pickOuch that hurt! One of those stories that hurts to read but it‘s a truth that must be told. An outstanding piece of literary fiction from author Becky Manawatu, drawing on some real life stories and others so cinematically conjured I am certain we‘ll see this on screen soon. Beautiful, raw and #owsie 😓
pickSuch a fantastic read about siblings navigating family dynamics, relationships, life‘s purpose, and mental health. Both full of humor and poignant sensitivity. Highly recommended on audio.
pickI have waited an age for a new Perkins novel, and goodness that patience has been rewarded. Perkins is as ever, pitch perfect in this story about MONEY- desire for it, the accumulation of it, the spending of it, the way it smooths the world for you when you have it, and the crushing weight of the potential, ever imminent loss of it. It‘s a novel that very clearly reminds us that money, indeed wealth, is the real source of power in New Zealand.
pickReally liked this story about the siblings and their multicultural family in New Zealand.
#MarvellousMarch @Andrew65
pickOmg this is such a wonderful treat of a book! Such lovely characters… it centers in the titular siblings, and extends outward to include their complicated family dynamics, their partners/ex-partners, and the life challenges they face: relationships, finances, racism, mental health, etc. I want them to adopt me.
pickI haven‘t experienced such uncomplicated joy and love for a novel in I don‘t know how long. I mean, I‘ve loved plenty: Turtle Diary, Saltus, Rouge, The Sentence, The Memory Police, and Disappearing Earth (to name a few). But…they‘ve all been a bit *sad* on some level. And it‘s not that the characters in Greta & Valdin don‘t struggle - with their mental health, money, racism, sexism (all the usual culprits) — because they do! 👇🏻
pickFantastic book from NZ that touches on family, queerness, immigration, and being biracial all through the lens of a couple of rather lighthearted love stories.
Brother and sister Valdin & Greta navigate complicated romance while trying to stay close to their older brother and parents. She‘s looking for a woman who understands her while he pines for an ex-boyfriend in Argentina.
“Having OCD is so stupid. I wish I had something cool, like double joints or purple eyes.”
Um, excuse me…
Did Rebecca K. Reilly travel back in time specifically to enter my 9-year-old brain? 😆 As someone who has diagnosed herself with magical thinking OCD (based on nonsensical compulsions to complete certain tasks in order to avoid the death of my loved ones?), I feel this so hard. 👇🏻
This book just became available on Libby, two days before #NewZealand ends for #foodandlit for February. I won‘t be able to fit it in. Well, it will still count for #readingOceania!
@Catsandbooks @Librarybelle @BarbaraBB
pickGreta & Valdin are a sister and brother pair, 20-somethings, sharing an apartment in New Zealand. They‘re biracial, they‘re anxious, navigating their love lives and they care deeply for each other and their family. A large cast of family members feature prominently, each with their own backstory and ongoing drama. I don‘t know how to describe this book well enough to do it justice, other than to say I loved this endearing and quirky family.
