06-08-2025
‘We need to support New Zealand authors': Kirsten Le Harivel's books confessional
Welcome to The Spinoff Books Confessional, in which we get to know the reading habits of Aotearoa writers, and guests. This week: Kirsten Le Harivel, co-founder of Bookmark Kāpiti.
The book I wish I'd written
There are so many books I admire. As a writer, I wish I'd written Still Life by Sarah Winman. I really loved the way the story centred friendship.
Everyone should read
Books by New Zealand writers! That may sound clichéd but if we want a literary landscape, we need to support our authors by buying their books. There are so many local writers out there doing awesome stuff, in so many genres and set in so many places around this world and the next!
The book I want to be buried with
I want to be cremated. I feel quite uncomfortable about the idea of burning books, except perhaps my diaries! I have kept all the writing I've done since I was a teenager and I really don't like the idea of it escaping out into the world!
Fiction or nonfiction
Definitely fiction. I love its ability to take us out of the day-to-day and let us imagine new realities. I find fiction by Patricia Grace, Witi Ihimaera, Jenny Pattrick, Tina Makereti, Tīhema Baker and many other New Zealand writers helps me understand our history and its repercussions in contemporary Aotearoa.
The book I never admit I've read
Lol, as someone who works in the 'literary' sector, I always feel embarrassed that I have a major soft spot for cosy mysteries and magical romance. I think sometimes the industry can get snobby about what is 'good', but 'good' can be all kinds of things to all kinds of people. These genres I've discovered in the last couple of years when real life was complicated enough that escapism was absolutely what I needed.
If I could only read three books for the rest of my life they would be
This question makes me think of being left on a desert island and since I rarely read fiction books more than once (unless I'm reading them from a craft perspective), I would pick three very practical tomes on surviving in the wilderness. Books I'd never ordinarily read but I'm sure would be essential if I was stuck survivor-like somewhere!
Greatest New Zealand writer
There are so many more amazing New Zealand authors than I can realistically name so I'm going to mention two people who have had a big impact on my own writing journey.
Lynn Jenner who has the most incredible ability to make compelling what may seem mundane or every day. Like watching 'Search and Rescue' in Lost and Gone Away and the building of the Kāpiti Expressway in Peat.
Hinemoana Baker who was my first creative writing tutor. I still think of that class and how lucky I was to be a baby poet learning from her and all the other writers in that class including Renée, Natasha Dennerstein, Nicola Easthope and Sarah Delahunty. That class started me on my journey to become a poet.
Best thing about reading
Reading is my happy place! As my nine-year-old son says to me, it's a way to escape, especially when people are being annoying. It also allows you to imagine the lives of people who have different experiences than your own or to see your own experiences in a new light.
Best place to read
My children still want me to read to them so curled up on the couch or in bed with them is definitely one of my favourite places. I've been reading the whole School of Monsters series by Sally Rippin with my five-year-old, she loves them so much she dressed up as Mary at her school's annual book parade. Almost all the kids and the teachers had dressed up as different book characters, even the year 7s and 8s which gives me great hope for the next generation of readers! With my son, we're reading a George Mackay Brown short story collection I read as a child which is a lovely way to reconnect with my childhood and my birth country, Scotland.
What I'm reading right now
I am really busy working on the inaugural Bookmark Kāpiti so I'm reading a lot of what I think you'd call 'historical cosy mysteries'. I recently discovered several series set in India (where I lived for several years) by Sujata Massey, Vaseem Khan, Harini Nagendra. I enjoy being transported back to that country and time in my life via their books.
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