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It’s March mayhem here at the shop - there are so many brilliant books hitting our shelves we can barely contain ourshelves! (Okay terrible pun, sorry). Honestly, there are so many great books being published this year that what you see in March is just the tip of the iceberg. Yay for the world of books. Hopefully you’ll read on and feel all giddy with excitement too.
Speaking of getting giddy with excitement... Auckland Writers Festival has teased us with a sneak-peek of the 2025 programme! We don't know how they could beat last years line-up but it looks like they're going to try.
Happy autumnal reading days our booklover friends,
Olivia, Rachel & Laura (The Booklover Team)
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Wild Dark Shore $38
Charlotte McConaghy
This is brilliant! Definitely going to be one of my top reads of the year. Set on a remote wild island between New Zealand and Antarctica, this is everything you could possibly want in a literary eco-thriller. Incredibly atmospheric to the point where I felt as if I was right there on the island experiencing the ferocious weather, the isolation, the sense of overwhelm and awe. As for the characters - what a cast! There’s the caretaker and his three children, a few researchers monitoring a rare seed bank, and a woman washed up on the shores of the island close to death. Everyone harbours secrets and I guarantee you will gasp out loud when mysteries are cleverly revealed. Shocking and wildly beautiful.
- Olivia
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Dream State $38
Eric Puchner
If I was to describe this as a mix between Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow (Gabrielle Zevin) and a contemporary Ann Patchett on steroids can that possibly make any sense? Dream State is about two young men who fall in love with the same women. One of the men will marry her, but both will deal with the consequences. The reader follows these three characters throughout their lives and the story is rich in insight, regret, yearning, friendship, and finding a way to carry on in a messed up climate-changing world. An epic to be savoured which left me with much to ponder. It renewed my appreciation of the fragility of our natural world, and of the precious and often precariousness of our relationships.
- Olivia
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Dream Count $38
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
There are plenty of people excited for this one. The author of Americanah and Half of a Yellow Sun finally returns with a gentle, yet compelling and triumphant story about four women from different backgrounds who come together in friendship. It is about their loves, their longings, their failures, and their values. These are women of strength and honesty and I was drawn to the beauty and power of the language along with the stories the author weaves effortlessly together.
- Olivia
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Better Days $38
Claire Zorn
Calling all Taylor Jenkins Reid and Meg Mason fans, this is the one for you. Better Days is about Grace who seemingly has it all - an illustrious music career, a loving husband and young children - until it all goes wrong. The story deftly explores how the demands of being an adult - career, marriage, and motherhood - can chip away at who we are. A compassionate, insightful, and occasionally downright hilarious read (along the lines of ‘if you can’t cry about it, you might as well laugh, right?’)
- Olivia
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We All Live Here $38
Jojo Moyes
I thought this was a delightful story. It is about best selling author, Lila, dealing with her ex-husband starting a new family, a grieving step-father, her two young girls, and an unexpected guest... We All Live Here left me with such a strong sense of joy and satisfaction at the end. Read this instead of watching that family drama you're currently bingeing on Netflix!
A lot of people have come in recently asking for "nice" books: nothing too dark but not too fluffy, nothing really bad happens but not all sunshine and rainbows and I would say this hits the nail on the head! Disclaimer: I have never read a Jojo Moyes book before so don't ask me to compare it to her other novels!
- Rachel
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Twist $37
Colum McCann
I’ve just got my hands on a copy of this and am looking forward to diving in. When journalist Anthony Fennell boards a cable repair vessel captained by John Conway, Fennell learns the rhythms of life at sea, and finds his place among the band of drifters who make up the crew. But as the mission falters, tensions simmer - and Conway is thrown into crisis. A violent tragedy is unfolding in the life he has left behind on land; and, trapped out at sea, it seems as if the vast expanse of the ocean is closing in.Then Conway disappears; and Fennell must set out to find him. As taut and propulsive as a thriller, and a timeless exploration of narrative and truth.
- Olivia
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Broken Country $38
PREORDER NOW OUT MARCH 11
Clare Leslie Hall
I anticipate many people will be talking about this book in coming months, and I’m predicting it will be a word-of-mouth sensation in the same way that Where the Crawdads Sing and Paper Palace caused a mild frenzy. Of course, I’m not the only one who thinks this book will get noticed - it’s already been optioned by Reece Witherspoon’s production company. The book opens with a man on charge for murder. Then the story cleverly tips backwards and forwards in time to keep the reader guessing as to the outcome of the trial and how the man ended up there. Set in a small British town, it’s a searing look at marriage, relationships, grief, and different versions of love. A gripping read.
- Olivia
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The Wolf Tree $38
Laura McCluskey
An atmospheric read about the investigation of a suspicious death on a small island off the coast of Scotland. Imagine if you mixed together The Searcher by Tana French, any of Sarah Pearse's Detective Elin Warner books, and a Lucy Foley mystery... if that isn't a formula for a great crime novel I really don't know what is! As much as I love small town mysteries, small ISLAND mysteries are even better. What do they put in the water in these small communities!?
- Rachel
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Famous Last Words $38
Gillian McAllister
I loved Wrong Place Wrong Time and I enjoyed Just Another Missing Person so I'm excited to dip into Gillian McAllister's latest novel about a woman whose husband Luke - doting father, successful writer, enthusiastic runner and eternal optimist - is the gunman in a hostage situation! There's sure to be lots of twists in this one. Can't wait!
- Rachel
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Toitū Te Whenua $45
Lauren Keenan
An accessible guide to significant places and people of the New Zealand Wars from a Māori perspective. This comprehensive guidebook journeys through the pivotal sites of the New Zealand Wars, from the Far North to Wellington, offering a unique perspective on events that shaped Aotearoa New Zealand.
With engaging and insightful commentary, Lauren Keenan (Te Ātiawa ki Taranaki) brings to life the key battles, influential figures, and significant locations on an essential chapter in this country's past.
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The Far Edges of the Known World $39
Owen Rees
Owen Rees explores the powerful empires and diverse peoples in Europe, Asia and Africa beyond the reaches of Greece and Rome. In doing so, he offers us a new, brilliantly rich lens with which to understand the ancient world.
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Between Two Rivers $40
Moudhy Al-Rashid
Bringing us closer than ever before to the lives of ancient people, Between Two Rivers tells not just the history of Mesopotamia, but the story of how history was made. |
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Captain de Havilland's Moth $40
Alexander Norman
A nostalgic celebration of the golden age of aviation. An astonishing cast of characters whose courage, determination and epic eccentricity is shown in the light of what it is actually like to fly these remarkable aeroplanes.
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Skies of Thunder $40
Caroline Alexander
The little known story of the allies' fight in WWII's chaotic and lethal China Burma-India Theater. Caroline Alexander tells the story of the airmen who braved this perilous journey. |
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Smart Money $39
Brunello Rosa with Casey Larsen
Urgent, clear-eyed and groundbreaking, Smart Money shows us how Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) are going to impact all of our futures in ways that most of us have failed to even consider. If the West is to compete, it needs to act fast to develop its own global digital currencies that reflect the values of liberal democracies.
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Legends and Soles $40
Sonny Vaccaro
If you’re a sneaker head, you know him as the Saviour of Nike. Legends and Soles tells Sonny’s story – his blind-sided firing by Nike Chairman Phil Knight, the landmark 2021 Supreme Court decision that upended big-time college sports, the countless days and nights of watching athletes compete, and so much more that only Sonny can retell. Filled with in-depth stories and photos illuminating some of Sonny’s most treasured career memories, Legends and Soles is the long-awaited memoir of a giant in the story of American sports.
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Go, Scooter, Go! $21
Kyle Mewburn
Where is Hugo racing off to? And why is there an enormous traffic jam? A really cute read with fun illustrations and lots of animals by kiwi author Kyle Mewburn for ages 3+.
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Clever Jack Takes the Cake $21
Candace Fleming & G. Brian Karas
This delicously funny, original fairy tale follows a boy named Jack who bakes a cake and faces an exciting journey as he tries to deliver it to a princess for her birthday party. What would you do if you were invited to the princess's tenth birthday party but didn't have money for a gift? Well, clever Jack decides to bake the princess a cake. Now he just has to get it to the castle in one piece. What could possibly go wrong? Ages 4+
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Ride North $20
Maria De Jong
This is everything I want from a children’s chapter book. A cracking story, set in New Zealand complete with a sensible, talking horse. It even has a map tracking the girl Folly’s journey from Dargaville to Cape Reinga with Tooth for company. It’s quite the adventure with a memorable scene where horse and rider catch a lift inside a campervan without the driver’s knowledge. Sad in places - because Folly’s mum has died - it is also funny, clever and well written. A big thumbs up from me! Ages 10+
- Laura
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Marnie Midnight & The Great Critter Contest $28
Laura Ellen Anderson
The second book in this fabulous series has just arrived. I haven't read it yet (ask me tomorrow, I will have finished it) but you all know how much I loved Marnie Midnight #1! This series is like if A Bug's Life and Harry Potter had a baby. It's full of fun bug puns and so many quirky characters. This term at Minibeast Academy it's time for something really exciting – the Great Critter Contest! The contest sees students set off to explore the school in teams, searching for clues. The winners get an incredible prize and Marnie and her team are determined to be first to cross the finish line...
Perfect for ages 7+ or even 6 year olds if you're reading along with them. I hope everyone who got book 1 from us for Christmas will come back for book 2! - Rachel
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Our Infinite Fates $28
Laura Steven
I was hooked on every word of this beautiful book. It follows two characters who are destined to kill each other in every lifetime but they also always fall in love. One of them doesn't understand why they always have to die before their 18th birthday and the other clearly knows more than they ever let on. As the reader, we pass through their many lives and see them fall in love and then die again and again. Why is this happening and can the cycle ever be broken? You will have to read to find out, and you will not be disappointed by the ending. I would give this to anyone who enjoyed They Both Die at the End (for the tragic love story) or Divine Rivals (for the beautiful writing) and I would re-read it in a heartbeat if life wasn't so short and there weren't a million other books calling my name. Ages 14+
- Rachel
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Sunrise on the Reaping $30
OUT MARCH 19th
Suzanne Collins
The prequel we all wanted. Yes, President Snow's villain origin story was incredible but Haymitch's story is what we all really wanted. We already know Haymitch won his games (and how) but at what cost and what really happened during the Quarter Quell? I cannot wait to get my hands on the latest instalment in the Hunger Games series. Forget Fourth Wing, who else is going to call in sick to work on March 19th? Liv, I feel like I'm coming down with something *cough cough* and I think I'll be at peak sickness on a Wednesday 2 weeks from now...
PREORDER YOUR COPY NOW!
- Rachel
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The Longlist for the Women's Fiction Prize has just been announced and we are thrilled to see Amma by Kiwi author Saraid de Silva! We have all books either in stock or on order, what a list!!!
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The Shortlist for the 2025 Ockham NZ Book Awards has been announced! We've created an Ockhams category on our website so you can browse the nominees. If you don't see the book you're looking for there it means we have already sold out but we are happy to order it for you if you contact us!
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