front man  Shayne Carter ; celebrated New Zealand novelists  Tessa Duder ,  Lloyd Jones ,  Fiona Kidman , Witi Ihimaera , Albert Wendt ...

"World of Words is a celebration of voices,  ideas, creativity and the spoken word."  This extremely popular festival gem has a newly revamped home for WOMAD 2019, along with an exciting line-up that now extends into the evening.  Now nestled in the heart of the beautiful Kunming Garden, alongside an upmarket bar, World of Words features an inspiring collection of award-winning thinkers, authors, comedians, poets, and photographers. Sponsored by the Western Institute of Technology at Taranaki (WITT), World of Words is a must-see part of WOMAD.  Down load the schedule here The internationally established three-day world music, arts and dance festival WOMAD is all about artist discovery and once again, the 2019 festival features an array of artists from all corners of the globe. Artists from countries as varied as Benin, Belgium, Ireland, Wales, Mexico and Greece are invited to Aotearoa next March to share their cultures, identities and heritage. They...

The sizzling new summer issue of Toi Toi is now out! "Eagle-eyed readers might notice a refresh of the way stories and poems are laid out in the journal," says the Editor, Charlotte Gibbs, "we are always thinking about how best we can honour and respect the work we publish. A special congratulations to 10-year-old Madeleine Smith for her awesome cover artwork." Toitoi is a quarterly journal of writing and art by New Zealand children, ages 5-13. With 100 pages of original stories, poetry and artwork, Toitoi gives our young writers and artists a real purpose and a wide audience. Toitoi can be read at home or at school and is a valuable classroom resource. The publications big excitement this year is a collaborative project to produce two extra-special Toitoi journals that celebrate our connections to Latin America and Southeast Asia.  Submissions are now officially open for these journals - click here to send in your own contributions.   Finally, as...

Shaesta Waiz, an Afghan-American professional pilot, has been flying solo around the world to promote Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) among girls. She shared her inspiring story with schoolgirls in Kabul of how she achieved her ambitions as the daughter of an Afghan immigrant. UNDP Afghanistan/Omer Sadaat (2017) "Let’s make sure women and girls can shape the policies, services and infrastructure  that impact all our lives.  And let’s support women and girls who are breaking down barriers to create  a better world for everyone."   — UN Secretary-General, António Guterres     International Women's Day (IWD) is  celebrated on March 8 every year. It is a focal point in the movement for women's rights. International Women's Day German poster for International Women's Day, March 8, 1914 The poster above was banned in Germany.  After the Socialist Party of America org...