
Susan Jacobs profiles the talent cut cruelly short that was Renato Amato, and we also have two online-only examples of his short stories (http://www.listener.co.nz/culture/books/only-a-matter-of-grammar-by-renato-amato/+ http://www.listener.co.nz/culture/books/a-walk-into-the-shadows-by-renato-amato/).
We can't get enough war, with reviews of Michele Roberts's Ignorance, Simon Mawer's The Girl Who Fell From the Sky, Georgina Harding's Painter of Silence + Julie Otsuka's The Buddha in the Attic. Ann Packer rounds up books for children and young adults + Sally Blundell reviews Te Hao Nui: The Great Catch - Object Stories from Te Manawa.

Our Book Club podcast about Hilary Mantel’s Bring Up the Bodies is now available to listen to, plus a podcast interview with New Zealand Post Book Awards judges convenor Chris Bourke (accompanied by our reviews of, and features on, all the finalists).

In August, out Book Club choice will be the Text Classics reissue of David Ballantyne’s 1968 novel Sydney Bridge Upside Down - a book with many admirers, not least Kate De Goldi
(http://www.listener.co.nz/culture/books/sydney-bridge-redux/).
(http://www.listener.co.nz/culture/books/sydney-bridge-redux/).