Aotea College

98,070 pages read and 4,947 team points

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Sophie

18,684 pts

(9,725 pages read)

Everything Is Beautiful And Everything Hurts

By Josie Shapiro

4 stars

A beautifully told story of one woman's life, told as she's running the Auckland marathon. My heart ached for Mickey, let down by so many people. But it's a story of perseverance and ignoring the haters. My first Shapiro, but I'm looking forward to reading more.
The Liminal Space

By Jacquie McRae

5 stars

A wonderful novella set in a small English village - 4 interconnected characters must deal with their pasts, expectations, and their everyday lives. It has some big themes (mental health, terminal illness, domestic violence, suicide) but it's ultimately about the power of connections and being true to yourself.
The Apprentice Witnesser

By Bren MacDibble

5 stars

A fantastic work of older children's fiction recommended to me by our wonderful school librarian. An adventure story set in North Queensland in the year 2070. Climate change has destroyed the world as we know it - most men are dead, children are rare, technology has long been forgotten, but the world is peaceful. It sounds bleak, but it wasn't! A lovely story that emphasises that you don't have to share DNA with people to be family ♥️
Faceless

By Vanda Symon

4 stars

I was slightly apprehensive starting this novel, as I didn't know what level of gritty it was going to be - regular crime novel gritty, or GRITTY gritty. Fortunately for me, it was the former. I'd never heard of Vanda Symon before, but I'm looking forward to reading her other books now that she's on my radar. "Faceless" has comprehensive characters, nice short chapters (which I like when an author switches perspectives), and a compelling storyline (a teenage runaway goes missing and an older homeless man she's befriended goes looking for her). Fab book and author!
A Different Kind of Power

By Jacinda Ardern

4 stars

I love memoirs, and this is a very good one. Arden is a great writer, and her talent as a speech writer is evident here. I learnt some new things about her, and I left with a greater respect for her.
The New Animals

By Pip Adam

1 stars

This book is an absolute clusterfuck. It's about a group of people working in fashion in Auckland - it should be interesting. They're all mild to moderately awful people... not a deal breaker, but not what I call pleasant reading. Then it gets worse - animal neglect. And then the final 40% of the book switches to the perspective of one of the background characters and goes completely "descent into madness." And then it ends. What.The.Fuck.
From Crime To Care: The History of Abortion in Aotearoa New Zealand

By Felicity Goodyear-Smith

4 stars

An interesting study about the history of abortion in NZ - from crime, to women's health issue.
Leave The Girls Behind

By Jacqueline Bublitz

3 stars

A mystery/ thriller about a young woman obsessed with the disappearance of three young girls whilst also coming to terms with a traumatic event from her past. It was definitely too jumbled in parts which is why I've rated it how I have, but it kept me engaged and was a solid read.
The Parihaka Woman

By Witi Ihimaera

3 stars

My first Ihimaera. I don't know if all his books are written like The Parihaka Woman, but I didn't find it an enjoyable read - the prose was clunky, the dialogue awkward, and it just didn't read nicely. Ihimaera has also chosen to tell the story in a really odd way (a descendant of "the" Parihaka woman narrates, and it's not effective storytelling in this case). The story itself was interesting, and picked up half way (which I've just realised is when the painful dialogue stops because our heroine is now on her own), but I had to force my way through the first half.
Kings Of This World

By Elizabeth Knox

2 stars

2.5 stars. Great synopsis, but poor execution. The first half of the book dragged, and was very confusing. There was no exposition, which made the story hard to follow (this book straddles the line between magical realism and fantasy, I think it needed exposition). It picked up in the second half and all came together, but it was too little too late for me.
Pearly Gates

By Owen Marshall

2 stars

My first - and last - Owen Marshall. 288 pages, but felt like 900. This novel should have been a short story. It's a "slice of life" about a man in a small New Zealand provincial town. That's it. This style of book only works if a) something dramatic happens (The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce), b) it's comedic (A Man Called Ove by Frederick Backman), or c) it's short (So Late In The Day by Claire Keegan). Pearly Gates is none of those things.
The Last Secret Agent

By Pippa Latour and Jude Dobson

5 stars

This is the third non- fiction book I've read about female agents in SOE-F (Special Operations Executive, French section) - it's such an interesting part of history. Pippa Latour had a fascinating early life in the Belgian Congo and Kenya, and then spent a dangerous few months working as a wireless operator in northern France. Like all surviving members of F section (there weren't many, male or female), she was exceptionally lucky. She saw and experienced some horrific things. This is an excellent memoir, incredibly moving. She was a redoubtable woman, I wish I'd known of her story earlier.
Golden Days

By Caroline Barron

4 stars

4.5 stars. Please don't judge a book by its cover or by its blurb - this is not some domestic manicpixiedreamgirl thriller. "My impatience for something more - more than the banality of my suburban life - meant I was open, I guess, to being infiltrated when Zoe moved in next door." Another book about female friendships, beautifully written by Caroline Bannon. I'm susceptible to these types of stories, because I had my very own Zoe at the exact same age. I loved the descriptions of Auckland's mid-90s clubbing scene - the music, the fashion, the poor choices.
Baby

By Annaleese Jochens

1 stars

I wasn't even going to count this book, but 18% of 219 pages is 39 pages so you'd better believe those 39 terrible pages are going to count for something. Borrowed it on a whim after a cursory glance at the synopsis, and called it quits at the 18% mark. Boring. Bad writing. Boring. We have an odious protagonist, quite possibly with narcissistic personality disorder or maybe a psychopath, narrating her impetuous, spoilt life, and Anahera, the object of our protagonist's obsession. It doesn't even deserve 1 star.
Succulents and Spells

By Andi R Christopher

2 stars

Novella about a witch living in Wellington. Not my usual style, but I liked the title and I needed a palate cleanser after my previous read. It was a palate cleanser - sweet and nice and twee - but the story went nowhere. I could see where I wanted it to go - more interactions with Laurel's family, sassy, busybody aunts and brothers and cousins with a backdrop of magic - and instead we rush through a confusing monster side quest/love interest/genealogical research. I think there's great potential in the story, but not as it was written.
Blood Men

By Paul Cleave

3 stars

2.5 stars. This is my first novel from NZ crime novelist Paul Cleave, but it will be my last. It's well written, but my god it's bleak. It's mostly told from the POV of the victim, and with snippets from the police detective assigned to the case, but I spent the whole novel wishing it was the other way around. It was essentially one sad descent into madness, and that wasn't what I wanted for my first read of 2026.
I Am Not Esther

By Fleur Beale

4 stars

A modern New Zealand YA classic that I've only just read, and boy is it good (and so "current" even though it was published in 1998). A teenage girl is forced to live with her uncle and his family - they just happen to be in an Exclusive Brethren/ Gloriavale- style cult.
Butcherbird

By Cassie Hart

4 stars

I picked this book based on the title, but wasn't sure that I'd like the supernatural aspect that the blurb hinted at. But I was enthralled from the start - family trauma, family secrets, rural New Zealand beautifully described, and great character work. The supernatural aspect was really well done (it was really subtle even though it was a core theme). Highly recommend.
The Call

By Gavin Strawham

4 stars

A really solid piece of detective fiction set in rural New Zealand that draws heavily on gang warfare (like a fictionalised version of Jared Savage's books on gangs and organised crime). A high level of tension throughout, fleshed out characters, and easily recognisable New Zealand scenery. I think Strawhan is a great author and I can't wait to read his next book.
Eddy, Eddy

By Kate de Goldi

4 stars

4.5 stars. Such a pleasant surprise of a book! Reminded me a little of Greta and Valdin in tone - funny, warm, odd but likeable characters, and a male cockatoo named Mother. There can't be many (if any) novels set in Christchurch in the year post the 2011 quake, but this isn't a novel about the quake. It's a story about a boy (19 years old) who was raised by his eccentric uncle (and assorted eccentric friends), figuring out his life, and accidentally starting a pet-sitting/ babysitting service. It's divine.
Mana

By Tāme Iti

3 stars

I read a lot of biographies, autobiographies, and memoirs, and Mana isn't a good example of the genre. Tāme Iti has led an interesting life, but there's no depth to what he says. He'll touch on events briefly, before moving on to something else. 292 pages, but half of it was images.
The Girl In The Mirror

By Rose Carlyle

2 stars

The Girl In The Mirror was riveting in the way thrillers tend to be, but it was ultimately predictable, frustrating rubbish - I was able to guess one of the twists very easily, which is never a good sign because I NEVER guess correctly. I was annoyed with the plot only a few pages in - also not a good sign. You have identical twins who are great beauties, seething jealousy between the "ugly" twin (THEY'RE IDENTICAL) and the "beautiful" twin, a family fortune tearing the family apart... you get the idea. I promise, you get the idea. It was trite, and it got increasingly stupid as the story progressed. Not since Burnham Wood have I wanted to throw my Kobo across the room when I finished a book. NZ authors just have a way to write really terrible endings, I guess.
Miracle

By Jennifer Lane

3 stars

3.5 stars. This is a YA novel (won the NZ Children's Book Award apparently), but not one that I think would be appealing to many young adult readers in 2025 - a teenaged girl in 1980s small town Australia dealing with her mother's mental health issues and alcoholism, and her father being jailed for a crime he didn't commit. It's well- written, the story is compelling, and it all comes together very nicely, but none of it read as YA to me.
The Day That Never Comes

By Ciamh McDonnell

5 stars

Audiobook. Ciamh McDonnell is my favourite author, and his two narrators (different one for each series) are the absolute best in the business. I welcomed the addition of Maggie (former police dog, takes no shit) to the cast - McDonnell gives her more personality than most authors give their human protagonists! I'll have to listen to this again at some point because it honestly got confusing, but it never impacted my enjoyment of the story.
Greta & Valdin

By Rebecca K Reilly

5 stars

Greta & Valdin had been sitting on my TBR shelf forever, and I'm kicking myself for ignoring it for so long. What a fantastic story about the lives of two adult siblings (both clearly on the autism spectrum and with other neurodiversities). It is so funny, at times frustrating, and very entertaining.
Gangland: New Zealand's Underworld of Organised Crime

By Jared Savage

4 stars

The first book by New Zealand journalist Jared Savage about the rise of organised crime and methamphetamine production/ importation in New Zealand. Like the sequel, this book left me sad, concerned, and angry. Sad, because of the harm that meth causes. Concerned, because of the prevalence of weapons, violence, and drugs that exist beyond the confines of my comfortable life. And angry at the amount of people out there importing, manufacturing, and selling this crap.
Lioness

By Emily Perkins

4 stars

I went in with apprehension (I didn't enjoy The Forrests, also by Perkins), but this book was a pleasant surprise. As much as I found Therese frustrating and was internally screaming at her most of the book, I found all her different relationships absolutely fascinating. I also had my own "Claire" at one time, so I related to Therese a lot.
The Night She Fell

By Eileen Merriman

4 stars

One of those "every character in this book sucks" books, but I surprisingly didn't hate it. It's well-written, engaging, with hints of the classic university tragedy (A Secret History, We Were Villains) about it.
Gangster's Paradise: New Zealand's Deadly Escalation of Organised Crime

By Jared Savage

4 stars

The second book in the series by NZ journalist Jared Savage. This is a really interesting (albeit frightening) investigation into the control and distribution of methamphetamine in New Zealand by local and foreign gangs.
Detective Beans: Adventures in Cat Town

By Li Chen

5 stars

I didn't think I could love this series any more, but I do! Li Chen is such a talented story-teller and illustrator. Every panel holds a new detail, and the attention to detail in general is just astonishing. The story is cute, and is engaging even for adult readers. More Detective Beans!
Violet and the Velvets: The Case of the Angry Ghost

By Rachael King

4 stars

The sequel didn't "hit" quite as well as book 1 (a tale as old as time), but I enjoyed having closure about Band Champs. The friendships between the kids was really well written. I hope that this series gets published overseas, it's very readable and I can see it being very popular.
Jacaranda

By Gaël Faye

5 stars

This novel won one of the major French literary awards in 2024, and it was well- deserved. It is a beautiful story of Milan, a French-Rwandan boy, disconnected from his parents, his culture, and himself, who starts to find himself when Claude, a mute survivor of the Rwandan genocide, comes to stay with Milan's family in Paris. This leads to Milan being pulled to Rwanda, and going on his journey of discovery. There are some bummers (survivor testimony), but they are treated with respect and dignity by Fael. If you can find an English translation, Jacaranda is well worth your time.
Violet and the Velvets: The Case of the Missing Stuff

By Rachael King

5 stars

"Mum was furious and said something about how girls aren't just decoration for male musicians." Agh, this book is wonderful! It has a really strong theme of feminism, but it doesn't knock you over the head with it. We also have a very fair representation of inattentive ADHD and how it can impact a person's day to day life. It's classed as junior fiction, but I think it'll really appeal to younger teenage girls. As a 40+ year old, I loved it!
Small Things Like These

By Claire Keegan

3 stars

As beautifully written as 'Small Things Like These' is, it just didn't capture my attention the way 'So Late In The Day' and 'Foster' did. Maybe it was just the topic (the Magdalene Laundries as the ominous backdrop is never a fun time), but I really didn't like this novella.
Detective Beans and the Case of the Missing Hat

By Li Chen

5 stars

A simply gorgeous graphic novel from a NZ author. Every illustration is beautiful, and the story is very sweet (but also kept me on tenterhooks - when would Beans get his hat back?!). Li Chen has written a great story, and wow, what a talented artist! I look forward to reading more Detective Beans ♥️

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Aotea College

98,070 pages read and 4,947 team points

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