recommended reads, nooks with books, literary events, and travel to boot!
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Well, rather like 2020, 2021 was another year where books provided shelter and escapism from the outside world, especially during the rolling lockdowns of the pandemic. I read very little non-fiction and instead fled into the pages of Middle grade and YA fantasy adventures or much loved gentle classics. Whittling down 153 books to a top 10 is never easy, but here are my are current favourites in no particular order
Head just one hour north of Wellington and you reach the Wairarapa region which is rapidly becoming one of my favourite places to visit. Not only are there multiple independent bookshops spread across the region’s five main towns, but you can do anything from walking to wine tasting and seal spotting in a relatively confined area.
I don’t know whether it’s being back in lockdown, but I seem to be happy spending a reasonable slice of my reading life on the British Homefront during World War II. It may be something to do with the “make do and mend” or the classic “keep calm and carry on” attitudes that pervade the four books that I’ll discuss
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I blame the pandemic for the increasing need to escape into other worlds, even ones that are riddled with dragons, demons and evil wizards. Perhaps it’s an ostrich approach to the state of the world, but here are some fantasy realms that I’ve been frequenting recently
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Well, rather like 2020, 2021 was another year where books provided shelter and escapism from the outside world, especially during the rolling lockdowns of the pandemic. I read very little non-fiction and instead fled into the pages of Middle grade and YA fantasy adventures or much loved gentle classics. Whittling down 153 books to a top 10 is never easy, but here are my are current favourites in no particular order
I don’t know whether it’s being back in lockdown, but I seem to be happy spending a reasonable slice of my reading life on the British Homefront during World War II. It may be something to do with the “make do and mend” or the classic “keep calm and carry on” attitudes that pervade the four books that I’ll discuss
When adulting gets a little too much and concentration is in short supply, I turn to middle grade fantasy. In the last two years alone, I have set sail on The Jolly Bonnet, caught a train beneath the sea, seen a Svart and had my first taste of Flurschen. The removal of reality in these books can create space to explore our slightly tender human spots in a safe way.
As much as we might pretend it is, winter is not all hot chocolate, knitted mittens and s’mores Sometimes, it’s damp and grey and miserable and you long for a little sun on your face and a single patch of blue in the sky. If you find yourself looking longingly through your holiday snaps, here are three books to transport you to the height of summer at a holiday destination of your choosing.
Travel
Head just one hour north of Wellington and you reach the Wairarapa region which is rapidly becoming one of my favourite places to visit. Not only are there multiple independent bookshops spread across the region’s five main towns, but you can do anything from walking to wine tasting and seal spotting in a relatively confined area.
I can’t believe that I didn’t like coffee until my mid-20’s. I still predominantly have the tastebuds of a toddler, but coffee is one of life’s great pleasures for me and I enjoy both the taste and the social ritual of meeting friends for coffee. Hamilton may not be synonymous with coffee culture in the same way as Wellington, but we have a burgeoning coffee scene here and several brilliant local roasteries
Parnell is distinctly ecclesiastical in tone if you start out at the top of the hill near The Holy Trinity Cathedral, but I would coax you to the bottom of the hill past the bricked paths of Parnell village and the Chocolate Boutique where apparently Bill Clinton once stopped for in for a Hot Chocolate with Chelsea. (His thank you letter from the White House is framed on the wall.) As you pass the boutiques and cafes, just as the road threatens to turn you’ll spot Lamplight Books on the right-hand side of the road. The entrance is tucked away in the enclosed courtyard in the centre of the building and when you walk in, you walk into a space made of warmth, light and a love for books.
I blame the pandemic for the increasing need to escape into other worlds, even ones that are riddled with dragons, demons and evil wizards. Perhaps it’s an ostrich approach to the state of the world, but here are some fantasy realms that I’ve been frequenting recently