Takapuna Grammar School

89,674 pages read and 3,442 team points

Team members

OliviaThomas

7,795 pts

(6,639 pages read)

When The Deep Dark Bush Swallows You Whole

By Geoff Parkes

3 stars

Learned a surprising amount about sheep shearing and bailing wool. Set in a rural NZ town in 1980s - filled with misogyny and sheep. Not quite the thrilling page turner our leaderboard champion would approve of!
The Thing Around Your Neck

By Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

5 stars

An emotional collection of short stories addressing a myriad of topics - migration, immigration, biracial relationships, arranged marriage, marriage as a concept, and religion. Each short story feels like it could be developed into a novel or at least a novella. A thoroughly enjoyable collection.
The Tenant

By Freida McFadden

1 stars

A book club read that I would have been happy to skip. The most loveable and well developed character is the goldfish that is brutally poisoned halfway through.
The Whale Rider

By Witi Ihimaera

5 stars

Listened to on the way back from Napier; lovely story.
Pet

By Catherine Chidgey

4 stars

Love Chidgey’s writing style. Finished this book in a day just like ‘Axeman’s Carnival’ when it came out. It’s an interesting coming of age story riddled with racism and misogyny. Not usually a massive fan of thrillers, but this one had me hooked.
Nobody’s Girl

By Virginia Robert’s Giuffre

4 stars

Emotionally taxing read. Inspiring and simultaneously disheartening to read the accounts of how multiple survivors, lawyers, and organisations have invested time and resources to bring sex traffickers to justice - sometimes to no avail.
Lost Souls Meet Under A Full Moon

By Mizuki Tsujimura

2 stars

Separate narratives that the author attempts to connect throughout and tries to make into a cohesive whole in the final part. Although it addresses interesting themes, I didn’t find it engaging or overly well written. The characters are somewhat one dimensional with each character having approximately 30-40 pages dedicated to their lives. It felt undeveloped and rushed to me. Perhaps not my preferred style of storytelling.
Und Alle So Still

By Mareike Fallwickl

5 stars

Loveable characters rebelling against misogyny, late capitalism, societal norms, and the very foundation our systems are built on. At its core lies the question “what would happen if women stopped doing what they’re expected to do?” - political fiction at its finest.
Vox

By Christina Dalcher

4 stars

Handmaid’s Tale meets 1984 with a sciency twist. Potentially good for excerpts when teaching 1984 at L2 or as additional reading for The Handmaid’s Tale at L3.
Convenience Store Woman

By Sayaka Murata

4 stars

Challenging societal norms through the eyes of a convenience store worker who refuses to become a ‘normal’ human being. Fantastic read.
Am Samstag gehen die Mädchen in den Wald und jagen Sachen in die Luft

By Fiona Sironic

4 stars

Feminism meets post-capitalist dystopian world in which being an influencer is a dying profession and burning down mega data centres is all the rage.
What We Can Know

By Ian McEwan

3 stars

An interesting take on how we reconstruct history, the importance of literature, and the mark (or lack thereof) the humanities can leave on the world. Not his most thrilling novel, but alright.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

By Douglas Adams

5 stars

A timeless classic.
Little Fires Everywhere

By Celeste Ng

4 stars

Race, wealth, and social status - thrown into the mix with the fundamental question: what makes a mother a mother?
The Cafe on the Edge of the world

By John Strelecky

1 stars

No need to read. Main message that’s relayed repetitively on almost every page: do whatever makes you happy and life will be great.
Kataraina

By Becky Manawatu

4 stars

Great continuation of Auē. A must read.
Life Hacks For a Little Alien

By Alice Franklin

3 stars

Neurodivergent child obsesses over supposedly lost manuscript. Nice child narrator, mediocre story.
I Who Have Never Known Men

By Jacqueline Harpman

4 stars

A dystopian sci-fi extravaganza. A group of women living off the land (which may be earth… or not), or rather, off supplies left behind in bunkers. Female friendships and relationships and the burning question - what makes a life worth living. Also some hints to nature vs nurture.
Alchemised

By SenLinYu

4 stars

Based on their fan fiction - a gripping yet slightly nauseating dystopia rooted in magic and fantasy. The handmaid’s tale meets Harry Potter - but not officially, obviously…
Ten Poems about Dogs

By Dame Jenni Murray

2 stars
Katabasis

By R. F. Kuang

2 stars

Two annoying uni students go to hell to bring back their psychopathic professor. Could have skipped it!

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Takapuna Grammar School

89,674 pages read and 3,442 team points

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