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EntertainmentSeptember 22

No genre or author unscathed

This book is a collection of Guardian feature writer John Crace's ''Digested Read'' parodies, the column in which he summarises in 700-800 words the latest books by many of the most popular names in literature.
No genre or author unscathed
No genre or author unscathed
EntertainmentSeptember 22

Novel approach to literary prize business

I once tried to read The Bone People, but gave up after 100 pages or so.
Novel approach to literary prize business
Novel approach to literary prize business
EntertainmentJuly 11

What happens if a worker gets above her station?

One of the things I have noticed while reading to my daughters is the multitude of narrators, animal, vegetable and mineral, which inhabit children's stories.
What happens if a worker gets above her station?
What happens if a worker gets above her station?
EntertainmentJuly 11

America's gift to the world

Bryan Anthony is in love with the American Songbook.
EntertainmentJune 13

Remarkable insight into crumbling mind

Maud, an old lady suffering from Alzheimer's disease, continually tries to tell people that her friend Elizabeth is missing.
Remarkable insight into crumbling mind
Remarkable insight into crumbling mind
EntertainmentMay 23

Adept at transferring words into art

Cilla Mcqueen once said: ''Handwriting is a daily practice and essential to the process of my work. I like that clear line flowing between conscious and unconscious mind, the patterns of threads inked by the travelling nib. The outside world impinges; the inside world flows out in language in a process of exchange between myself and the world through an invisible osmotic membrane.''
Adept at transferring words into art
Adept at transferring words into art
EntertainmentMay 16

Hidden crime forces town to rally round

Despite its near-contemporary setting and focus, Jenny Pattrick's latest novel, Heartland, revisits and magnifies themes familiar to readers of her historical novels: the complex relationships that run beneath the surface of small communities, the nature of family (both those that we are born into and those we choose ourselves), and the way in which the physical environment shapes individual and collective identity.
Hidden crime forces town to rally round
Hidden crime forces town to rally round
EntertainmentApril 11

Inventive, thought-provoking, poignant

This has to qualify as one of the most unusual and unpredictable novels I have read.
Inventive, thought-provoking, poignant
Inventive, thought-provoking, poignant
EntertainmentApril 4

Illuminating story set in a changing world

Reading Lamplighter is like coming across a small but exquisite stained-glass window in a darkened hallway; a burst of unexpected light and colour through which to catch a glimpse of a familiar but subtly transformed world.
Illuminating story set in a changing world
Illuminating story set in a changing world
EntertainmentMarch 28

Sense of mana present in poetry

Ben Brown was awarded the Maori Writer's Residency at the Michael King Writers' Centre for 2011 at Devonport. There he worked on Between the Kindling and the Blaze.
Sense of mana present in poetry
Sense of mana present in poetry
EntertainmentMarch 21

Enlightening but discomfiting

This is a history of interactions between people and dolphins in New Zealand, beginning with the appearance of Pelorus Jack in the late 19th century.
Enlightening but discomfiting
Enlightening but discomfiting
EntertainmentMarch 14

Trollope strikes familiar chords

Joanna Trollope has produced another book dealing with modern issues in a way which will be familiar to her regular readers.
Trollope strikes familiar chords
Trollope strikes familiar chords
EntertainmentMarch 7

Elton John Giveaway

CinemaLive presents Elton John: The Million Dollar Piano at Rialto, Dunedin to celebrate the release of the 40th anniversary edition of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.
Elton John Giveaway
Elton John Giveaway
EntertainmentMarch 7

Engaging and unusual read - small print and all

On the face of it, Frank Shaw, the narrator of New Zealand author Robert Glancy's first novel, Terms and Conditions, should be a thoroughly unlikeable character.
Engaging and unusual read - small print and all
Engaging and unusual read - small print and all
EntertainmentFebruary 28

All-encompassing account of Mandela's life

Charlene Smith needs little introduction in media circles around the world.
All-encompassing account of Mandela's life
All-encompassing account of Mandela's life
EntertainmentFebruary 14

Investigation enriches reading of Eliot classic

I have been interested in the responses to a question on what might be the favourite summer reread of people interviewed in the ODT's Summer Times pages.
Investigation enriches reading of Eliot classic
Investigation enriches reading of Eliot classic
EntertainmentJanuary 24

A musical treat for young ones

''Let's play music, make a beat; Clap your hands and stamp your feet.''
A musical treat for young ones
A musical treat for young ones
EntertainmentJanuary 17

Final of Shakespearean trilogy fast-paced, readable

Birthright follows Banquo's Son and Blood Lines to complete the trilogy by Dunedin author T.K. Roxborogh, which is her take on what might have happened to Fleance, son of Banquo in Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth.
Final of Shakespearean trilogy fast-paced, readable
Final of Shakespearean trilogy fast-paced, readable
EntertainmentJanuary 10

Win family book hamper 6

The ODT has the last of six Summer Times family book hampers to give away courtesy of our regular books page publishers. Each 10-book hamper, worth hundreds of dollars, has a mix of books for all ages and across various genres, ensuring there should be something for most members of the family to read this summer.
EntertainmentJanuary 8

Win family book hamper 5

The ODT has six Summer Times family book hampers to give away courtesy of our regular books page publishers. Each 10-book hamper, worth hundreds of dollars, has a mix of books for all ages and across various genres, ensuring there should be something for most members of the family to read this summer. Keep reading our Summer Times pages for your chance to win.
EntertainmentJanuary 3

Win family book hamper 3

The ODT has six Summer Times family book hampers to give away courtesy of our regular books page publishers. Each 10-book hamper, worth hundreds of dollars, has a mix of books for all ages and across various genres, ensuring there should be something for most members of the family to read this summer. Keep reading our Summer Times pages for your chance to win.
EntertainmentJanuary 1

Win family book hamper 2

The ODT has six Summer Times family book hampers to give away courtesy of our regular books page publishers. Each 10-book hamper, worth hundreds of dollars, has a mix of books for all ages and across various genres, ensuring there should be something for most members of the family to read this summer. Keep reading our Summer Times pages for your chance to win.
The MixDecember 27

Giveaway: Barbecue accessory pack

To celebrate summer, Goldair has a gift for one lucky Otago Daily Times reader, a barbecue accessory pack.
Giveaway: Barbecue accessory pack
Giveaway: Barbecue accessory pack
BusinessJanuary 9

Comprehensive protection for up to five devices

Otago Daily Times technology editor Dene Mackenzie has sourced the Norton 360 Multi-Device to give away to five lucky Summer Times readers.
Comprehensive protection for up to five devices
Comprehensive protection for up to five devices
BusinessJanuary 6

No better way to put family's online safety first

Otago Daily Times technology editor Dene Mackenzie has sourced an opportunity for five lucky Summer Times readers to upscale their computer protection.