Category: Poetry and Short Stories
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NZ Ockhams 2026 Shortlists Announced
The Ockhams 2026 finalists have been released, and I have been pleasantly surprised by the line-up. I think it is pretty safe to say that I have more books to read over the next month, as these sixteen shortlisted titles provide a great range of reading and voices to appreciate and experience. Let me remind…
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The 2026 New Zealand Ockhams Longlist Has Been Announced
Earlier this month, the Ockhams 2026 longlist was announced, and with the number of phenomenal books mentioned, I just have to share them with you all. The Ockhams are one of our biggest literary awards, covering fiction, poetry, illustrated non-fiction, and general non-fiction. From well-known authors to debut names, the longlists have so much to…
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Getting my Hands on Jujutsu Kaisen Vol. 1 by Gege Akutami
I have two mani manga I want to complete this year. The first is My Hero Academia, and I have already started reading it, so check out my post for My Hero Academia Volume 1 here. The other manga I want to read this year is Jujutsu Kaisen by Gege Akumati, and I can already…
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annafromuni, annafromuni 2026, book recommendations, book review, dark fantasy, fantasy manga, first impressions, foreign books, foreign lit, foreign literature, gege akutami, graphic novel, graphic novel series, graphic novels, jujutsu kaisen, manga, manga review, manga series, popular manga, popular manga series, short books, short stories, supernatural fantasy, ya dark fantasy -
Reading Kohei Horikoshi’s My Hero Academia Vol. 1 as an eBook
In my quest to read more manga and graphic novels in 2026, I figured I would try reading them as eBooks for a change. In theory, it is brilliant; multiple volumes that aren’t physically owned and circulated by the library system can be read via Libby. I can request them and, when I am available,…
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I Read the First Five Volumes of Umi Sakurai’s A Man and His Cat
My next manga in progress is Umi Sakurai’s A Man and His Cat, and I have not stopped smiling since I started it. From the adorably peculiar Fukumaru to the kind and troubled Mr Kanda, the short episodes within this manga are so funny and sweet, I genuinely couldn’t stop smiling over how sappy it…
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a man and his cat, annafromuni, annafromuni discussions, book recommendations, book review, books about cats, cat gamer, contemporary adult fiction, Contemporary Fiction, cosy fiction, cosy vibes, daily posts, daily reading, daily reviews, december posting, december reading, graphic novel, graphic novel series, graphic novels, manga, manga about cats, manga review, manga series, series recommendations, series review, umi sakurai -
A Therapeutic Read in Satoshi Yagisawa’s Days at the Morisaki Bookshop
Forgive me, friends, but my December has been a bit muddled as of late. As such, I haven’t found the right time to read Ursula K. Le Guin’s fourth Earthsea Cycle novel Tehanu, but instead have picked up Days at the Morisaki Bookshop as a short, but soul-touching read to get some good healing vibes…
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Wataru Nadatani’s Cat Gamer is Me, and I Need More
I love reading manga, not only because it is a fun medium for storytelling, but because it provides a much-needed break from the text-intensive novels I generally pick up. Yona of the Dawn is a manga I have been reading since maybe 2024, but I have long since passed the stage where I can get…
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a man and his cat, annafromuni, book recommendations, book review, books about cats, cat gamer, Contemporary Fiction, cosy fiction, graphic novel, graphic novel series, japanese books, manga, manga about cats, manga review, manga series, series recommendations, series review, short books, short stories, slice of life, wataru nadatani, yona of the dawn -
A Beautiful Short Story Collection in Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
Short story collections are something I find myself gravitating towards at this stage in my life, and I am so happy that I can find such great recommendations and works to pick up from a range of authors. Interpreter of Maladies is a book that came across my radar some months ago (I am not…
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Caleb Azumah Nelson’s Open Water Will Touch Your Soul
This novel had me hooked from the moment I started reading. Caleb Azumah Nelson’s Open Water is not only a powerful, poignant tale of the Black experience, but it is a novel that speaks to the soul. With its lush prose, vivid imagery, and deeply insightful commentary across the board, Open Water easily stands as…
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Stunning Short Stories in Claire Keegan’s Walk the Blue Fields
What’s better than a Claire Keegan story? Multiple Claire Keegan stories! Walk the Blue Fields was a library book request I made following Foster, a story I absolutely adored, and I am so happy to have more works of hers in hand. Both gut-wrenching and grand, these stories will transport you and throw you into…
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adult book recs, adult fiction, annafromuni, antarctica, book review, claire keegan, contemporary adult fiction, Contemporary Fiction, foreign lit, foster, irish literature, irish stories, literary fiction, modern classic, modern classic literature, short books, short stories, short story collection, small things like these, walk the blue fields