A Little Bit Booked

Ahead of his appearance at the 2026 Nelson Arts Festival, Booker Prize-winning author Shehan Karunatilaka joins to talk about his magical realism novel “The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida” – from ghosts and truth-finding to absurdism and a little bit of hope.

Books mentioned in this episode:
- The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida, Shehan Karunatilaka (Sort of Books)
- Chinaman: The Legend of Pradeep Mathew, Shehan Karunatilaka (Vintage)
- The Big Lebowski, J.M. Tyree and Ben Walters
- Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, Gabrielle Zevin (Vintage)
- Angel Down, Daniel Kraus (Titan Books)
- The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Mohsin Hamid (Penguin General)
- Bright Lights, Big City, Jay McInerney (Knopf)

Catherine Chidgey’s latest captivating novel follows Hazel, a young woman who signs up as a Blackpool sideshow act where she won’t eat for 40 days. As the days tick by and strangers watch Hazel transform, she must decide how far she’s willing to go for what she wants.

Books mentioned in this episode:
- The Starving Bride, Catherine Chidgey (Te Herenga Waka University Press)
- The Book of Guilt, Catherine Chidgey (Te Herenga Waka University Press)
- The Axeman’s Carnival, Catherine Chidgey (Te Herenga Waka University Press)
- The Fig Book, Joan Fleming (Allen & Unwin – COMING FEB 2027)

If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder, support is available through Eating Disorders Association of New Zealand: go to ed.org.nz or freephone 0800 233 269.

With over 30 children’s books to his name, author and illustrator Ned Barraud looks at the world a little bit differently. With an eye for detail and love of nature, his love of New Zealand’s environment are brought to life for little readers around the country.

Books mentioned in this episode:
- Fairy Wings: A Story, Lauren A. Mills
- Little Oh, Laura Krauss Melmed and Jim LaMarche
- Peek-a-boo Bambi, Denise Lewis Patrick, David Pachecco and Diana Wakeman
- Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang: The Magical Car, Ian Fleming and illustrated by John Burningham
- The Giant Jam Sandwich, Janet Burroway and John Vernon Lord
- Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose, Dr. Seuss
- Piranesi, Susanna Clarke (Bloomsbury Publishing)

Books by Ned Barraud in this episode:
- At Home on the Farm, Ned Barraud (Scholastic New Zealand)
- Takapū The Lone Hunter, Ned Barraud (Allen & Unwin New Zealand)
- Is There a Wolf in Your House?, Ned Barraud (Scholastic New Zealand)

Learn more at www.nedbarraud.com

Allyson Gofton’s latest cookbook, Give: Seasonal Recipes for Gifting, is all about recipes you can bake, make and share with the loved ones in your life, any time of the year. We talk everything from recipe development, what qualities a “giftable” recipe needs to have and the secret to flaky pastry. $30 from every book sold goes to support Breast Cancer Cure, funding vital breast cancer research in Aotearoa New Zealand. Learn more at https://breastcancercure.org.nz.

Books mentioned in this episode:
- Give, Allyson Gofton (Bateman Books)
- Recipes from My French Kitchen, Allyson Gofton (Penguin)
- Good Food Made Simple, Allyson Gofton (Penguin)
- Spice: The History of a Temptation, Jack Turner (Harper Perennial GB)
- A History of Cooks and Cooking, Michael Symons
- One Continuous Picnic: A Gastronomic History of Australia, Michael Symons

How do you learn to work in publishing? Whitireia Publishing Programme tutor Theresa Crewdson and current student Gaby West do their best to tempt me into a career change...and share some exciting you-heard-it-here-first news about what’s next for the course!

Books mentioned in this episode:
- The Forty Rules of Love, Elif Shafak (Penguin)
- The Bookshop Detectives 3: Murder and Mojitos, Gareth and Louise Ward (Penguin)
- Taiwan Travelogue, Yáng Shuāng-zǐ transl. Lin King (Scribe Publications)

Learn more about Whitireia (soon to be the Aotearoa New Zealand School of Publishing!) at www.instagram.com/whitireiapublishing.