The Books that Formed My Childhood Archives

Kelly Gardiner: The Books Of My Childhood

How does a bookish child develop a love of reading in a household with few books? Libraries of course! Kelly Gardiner writes about the books from her childhood that inspired a love of reading and shaped her own writing. I…

Sam Wallace: The Books Of My Childhood

TV presenter, radio broadcaster and writer Sam Wallace tells us all about his relationship with books as a child, how it changed as he grew older, and the impact of those experiences on his own kids. I wasn’t a bookworm…

What did you do in the War, Grannie?

Dame Fiona Kidman is a legend of letters in Aotearoa. Among her many achievements and accolades, she’s been the recipient of the Prime Minister’s Award for Literary Achievement (2011), she’s won the top fiction prize in the country (This Mortal…

My Childhood Books: Miro Bilbrough

Filmmaker and writer Miro Bilbrough reflects on a childhood backdrop of whimsical watercolour illustrations and the allure of Jadis’ icing sugar drenched Narnian confections—with vital appearances from Snufkin and Sparrowhawk. Miro’s memoir In the Time of the Manaroans is out…

Coconut Palms and Library Shelves

Nalini Singh, author of the New York Times bestselling Psy-Changeling and Guild Hunter series, reminisces about the stories and books that formed her childhood. Books and reading and stories are an indelibly entwined part of my childhood. I remember sitting…