THE GROOVE BOOK REPORT

There's only only word to describe the photos in this book: Breathtaking!  They really are.  Over the course of nearly 40 years, artist Bruce Hunt has explored the ridgelines, hills and valleys of Otago and Canterbury, photographing the beauty and quiet grandeur of undulating foothills, soaring mountain ranges, dried out farmland, and meadering braided river systems.   These majestic photos are a result of Hunt's dedication and relationship with his environment.  "It began," he says in the forewaord, "in the early 1980's when I embarked on a solitary journey as a painter.  I intended to free myself from the distractions and mundanities of every day life: to focus only on the ever-present landscape and my work.  I wanted to quietly observe and study the patterns and design of the landforms that surrounded me."   Hunt was as a painter, walked to the remotest places to find muse and inspiration.  He stayed in a fishing crib on the edge of t...

Between 1908 and 1938, 130 Anglo-Indian adolescents were sent to New Zealand from Dr Graham’s Homes in Kalimpong, India. Most were the children of British tea planters and Indian women, and faced an uncertain future in India. Their resettlement in New Zealand was in many ways a success, but it was also characterised by silence about their heritage. In October of 2007 Author Jane McCabe arrived in the township of Kalimpong.  She had reason, she says, to believe that her grandmother, Lorna McCabe had spent time at a residential school there.  She never spoke of her Indian Heritage, her childhood or how she came to be in Dunedin in the 1920's. Jane had only one photograph which led her down a rabbit hole that uncovered her own Kalimpong connection, and a stunning hidden family history.  It also showed how Lorna was part of a bigger story of an organised emigration scheme.  It led to a doctorate at Otago University and a book in 2017.  But then there was an expanded...

At the Groove Book Report we believe in the power of stories and the magic of books and in the power of giving.  So we are 100% behind this great initiative.   Back for its third year, Kiwi Christmas Books collects donations of brand new books to gift to Kiwi children who would otherwise go without at this time of the year.   Great books make great kids and this year Kiwi Christmas Books want to deliver many Kiwi books they can directly into the hands of tamariki and rangathi whose families are doing it tough - especially after all we've gone through.  They would love your support - as readers and book lovers.   They know you will come to the party.   There are several ways you can help  Donate books in-person -  Purchase in person from your nearest participating bookstore .  They will have a collection box to deposit your purchased books into.  You can also buy a book from ANY bookstore and send it directly to ...

'Out in the moana, underneath the sparkling sun, lived a mother sea lion and her little pup one" ... By the author of the children's classic 'A Kiwi Night Before Christmas' and 'Down in the Forest' comes a catchy and playful retelling of the much-loved traditional story, Olive Wadsworth's "Over in the Meadow".  I loved Jenny Coopers bright and vibrant illustrations.  I wanted to trace some of these and add them to my school projects.  I could copy the colours, too. I didn't know about the 'Over The Meadow' story but my librarian at school found a copy and is ordering it from our local library.  I love the way one book leads to another.    I also loved the conservation themes, and the links to our moana.  I live Wellington.  We see seals a lot, so it made sense to me to have a book about these.   Yvonne Morrison has made some wonderful rhymes in here.  I don't know how close to the original she was but it all works well. ...

 

  This weekend kicks off the eighth annual LitCrawl Wellington.  Between 6pm - 9.15pm on Saturday 6 November literature lovers take to the streets to pick a path between iconic CBD spaces.  The programme includes Poet Ruby Solly, novelist Whiti Hereaker, Garden expert Isa Pearl Ritchie and celebrated writer Elizabeth Knox along with The Starling, Pandemic expert Dr Hirini Kaa and many, many more.  Check out the full programme here.  Note many events are sold out already.  S get in quickly for the rest! www.verbwellington.nz/litcrawl-2021 *Please note that in Level 2 you must register to attend any and all LitCrawl events - pay what you want from $5 per person. The minimum booking number is 2 people so that we can maximise the number of people in a venue (bubbles can stand/sit together). Upon entry you must show your registration, in using the COVID QR tracer app to every venue, and wear a mask.

What a treat! A crime novel with suspense and energy, so up to date it feels like it was written yesterday.  So deeply implanted into the streets and buildings of my city that I could see every familiar crack in the concrete footpaths, every splinter of the Harbour's decaying wooden jetty and every blade of grass and quivering flax bush on the slopes of Mount Victoria.  This book is as close to being right here, in the Capital, as you will ever get.  Not every Google Earth is that good!   “It’s Saturday night down on the wharf. Celebrations are in full swing for the Westons’ fortieth wedding anniversary. Their daughter Stella has returned from London to attend. Once shoulder-tapped as detective material, a few bad decisions and a questionable ethical dilemma saw her leave the force under a cloud. She’s now a private investigator in London, reduced to filming errant husbands for court cases. She doesn’t want to be home. Later that night her best friend Teri is fo...