Craighead Diocesan School

60,859 pages read and 5,498 team points

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TRox

22,435 pts

(13,493 pages read)

How to Loiter in a Turf War

By Coco Solid

3 stars

I really need to reread this book to fully appreciate it. It took me a while to appreciate the manner in which it was written and to begin to get my head around the concepts and the viewpoint and the use of language. By the end I was appreciating the language and the power of the characters more fully. I enjoyed the use of one character's lecture notes and essays to give more depth to the discussions.
Paper Cage

By Tom Baragwanath

5 stars

Very kiwi. Very compelling.
Mum's Busy Work

By Jacinda Ardern

4 stars

Sweet
The Gavin Bishop Treasury

By Gavin Bishop

4 stars

A reminiscent listen.
Bird Life

By Anna Smaill

4 stars

A New Zealand student moves to Japan after the death of her brother. The people she meets there help her to explore reactions to death and to mental instability and the family members role in the choices made by the individual.
The Vanishing Point

By Andrea Hotere

5 stars

A gripping debut novel about the mystery behind the painting Las Meninas by Velasquez. This was a very good read that had me spending a lot of time investigating the painting and the history of the court of Philip IV.
We're going On a Bear Hunt

By Michael Rosen

5 stars

Another classic that is fun to read and act out.
Peepo

By Janet and Allan Ahlberg

5 stars

A classic children's book with so much interesting information in the pictures. A delight to share with a grandchild many times in one session.
Counting Creatures

By Julia Donaldson

5 stars

A sumptuous feast of colour and detail in the illustrations by Sharon King-Chai. The text is simple but also introduces the collective nouns for various types of animal.
Seed

By Elisabeth Easther

5 stars

The many different ways of getting pregnant and attitudes towards being pregnant are explored in this book.
His Favourite Graves

By Paul Cleaves

5 stars

Dark and full of twists and turns. There is no way that you can say the best man wins!
Shadow of the Mountain

By Anna Mackenzie

5 stars

A 2008 young adult novel that deals with loss of siblings, friends and rebuilding relationships. It's set in a rural community in the North Island. A very chaste read compared to many modern novels.
The Improbable Life of Ricky Bird

By Diane Connell

5 stars

Set on a central London housing estate, this is a modern and gritty novel that explores the way in which a 12 year old girl deals with puberty and family break up and disaster. it was very interesting and scary fictional account of the ways in which modern life can challenge young people.
Spark

By Rachel Craw

4 stars

Young adult, dystopian novel about genetic modifications that link a protector and a target. It was intriguing.
You're So Vine

By Catherine Robertson

3 stars

This is another romance set on the same vineyard and involving the same family members as the previous read. Easy read.
Cemetery Lake

By Paul Cleave

4 stars

This is a novel about a seriously messed up private detective who gets himself further and further along some very dark pathways. It is set in Christchurch NZ. Sometimes laugh out loud funny and sometimes very dark. It is a good read.
Before You Knew My Name

By Jacqueline Bublitz

5 stars

I found this fascinating. It's a murder mystery type story written and narrated by the murder victim. It's contemporary and set in New York.
Corkscrew You

By Catherine Robertson

3 stars

Another "romcom, enemies become lovers" book. It was okay.
The Strength of Eggshells

By Kirsty Powell

5 stars

I wasn't sure about this book to start with. It is another debut novel, that left me wondering why I was reading about motorbike riding farm girls. But, it was a powerful combination of past and present and the hunt for closure regarding family of origin. I found the ending startling and very emotional.
The Isobar Precinct

By Angelique Kasmara

4 stars

Very modern and gritty, this debut novel explores modern life in Auckland then diverts into a more science fiction style, time travel theme. It explores the idea of being able to go back in time and change events. It was challenging but enjoyable.
The Gallows Bird

By Barbara Sumner

5 stars

Another debut novel based on real life stories of early convicts, in this case a girl who escaped hanging to be transported to NZ. It deals more with her harrowing story prior to her arrival in NZ.
One of Those Mothers

By Megan Nicol Reed

4 stars

Another debut novel from a long standing New Zealand journalist. This book is contemporary fiction. It is heralded as a 'domestic noir'. It explores contemporary issues around shared responsibility for choices made in the modern world. It was a very different genre for me. I enjoyed it.
From Provence with Love

By Alison Roberts

3 stars

Written by an former Mills and Boons author, this book follows a similar format. It was an easy read. Thanks to Google Maps, I was able to visit the places in Provence that were mentioned in the story. That added to its interest for me.
Skylark

By Jenny Pattrick

4 stars

This is a fictionalised account of early entertainers in NZ, travelling circuses, performing families and the rigours of life from the Otago goldfields, to the emerging towns on the North Island. Many of the minor characters are based on true people and true events. The main characters are fictional and lead a controversial life. It was interesting.
Tuppenny Brown

By Eve Sutton

3 stars

Published in 1977, this a a bit of kiwi nostalgia reading.
The Red Book

By James Patterson and David Ellis

4 stars

Always a good read. Short chapters and fast pace.
Accidentally Yours

By Alexa Rivers

3 stars

Quick and easy romance. It's set in South Canterbury with a renamed Fairlie and mentions of Timaru.
The Shadow Weaver

By Ivy Cliffwater

4 stars

Another debut novel, this one is a romantasy. It is set in the past in a mythical continent reminiscent of Europe. The main character is a girl who was taken, with her twin, from her royal mother at birth. The reasons for the removal are revealed as the story progresses. I hadn't read a romantasy before, so it was interesting as a genre. Being of the older generation, I do find the frankness of the sex scenes somewhat startling. Young women today are far better informed than I was! The story was engaging, well-paced and easy to read.
Downstream From Nowhere

By Johnny Crawford

4 stars

The debut novel of a Timaru man is set in a valley of New Zealand. It explores the development of the valley from the point of view of various settlers over the decades. It includes a lot of NZ political and musical interest. The art work was created by Johnny's wife, Nabillah.
Sea Change

By Jenny Pattrick

5 stars

Having enjoyed the previous Jenny Pattrick novel, I decided to read some more. Sea Change is set in a future scenario of the aftermath of an earthquake and a tsunami on the Kapiti Coast. it explores how a diverse group of people come to appreciate each others strengths when they choose to stay behind after an evacuation order and develop their own community. In this novel, the bull-headed, rich white man gets his comeuppance!
Harbouring

By Jenny Pattrick

5 stars

This book presented a very readable account of the reasons that many of our ancestors left their homelands and travelled around the world in the 1840's. It gave an engaging account of the reasons and the methods used in the set up of new colonies by the Wakefields and the New Zealand company. It also provided a compelling insight into the way of life of Tangata Whenua before European settlement and in the early stages of it.
The Greenstone Princess

By Raymond A. Porter

4 stars

A love story set in a recently settled New Zealand that pulls together a variety of characters from different walks of life who come together to help young Maori lovers succeed in their quest to be together.
The Marvels

By Brian Selznick

5 stars

I love the way this author weaves images and writing to enhance both levels of the story. This starts with a storm at sea and ends with the fact that the living museum house actually does exist in London.
Attraction

By Ruby Porter

4 stars

A first novel from a contemporary New Zealand author about three women travelling driving around the North Island. The title relates to the development of the relationships between the characters. It explores many differnet sexual themes. It is written in the first person. It hops backwards and forwards in time in what seems to be a series of random thoughts. The structure took time to get used to.
Mythago Wood

By Robert Holdstock

3 stars

A psychological exploration of self-generated mythical creatures in an ancient woodland near Stonehenge. Part adventure, part love story. A bit hard to read. I think it was written in the 1960's.
Desert Tracks

By Marly Wells and Linda Wells

4 stars

Time travel in a junior fiction book set in Australia and dealing with Aboriginal development.
The River is Waiting

By Wally Lamb

5 stars

Can I give it 6 stars? I finished this book at 1.15 a.m. having read it the less than 48 hours previously. I found it gripping from start to finish. It's about a series of personal disasters that lead to a prison term in America. It left me in tears. It was published this year.
When the Deep Dark Bush Swallows You Whole

By Geoff Parkes

4 stars

Set in the North Island, this book explores small town country lifestyles and attitudes when a foreign visitor tries to find out how her sister died when on a working holiday.
All the Perfect Days

By Michael Thompson

4 stars

How would you manage if you knew how long people had to live just by touching them? An interest concept to explore in this book.
The Bookshop Detectives Tea and Cake and Death

By Gareth Ward and Louise Ward

5 stars

Murder Mystery set in Havelock North. Very amusing to read.
I Have Life

By Marianne Thamm

5 stars

True story of a woman's recovery from a brutal attack by two rapists. Set in South Africa.
The Borgia Bride

By Jeanne Kalogridis

5 stars

Fascinating fact-based fictionalised account of the Borgia lives.
Wild Card

By Elsie Silver

5 stars

Enjoyable. It made me laugh out loud at times. Also gave me a few surprises along the way.
Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow

By Gabrieele Zevin

4 stars

I think I should go and find all the songs and online games mentioned in this book. It had a lot. It was an interesting insight into life in 1990's American game development world and the amazing cultural mix in many American citizens. It took me a while to get into it but it was worth persevering.

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Craighead Diocesan School

60,859 pages read and 5,498 team points

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