Tag: annafromuni 2026
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A Phenomenally Tense Thriller in Zoe Rankin’s The Vanishing Place
New Zealand crime thriller fiction is a genre that is alive and well, unlike some of the characters in the many stories at our fingertips, and I can think of no better example of such literary brilliance as Zoe Rankin’s The Vanishing Place. To think she is only a debut author with this exceptional novel…
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adult book recs, adult crime fiction, adult crime reads, adult crime thriller, adult mystery, adult thriller, annafromuni, annafromuni 2026, book recommendations, book review, Crime Fiction, crime mystery, crime reads, crime thriller, dark thriller, mystery, nz crime fiction, NZ Fiction, the vanishing place, thriller, thriller mystery, zoe rankin -
Walking Backwards into the Future with Dr Hinemoa Elder’s Waitohu
Taking the lessons from Aroha and Wawata, two of Dr Hinemoa Elder’s guide books to better connect with the Papatūānuku, ourselves, and the world around us, I have begun my reflexive journey with Waitohu, a journal that takes all of the whakataukī from the pukapuka I have been absorbing over the last month, and doing…
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A Wealth of Inspiration in Witi Ihimaera Smiler’s Te Kaikaukau
One of my favourite sessions of Auckland Writers Festival was Witi Ihimaera Smiler’s free event where he talked about the experiences that make up Te Kaikaukau. Just shy of 80, Witi made the plunge to consciously step into an immersive te reo Māori experience, whereby for a year he learnt from fellow students and his…
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adult book recs, annafromuni, annafromuni 2026, book recommendations, book review, contemporary non fiction, language learning, languages, maori author, maori lit, maori literature, maori non fiction, maori stories, maori voices, memoir, Non Fiction, non fiction book recs, nz non fiction, studying languages, te kaikaukau, te reo maori books, witi ihimaera, witi ihimaera smiler -
Lessons from Hinengaro in Dr Hinemoa Elder’s Ara
This pukapuka had me immersed from start to finish, and I usually wouldn’t say that about a nonfiction book. There is just something so special about Ara, so (excuse the pun) mindful, and each rua had me thinking so deeply about so may things in my life, my past, my emotions, and so much more.…
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adult book recs, annafromuni, annafromuni 2026, ara, aroha, book recommendations, book review, contemporary non fiction, dr hinemoa elder, maori author, maori literature, maori myths, maori non fiction, maori proverbs, maori stories, Non Fiction, non fiction book recs, NZ author, NZ book recs, nz literature, nz non fiction, NZ stories, self help books, self help reads, te reo maori books, wawata -
Tina Makereti’s This Compulsion in Us Mirrors My Own Thinking
Tina Makereti is a fiction and nonfiction author, with This Compulsion in Us being her first nonfiction book, though essays within the collection have been published separately. That alone should tell you the significance and extreme power of these writings. If you need further compulsion of your own, then consider this: This Compulsion in Us…
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2026 ockham awards, 2026 ockhams finalists, 2026 ockhams winner, adult book recs, annafromuni, annafromuni 2026, book recommendations, book review, contemporary non fiction, essay collections, kiwi stories, kiwi voices, maori author, maori literature, maori non fiction, Non Fiction, non fiction book recs, NZ author, nz authors and their accomplishments, NZ book recs, nz essays, nz literature, nz non fiction, nz reading, nz voices, This Compulsion in Us, tina makereti -
The Wonders of Memoir in Siobhan Harvey’s What We Remember, What We Forget
This post is a little later than my scheduled Saturday, as I have been enjoying Matariki and really focusing on what I want to prioritise for the year. I have also been reading an array of novels, and have been so immersed in them that I forgot to write up this review yesterday morning after…
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academic writing, adult book recs, adult memoir, an essay concerning human understanding, annafromuni, annafromuni 2026, annafromuni discussions, autobiography, book recommendations, book review, contemporary non fiction, creative non-fiction, essay writing, memoir, Non Fiction, non fiction book recs, nz non fiction, orlando, poetic prose, queer book recs, queer representation, reflections on exile, searching for memory: the brain the mind the past, siobhan harvey, the well of loneliness, what we remember what we forget -
Listening to the Moon with Dr Hinemoa Elder’s Wawata
Matariki is almost upon us, so let me share a Mānawatia a Matariki with you all. May your family find love, happiness, and comfort in each other. May those who have passed since the last Matariki be at peace. May we all take the lessons we have learnt over the many years and reflect upon…
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adult book recs, annafromuni, annafromuni 2026, ara, aroha, book recommendations, book review, contemporary non fiction, dr hinemoa elder, environmental non fiction, kiwi stories, kiwi voices, manawatia a matariki, maori author, maori literature, maori myths, maori new year, maori non fiction, maori proverbs, maori stories, maori voices, matariki, Non Fiction, non fiction book recs, nz non fiction, te reo maori books, wawata -
Bringing Mana Back in Tame Iti’s Mana
I had the absolute pleasure of listening to the iconic, influential, and incredibly intelligent Tāme Iti speak across multiple sessions at the Auckland Writers Festival in May, and he has been one of the key people in reshaping my approach to reconnecting with te ao Māori and te reo Māori. Through his own mana and…
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A Beautiful Terrifying Journey of Discovery in Shana Chandra’s Banjara
It has been several months since I started Banjara, getting me through the struggles of returning to the voluntary free reading space without feeling like an imposter for how little I was reading, and even making it into the hands of the very author who wrote it during the Auckland Writers Festival. Now, at the…
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Resonating with Dr Hinemoa Elder’s Aroha
In my journey to reconnect with my ancestors, my ao Māori, and myself once again through reading, and in light of July housing Matariki, the Māori New Year this year, I have opened my mind and soul to this wonderful pukapuka (book). Dr Hinemoa’s Elder’s Aroha is a collection of whakataukī (proverbs) that she has…
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adult book recs, annafromuni, annafromuni 2026, ara, book recommendations, book review, contemporary non fiction, dr hinemoa elder, environmental non fiction, maori author, maori literature, maori non fiction, maori proverbs, maori stories, maori voices, Non Fiction, non fiction book recs, NZ author, NZ book recs, nz history, nz non fiction, nz reading, NZ stories, nz voices, reading journey, reading local, reading new zealand, te reo maori books, waitohu, wawata, whakatauki