<link>http://planetaudio.co.nz/books-and-beyond</link> Here’s an exciting show from those in the know. Three serious and not-so-serious librarians from Auckland Libraries explore the world of books with guest authors, recommended reads, news and reviews, poetry and gems from the Central Library basement and Special Collections. There are Book Club briefs with tips and connections. For book lovers, this is the listen of the week! https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/episode-932821-221218-213500.mp3 Join Alison and Ineka in the Literary Lounge as they talk about books that made a real splash in 2022. Better the blood / Michael Bennett / 2022 The doctor’s wife / Fiona Sussman / 2022 The last resort: a chronicle of paradise, profit, and peril at the beach / Sarah Stodola 2022 Women making waves: trailblazing surfers in and out of the water / Lara Enzig / 2022 True Biz / Sara Novic / 2022 How to take over the world: practical schemes and scientific solutions for the aspiring supervillain / Ryan North / 2022 To our listeners, we want to let you know that this is our final radio show. We will miss being on the radio and miss having you as our audience. If you are keen to keep listening to Books and Beyond, head over to our website www.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz and visit the Podcasts page for links to future episodes. Otherwise, send us an email to reading@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz and we will send you instructions on how to listen to future episodes. Sun, 18 Dec 2022 21:12:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/episode-931706-221211-213500.mp3 Join Alison and Ineka in the Literary Lounge as they bust some myths about literary blokes. Our featured male fiction authors write about far more than just hunting, shooting and fishing. Books mentioned on the show can be requested from the Auckland Libraries catalogue using the links below – most are available in multiple formats All the broken places / John Boyne / 2022 / Fiction: bit.ly/3UzkHCg Leonard and Hungry Paul / Rónán Hession / 2019 / Fiction: bit.ly/3FzUAqr The trees / Percival Everett / 2021 / Fiction: bit.ly/3hdpAmH The queen of Dirt Island / Donal Ryan / 2022 / Fiction: bit.ly/3W35Tg7 Sun, 11 Dec 2022 21:12:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/episode-930629-221204-213500.mp3 In a repeat of an earlier episode, Alison and Ineka are in the Literary Lounge and are talking resilience, resistance and rapturous reunions. Books mentioned in the show can be borrowed or requested for Click and Collect by Auckland Libraries members using the links below: Rough lives speak / Street Poets &amp; Artists Collective Enterprise: Richard Whelan, Tim Gray, Richard Nightingale, Lana Te Rore, John Joseph Hughes, Ta Iuli, Filipo Tu'u (artist); editors: Daren Kamali, David Eggleton – 2022 – Adult Poetry: bit.ly/3gKl3I4 Finding me: a memoir / Viola Davis – 2022 – Adult Non-Fiction: https://bit.ly/3NdxJ6f All about Evie / Matson Taylor – 2022 – Adult Fiction: bit.ly/3TEsU8r The colony / Audrey Magee – 2022 – Adult Fiction: bit.ly/3SCzlre Long past summer / Noué Kirwan – 2022 – Adult Romance: bit.ly/3DaI26E Sun, 4 Dec 2022 21:12:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/episode-929445-221127-213500.mp3 Join Alison and Ineka in the Literary Lounge for a memoir special. These titles will allow you to have a glimpse into extraordinary (and ordinary) lives. Books mentioned on the show can be requested from the Auckland Libraries catalogue – most are available in multiple formats All of this: a memoir of death and desire / Rebecca Woolf / 2022: bit.ly/3TXQEUj Straight up / Ruby Tui / 2022: bit.ly/3E68KOk Vital signs: heartbreaking, sometimes hilarious stories of a junior doctor's first year / Izzy Lomax-Sawyers / 2022: bit.ly/3E9lzXU The instant / Amy Liptrot / 2022: bit.ly/3ED2TAm Tales from the Fatherland: two dads, one adoption and the meaning of parenthood / Ben Fergusson / 2022: bit.ly/3g5SSDm Sun, 27 Nov 2022 21:11:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/episode-927139-221120-213500.mp3 In a repeat of an earlier episode, Alison and Ineka get grounded with some gritty and granular books from Aotearoa and further afield. Books mentioned in the show The Leonard Girls / Deborah Challinor / 2022 Aotearoa NZ author – Adult Fiction Historical: bit.ly/3PIlRKr Polaroid nights / Lizzie Harwood / 2021 Aotearoa NZ author - Adult Fiction Crime: bit.ly/3GmcZpB The guide / Peter Heller / 2021 Adult Fiction Action: bit.ly/3sY4yeC How to find your way home / Katy Regan / 2022 Adult Fiction: bit.ly/38iN6dC Ināianei/now / Vaughan Rapatahana / 2022 Aotearoa NZ author - Pacific poetry: bit.ly/3NFdOfM Sun, 20 Nov 2022 21:11:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/episode-350329-180218-213500.mp3 Karen talks with Anton Blank about his new short story collection Global Roaming. Launched at the Samesame but Different LGBTQI Writers Festival 2018, Global Roaming speaks in diverse voices from diverse locations around the world. Anton is the editor and founder of the Maori literary journal Ora Nui. Sun, 18 Feb 2018 21:02:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/episode-353095-180304-213500.mp3 Ex All Black Kevin Mealamu shares his unexpected journey from rugby to children's illustration. Sun, 4 Mar 2018 21:03:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/episode-354472-180311-213500.mp3 An exploration of work from of some of our finest Pasifika writers. Sun, 11 Mar 2018 21:03:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/20180408BB_SerieBarford.mp3 Karen talks with poet Serie Barford about her work and the influence of her mixed Samoan and European descent. Serie reads from her latest book “Entangled Islands” and the new anthology of political poetry “Manifesto Aotearoa”. Sun, 8 Apr 2018 00:04:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/episode-365441-180429-213500.mp3 Karen chats with acclaimed literary biographer Joanne Drayton, whose works include the NY Times bestseller "The Search for Anne Perry", about the Christchurch schoolgirl killer who forged a new life as a writer of popular historical crime novels. Her new book about TV chefs Hudson and Halls is due out this year. Sun, 29 Apr 2018 21:04:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/episode-383091-180603-213500.mp3 Karen talks with Dominic Hoey, whose novel Iceland was an Auckland Libraries Top 100 and longlisted for the Ockham NZ Book Awards. Under the Tourettes moniker he has also released five acclaimed studio albums, two books of poetry, four short films, and performed spoken-word poetry. Sun, 3 Jun 2018 21:06:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/episode-384452-180610-213500.mp3 Octogenarian, traveller, adventurer and author of Exciting Eighties: A Time of High Expectations. Esther Paddon shares some of her tales of adventure and what led her into writing. Sun, 10 Jun 2018 21:06:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/episode-387111-180617-213500.mp3 Leanne Radojkovich, just named as winner of the 2018 Graeme Lay Short Story Competition, talks with Karen about her collection “First Fox” (The Emma Press, 2017), and about her forays into flash fiction, an exciting form of highly compressed short fiction which continues to grow in popularity. Sun, 17 Jun 2018 21:06:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/books and beyond.mp3 Louisa chats with Peter Dragicevich, author of dozens of Lonely Planet travel guides, including guides for London, Venice and the Veneto region, Montenegro, Croatia and New Zealand. He has the dream job! Sun, 1 Jul 2018 21:07:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/episode-410154-180729-213500.mp3 Turou! Oro mai! 29 July - 4 August is Cook Islands Language Week. The language week is a special opportunity for Cook Islanders living in New Zealand to acknowledge, celebrate and embrace Cook Islands culture, history, customs and, most importantly, language. Louisa celebrates with a panel of Cook Islands guests talking about their most treasured Cook Islands books and what it means to them to be a Cook Islander. Sun, 29 Jul 2018 21:07:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/episode-422107-180826-213500.mp3 Karen and Louisa share recordings of some favourite poets in performance, including many NZ Poet Laureates, with a cameo from Janet Frame and a driving finale from current NZ Poet Laureate Selina Tusitala Marsh. Sun, 26 Aug 2018 21:08:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/2018-09-02-Books and Beyond_mixdown.mp3 September marks the start of the first ever New Zealand Theatre Month! Karen talks with playwright Roger Hall, the driving force behind this new nationwide celebration of the amazing New Zealand theatre scene. Sun, 2 Sep 2018 21:09:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/episode-422311-180909-213500.mp3 Karen talks with Jeremy “Mr J” from Arkham City Comics about his parallel journeys as librarian and comics fanboy, and how the comics genre has ensconced itself as an indisputedly brilliant reading choice. Sun, 9 Sep 2018 21:09:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/20180916BABedit.mp3 Renée Orr from Special Collections describes a selection of historical material illustrating wāhine taking action in Aotearoa, from the suffrage petitions of the 1890’s to the feminist magazine Broadsheet from the 1980’s. Sun, 16 Sep 2018 21:09:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/2018-11-18-Books and Beyond.mp3 Louisa chats with Lorraine Thomson about her book “The French way”, the story of how she trekked the El Camino de Santiago in Spain: a unique journey combining the physical, mental, historic, geographical, religious and social. Sun, 18 Nov 2018 00:11:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/2018-11-25-Books and Beyond.mp3 Anne Kennedy chats with Karen about her new novel “The Ice Shelf”, a wicked and hilarious satire on life and literati as experienced in the course of a wild night in Wellington by a modern day Moll Flanders. Sun, 25 Nov 2018 00:11:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/2018-12-02-Books and Beyond.mp3 Karen chats with Kirsten Warner about her debut novel "The sound of breaking glass", a tour de force set in Auckland in the 1990s which has made it onto the Auckland Libraries Top 100 of 2018, in the New Voices category Sun, 2 Dec 2018 00:12:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/episode-455315-181216-213500.mp3 Biographer, oral historian and memoirist Deborah Shepard talks with Karen about her new book “The writing life”, in which twelve of New Zealand's most acclaimed and admired writers speak candidly about their lives and their work. Sun, 16 Dec 2018 21:12:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/episode-455417-181223-213500.mp3 Louisa chats to Peter Millett, author of over 50 children’s picture and fiction books. He introduces his new book More Classic Rhymes for Kiwi Kids, and the latest in his superhero Johnny Danger DIY Spy series, which is as popular in the UK as it is here in Aotearoa. Sun, 23 Dec 2018 21:12:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/episode-455623-190106-213500.mp3 Mike Lee has his scholar and author’s hat on tonight as he talks with Karen about his new book Navigators and naturalists: French exploration of New Zealand and the South Seas (1769-1824). Sun, 6 Jan 2019 21:01:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/episode-461801-190113-213500.mp3 Karen chats with Joanne Drayton about Hudson &amp; Halls: the food of love, her new book about the beloved TV chefs who helped change New Zealand’s attitude to that unspoken thing, homosexuality. Sun, 13 Jan 2019 21:01:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/episode-473594-190217-213500.mp3 Alison Fitzpatrick reprises a reading from the "After-Hours Storytime for Grown-ups and Other Family" held at our Grey Lynn Library as part of the 2019 "same same but different" LBGTQI literary festival, and chats with Karen about rainbow writing. Sun, 17 Feb 2019 21:02:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/episode-477537-190224-213500.mp3 Peter Bland, prize-winning poet, playwright and charismatic actor (“Came a hot Friday”) talks with Karen about his life and his work, “poems adrift / like paper boats or messages in bottles / careless of landfall, happy to be themselves”. Sun, 24 Feb 2019 21:02:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/episode-478901-190303-213500.mp3 Louisa catches up with a couple of the glorious poets involved in the upcoming Stars of Pasifika Poetry event Sun, 3 Mar 2019 21:03:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/episode-480223-190310-213500.mp3 Bestselling kiwi author Catherine Robertson talks to Karen about her new Gabriel’s Bay novel “What you wish for” and what she wished for it: topical themes, lots of humour, and a mystery moose. Sun, 10 Mar 2019 21:03:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/episode-481545-190317-213500.mp3 Louisa chats with Kiwi author Dawn McMillan, whose picture book “I need a new bum” sold out worldwide after being read aloud by YouTube sensation The Scottish Granny. Dawn’s new book is “There’s a tui in my teapot | He tūi kei rō tipata” Sun, 17 Mar 2019 21:03:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/episode-482866-190324-213500.mp3 Owen Gill chats with Karen about the ideas in his new book "Turning Point Auckland: radical policy to prepare Auckland for 2 million people." Owen is a public policy advocate who has experience in urban services and regulation in New Zealand and Australia. He was born and lives in Auckland. Sun, 24 Mar 2019 21:03:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/episode-486833-190414-213500.mp3 Author Tina Shaw chats with Karen about her new YA novel Ursa, a chilling exploration of totalitarianism set in an alternative world, inspired by her time living in Berlin. Tina’s book Make a hard fist was an Auckland Libraries Top 100 for 2018. Sun, 14 Apr 2019 21:04:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/episode-493463-190421-213500.mp3 Author Margie Thomson chats with Karen about her new book Woman kind, in which she tells the stories of 53 amazing kiwi women of different ages, backgrounds and interests, but all with a passion for helping others and effecting positive change. Sun, 21 Apr 2019 21:04:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/20190428BAB.mp3 Michele Powles and Renee Liang talk with Karen about capturing the joy, beauty, discomfort and humour of the first years of motherhood as co-authors of the new book ”When we remember to breathe: mess, magic and mothering”, joined by publisher Lisette du Plessis from Magpie Pulp. Sun, 28 Apr 2019 00:04:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/episode-500231-190505-213500.mp3 Penny Ashton, actor, improviser, star of the comic tour-de-force 'Austen Found: The Undiscovered Musicals of Jane Austen', chats with Karen about the many reasons to love Jane Austen, and gives us a taste of the show, a mash-up of laughs and literature, jokes and jabs. Sun, 5 May 2019 21:05:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/20190512BaB.mp3 Hunny Bunny and Pumpkin (aka Alison and Karen) celebrate Pulp Fiction, the cheap, disreputable paperbacks which became cult classics, from lesbian pulp to paranoid noir to hardboiled fiction-- and beyond! Sun, 12 May 2019 00:05:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/episode-507133-190602-213500.mp3 Janet McAllister and Tulia Thompson talk with Karen about “Life on volcanoes”, a beautiful new collection of essays which Janet commissioned from 5 contemporary women: Tulia, Tze Ming Mok, Courtney Sina Meredith, Ruth Larsen, Tui Gordon. Sun, 2 Jun 2019 21:06:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/episode-507236-190609-213500.mp3 Louisa catches up with Renée Hollis, whose beautiful book Keepers of History shares the fascinating life stories of 38 of our country's centenarians Sun, 9 Jun 2019 21:06:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/episode-511104-190623-213500.mp3 Author Des O’Leary talks with Karen about "Slice of Heaven", written for his South Auckland students who told him they liked ‘stories about people like us’. Sun, 23 Jun 2019 21:06:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/episode-515202-190707-213500.mp3 Kelly Sheehan from Earth’s End Publishing talks with Karen about the company’s mission to produce exceptionally designed New Zealand comics and graphic novels, and about their latest release, Ross Murray’s "Rufus Marigold". Sun, 7 Jul 2019 21:07:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/episode-522066-190714-213500.mp3 Iconic Auckland novelist Stephanie Johnson chats with Karen about being considered an Aussie writer by Aussies and about “West Island”, her new book about the trans-Tasman relationship. Sun, 14 Jul 2019 21:07:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/episode-526158-190721-213500.mp3 Journalist Margie Thomson talks with Karen about her new book “Whale Oil”, a gripping and disturbing expose’ of one of the worst cases of cyberbullying yet seen in New Zealand. Sun, 21 Jul 2019 21:07:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/episode-527540-190728-213500.mp3 Ivana Mlinac chats with Karen about her magical book 'Stardust: we always share the same sky', written to create a sense of safety and love for children with an incarcerated parent. Sun, 28 Jul 2019 21:07:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/episode-528915-190804-213500.mp3 For te 'epetoma o te reo Kūki 'Āirani / Cook Islands langauge week your local librarians celebrate the language and culture of the Cook Islands through books, music and conversation Sun, 4 Aug 2019 21:08:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/episode-532906-190811-213500.mp3 Karen talks with poet and anthologist Paula Green about her new book ‘Wild Honey: reading New Zealand women’s poetry’, which celebrates the many ways poems by women deserve a place in Aotearoa’s literary canon. Sun, 11 Aug 2019 21:08:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/episode-549194-190908-213500.mp3 Alison chats with acclaimed author Tessa Duder about her new book “First map : how James Cook charted Aotearoa New Zealand,” which has been released in time for the Tuia Encounters 250 commemoration of the first onshore encounters between Māori and Pākehā. Sun, 8 Sep 2019 21:09:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/episode-568471-191013-213500.mp3 Alison chats with beloved children’s author Stacy Gregg about her new book Prince of Ponies and finds out why horses have such a strong place in our literary and imaginative worlds. Sun, 13 Oct 2019 21:10:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/episode-576864-191201-213500.mp3 Alison and Karen discuss books by some celebrated Black authors who write about communities divided along racial lines. What is it like to exist in a society where there is very little safety, fairness and trust? "Go back to where you started or as far back as you can. Examine all of it, travel your road again and tell the truth about it. Sing or shout or testify or keep it to yourself: but know whence you came" ~ James Baldwin Sun, 1 Dec 2019 21:12:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/episode-576972-191208-213500.mp3 Alison and Karen take a literary meander through the Cornish countryside and discover why this rugged and mysterious landscape has provided inspiration for generations of writers. Sun, 8 Dec 2019 21:12:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/episode-597541-200223-213500.mp3 Alison and Morgan discuss the classic “coming of age” and the more recent “coming to terms” narrative in queer literature and discover that an author’s lived experience has a huge influence on the quality of the story. No rainbow unicorns were harmed in the making of this episode. Sun, 23 Feb 2020 21:02:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/2021022BB-SG.mp3 Move over the Brothers Grimm, we present to you the Sisters Gay, who join us direct from their smash hit at the Same, Same but Different literary festival, where they presented their show called Classics (an after-hours story time for grown-ups and other family members). The Sisters chat about the show and read some excerpts from Lorde (Audre, that is) et al. Sun, 1 Mar 2020 00:03:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/episode-603659-200517-213500.mp3 On tonight’s Literary Lounge Lockdown episode of Books &amp; Beyond, Alison and Ineka talk about what they’ve been reading over the last month and discover why their TBR lists just keep getting longer and longer. Will it ever be possible to flatten the TBR curve? Sun, 17 May 2020 21:05:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/episode-621799-200614-213500.mp3 This episode comes to you on a somewhat sombre note, as we mark the worldwide protests in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Alison and Ineka talk about being an ally to the cause and the rich resources available at libraries to help you lean in, listen and learn Sun, 14 Jun 2020 21:06:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/episode-625696-200621-213500.mp3 The whetū (stars) guide us in this special Matariki episode of Books &amp; Beyond. Alison and Ineka join fellow librarians Jenny Barnett, who is the Poutuitui Ahunga Māori (Māori Service Coach) and Teri Ta’ala who is the Poukōkiri Tapoko Tāpaenga (Senior Librarian – Māori Collections)for a kōrero coverind everything from augmented reality to hearty vegetables as we celebrate this special time of year in Aotearoa. Sun, 21 Jun 2020 21:06:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/episode-629755-200712-213500.mp3 1 pandemic, 1 household, 3 generations, 5 humans, 1 dog, 1 cat. Alison and Ineka talk with Cathy Casey and Kees Lodder, two of the authors of Opening Little Boxes, written during the COVID-19 lockdown. The book explores creativity, mindfulness, and finding love and understanding in an uncertain and frightening time. Opening little boxes / Kees Lodder, Cathy Casey, Manuela Bertão, Alex Casey; foreword by the Right Honourable Helen Clark. All proceeds from the sale of this book go to the Auckland City Mission and Lifewise. Sun, 12 Jul 2020 21:07:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/episode-660358-200823-213500.mp3 It’s a frenzy of soft furnishing tonight because Alison and Ineka are in Literary Lockdown. Find out who has the best pouffe, and what these two have been reading during Level 3. Sun, 23 Aug 2020 21:08:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/episode-661724-200830-213500.mp3 Alison and Ineka are still in Literary Lockdown on tonight’s episode of Books &amp; Beyond. This feast of fun and fabric includes discussion about repurposed beer crates, flotation tanks and side hustles – with a side of reading thrown in for good measure. Sun, 30 Aug 2020 21:08:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/episode-664451-200906-213500.mp3 This episode of Books and Beyond features Alison in conversation with local author Lil O’Brien, who has recently released her memoir Not that I’d kiss a girl: a Kiwi girl’s tale of coming out and coming of age. Tune in and find out how Lil’s sadness and subtext became motorbikes, main text and happy endings. Sun, 6 Sep 2020 21:09:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/episode-668766-200927-213500.mp3 In this episode of Books and Beyond, Alison and Ineka chat with writer, filmmaker, and Fulbright Scholar Ghazaleh Golbakhsh who has just released a book of essays called The girl from Revolution Road, based on her experience as an Iranian immigrant growing up in New Zealand. The essays cover topics like being different and living between two worlds, micro-aggressions, racial harassment and the events of 15 March 2019. This is a book full of pain, tenderness and surprising amounts of humour. Sun, 27 Sep 2020 21:09:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/episode-719320-201129-213500.mp3 Alison is joined in the studio by acclaimed author Amy McDaid. Amy has recently released her novel Fake baby, a deeply satirical and comic tragedy set in present-day Auckland. Sun, 29 Nov 2020 21:11:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/episode-719426-201206-213500.mp3 Alison is joined in the studio by the artist, researcher, videographer and teacher Dr Bobby Hung aka Berst. Bobby has just released an anthology of his recent work called 'Berst draws'. You'll find Berst’s art where graffiti intersects with social activism. Sun, 6 Dec 2020 21:12:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/episode-733051-210124-213500.mp3 Alison has been on a mission over the summer to re-read her favourite books by the classic American author John Steinbeck. In this episode she’s joined by fellow Steinbeck fan, and high school teacher Daniel, and together they discuss the author’s enduring popularity, particularly amongst young readers. Tune in and find out how books that are so old can seem so new. Sun, 24 Jan 2021 21:01:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/episode-737145-210228-213500.mp3 In this special Pride edition of Books &amp; Beyond, Alison is joined by Queerleaders Lil O’Brien and Tanya Johnson who talk about their recent and all-time fave queer reads. Sun, 28 Feb 2021 21:02:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/episode-743915-210328-213500.mp3 Alison chats with the author, educator and personal-finance journalist Mary Holm, whose latest book is "A richer you: how to make the most of your money." Listen along as they chat about jet skis, reliable family vehicles (aka Dad-cars) and soy lattes. Find out how each one of these things is a small piece of the great big financial literacy puzzle. Sun, 28 Mar 2021 21:03:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/episode-753700-210411-213500.mp3 Alison talks with the award-winning author Paul Cleave about the release of his new thriller The quiet people. Master of both the pen and the frisbee, Paul is one of our most internationally successful authors. Listen to the show and find out if a crime writer really can get away with murder. Sun, 11 Apr 2021 21:04:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/episode-753811-210418-213500.mp3 Auckland Libraries has just celebrated the publication of its first te reo Māori children’s book: Māma, e hiakai ana mātou - Mum, we’re hungry. The book has also been translated into Samoan: Tinā, ua mātou fia'a'ai! Mum, we’re hungry is a universal story that has been written with aroha and alofa. Everyone will relate to its warmth and wit. Alison is joined in the studio by two wonderful wāhine: Teri Ta’ala (author) and Veronica Ligaliga (translator) to talk through the process of writing and launching this book. Sun, 18 Apr 2021 21:04:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/episode-763688-210502-213500.mp3 Alison talks with author Danielle Hawkins about the release of her new book Two shakes of a lamb’s tail: the diary of a country vet. Danielle is a Waikato vet, mother, farmer, wife, family member and gardener, with four best-selling novels to her name. This book is a diary through the four seasons of 2020 – and what a year it was, with a pandemic and a drought. Combine this with a drunken literary festival, rampant gorse in the back paddock, some successful matchmaking and several intimate examinations of very large and grumpy animals, and you get a ripper of a book. Sun, 2 May 2021 21:05:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/episode-776085-210516-213500.mp3 In this episode of Books &amp; Beyond Alison chats with author Rosemary Riddell about her book To be fair: confessions of a district court judge. Rosemary says that, in writing the book “I wanted people to see that judges are not high and mighty or unreachable. We are just ordinary people doing a rather demanding and difficult job, and it is a job that keeps our feet on the ground.” Listen and find out what a day on the bench in our court system looks like. Our verdict on Rosemary’s book? Fabulous. Sun, 16 May 2021 21:05:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/episode-795262-210620-213500.mp3 Despite their age gap, Alison and Ai discover that they are sisters in YA fandom. Find out why in this episode of Books &amp; Beyond.... Sun, 20 Jun 2021 21:06:00 +1200 https://plfm01s1.blob.core.windows.net/episodes/episode-907022-220904-213500.mp3 Alison is joined in the studio by the distinguished and award-winning writer and literary critic Stephanie Johnson. Join them for a lively conversation about Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, and a chat about Stephanie's recent works. Books mentioned in this programme can be requested for Click and Collect by Auckland Libraries members, and are available in multiple formats: The writers' festival (2015) https://bit.ly/3ee0bHX Everything changes (2021) https://bit.ly/3R69TdX Nine lives: New Zealand writers on notable New Zealanders (2021) https://bit.ly/3B4nf4V Sun, 4 Sep 2022 21:09:00 +1200