Latest from Books
![Coffin Confessor’s book: Proof the final word can really be a grave matter](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.nzherald.co.nz/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_p.png?d=803)
Coffin Confessor’s book: Proof the final word can really be a grave matter
Bill Edgar bares all, outlining his work ambushing funerals on behalf of the departed.
![Short stories show risks women face when challenging status quo](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.nzherald.co.nz/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_p.png?d=803)
Short stories show risks women face when challenging status quo
Janis Freegard blends surrealism with marine life to unpack gender roles.
![Take me to the river: Water scientist Mike Joy’s compelling memoir](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.nzherald.co.nz/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=803)
Take me to the river: Water scientist Mike Joy’s compelling memoir
Renowned environmental activist's life laid out in smartly written memoir.
![Kindred spirits unite over a love for British Northern soul](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.nzherald.co.nz/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=803)
Kindred spirits unite over a love for British Northern soul
Myers has delivered a novel with a big heart and a generous dollop of soul.
![Debut Kiwi novel touches on complicated relationships, mental health and healing](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.nzherald.co.nz/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=803)
Debut Kiwi novel touches on complicated relationships, mental health and healing
Megan O'Neill is a contemporary voice touching on current mental health crisis.
![From manta rays to mishaps: Vet Marcus Taylor’s ‘The Ones That Bit Me!’](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.nzherald.co.nz/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=803)
From manta rays to mishaps: Vet Marcus Taylor’s ‘The Ones That Bit Me!’
Book takes: Top NZ vet shares wild ride.
![Short cuts: Three new books to check out this weekend](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.nzherald.co.nz/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=803)
Short cuts: Three new books to check out this weekend
An All Black memoir, essays on art and the secret life of flying.
![Does gender still matter in art?](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.nzherald.co.nz/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=803)
Does gender still matter in art?
NZ’s women artists - notable, obscure and on fringes - celebrated in new essay collection.
![J.P Pomare’s thriller echoes some of NZ’s most infamous crimes](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.nzherald.co.nz/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=803)
J.P Pomare’s thriller echoes some of NZ’s most infamous crimes
A murder case explores biases and blind spots in the justice system.
![Money and misfortune in darkly funny, finely woven Long Island Compromise](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.nzherald.co.nz/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=803)
Money and misfortune in darkly funny, finely woven Long Island Compromise
Fleischman Is In Trouble's writer Taffy Brodesser-Akner's new novel shows repressed trauma
![Contemplative history of fascination with numbers isn’t just for math nerds](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.nzherald.co.nz/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=803)
Contemplative history of fascination with numbers isn’t just for math nerds
You don’t need to be good with numbers to enjoy this engrossing dip into counting.
![Memory’s dark trickery in The Last Trace blurs reality and truth](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.nzherald.co.nz/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=803)
Memory’s dark trickery in The Last Trace blurs reality and truth
Aussie environment and people to the fore in “Strine” thriller about darkness of memory.
![US author Kirsten Miller: ‘Every banned book is a freedom denied’](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.nzherald.co.nz/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=803)
US author Kirsten Miller: ‘Every banned book is a freedom denied’
Book takes: Information isn't just power, it's freedom too.
![The latest crime books you need to read](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.nzherald.co.nz/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=803)
The latest crime books you need to read
Three engrossing thrillers offer action, provocative stories and evil deeds aplenty.
![Flora Feltham walked tenderly among the dead to craft debut essay collection](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.nzherald.co.nz/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=803)
Flora Feltham walked tenderly among the dead to craft debut essay collection
Compassionate essay collection seeks to build meaning from astute observations.
![Film-maker and actor Jordan Prosser delivers a sharply written first novel](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.nzherald.co.nz/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=803)
Film-maker and actor Jordan Prosser delivers a sharply written first novel
If you were to read just one Australian novel this year, it should be this one.
![NZ author J.P. Pomare: ‘There are some absolute ghouls in the true crime podcast space’](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.nzherald.co.nz/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=803)
NZ author J.P. Pomare: ‘There are some absolute ghouls in the true crime podcast space’
Ahead of his seventh book, J. P. Pomare talks podcasts, inspiration and racism.
![Have we got LSD all wrong?](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.nzherald.co.nz/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=803)
Have we got LSD all wrong?
Spirited new history of the psychedelic age suggests benefits have been overlooked.
![Why did James Cook make his fateful and final voyage to the Pacific?](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.nzherald.co.nz/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=803)
Why did James Cook make his fateful and final voyage to the Pacific?
Bestselling author investigates one of maritime history's greatest mysteries.
![Top 10 best-selling NZ books: July 20](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.nzherald.co.nz/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=803)
Top 10 best-selling NZ books: July 20
Which author has broken into the top 10 best-selling NZ books?
![The Bigger Picture: Tolkien classic marks major anniversary](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.nzherald.co.nz/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=803)
The Bigger Picture: Tolkien classic marks major anniversary
One of the most significant books in New Zealand's history turns 70 this month.
![Short cuts: Books to check out this weekend](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.nzherald.co.nz/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=803)
Short cuts: Books to check out this weekend
Politics and power are the themes of these new books.
![Jenny Erpenbeck's Kairos is a masterful mix of personal and political drama](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.nzherald.co.nz/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=803)
Jenny Erpenbeck's Kairos is a masterful mix of personal and political drama
Love before and after the fall of the Berlin Wall backdrops powerful novel.
![Secrets and suspense in US writer Liz Moore’s new novel](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.nzherald.co.nz/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=803)
Secrets and suspense in US writer Liz Moore’s new novel
A child goes missing years after her siblings in this rollercoaster thriller.
![The fascinating story of how lines on the map came to be where they are today](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.nzherald.co.nz/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=803)
The fascinating story of how lines on the map came to be where they are today
You could call this a travel book, but it travels through time as well as place.
![French author’s tough epic exposes the brutality of intergenerational violence](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.nzherald.co.nz/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=803)
French author’s tough epic exposes the brutality of intergenerational violence
Jean-Baptiste Del Amo casts a powerful spell in The Son of Man.
![Award-winning YA writer Shilo Kino explores Māori activism in first adult novel](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.nzherald.co.nz/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=803)
Award-winning YA writer Shilo Kino explores Māori activism in first adult novel
Shilo Kino’s uncompromising protagonist is balanced by delightful secondary characters.
![Colour me wild: Picture books for our youngest readers](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.nzherald.co.nz/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=803)
Colour me wild: Picture books for our youngest readers
Ann Packer checks out the latest reads for children.