Hastings Girls' High School, Ngā Rau Huia o Ākina

23,863 pages read and 2,654 team points

Team members

Moniqa

1,406 pts

(1,122 pages read)

Turn Coat

By Tīhema Baker

5 stars

I got this book a couple of years ago when it was longlisted for the New Zealand Book Awards in 2024, and I've finally gotten around to reading it. From the start, it's a book that makes clear parallels between modern-day Aotearoa and the book's science-fictional version of it. At first, I thought the parallels were a bit heavy-handed and that the book simply recounted the issues around contemporary Te Tiriti issues and the Waitangi Tribunal by substituting "pākeha" for "aliens" and "Māori" for "humans". As the story progressed, I found it more engaging as the author delved deeper into the inner lives of the characters and their emotions which fleshed out the book and made it less allegorical. As a person who is very online, I did find the author's sense of humor and jokes spot on though, to the point where it made me laugh out loud (for example, referring to the Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil as the "T pose statue", a reference to glitchy video game avatars). By the end, I found myself really enjoying this book, and I'll whole-heartedly recommend it to others with the caveat that they've just got to power through the first 30 pages or so before the book starts to find its own voice and perspective.
f2m: The Boy Within

By Hazel Edwards and Ryan Kennedy

5 stars

This book is a really interesting insight into the lives of transmasculine young people. I had checked it out from our school library to check how it portrayed transgender characters as the book was published in 2010. I was pleasantly surprised with how the book presented the main character's inner world, his struggles, and the lack of devastatingly heart-breaking events which were all too common in media with LGBTQIA+ characters from 15+ years ago. Now that I've read it, I can give it my full-throated recommendation to transmasculine kids desperate for good representation. Bonus points in that it's from Australia, so there are some cultural similarities as well that kids could relate to.
The Three-Body Problem

By Cixin Liu

5 stars

This is the kind of sci-fi book I love! The science parts are rooted in real scientific concepts which make logical sense in the world of the book. I really enjoyed the non-Western approach to sci-fi by the author and and translator. It's another layer to the novel that adds more depth and nuance. By approaching the genre from a different lens from what I'm used to, I'm finding a lot of enjoyment in sci-fi again. I've already ordered the other two books in the trilogy from my local book store :)
A Place of Our Own: Six Spaces that Shaped Queer Women's Culture

By June Thomas

5 stars

I started reading this book in November which is why there aren't as many pages recorded. This book is really interesting and explains some of the stereotypes around why queer women are associated with softball among other things. It makes me want to visit some of these places myself for sure!

10 - 0 - 1

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Hastings Girls' High School, Ngā Rau Huia o Ākina

23,863 pages read and 2,654 team points

Team members

Anonymous Reader

GBHGHS

Ashlei

Trina

AnitaO

Max

Moniqa

Blossom

pamangland

Taha

Moniqa

Turn Coat

f2m: The Boy Within

The Three-Body Problem

A Place of Our Own: Six Spaces that Shaped Queer Women's Culture

Hastings Girls' High School, Ngā Rau Huia o Ākina

23,863 pages read and 2,654 team points

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