St Mary's College (Ponsonby)

42,471 pages read and 7,315 team points

Team members

BeeBee

18,666 pts

(10,688 pages read)

Tangi

By With Ihimaera

5 stars

This beautiful outpouring of words broke my heart as I learned about tangihanga, sharing Tama's journey and at the same time, thought about my loved ones who have gone ahead and those that will in the future. I am saddened to know that this was the first Maori penned novel to be published in 1972. That is appalling! Kudos to Witi for leading the way. He is an amazing wordsmith.
The Bookshop Below

By Georgia Summers

4 stars

Intriguing tale of magic bookshops connected by an underground magic river. The books and bookshops have moods. I like idea of grumpy books. Took a while to get in to.
A Murder of Angels

By Jack Gatland

5 stars

Another twisty tale worthy of Shakespeare. Twins, love, revenge and family rivalry. Brilliant.
All That We Know

By Shilo Kino

5 stars

This book about reclaiming Te Reo, navigating colonialism, senxuality, religion, whanau and modern life is SO relevant. It is slso heart- warming, funny and real. I loved it.
Exploring the Hauraku Gulf

By Linda Bircusson and John Walsby

3 stars

This is a fantastic book in terms of photography, coverage, geographical, historic and scientific information- really interesting to browse. Alas a little out of date on visitor information due to being published in 2008.
Wikitoria

By Laura Nicholas-Grieve

2 stars

Set in 1863 during the Taranaki Wars this story of Wikitoria and her unfortunate marriage is full of interesting tikana and reo. I think it was possibly aimed at YA but has been mis-classified. Annoying amount of errors in the text.
Nancy Business

By R.W.R.McDonald

5 stars

This is a quirky and fun take on a small town murder mystery. 11 year old Nancy Drew fan, Priscilla type costume designer and his partner work together in this exciting 2nd installment of the Nancys.
Letter From The Dead

By Jack Gatland

5 stars

Revisiting an absolutely brilliant series featuring DI Declan Walshe and the team of brilliant misfits at the Last Chance Saloon. Twisty plots, devious returning characters that you come to know so well. RECOMMEND!
Enter A Murderer

By Dame Ngaio Marsh

3 stars

Not as good as the first one but a tidy tale of murder in a theatre.
Larry and Viv

By Graeme Lay

4 stars

Almost a biography but still in the fiction world. Interesting account of Sir Laurence and Lady Olivier's tour of Australia and NZ. Lovely descriptions of the trip to Takapuna to meet Frank Sargeson. ( I remember his house.)
A Man Lay Dead

By Ngaio Marsh

5 stars

This is like Agatha Christie but with humour, brilliant! Absolutely live her use of language. Can't wait to read more.
The Vanishing Point

By Andrea Hotere

5 stars

This is a brilliant combination of history, art and mysterious quest for answers, with a bit of supernatural thrown in. Perfect! Now I am going to Google all the art work.
Kind

By Stephanie Johnson

3 stars

This book was tagged as amusing...it wasn't. What it is, is a dark and twisted tale of Covid lockdown ( brought on ptsd) added to crazy survivalists, repellent egocentric criminals and enough good guys to keep you reading.
The French Perfumer

By Andrea Hampson

3 stars

An interesting step into the South of France 1956. Beautiful descriptions of the gardens and views. Characters are a bit under developed.
The Man Who Died Twice

By Richard Osman

5 stars

We meet all the delightful friends from Thursday Murder Club together in a new adventure. There are likeable baddies, love, friendship and all that is human. A book version of a favourite cup of tea and a slice of cake.
Boy Fallen

By Chris Gill

4 stars

This LGBTQ+ murder mystery and self- discovery story is set on the West Coast on winter...chilly and damp! What appears to be a simple small town killing most definitely isn't!
The Secret Service of Tea and Treason

By India Holton

4 stars

For fans of: literary quotes and mis-quotes, Sherlock Holmes, James Bond, Steampunk, pirates, witches and romance. So many laugh out- loud moments as we follow our autistic secret agent heroine who usually takes idioms literally.
Spellbound

By Catherine Robertson

5 stars

I was delighted to find the 3rd installment of the Gabriel's Bay series in the library. All my old friends and some new ones in another delightful story dealing with Family Harm and Toxic masculinity. BUT also once again celebrating community, whanau and love. Shout out to Brisn the cat!
Auē

By Becky Manawatu

5 stars

Do not plan on doing anything else while you read this book. Becky delivers an inter- generational look at the tragedy of love and abuse. Gritty and compelling, you will love the children's voices while your heart breaks for them.
The Quiet People

By Paul Cleave

5 stars

As usual, Mr Cleave has served up a gritty, twisty thriller set in Christchurch. I might have had to relieve my stress levels by reading the last chapter early! I like the return of some regular characters as well as references to his other books. ( The use of North Amerucan vocabulary is a bit annoying but he is a best seller over there!)
Asterix and the Griffin

By Ferri and Conrad

2 stars

Discovered my friend's entire collection. Not as good as the originals but clever references to the Pandemic and some lovely name puns. Quick and fun holiday read.
The Bookshop Detectives Dead Girl Gone

By Gareth and Louise Ward

5 stars

Brilliant crime written by former detectives. A twisty tale set in a bookshop full of quirky characters and references to other great books. Cant wait for the next book...
Marry Me in Italy

By Nicky Pellegrino

2 stars

Very light holiday read. Lovely descriptions of cakes and Italian food. I found the brand name dropping a bit annoying.
What you Wish For

By Catherine Robertson

5 stars

Number 2 in a series about a small coastal town where you end up feeling like a local. Written from several different viewpoints, including a moose.
The Last Devil to Die

By Richard Osman

5 stars

Audio book version of the 4th Thursday Murdef Club. I like how characters from the previous books are brought back like old friends. Extremely poignant moments balance laugh out loud parts. I cried...
In My Father's Den

By Maurice Gee

5 stars

Beautiful language draws a picture of Henderson that is both familiar and fictional. Characters are presented as flawed and human. A really compelling murder mystery.Loved it.
Better the Blood

By Michael Bennett

5 stars

This book is worth way more than 5 stars. EVERYONE in Aotearoa should read it.( especially Mr Seymour and Ms Stanford- very clear little footnotes for the Reo.) Although fictional, it has so much to say about Te Ao Maori and the inter- generational pain carried. It is also a really well- paced crime thriller.I cannot recommend it too highly. Ka pai rawe.
Chappy

By Patricia Grace

5 stars

A brilliant tale of generations living near Otaki and in Hawaii. I love that the common tongue for the characters is Te Reo sitting in the middle of English and Japanese. Chappy is full of colourful characters and gives the reader a warts and all view of Maori rural life, really it is about whanau, love and turangawaeawae.
Songs for Alex

By Tessa Duder

5 stars

Tense and emotional right until the last page. Now I feel sad that all these real people have no more story. I want to know what happens next! Is it too late for book 5 or 6 or ...
Alessandra Alex in Rome

By Tessa Duder

5 stars

A combination of three of main interests...the Olympics, music and travel. The third installment of the Alex books. Tessa paints amazing word pictures- you can taste the food and feel the heat.
Alex in Winter

By Tessa Duder

4 stars

Part 2 of Alex series. I really like the depth of character and humanity. A great snapshot of NZ in 1960.
Alex

By Tessa Duder

5 stars

Set in Auckland so very familiar znd written by Tessa whose daughter I was at school with. This book feels very personal. It is also a great story with well written characters.
Too Good to be True

By Ann Cleeves

5 stars

Jimmy Perez again in a Novella set away from Shetland. As usual twisty and turny. A satisfying quick read. EBOOK
Generation Icarus First Flight

By JL Pawley

3 stars

Weird to read a book written by an old friend. Cool concept although as a YA I found it a bit predictable and slow in the middle. However, it really took flight ( tee hee) as it progressed and now I have to search out the next book in the series! Go Jess!
Miss Marples Final Cases

By Agatha Christie

4 stars

I love Miss Marple. All the old favourite characters re- appear.
The Hidden Girl

By Lucinda Riley and Harry Whitakker

5 stars

Twisty...really well drawn characters. Audio book.
Offshore

By Ann Cleeves

5 stars

A selection of Short Stories by this excellent writer.

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St Mary's College (Ponsonby)

42,471 pages read and 7,315 team points

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