‘A medieval Russian fever-dream': Rachael Craw's favourite books
Welcome to The Spinoff Books Confessional, in which we get to know the reading habits of Aotearoa writers, and guests. This week: Rachael Craw, author of The Lost Saint.
The book I wish I'd written
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden. I want to stuff the pages in my mouth until the words melt around my teeth. Exquisite, lyrical, deeply embedded in a landscape so exotic to me I could not get enough. It's a medieval Russian fever-dream.
Everyone should read
Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen because then you can enjoy the memes.
The book I want to be buried with
The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien.
The first book I remember reading by myself
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. (At an age where half the words in each sentence were too difficult for me and I just slogged my way through it by inference because I knew there was magic waiting for me in those pages. I was also the kid who checked the back of her wardrobe – just in case.)
The book I pretend I've read
Michael King's The Penguin History of Aotearoa New Zealand because Rachael King is a dear friend and I don't want her to be mad with me.
Fiction or Nonfiction
Fiction, obviously, because reality is blergh.
The book that made me cry
The Lord of the Rings, at every re-read: when (spoiler alert) Gandalf dies.
The book that made me laugh
Jaclyn Moriarty's The Slightly Alarming Tale of the Whispering Wars (I was reading it aloud to my daughter and had to put it down because I was laughing so hard it brought tears to my eyes.)
Greatest New Zealand book
Hairy Maclary From Donaldson's Dairy by Lynley Dodd.
Greatest New Zealand writer
Elizabeth Knox.
Best food memory from a book
I know we've cancelled Neil Gaiman, and rightly so, but to this day I still think about the little slab of honey drizzled in jam in The Ocean At the End of the Lane that the little boy eats at the good witch's house after his demonic battle. I don't even think it would taste that nice but there's something about that description that's lodged itself in my synaptic highway.
Best place to read
Bed.
What are you reading right now
Physical Book: All Shall Mourn by Ellie Marney. Audio book: The Stand by Stephen King.
The Lost Saint by Rachael Craw ($30, Allen & Unwin) is available to purchase through Unity Books.
The Spinoff Books section is proudly brought to you by Unity Books and Creative New Zealand. Visit Unity Books online today.
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Back for the second year in a row is the unstoppable Rachael King (who was also a finalist in 2024 for The Grimmelings); I adored Jane Arthur's self-described 'quiet novel' about a character who now looms large in my mind. Bren MacDibble is an absolute powerhouse writer whose work is admirable for its voice, its world building and its control. And Li Chen's Detective Beans and the Case of the Missing Hat has stunning visual worldbuilding and a cute as leading cat. Note the mystery theme: definitely a trend I've noticed in international publishing. Young readers love intrigue just as much as anyone! Young Adult Fiction Award finalists Bear by Kiri Lightfoot, illustrated by Pippa Keel Situ (Allen & Unwin) Gracehopper by Mandy Hager (One Tree House) Migration by Steph Matuku (Ngāti Tama, Ngāti Mutunga) (Huia Publishers) The Mess of Our Lives by Mary-Anne Scott (One Tree House) The Paradise Generation by Sanna Thompson (umop apisdn press) Writing for young adults is a tall order. 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Ross Calman's The Treaty of Waitangi | Te Tiriti o Waitangi is extremely useful: highly illustrated, clearly written, an all-ages text, really. Mila's Books are the only all-Pasifika publishing house in the world and they consistently put out books made by and for Pasifika children and families. Tui Pea Luva is Grant's poetry collection which passes down the wisdom of Pasifika women. David Riley's Reading Warrior is a multi-faceted organisation that publishes books, creates projects in collaboration with communities, runs workshops and puts student writing into print. Black Magic continues Reading Warrior's focus on sporting heroics with the story of how we got our all black uniforms with a silver fern. 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I also adore Ruth Paul's bold style: there's such comedy in the images that work so well with Paul's rollicking rhyme (hard to do but Paul does it so well). 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1News
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‘It's about a man who turns into a shark': Georgia Lines on the book that made her cry
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.
