‘It's about a man who turns into a shark': Georgia Lines on the book that made her cry

The Spinoff

3 days ago

Welcome to The Spinoff Books Confessional, in which we get to know the reading habits of Aotearoa writers, and guests. This week: Aotearoa musician, Georgia Lines, headline act at the Auckland Live Cabaret Festival.
The book I wish I'd written
The books that have moved me the most have often come from places I'd never want to have been. I find it's the same with music. I've wished I'd written certain songs, but the circumstances that led to them aren't ones I'd want to have lived through.
That said, one of my favourite books is The Choice by Dr Edith Eger. It's her story of surviving the Holocaust and her journey to becoming a psychologist. I don't wish I'd written that book because that would mean having to walk in her shoes. But I do hope to live my life in a way that carries the essence of it: recognising that no matter what, we always have a choice.
And more than that, I hope I can live a life that carries meaning and that the hard things I walk through can become some kind of offering to those who choose to listen to what I create.
Everyone should read
This might be a slightly unconventional answer, but Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara is one of those books I started recommending to every second person just a few chapters in. It reminded me that hospitality and care can be an art form and that small, thoughtful gestures can become moments people carry with them for years. It shifted how I think about running a business, leading a team, and ultimately, how I create. It's a beautiful invitation to be more generous, more present, and more human in the spaces we shape.
The book I want to be buried with
This is probably the hardest question to answer. To be honest, I'm not sure what book I'd want to be buried with. It reminds me of the panic I felt at the start of high school when I had to create a career pathway plan for Year 9 Social Studies. The pressure of making a 'final' decision and mapping out every move for my career felt so huge and overwhelming that I lost sleep and clearly created a core panic-filled memory for me. Maybe it's the same with this question – the idea of choosing just one book feels way too big, and maybe a little impossible. If I ever decide on one book, I'll let you know.
The book that made me cry
Earlier this year, I was up north for a week with some friends when I read Shark Heart by Emily Habeck. One of them had insisted I read it, but when she described the plot – a man slowly turning into a great white shark – I wasn't convinced it was my kind of book. But I've never cried reading a book like I did with this one. And I don't mean a tear or two, I mean full-on ugly crying. I had to put the book down just to catch my breath and debrief with friends over a glass of wine and a very large handful of cheese and crackers. I've been raving about it to anyone who'll listen ever since. The premise might sound strange on paper, but once you embrace the world it builds, it's absolutely devastating in the most beautiful, tender way.
The first book I remember reading by myself
I'm not sure if it was the very first book I read on my own, but I vividly remember winning a reading prize pack from What Now, filled with Jacqueline Wilson novels. I spent the entire day hiding away in my wardrobe, which I'd turned into a secret hut/journaling spot/reading nook, completely absorbed in Tracy Beaker. (Side note: how impossible was it to get through to the Telly Ops on a Sunday morning? IYKYK.)
The book I wish I'd never read
I vividly remember reading Ripley's Believe It or Not in primary school and becoming both fascinated and completely terrified by a section about ghosts and it stuck with me in the worst and weirdest way. My friends and I somehow decided the library was the only safe haven from these ghosts, and it turned into this odd little game. We'd rush back there at break times, hunting for more 'ammunition' to defeat them. Looking back, I kind of wish I'd never read it – it probably would've saved me a few night terrors, but then again, those irrational fears sparked some of the most bizarre, and oddly brilliant memories.
The book that haunts me
Between Two Kingdoms by Suleika Jaouad has stayed with me in a way few books do. It's not just about her journey with cancer, it's about what it means to live when everything you thought defined you has been stripped away.
The book I pretend I've read
Atlas of the Heart by Brené Brown. It's one of those books that's lived on my bedside table forever, and I keep meaning to actually read it. I've flicked through it enough to fake my way through a conversation, but I haven't properly read it cover to cover. I think I feel a bit behind for not having read it yet.
If I could only have three books to read for the rest of my life they would be
Prayer in the Night by Tish Harrison Warren, The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, and The Choice by Edith Eger (even though I've already mentioned it, it's still a favourite).
What I'm reading right now
I'm one of those people who always has a few books on the go at once which definitely makes it harder to actually finish them. It's usually a mix of fiction, nonfiction, a self-help book I've read three chapters of, and a laryngeal biomechanics textbook I keep telling myself I'll get through.
But there's usually one novel that trumps all the others and currently that's Prima Facie by Suzie Miller. I'm down to the final few pages and haven't been able to put it down. It's confronting and heavy, and dives into themes of power, justice and consent in a way that feels deeply important.