Otago Boys' High School

85,290 pages read and 6,155 team points

Team members

Quentin

18,121 pts

(14,614 pages read)

New Zealand in Colour

By David Wall

5 stars

I haven't been everywhere in New Zealand yet but when I think of where i want to visit next it is often from this book I take inspiration. From its wonderful pictures and great descriptions of New Zealand attractions it really works as a to do list as well. I have just recieved my third copy because people keep taking it and not returning the book, it is that good.
Pictures from the Past: Otago and Southland

By Gordon Parry & Patricia Veltkamp

4 stars

Great record of the areas in pictures with great explanations which can be read quickly to get a real appreciation for the regions and see how far we have come.
The Hobbit

By J. R. R. Tolkien, illustrator David Wenzel and adapted by Charles Dixon With Sean Deming

5 stars

The 1990 graphic novel edition is wonderful. It captures the light and joy of Hobbiton and the adventure of the story in a way Lee, who became well known for Tolkien illustrations, never could. What stands out most is how much of the text the books retains around the pictures as well a great depictions od Smaug. Sadly, I needed my lighted magnifying reading lamp to fully appreciat the story and pictures together this time reading it. Great graphic novel.
Seasons of Gold

By Jeff Wilson with Ron Palenski

5 stars

Been going down Otago Rugby memory lane and came across Jeff's book. His talented career always stood out and was worth a read. From school boy days of score 66 points to 6 against James Hargest to seeing him become probable the last All Black Black Cap double international the book is a stunning litany of highlights that I keep coming back to. While there are many All black autobiographies and sports tales this one is also well written and to the point.
Children of the New Forrest

By Captain Frederick Marryat

5 stars

I read this book again every Christmas and I can't believe I nearly left it out of this list. I own 5 copies of the book and it is everywhere I stay. I still have the copy my mother read to me as a child. This is a swashbuckling story of the English civil war where the Children of a defeated cavaleir are rescued from the firing of their family manor by the perfidious Roundheads. The old family retainer protects the two boys and two girls by hiding them in his New Forest cabin. The adventures are awesome as the children grow up as forestors learning to forage, farm and hunt. Best book ever. I was reminded to include it when a student asked me what may favourite book is. It took me a while but I realised this is the one.
The gthering of the Lost: The Wall of Night Book 2

By Helen Lowe

2 stars

Slower and less absorbing than the first book. I enjoyed the changes to a grown up Malian. However, it got to be annoying haw the story jumped between narrators though. I know it was all the trend at the time of writing but Helen Lowe does not nail it. In two minds if I will read the final book.
The Elements of Style (4th Edition)

By William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White

5 stars

Old but remains one of the best books ever to help teach writing techniques and styles. Read and review it at the beginning of every year before teaching senior writing.
Classical Mythology

By Mark P.O. Morford and Robert J. Lenardon

5 stars

The best book about Classical Mythology i have ever come across. Places the mythology of the Greeks in the context of story telling and of world myths. The contexts are great to make academic ideas easy to read.
Huia Short Stories 10: Contemporary Maori Fiction

By Various

2 stars

Started so many stories here and so many are about how young men are struggling. Not many good options for my year 12 class to capture their interest and inspire them.
Starship Salvager: Paragon Space Book 1

By Jarom Strong

1 stars

Thought it was going to be a book about finding an advanced ship and using it to fight the overlords smd win freedom. It wasn't and the consistent flashbacks to his lost love became annoying. Disappointing.
The Shield: A Century of the Ranfurly Shield

By Lindsay Knight

5 stars

Read the Otago/Southland chapter looking at a great Shield era where the ranfurly Shield didn't go North of Otago for around a decade in the 30's to 40's and explores the great rivalry of OTago and Southland in rugby with the Shild as a focus.
Provincial Giants

By Paul Neazor

5 stars

Reread the chapter on the great 1948 Otago Rugby team. Great reference book that looks at the most successful era of each of the New Zealand provincial unions.
Write that Essay

By Dr Ian Hunter

5 stars

One of my most valuable resources to help students learn to write better. The wealth of methods and examples to make writing more interesting is very helpful.
Knucklebones: Poems 1962-2012

By Sam Hunt

4 stars

Found three or four good options for my Year 11 class and enjoyed reliving the style of Sam Hunt as I read through the good options and started the ones not making the list.
The Hobbit Companion

By David Day

5 stars

Great book I fell upon in the library looking for poetry books for year 11s. Great exploration of the background details of the names of races of Tolkien's Hobbit. Links shown between Hobbits and Anglo Saxons and how he came up with the name Smaug for the dragon. Shocked to learn that Gandalf was originally supposed to be a dwarf.
Sufficiently Advanced Magic

By Amdrew Rowe

5 stars
The Dark Healer Book 9

By By Alex Toxic, Madya Lee and translators Yulia Kuzmina and Dan Veksler

5 stars

Eastern european fiction of a world of Necromancy comes to life as Max Von Richter seeks to reclaim his position in society. Here he has reclaimed his capital and is train his descendants to take back power.
Huia Short Stories 9

By Various Authors

5 stars

Went looking for more contemporary Māori authors and found 5-6 amazing choices here. RaschelMette's "Failure to Deal" is an incredible exploration of a young man facing the emotion breakdown of the woman he loves and growing up. Other Great stories are "Art for a Price", "treading on Eggshells", and "Stepping Outside the Boxing".
Deep River Talk: Collected Poems

By Hone Tuwhare

5 stars

My favourite New Zealand poet. His down to earth topics hide a depth of thought that always impresses. From the emotional depth of "The Old Place" to the political thought behind "No Ordinary Sun" there are few poems in this collection that are not worth reading and rereading.
Poems for a World Gone to Sh*t

By Quercus Poetry/Various

5 stars

Poems to lift your mood when things go wrong. My favourite is William Blake's "A Poison Tree" where revenge is served by letting your enemy destroy themselves. There are many more that make you rethink how to react to tough times. A very cathartic collection.
Sunrise on the Reaping

By Suzanne Collins

5 stars

I have always wanted to know how Haymitch survived his hunger games and this book did not disappoint. It really shows why he is so screwed up when we meet him 24 years later. Definitely worth a read.
Murder of a Vampire: A Redmond and Haze Mystery Book 17

By Irina Shapiro

4 stars

A story of immigrant supersitions led to a poor young woman being buried as a supposed vampire. Yet underneath it all there are lies and deceptions in the holiest of people hiding hatefulness.
Murder in Bloody Weald: A Redmond and Haze Mystery Book 16

By IrinaShapiro

3 stars

Even when Redmond and Haze retreat from London to avoid a cholera outbreak and Haze to get married in his home town they cannot avoid tripping over a body. A local mobster who they have had contact with in previous cases it found dead in the woods with an arrow through the heart. This unleashes a mni mob war and more bodies. A very unsatisfactory ending where for the first time Redmond and Haze to not seek justice and blur the law.
Murder of a Medium: A Redmond and Haze Mystery Book 15

By Irina Shapiro

5 stars

The victim, Alicia Lysander, has twice before helped Redmond and Haze solve murders with her links to the supernatural. Now the novel begins with her hailing a cab and heading to Lord Redmond's home only to be dead by the time she arrives. Another personal case for redmond when the body literayy shows up at his door. When You are a real supernaturalist sometimes the voices beyonf the grave say things that will get you killed. Her last seance leads to the discovery of two adittional hidden murders and a roller coaster ride to bring the powerful to justice.
Murder of Innocents: A Redmond and Haze Mystery Book 14

By Irina Shapiro

4 stars

The blurb says "a web of secrets" and that is an understatement. Two small boys are dead and the close knit community of relationships where everyone on the manor estate seems to be related to everyone else this is a web of family jealousies that led to murder. Yet when we learn who did it it was an act of madness.
Murder of a Hangman: A Redmond and Haze Mystery Book 13

By Irina Shapiro

2 stars

This one was not as gripping as most. First of all the victim is not terribly sympathetic being a hangman by profession and the story has a few two many convient coincidences. I am a huge fan if Shapiro's writing but this once was a bit flat after the excitment of book 12. Redmond and Haze also seemed less energentic and focused of finding the killer and do so in a way that seems more lucky that good.
Murder Among the Dead: A Redmond and Haze Mystery Book 12

By Irina Shapiro

5 stars

Normally there in no or only mild urgency to find the killer in a Redmond and Haze mystery. Howver in this story the energy is turned to blowtorch intensity. Inspector Haze's nursemaid in found dead in a graveyeard and his three year old daughter is gone. Haze lost his wife to suicide less that a year before and now wee Charlotte has vanished. He is in pieces, barely able to cope emotionally and is rightly sidelined by his superiors. Every copper in London is on the hunt for their colleagues daughter and Redmond has to step up and lead a case entirely when he is usually in the background. This one is a thrill ride as minutes counted. Had to up the reading speed to 1.25 for this novel to hear the end quicker and was tempted to jusp to the last chapter.
Murder of a Mermaid: A Redmond and Haze Mystery Book 11

By Irina Shapiro

5 stars

A beautiful woman found floating in a boat on the Thames made up to look like a mermaid is not as shicking as what the young woman had been doing to help her wastral of a husband manage his debts. The Victorians projected a prim and proper image to history but with the invention of photography thay endulged in unsavory behaviour. When secerets like these are about in gentreel society that are more than motivation to silence a witness and keep reputations safe from scandal. However, Redmond and Haze believe eavery victim deserves justice regardless of who may face social ruin. This novel explores the gap between reality and the image people want to project.
Murder in the Mews: A Redmond and Haze Mystery Book 10

By Irina Shapiro

5 stars

How many times does a prominat Earl get murdered twice in the same novel. Not often I would wager. The Granville family is having a terrible period of whoopse I did it again. A tale of mistaken identiy anf the desrire to protect family secrets collide leaving two men dead and showing the injustice of needing to keep up appearances. The monied and powerful do not want Redmond and Haze to solve this one as embarrising truths are deeply unpopular in a Victorian world that rejects such things existing.
Murder in Highgate: A Redmond and Haze Mystery Book 9

By Irina Shapiro

5 stars

I love how the author always comes up with new ways to confound her readers. Here we seemingly have a young man murdered and left hanging on display in a wealthy Lords Crypt, just in time for one of their ancesters to be buried. But it is not a man and this mystery explores the horrors of Victorian body men and who has the right to be a doctor in a world on the cusp of mordernity. That is all before you consider the investigation to find a truely unlikely killer.
Murder in Half Moon Street: A Redmond and Haze Mystery Book 8

By Irina Shapiro

3 stars

This one is a real head scratcher but does not draw you in as much as other books in the series. A woman murdered in her hotel room for seeminging not reason. Motive is elusive and when the story unravels the reasons are horribly petty. However, events in Redmond and Hazes personal lives become more important than the mystery.
Murder on the Sea Witch: A Redmond and Haze Mystery Book 7

By Irina Shapiro

4 stars

Time is of the essence. A man in murdered on the ship and Redmond and Haze only have a couple of days before the ship must be unloaded and the killer escapes into London, where Redmond and Haze have moved, to be lost in the crowds. Where is the murdered mans wife. So many holes in the info and how come no one heard anything on a small ship? The answers are as good as ever.
Murder at Ardith Hall: A Redmond and Haze Mystery book 6

By Irina Shapiro

5 stars

A shocking entry in the series. Everything is more personal as Inspecter Haze's wike is present when the murder victim dies and is naturally a suspect, throw in some quite resaonable super natural elements that thet are attending a séance. The outcome has long term consequences for Haze in ways we can not imagine.
ALICE

By CW Lamb

5 stars

Great story set in a post apoliptic world where Jake a Marine wakes up after what he thought were a few seconds. In reality hundreds of years have passed since the experiment froze him in stasis. A bit cliched but action packed events follow and Jake seeks to rebuild the world with the help of the Artificial Lifeform Alice and her bunker full of technology. Action packed and non stop from the moment he ventures into the world.
Murder in the Grave: A Redmond and Haze Mystery book 5

By Irina Shapiro

4 stars

It is a bit of a murder mystery trope to try to hide a murder victiom in an already prepared grave but when the see how Irina builds the character of the victim we let go the overused opening boy placement. Redmond and Haze have to clock up a lot of miles to anf from London to investigate this mess but she keeps us beautifully on the edge of our seat throughout.
Murder in the Caravan: A Redmond and Haze Mystery book4

By Irina Shapiro

5 stars

The best in the series to that point. By book 4 the main characters are well extablished and known to the series reader and the fun can begin more quickly as you try to pick the murderer before the big reveal. Annoyingly Shapiro knows all the best tricks and just when you think it is all about the illigitemite village girl with a gyspy father we are pulled in another direction. Totally shocking end and you never see the murdering coming. Great listen during a soggy summer.
Historic Otago

By Gavin McLean

5 stars

I picked up a cpy of this book in the Cromwell book sale and devoured it in an afternoon. The annotated pictures and detailed summaries trace the history of Otago and a lot about Dunedin from sailing ships and dirt roads throught to close to modern times. The book really reminds me what we can do if we are deterimined and have a whole lot of gold.
The New Zealand Wars

By James Belich

4 stars

It had been a while since I delved into a history book and with the Treaty nonsense being played by the 2023-2026 government It was a good reminder of how many of the grevances started. James has a much more balanced view that earlier text I read as a student. He places equal weight of European and Māori sources and after reading the book I can see why his scholarship and inclusion of a wider perpective helped change perspectives in the 1990's and beyond. Perhapes someone should recomment in the the leaders of our goverment.
The Hair of Night

By Helen Lowe

5 stars

Theis is a great coming of age hero story where our hero Malian is growing up to inherit the responsiblilty to defend the Wall of Night from the Dark Swarm that live beyond it. The book reminds me a little of the Northern wall in Game of Thrones with similar levels of intrigue and subterfuge. I was impressed with such a strong young female protagonist who seems genuine and determined to do her duty. I already have book 2 The Gathering of the lost to start dome time soon.
Murder at the Mill : A Redmond and Haze Mystery Book 3

By Irina Shapiro

5 stars

The most shocking tale of the series so far. A man dead and tied naked to a mill wheel to humiliate home leads Redmond and Haze in circles, pun intended, before they identify the killers in the most unexpected place. Frustratingly while they identify them they make a daring escape. And avoid the hangman’s noose.
Murder at the Abbey : A Redmond and Haze Mystery Book 2

By Irina Shapiro

4 stars

Jealousy is a terrible thing and it costs a fine young lady her life in the Second Redmond and Haze book. It nearly gets Lord Redmond and his young ward killed too when they stumble on the key evidence that will see the killer make a one way trip to the gallows.
Enders Shadow

By Or son Scott Card

5 stars

A retelling of Enders Game from Beans point of view. It had a much better emotional arc. Beans journey from abandoned street kid in Amsterdam to Enders primary backup against the bugs is compelling. The story has more emotion and depth.
Fairy Tale

By Stephen King

5 stars

Love the idea of finding a mystical world in a hole in the ground in your back yard. It is Lion Witch and the Wardrobe meets Jack and the Beanstalk with the quality story telling that King always provides.
Fleur Adcock: Collected Poems

By Fleur Adcock

4 stars

One of my Fourier New Zealand poets. Read most of the collection. Love her earnest work the most where she is scathingly honest about her relationships. “Advice to a Discarded Lover” is particularly good.
Murder in the Crypt: A Redmond and Haze Mystery Book 1

By Irene Shapiro

5 stars

Lord Redmond a Doctor/Surgeon who survived a year in Andersonville Confederate POW camp after being captured as a Union doctor with the rank of Captain arrives in his family seat in Birch Hill, Redmond House, just in time to suspected of murder. He inherited the title from his grandfather while in prison. The Village Constable Daniel Haze latches onto him as the only stranger in the village. Yet it quickly becomes clear it is not him and the two join forces to solve the mystery of the young man murdered and stuffed into a medieval crypt. The medical skills of Redmond and the detective skills of Haze mesh well as they unravel a sordid tale of family nastiness.
Blue Star Enterprises: Book two/Eden’s End

By M. J. Markgraf

0 stars

In book two Alex starts to build his business outside the fairly corrupt STO confederation of plants. He restores captured pirate vessels and fights off a second pirate raid while raising his new daughter. He begins to build a community of misfits on Edens End as the author builds a more and more complicated world that Alex has to navigate carefully to avoid being crushed by greedy corporations and their pet politicians. Then there are the Pirates who keep coming again and again to attack his new home.
Blue Star Enterprises: Blueprints for Tomorrow

By M. J. Markgraf

5 stars

Imagine waking up 400 years in the future inside the body of an advanced robot with patchy memories? To make matters worse you are living in a corporate dominated universe where you have have a lot if you can pay. Alexander has to hide he is a human consciousness trapped in a robot body and carve a life for himself despite the handicap of not being flesh while figuring out a society far in advance of his own. He can’t tell anyone what he is and pretends to be controlling the bot remotely. The story evolves as he adapts, even adopting an orphan while making a fortune to set up in his own base in a remote star system where he can start figuring out the mystery of how he ended up as he did.
Off Javelin Station: Guardians of the Dark Book 2

By Marc Alan Edelheit

4 stars

A good sequel to Off Midway Station. The story continues with having to deal with a 5th column onboard the Mothership Surprise and coming to the rescue of Third Fleet in a desperate action. Can’t wait for book 3.
Off Midway Station

By Marc Alan Edelheit

4 stars

A great saga begins as a passed over captain is forced to take up command of a new, experimental ship in order to defend a relentless enemy that launches a sudden attack on the star system holding Midway Station. Captain Garret is a great character well developed before the main action begins.

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Otago Boys' High School

85,290 pages read and 6,155 team points

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