Wendy: 

Son of Nobody by yann Martel

 

 

Don't be put off by the structure, this is very easy to read. The Greek Mythology was so interesting, and I also enjoyed the beautiful musing on family relationships. 

 

Martel is the Booker prize winner of Life of Pi, and I can't wait to see him at the Auckland Writers Festival. 

jenna:

Night, ma by

Elizabeth Knox

 

Over a short period of time, a series of personal crises rocked Elizabeth Knox and her family.  

 

With a revealing and intimate eye, Knox revisits this tumultuous time. This is a memoir filled with the delicate domesticity that lives on alongside tragedy.

 

An AWF author!

Rhi: 

crux by 

gabriel tallent

 

I'm going to have to steal Katie's March pick! I stayed up late finishing this one. Dan and Tamma are best friends, clinging to each other for dear life as two misfits in a small US town. Both dream of becoming professional climbers, but must navigate poverty and fractious family dynamics. As hard-hitting as it is tender, Crux is a life-affirming, achy read.

katie:

Nonesuch by Francis Spufford

It's the summer of 1939. London is on the brink of catastrophic war.

 

Nonesuch is a genre bending, historical fantasy that's witty, charming and whimsical. You can feel Francis Spufford's glee rising off every single page. 

Pip:

London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe

 

Exploring the life (and death) of teenager Zac Brettler, who plummeted into the Thames after posing as the son of a oligarch, London Falling is a highly anticipated work of investigative journalism.

 

Offering fascinating insight into London's dark underbelly, this is the newest book from my favourite non-fiction author, who I'm looking forward to seeing in conversation with Jack Tame at AWF next month!

Nate: 

Glyph by Ali SMith

 

Ali Smith is my favourite author and this latest novel, a spiritual companion to her previous ‘Gliff’, is another triumph. Her writing is as lyrical, cutting and darkly comedic as ever- with Glyph perhaps her most overtly political yet. Through the relationship between two sisters Smith examines what it means to live in a world of rising violence and growing right-wing extremism. 

Frances:

The Palm

House by 

Gwendoline riley

 

A wry character study exploring the small solace that long-term friendship offers two millennials struggling to find meaning in their lives in contemporary London. An old pub by the Thames provides the backdrop as two friends–Laura and Putnam–reflect unsentimentally on the state of their lives and bemoan their working lives in the city’s hollowed out media circuit. Riley’s spare prose and understated dialogue charge a simple premise– conversations with a friend– with both humour and melancholy as Laura and Putnam navigate life in a city haunted by the lost vision of its future.

Amelie:

Rejection 

by Tony Tulathimutte

 

Tulathimutte has crafted one of the most memorable and absurd short story collections I've ever read, equally enjoyable as it is gross. Using unconventional formats and strange, unlikeable characters, Rejection will be one I think about for a long time.

Rachel:

kin by

Tayari Jones 

 

Tayari Jones writes with one of the most tender voices in contemporary fiction.

 

Annie and Niecy's friendship is so close and intimate that it feels almost sacred to be let in on their bond. Reading Kin is like being embraced by an old friend, yet a distinct tone of sorrow underscores this story. If you liked An American Marriage, you will adore Kin. Probably my fave of the year so far!