We are loving the top picks from your reading and listening libraries! Keep them coming.

 

The Next Bit with Hannah McQueen & Mark Leishman

If you’re looking to kill your mortgage faster or want to feel less anxious about your bank account, this is the one to subscribe to. It’s smart, punchy and genuinely helpful. As someone who usually finds financial podcasts about as exciting as watching paint dry, Next Bit was a massive breath of fresh air. It makes ‘the money talk’ feel like a casual conversation over a flat white. Susan, Christchurch

 

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Good Hang with Amy Poehler

The vital joy of driving home with Amy Poehler after a full day is a source of bliss. The Good Hang with Amy Poehler casually won the inaugural Golden Globe for best podcast, which is so deserving. Her lifelong comedy background provides an amalgamation of curiosity and comedy that allows listeners to feel like they’re ‘engaging with a couple of friends.’ It’s one of those belly-hurts-laughing podcasts that makes comedians accessible when the world needs it the most. Camilla, South Waikato

 

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Let’s Go Native by Guy Hessell (Bateman Books)

Honestly, if you’re like me and you’ve spent years coddling fussy exotics that just can’t handle our unpredictable ‘four seasons in one day’ weather, this book is a total game-changer. I like how Guy talks about working with the land rather than fighting it. He shows you how to set up a garden that actually looks after itself once it’s established. There’s something so satisfying about looking out the window and seeing tūī and korimako flocking to your backyard. Mark, Southland

 

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Orchids and Camellias by Sophie Rogers (Flying Books Publishing)

Living in Central Otago, you really can’t escape the history of the gold fields. When I read Sophie Rogers’ new novel, honestly it makes me see our backyard in a whole new light. Ginny Yang’s journey navigates everything from the gold rush in Arrowtown to the suffrage movement in the bigger cities. I was fascinated to learn how things like the prohibition debates intersected with race division. Fiona, Luggate

 

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The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah (St. Martin’s Press)

In my quest to get through all of Kristin Hannah’s books, The Great Alone was up there as one of the ‘must reads’ of this author’s back catalogue and I can see why! The journey of the Allbright family to Alaska in the 1970s was an interesting lesson in the love that exists within the fractured bonds of family. It’s a survivalist drama and a high-stakes psychological thriller with an emotional depth of coming-of-age and strength of the human spirit. Weirdly it makes me want to go to Alaska! Tori, KeriKeri

 

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