This time of year, with the Ockham awards and the Auckland Writer’s Festival, always reminds me how lucky we are to have such an amazing array of local New Zealand authors keeping our TBRs packed to the brim. Below I’ve collected a small selection of some recent favourites, across a few different genres, so no matter what you usually gravitate towards there might be something new to enjoy!
Fiction
From Josie Shapiro’s contemporary novels about mid-life friendships (Good Things Come and Go) to Elisabeth Easther’s modern take on fertility and motherhood (Seed), we are spoilt for choice when it comes to picking up an incredible NZ novel. One of my favourite niche genres at the moment is NZ Gothic - an unsettling and often darker reflection of the lives of ordinary New Zealanders. Laura Vincent’s debut novel, Hood’s Landing, is an amazing example of this genre looking at ‘domestic banality’ in rural south Auckland. Charlotte Grimshaw’s new novel, The Black Monk, could be argued as fitting in the NZ gothic genre as well with its psychological examination of family shame and secrets. Dominic Hoey is another new favourite of mine with his recent novel, 1985, feeling almost Trent Dalton-y in the way it looks at the lives of ordinary Kiwis through a slightly magical, albeit traumatic, lens.
I can’t write a post about NZ authors without mentioning our queen of slightly weirder (in the best way) novels - Catherine Chidgey is a national treasure and two of her books (The Axeman’s Carnival and Book of Guilt) are high up on my favourites list. Axeman’s Carnival is narrated by a magpie called Tama, and Book of Guilt is an increasingly discomforting read that you need to go in knowing nothing about.
Zoe Rankin is a debut author whose atmospheric thriller (The Vanishing Place), set in the remote South Island bush, is well worth a read - it’s hard to put down. For uniquely Kiwi crime novels look no further than Michael Bennett and his Hana Westerman series which tackles the clash of culture and duty for a Māori detective sergeant investigating crime in central Auckland. For a more cosy take on the genre - The Bookshop Detectives is a wonderful series written by a former police officer and married bookshop owners - Gareth and Louise Ward. It’s a small-town murder mystery set around a bookshop - what more could you want? Plus the third one comes out later this year, you’ve got just enough time to read the first two!
Non-Fiction
From government to grief, self-help to crime scenes - our non-fiction shelves are full of local authors, and it’s lovely to see them being so popular with our customers too. Below are some recent ones that are worth looking into!
With the elections right around the corner, I highly recommend Geoffrey Palmer’s two books - How to Save Democracy and Parliamentary Privilege. These two books are thought provoking explorations on the state of the world and how we can keep New Zealand at its best by holding our Parliament to account. Tessa Vincent’s new collection, Kiwis in Climate, is a collation of visions around climate solutions for the future from 30 different people which is both practical and inspiring, and again a timely read as we consider who is in place to lead us through some of the greatest challenges of our time.
I can’t be the only one who is currently drawn to reading about forensic science, and luckily there are two brand new ones to get stuck into that help bring a dose of reality to CSI. The Dead Speak: My Life in Forensics is an incredibly engaging read - I consumed the whole thing in one sitting, but be warned you won’t look at chicken soup the same afterwards thanks to Thomas Coyle. The Blood Says Otherwise is another forensic crime account that brings a dark sense of humour to what are often heartbreaking work stories of Ruben Miller’s time as a crime scene investigator. Both of these forensic scientists turned authors are speaking at Auckland Writers Festiva,l so if learning about the gruesome realities of forensics is your thing, check out the event with them both discussing their experiences.
Another non-fiction niche having its moment right now is journalist memoirs and we have two that are sitting on our new release table - Every Second Counts by Charlotte Glennie and Be Brave by Barbara Dreaver are both candid and fast paced reads about on-the-ground reporting around the world. Both provide fascinating insights about global events that affected us here in Aotearoa.
Children’s Authors
I couldn’t write a blog post on the authors of Aotearoa without a shout-out to some of the absolutely incredible children’s books we are privileged to get. I think I could stock the children’s section of our little bookshop with purely Kiwi authors and no one would even realise!
If you’ve popped in to chat about children’s books with me you’ve no doubt heard about Li Chen and her gorgeous graphic novels about Detective Beans. There’s two out currently, and the third arrives in June! Detective Beans is a detective in cat town who is busy solving mysteries in the most gorgeously illustrated way. These are perfect for reluctant readers, but honestly would be fun for anyone.
The local author I am constantly recommending for our younger fantasy fans is Graci Kim! Her Korean inspired middle grade fantasy novels are spectacular and a must read for any fans of Percy Jackson - check out Dreamslinger if you haven’t already. Stepping Up is a recent release by David Hill about a hiking accident and is an excellent novel for 10-15 year olds about resilience and limb loss. This one would be a great read to discuss together as a whānau or if you’re a teacher, with the class, as it explores some really important topics but is an incredibly satisfying read.
Donovan Bixley is amazing and our house is full of his books - especially the non fiction Aotearoa series Splash, Rustle, Squawk and Buzzz! Each is a gorgeous and entertaining exploration of the creatures of Aotearoa! Gavin Bishop also sits on our bookshelf with his Wildlife of Aotearoa being one of the most gorgeous and intricate guides to local fauna that is out there, and perfect for nature nerds of all ages.
There are so many incredible picture books I could rave on about, but as a mum to a four year old that experiences every emotion in one day, I’ll give a special shout out to Rebekah Lipp’s books. Beautifully illustrated and beautifully Kiwi, her books are perfect for little people learning about their experiences in the world in a mindful way. We refer to Big Emotions for Little People rather often, but the slightly more in depth How Do I Feel, or her gorgeous Aroha series would be perfect for a classroom!
I know I’ve barely skimmed the surface of our local authors so go and check out our New Zealand published collection to continue the deep dive!