{"title":"Shirl's 2026 Book Club","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"tomorrow-and-tomorrow-and-tomorrow","title":"Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStylish and open-hearted, this is a very different kind of love story, elevated and energised by being set in the world of creativity and video gaming.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eTHE BESTSELLING PHENOMENON\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eI loved this book\u003c\/em\u003e – Jojo Moyes\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis is the story of Sam and Sadie. It's not a romance, but it is about love.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhen Sam catches sight of Sadie at a crowded train station one winter morning, he is catapulted back to the brief time they spent playing together as children. Their unique spark is instantly reignited.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhat comes next is a story of friendship and rivalry, fame and creativity, betrayal and tragedy, perfect worlds and imperfect ones. And, ultimately, our need to connect—to be loved and to love.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eLove, friendship and betrayal... gorgeous\u003c\/em\u003e – Sunday Telegraph\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eOne of the best books I've ever read\u003c\/em\u003e – John Green\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eI loved it\u003c\/em\u003e – Celeste Ng\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThis blew me away\u003c\/em\u003e – Pandora Sykes\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45595868594412,"sku":"9781529115543","price":21.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781529115543_0a99878c-deb0-48df-8879-c4407ee9fdd9.jpg?v=1754958380"},{"product_id":"small-things-like-these","title":"Small Things Like These","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSet in 1985, in a small Irish town, \u003cem\u003eSmall Things Like These\u003c\/em\u003e by Claire Keegan tells the poignant story of Bill Furlong, a dedicated coal and timber merchant. As Christmas approaches, Bill finds himself busier than ever, delivering fuel to the cold homes of his neighbours. Amidst his routine, he begins to confront the quiet, oppressive presence of the Church in his community and faces unsettling truths about the past.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis compelling novella beautifully captures the essence of its time and place, offering an intimate glimpse into the lives and moral dilemmas of its characters. Through masterful storytelling, Keegan creates an atmosphere thick with the weight of unspoken history and the delicate interplay between guilt and redemption.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'Exquisite.' Damon Galgut\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'Masterly.' \u003cem\u003eThe Times\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'Miraculous.' \u003cem\u003eHerald\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'Astonishing.' Colm Tóibín\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'Stunning.' \u003cem\u003eSunday Independent\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'Absolutely beautiful.' Douglas Stuart\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA Book of the Year in \u003cem\u003eThe Times\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eThe New Statesman\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDescribed as \"a genuine once-in-a-generation writer\" by \u003cem\u003eThe Times\u003c\/em\u003e, Claire Keegan's work is celebrated for its precision and emotional depth. \u003cem\u003eSunday Times\u003c\/em\u003e calls \u003cem\u003eSmall Things Like These\u003c\/em\u003e \"a snowglobe of a story that fits a whole bustling, striving, yearning world into 114 finely wrought pages.\" Hilary Mantel praises it as \"powerful and affecting and very timely... deeply moving,\" while Sinead Gleeson admires its haunting beauty, labelling it \"a haunting, hopeful masterpiece.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe novella is not only a commentary on individual morality but also a reflection on societal complicity, as noted by many reviewers. The \u003cem\u003eDaily Telegraph\u003c\/em\u003e deems it \"remarkable\" and \"truly exquisite,\" while the \u003cem\u003eObserver\u003c\/em\u003e sees it as \"a restrained and intensely moral book, full of hope and love.\" Sarah Moss commends its precision, describing it as \"marvellous - exact and icy and loving all at once.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSmall Things Like These\u003c\/em\u003e is a work of great subtlety and power, making it a must-read for anyone who appreciates rich, character-driven narratives and the exploration of profound themes within the seemingly ordinary moments of life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45705892823276,"sku":"9780571368709","price":21.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780571368709_8b7ad16b-c2fa-455d-af70-de462dc6e20e.jpg?v=1732607920"},{"product_id":"human-acts-by-han-kang-9781846275975","title":"Human Acts","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGwangju, South Korea, 1980. In the wake of a viciously suppressed student uprising, a boy searches for his friend's corpse, a consciousness searches for its abandoned body, and a brutalised country searches for a voice. In a sequence of interconnected chapters, the victims and the bereaved encounter censorship, denial, forgiveness, and the echoing agony of the original trauma.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eHuman Acts\u003c\/em\u003e is a universal book, utterly modern and profoundly timeless. Already a controversial bestseller and award-winning book in Korea, it confirms Han Kang as a writer of immense importance.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45915787624684,"sku":"9781846275975","price":23.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781846275975_bfbbf50a-923c-4e09-8327-b57ac2be8d48.jpg?v=1768362223"},{"product_id":"perfection-by-vincenzo-latronico-9781922790897","title":"Perfection","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA razor-sharp novel from one of Italy's most exciting authors, about a millennial couple's quest for authenticity in a life designed according to social media trends.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThey have everything to make them happy. Expat couple Anna and Tom are living the dream in Berlin, in a bright, plant-filled apartment. Young, cool digital creatives, they enjoy slow cooking, Danish furniture, progressive politics, sexual experimentation, and the city's twenty-four-hour party scene.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIt's exactly the life they had imagined for themselves. But they begin to feel disillusioned, bored. Work becomes repetitive. Friends move away, have children, grow up. An attempt at political activism proves fruitless, since their direct action amounts to taking an Uber only if it is snowing, tipping in cash, never eating tuna.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTrapped in a lifestyle optimised for digital perfection, yearning for authenticity, they find themselves doing something they could never have predicted.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eVincenzo Latronico's stylistic mastery, wit, and wry humour make \u003cem\u003ePerfection\u003c\/em\u003e a brilliant novel about contemporary life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePRAISE FOR \u003cem\u003ePERFECTION\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'Sharp and revelatory. Latronico demonstrates that, despite their vanity, his characters Anna and Tom are not so different from others whose lives are conditioned by the consumer economy—they want what others want—a life that is legible to them yet not prescribed. Latronico is a brilliant and fearless writer. I recommend this novel to every reader I meet.' – Ellena Savage, author of \u003cem\u003eBlueberries\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePerfection\u003c\/em\u003e is a jewel of a novel—precisely cut, intricately faceted, prismatically dazzling at its heart. Vincenzo Latronico is the finest of writers.' – Lauren Groff, author of \u003cem\u003eThe Vaster Wilds\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'This book gives startling form to the question of how to live a meaningful life; to the illusion that appearance is beauty; to the restlessness of contemporary society. I read it in a breath and I was captivated.' – Ayşegül Savaş, author of \u003cem\u003eThe Anthropologists\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePerfection\u003c\/em\u003e is a generation-defining piece of literature, one that spares us nothing. To read it is to look in a mirror and finally, for the first time, truly see yourself and the culture you've helped create—the one that lurks behind the filters, algorithms, and curated ephemera of selfhood that make up our public lives. Read it and tremble.' – Madeleine Watts, author of \u003cem\u003eElegy, Southwest\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'\u003cem\u003ePerfection\u003c\/em\u003e is dense with ideas, feelings, political insights, beautiful turns of phrase, unexpected observations about ordinary occurrences.' – New Yorker\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'Latronico's conceit is clever and will delight anyone familiar with his source material, but his execution is ingenious.' – Alice Gregory, New Yorker\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46532456448236,"sku":"9781922790897","price":30.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/16320093482872.jpg?v=1749316160"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.co.nz\/collections\/shirls-2026-book-club.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}