Waiopehu College

81,462 pages read and 3,967 team points

Team members

Lisa Eleanor

17,960 pts

(14,699 pages read)

Wild Pork and Watercress

By Barry Crump

4 stars

My last book for this reading challenge! It's a fun action/survival story. I'll pass it on to my husband before putting in in my classroom library. I must have seen 'Hunt for the Wilderpeople' 10 times by now-but I enjoyed reading the original book, where Ricky's voice comes through loud and clear, and we are given more details about Ricky's past and Uncle Hec and Ricky's hunting adventures.
Gliff

By Ali Smith

5 stars

A gripping novel. Smith's 'Seasons' quartet was great, and the collection 'Public Library' should be read by any book lover. But this book is something else! As I read increasingly horrifying news about Trump's shocking treatment of migrants and his desire to end birthright citizenship for children of temporary immigrants, it makes it all too clear that this book isn't a dystopia, it's a reality for many. Living with corporate and media control, brainwashing of children, restrictions on free speech, continual surveillance...the siblings in this story are determined to survive. I'm looking forward to reading the outcome...will write more soon...Finished it last night- gratifying ending. Will definitely be recommending this one!
To Kill A Mockingbird

By Harper Lee

4 stars

I've just started reading this with my Yr 12 English class. I remember the first time I read it when I was a teenager, and how I adored Atticus. Since then, I've read 'Go Set A Watchman' and also read criticisms of the depiction of the 'white saviour' and the lack of authentic voices and character development for the African American characters. I'll look forward to discussing these issues with my students.
The Man Whose Mother was a Pirate

By Margaret Mahy

5 stars

Full marks of course for the wonderful Margaret Mahy and this classic children's book! Bought it for my pirate-mad grandson. We're going to see the musical version in Khandallah park so I thought he better know the story-line! And who could resist beautiful lines like the following description of when the little man saw the sea for the first time; 'He opened his mouth, and the drift and the dream of it, the weave and the wave of it, the fume and the foam of it, never left him again.'
The Scent of Oranges

By Kathy George

4 stars

I got very engrossed in this book-another late night of reading! Dicken's 'Oliver' has always appealed to me as a rags-to-riches story, and I performed in the musical at school! This is Nancy's story, and the writer brings us right into her life, how she is trapped in a violent relationship with Bill Sikes as well as her concern for the plight of orphan Oliver. How terrible life was for poor women in Victorian England-this story puts us right into the squalor and pain of Nancy's life.
Elementals

By A. S. Byatt

4 stars

Byatt writes beautifully, and like many others I was possessed by her novel 'Possession' and adored 'The Children's Book'- they would both be in my top ten books of all time! I prefer a novel to a short story collection, but I enjoyed these stories for their mixture of fable-like and fairytale elements and their evocative descriptions.
Intermezzo

By Sally Rooney

4 stars

I've enjoyed Rooney's last three novels-and this one didn't disappoint. The characters are very real and their relationships are complex and intense-there is no 'good' or 'bad' in the way they relate to each other. This novel shows that love is complicated, messy and very beautiful.
The Ministry of Time

By Kaliane Bradley

5 stars

I loved this book! I have had it on reserve since I first heard about it and it's as good as the critics say! The only problem is that I couldn't stop reading it at night and had to force myself to put it down and get some sleep-so would recommend that you read it in the weekend or next school holidays. Graham Gore is a fascinating character from the past and the author has done a beautiful job of showing us how he copes with London in the near future- and his developing relationship with his 'bridge.' This book is laugh out loud funny but also terrifying, bringing up moral and ethical issues. I'm recommending it to everyone I know.
Love as a Stranger

By Owen Marshall

3 stars

I found the style of this book a bit stilted and one of the main characters, Hartley, disturbed me from the start. The theme of obsessive love is quite convincingly depicted. The character of Sarah was difficult to engage with, although I did find her situation one that I could sympathise with.
Transit

By Rachel Cusk

4 stars

I read 'Outline' and 'Kudos' a while ago-'Transit' is the middle book of this trilogy and I really enjoy Cusk's style and how we get to hear the stories Faye is told by the different people she engages with. There's really no plot but the 'conversations' are always absorbing and thought-provoking.
H is for Hawk

By Helen Macdonald

3 stars

A very descriptive biography about the author dealing with her father's death and training a goshawk she calls Mabel. It's intense-she goes into a wild, primitive and obsessive state herself as she deals with the bird. Her grief is well-conveyed and I found the parts about T. H. White and the history of Falconry interesting.
A Girl is a Half-formed Thing

By Eimear McBride

3 stars

I've been meaning to read this book for ages...it reminded me of Joyce's 'Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man' and 'Ulysses' from Uni days. McBride's stream-of-consciousness style has been described as 'stylistically challenging' and 'technically astounding' and it is all that, and the Catholic girlhood and coming of age resonated with me.
The Conditions of Unconditional Love

By Alexander McCall Smith

4 stars

Finding a new 'Isabel Dalhousie' novel on the library shelves is always a joy, and reading this book was like sinking into a lovely warm bath! Some people find the character's philosophical musings a bit much, but I love the way Isabel overthinks her actions and the way she responds to the people she encounters. Lots of fun!
Death on D'Urville

By Penelope Haines

3 stars

This is the first book in the 'Claire Hardcastle Mystery Series' -I'd started with the most recent so I'm back-tracking. I really like all the 'Kapiti' references- it's cool to read a book set so firmly in my neighbourhood. The protagonist is pretty feisty and the murder mystery kept me intrigued. All in all, a good read!
Bridge

By Lauren Beukes

4 stars

I was really caught up in this book! Bridge is grieving for her mother, and when sorting through her household possessions with her best friend Dom finds a hidden substance she calls the 'dreamworm' that brings back memories of experiencing other lives. There are many interesting elements to this book, including voodoo, altered states and consciousness, PTSD...
The Sleepwalkers

By Scarlett Thomas

3 stars

A clever and unusual thriller- Evelyn is caught up in a nightmarish situation on her honeymoon. She's a victim/manipulator dealing with some very unpleasant characters. Quite an engrossing read.
Hunter

By Joy Cowley

3 stars

Another YA NZ novel brought home to read. This one was published in 2004, and alternates between the struggles of a young slave boy 'Hunter' in pre-colonial NZ 200 years ago and three siblings lost after a plane crash. A cool premise, exploring our deep connection to our ancestors and how they can guide us in times of difficulty.
Help Yourself

By Curtis Sittenfeld

4 stars

A very quick read-three engaging short stories from a great writer. I've loved her novels, especially 'Prep' and 'Sisterland,' and her characters are well-drawn. Hope she writes another novel soon-I understand she has another short story collection coming out this year.
California Golden

By Melanie Benjamin

3 stars

A summery read, based in Malibu in the 1960s. This book wasn't very well-written-and there was a lot of 'telling' rather than showing. The most interesting parts were when Mindy went to Vietnam to sing for the troops, while her sister Ginger ended up in a dodgy cult with her controlling boyfriend.
Mission Girl

By Fleur Beale

3 stars

Another YA novel brought home from school to read. This time it's from the POV of a young Maori girl, Atapo, around the time of the treaty of Waitangi. A brave and passionate protagonist, Atapo's journey is a moving and engaging one.
The Sparrow

By Tessa Duder

3 stars

One of the NZ YA books I brought home from school to read. I enjoy the way fiction can fill in the gaps of colonial history, and this was a great 'survival' story from the POV of young 'Harry's' arrival in NZ in 1836. Very detailed and well-researched writing, which gave a strong sense of the lives of Pakeha settlers.
XX

By Angela Chadwick

4 stars

A great premise- Jules, a journalist, and her partner Rosie sign up for a clinical trial enabling two women to have a baby together without the need for a male donor. This was an interesting story, looking at trust in relationships and also exploring far-right agendas and the impact of the media.
Stall Turns

By Penelope Haines

3 stars

It's great that my local library in Paraparaumu has made a point of having a good number of books by Kapiti writers and even labels this on the spine. I'll be looking out for more 'Claire Hardcastle' mysteries as the protagonist is a middle-aged woman like myself, as well as being a skillful pilot, brave and quick-witted, with a gorgeous detective boyfriend Jack!
Deep Down

By Imogen West-Knights

4 stars

This novel portrays Billie and her older brother Tom and shows them dealing with the death of their father . The flashbacks to their dysfunctional childhood are well conveyed and restrained, and the author shows how deeply past experiences shape our future.
The Last Devil to Die

By Richard Osman

4 stars

Another fun summer read- a lively page-turner that is more than just a who-dunnit, with a poignant exploration of Stephen and Elizabeth's relationship. I'm enjoying talking about these books with my parents and we're all looking forward to the movie!
The Bullet that Missed

By Richard Osman

3 stars

I borrowed this one off my mum and now my husband's reading it- great storyline and not too taxing. It's so cool that Osman has created a group of pensioners that are shown to be courageous, curious and very clever when it comes to solving murders.
The Leonard Girls

By Deborah Challinor

3 stars

A follow on from 'The Jacaranda House' and a good summer read- we meet Polly and Gina again but this time the Vietnam war is the background. I got involved with the characters, especially young anti-war activist Jo and soldier Sam Apanui. Again, Challinor has certainly done her research into the 1960s- a time of rapid cultural and social change.
George and Lizzie

By Nancy Pearl

3 stars

Lizzie has had a strange upbringing and finds it impossible to feel content and settled, even with a caring partner. She ruminates continually about her past mistakes and her lost love. An interesting read about the importance of moving on and not letting the past ruin the present.
Oligarchy

By Scarlett Thomas

4 stars

I realised that I'd already read this book a few pages in, but kept going because I find her style of writing really fun and engaging. 'Our Tragic Universe' is one of my favourite books. This one, set in an English boarding school, has a bit of a murder mystery happening but is more about teenage relationships and pressures.
Do you remember being born?

By Sean Michaels

3 stars

Thought-provoking. Marian Ffarmer is a poet who has been asked to collaborate on a poem with a computer called Charlotte. This book made me think about the possibilities of AI, and the human impulse to be creative. Where does inspiration come from and does it require sacrifice?
The Sentence

By Louise Erdrich

4 stars

Erdrich is a fabulous writer. Tookie, the protagonist, has made some 'bad choices' in her life but has now found love, a job in a bookshop with fascinating colleagues and is starting to come to terms with her identity. Until the haunting by a deceased customer, Flora, upsets her equilibrium. Set against the covid lockdowns and Minneapolis protests, this is a tremendous book.
Halfway House

By Helen Fitzgerald

3 stars

Lou is a young Australian doing her OE in Edinburgh, about to start a job in a half way house for ex-prisoners. A bit of a wild child, she hooks up with a charismatic man, Tim and the plot thickens! This is quite a page-turner but not for the faint-hearted.
The Night She Fell

By Eileen Merriman

3 stars

I was impressed by this author when she visited my school to talk to our students-warm, engaging and articulate. This book paints a convincing picture of student life in Dunedin and works well as a psychological thriller with some pretty chilling moments.
The Dressmaker of Dachau

By Mary Chamberlain

3 stars

I've heard about this book from a number of people. Ada Vaughan is a young woman trying to better herself but finds herself abandoned by her lover just as war breaks out. I found it shocking that British women who had been interned in Germany had very little support when they returned to UK, in spite of the horrors that they may have had to endure.
Wing

By Nikki Gemmell

3 stars

Every school principal's worst nightmare-a group of young women go missing on a school camping trip. The descriptions in this book ring true- estranged friendships, adolescent trauma, mother daughter-relationships. A thought-provoking book.
Coming Up Roses

By Sarah Laing

4 stars

I was rapt to find this book in our local 'little library' as I am a complete fan girl of Sarah's writing and graphic art. These short stories are all very readable, but I particularly liked the descriptions of childhood in 'Stepping on Cracks' and 'Pod' -reminiscent of Katherine Mansfield.
The Performance

By Claire Thomas

4 stars

This book reveals the thoughts and memories of three women as they watch a performance of 'Happy Days' by Samuel Beckett. Their internal monologues ring true, and I could relate to how they contemplate personal issues whilst watching a play-I do the same thing! The book is set against a backdrop of climate change which also resonates as parts of Australia are currently recording very high temperatures; 'classic fire weather' according to Victorian authorities.
Olive Again

By Elizabeth Strout

4 stars

Beautifully written and thought-provoking. I love the way the author has developed the character of Olive and the insights she gives into growing older. I was just in the mood to read about Olive's later years and enjoyed her flaws as well as her non-judgemental support of others.
The Studio Girls

By Lisa Ireland

3 stars

An enjoyable summer read! Four young women become friends whilst living at the 'Hollywood Studio Club,' a residential 'chaperoned dormitory' (which really did exist). This novel shows what 'breaking into Hollywood' could involve for some of the aspiring 'actresses.'
Mayflies

By Andrew O'Hagan

4 stars

An enjoyable read- Tully and James are best mates and I loved the descriptions of their crazy antics, especially during a trip to Manchester in the 80s to hear their fav bands. It switches to their middle age and explores the moral dilemma of how far you'd go to help a friend.
Liberation Day

By George Sanders

2 stars

I had enjoyed 'Lincoln in the Bardo'-unlike anything else I've read- but this collection of short stories wasn't to my taste I'm afraid.
The Jacaranda House

By Deborah Challinor

3 stars

What I enjoyed most about this novel were the descriptions of setting-King's Cross, Sydney in the 1960's-and the writer had certainly done her research on the strip clubs, brothels and drug culture. She also wove in important facts about the NZ govt's eviction of Ngati Whatua from Okahu Bay in Auckland-part of NZ's shameful history of riding roughshod over Maori land rights.
Bird Life

By Anna Smaill

3 stars

I was really looking forward to reading this as I'd loved 'The Chimes.' Dinah's experiences as an English teacher in Japan were convincingly -the isolation and disconnection-and I could understand how she was drawn into the lives of her colleague Yasuko and her son Yun. The way the characters cope with mental illness and loss was believable too.
The Tsar of Love and Techno

By Anthony Marra

4 stars

This book has nine 'novellas' that interlink across 70+ years from Leningrad in the 1930s, Siberia, Chechnya Grozny and full circle to St Petersburg in 2013. I don't know much about Soviet politics but Marra gives a strong sense of how people existed under Stalin and beyond. Intense and interesting!
One Another

By Gail Jones

3 stars

Helen, an Australian student at Cambridge Uni, is writing a thesis on Joseph Conrad. The novel switches between details about Conrad's life and work, and Helen's unhappiness. Well written but melancholy.
Magic for Liars

By Sarah Gailey

3 stars

An easy read. The protagonist is a P.I. investigating a bizarre murder in a Hogwarts-type school for teenage 'mages.' Quite fun- Ivy, is a hot mess with a drinking problem and a dysfunctional relationship with her 'magically gifted' twin sister, Tabitha- a teacher at the school.
Wool

By Hugh Howey

3 stars

We read this book for our school's teachers book club-I'll get to discuss it tomorrow. I found the concept quite intriguing and Jules was an ingenious heroine. I'm keen to watch the TV series adaptation; 'Silo.'
'Books, Baguettes and Bedbugs'

By Jeremy Mercer

4 stars

An enjoyable memoir about the time when a young Canadian journalist was taken in as a 'lost soul' by the founder of 'Shakespeare and Company' bookshop in Paris. I've always been intrigued by this famous bookshop, with the motto 'Be not inhospitable to strangers, lest they prove to be angels in disguise' and it's definitely on my bucket list to visit.
Fruit of the Dead

By Rachel Lyon

4 stars

18-year-old Cory's fascination with a mysterious, charismatic older man, Rolo, alludes to the classical myth of Hades, God of the Underworld. Emer and Cory, mother and daughter, have a difficult relationship. The references to Demeter and Persephone, including the pomegranate seeds are cleverly and chillingly wound into this engrossing novel.
Mania

By Lionel Shriver

4 stars

Emory is a belligerent narrator who challenges the 'PC' norms of a dystopian USA. The black humour and despair of this novel makes it a disturbing read- parts of it made me nod my head in recognition-parts I felt really alienated by. Would be a good book to discuss in a book club of teachers!
Mercury Pictures Presents

By Anthony Marra

5 stars

I loved this book! It reminded me of one of my favourite books, 'All the Light We Cannot See.' Set before and during World War 2, it moves between Mussolini's Italy and Hollywood. There are many beautiful, poignant moments that touched my heart.

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Waiopehu College

81,462 pages read and 3,967 team points

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