Sound and Touch December 2025

Blind Low Vision NZ Library—Te Puna Whakamōhio

Library News for This Issue

Summer is the perfect time to relax, unwind and dive into something new and our library has you covered! We’ve added a fantastic range of fresh titles for you to enjoy, including many of the NZ Top 50, now available to listen to through our Blind Low Vision collection. Whether you’re soaking up the sun, taking a break indoors, or enjoying a stroll with your headphones on, there’s a story waiting to keep you company. Explore the latest additions, discover new favourites and make this summer one filled with great reads and unforgettable listening.

ABC Library now available using EasyReader App

The Accessible Books Consortium (ABC) Global Book Service is now available using the EasyReader App. This adds access to over 100,000 titles to Blind and low vision EasyReader users. There is no cost to join, but you do need to create an ABC account with a username and password, this can be done by selecting a link in the app.

To access ABC in EasyReader you will need to add ABC Global Book Service to your library list in EasyReader, this is done with the Manage Libraries feature in the sidebar of the app. Then you simply log in using your ABC username and password or request to create an account. This is a new service, so we are keen to hear your feedback, if you have any issues, comments, or queries, we are happy to collect them and pass them onto EasyReader & ABC. We have already given feedback and seen things fixed, so it really helps. More resources and supporting documentation will be coming soon.

Christmas Closing Dates

Blind Low Vision NZ offices will close at the end of business on Friday, 19 December 2025, and will reopen on Monday, 5 January 2026. If you need support before the Christmas break, please call our contact centre on 0800243333.

Book reviews from audio producer Simon Lynch

The following book reviews have been written by book producer Simon Lynch and produced by Blind Low Vision NZ.

Joyspan by Dr. Kerry Burnight

Subtitled “the art and science of thriving in life’s second half”, Joyspan by Dr Kerry Burnight has garnered rave reviews as a “must-have guide to living longer and better”, as described by New York Times best-selling author Mel Robbins. With expert narration from Christina Cie, Joyspan is uplifting and relevant, almost essential reading for those well into middle age and beyond. Part manifesto and part how-to guide, Joyspan is more than just an inspirational non-fiction read, offering strategies and advice on challenges dealing with the ageing process, and particular emphasis is centered on well-being. As the title suggests, Joyspan is about prolonging happiness and enjoyment in life’s second half. Highly recommended. Published 2025. Book number 143969.

Edible Weeds Handbook by Andrew Crowe

A follow-up to the Andrew Crowe’s best-selling A Field Guide to the Native Edible Plants Of New Zealand, this 2025 non-fiction NZ book is a comprehensive guide that explores the rich culinary world of Aotearoa’s non-native plants, the so-called “weeds”. With expert narration from Paul Barrett and subtitled A Field Guide to the Introduced edible Wild Plants of New Zealand, this book makes fascinating reading. From plants we are familiar with (such as watercress) to others we know little about (miner’s lettuce and acorns), Edible Weeds Handbook is the ultimate go-to guide on how to confidently identify introduced edible plants, plus when and how to eat them, as well as how to identify plants that are deemed poisonous. For those interested in learning about the lesser-known botanical side of NZ, this book offers plenty of surprises and insights. Published 2025. Book number 144043.

Book Club suggestions

Are you part of a book club? Dive into these top picks to spark meaningful discussions!

For Fiction Fans

Great big beautiful life by Emily Henry

When Margaret Ives, the famously reclusive heiress, invites eternal optimist Alice Scott to the balmy Little Crescent Island, Alice knows this is it her big break. And even more rare—a chance to impress her family with a Serious Publication. The catch? Pulitzer-prize winning human thundercloud, Hayden Anderson, is sure of the same thing. The proposal? A one-month trial period to unearth the truth behind one of the most scandalous families of the 20th Century, after which she’ll choose who’ll tell her story. The problem? Margaret is only giving each of them tantalising pieces. Pieces they can’t put together because of an ironclad NDA and an inconvenient yearning pulsing between them every time they’re in the same room. NZ Top 50. Adult content advised. Read by Janice Finn in 12 hours, 46 minutes. Published 2025. RNZFB. Book number 143771.

For Non-Fiction Fans

The immortal life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor black tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her slave ancestors, yet her cells, taken without her knowledge, become one of the most important tools in modern medicine. Taken in 1951, these cells became the first immortal human cell line ever grown in culture. They were vital for developing the polio vaccine; uncovered the secrets of cancer, viruses and the effects of the atom bomb; helped lead to important advances like in vitro fertilisation, cloning, and gene mapping, and have been bought and sold by the billions. Put together, her cells would now weigh more than 22 million tons and placed end-to-end would wrap around the earth five times. Yet Henrietta’s family did not learn of her “immortality” until more than twenty years after her death, with devastating consequences. Now Rebecca Skloot takes us on an extraordinary journey, from the “coloured” wards of Johns Hopkins in the 1950s to poverty stricken tenements of East Baltimore today, where Henrietta’s children are unable to afford health insurance, and struggle with feelings of pride, fear and betrayal. Their story is inextricably linked to the birth of bioethics, the rise of multi-billion dollar biotech industry, and the legal battles that determine if we own our bodies. Read by Cassandra Campbell and Bahni Turpin in 12 hours, 10 minutes. Published 2010. VisAbility. Book number 144052.

Start the Journey: A Series to Keep You Reading over the summer months

The In Death series by J.D. Robb is a compelling series to keep you busy reading over the summer months. Blending futuristic crime, sharp humour and heartfelt character development. Set in mid-21st-century New York, the novels follow Lieutenant Eve Dallas, a tough, intuitive homicide cop, as she tackles complex cases with the help of her brilliant and enigmatic husband, Roarke. With 60 books in the series, each instalment delivers fast-paced action, emotional depth and a cast of recurring characters that readers grow to love. It’s a perfect long-running series for anyone who enjoys gripping mysteries with a touch of sci-fi flair. Start your summer reading with book 1, Naked in Death, book number 142661.

Many thanks to our generous sponsors

We would like to express our appreciation to the following funders. These funds have helped to make print material accessible to people who are blind or have low vision and without their support, it would not be possible to meet the reading needs of library users.

We would like to thank the following funders for continuing to support the Alexa roll-out:

• One Foundation
• Room-Simmonds Charitable Trust
• Pelorus Trust
• Manchester Unity Welfare Trust
• Reed Charitable Trust
• Aotearoa Gaming Trust
• Akarana Community Trust
• Kiwi Gaming Foundation

Also, we would like to thank the following funders for supporting the addition of talking books to the Blind Low Vision NZ Library:

• Acorn Charitable Trust
• Ray Watts Charitable Trust
• Lake Memorial Charitable Trust
• Grumitt Sisters Charitable Trust

New DAISY audio

This issue contains DAISY audio books added to the collection since the last issue of Sound and Touch in September 2025.

Abbreviations

BLVNZ: Blind Low Vision New Zealand

CNIB: (formerly known as) Canadian National Institute for the Blind

NLS: National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled Library of Congress

RNIB: Royal National Institute of Blind People

RNZFB: The Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind.

VA: Vision Australia

Adult Non-Fiction

Authors (Biography)

Full circle: a personal story of reconnection by Jenny-May Clarkson

From a childhood in rural Piopio, Jenny-May Coffin grew up to achieve international success as a Silver Fern and then began a stellar career on radio and television as a sports commentator and morning presenter. But outward success can often mask inner uncertainty, and Jenny-May lost her grip on the confidence her ten-year-old self possessed. The ups and downs of a full life, with tragedies as well as triumphs, left her in need of renewal. Here is the story of how she found self-confidence again, reclaiming strength and identity through her connections to te ao Maori, with the support of her husband, Dean Clarkson, and her close ties to her parents and siblings. NZ Top 50. Read by Marguerite Vanderkolk in 5 hours, 57 minutes. Published 2025. RNZFB. Book number 143535.

Speaking my language: Te Kōrero I Tōku Reo by Mike McRoberts

Well-known journalist and presenter Mike McRoberts opens up about his experiences of reconnection to te ao Māori and learning te reo, and encourages others to do the same. For much of his life, Mike McRoberts felt burdened by not knowing his own language—te reo Māori. Growing up at a time when te reo was scarcely spoken in daily conversations, and within a mixed-race family with little connection to Māoritanga, his experience mirrored that of many other New Zealanders of his generation. In later years, as a journalist and presenter of Newshub’s six o’clock news, his confident television persona masked the anxiety he felt greeting viewers with the simple phrase, “Kia ora, good evening”. Not being comfortable speaking his language was a source of shame—a shame that ironically kept him from starting his te reo journey sooner. In Speaking My Language Te Korero i Toku Reo, Mike shares his story of that journey to speak te reo Māori and reclaim his identity. His book is an invitation for all New Zealanders to take the first step to understand why speaking our Māori language and treasuring our culture matters. Read by Greg Hughes in 5 hours, 51 minutes. Published 2025. RNZFB. Book number 143891.

Still standing: a memoir by Anna Crighton

For decades, whenever a heritage building in Christchurch has been under threat, especially in the aftermath of the 2010-11 earthquakes, one woman has consistently defended this city’s architecture and history against shortsightedness and the threat of bulldozers—Dame Anna Crighton. Fearless and articulate, she has fought tirelessly and passionately, not only for the heritage of her hometown, but for the built past of Aotearoa New Zealand. But behind this well-known persona, the city councillor and heritage advocate, lies an extraordinary and unexpected life story, now told publicly for the first time. Read by Cheryl Lawton in 8 hours, 15 minutes. Published 2024. RNZFB. Book number 143826.

Love at the end of the road: finding my heart in the country by Rae Roadley

How does a life-long city dweller in her middle years find “love at the end of the road”, particularly when that road threads through the backblocks of New Zealand and winds up at a sheep and beef farm on the Kaipara Harbour? At an auspicious meeting at rural dating service Table for Six, Rae meets and falls in love with Northland farmer and honest Kiwi bloke Rex Roadley. What lies ahead is not without its challenges and heartaches, and the need (on both sides) to compromise. Read by Marguerite Vanderkolk in 9 hours, 51 minutes. Published 2011. RNZFB. Book number 143623.

Crime and Law

Polkinghorne: Inside the trial of the century by Steve Braunias

In Polkinghorne, literary journalist Steve Braunias takes readers on an extraordinary and often chilling journey through the most high-profile murder case in modern New Zealand history. With unparalleled access to the key players, Braunias offers readers his unique insight into the investigation, trial, and the shocking revelations that kept the New Zealand public utterly transfixed. The death of Pauline Hanna in her home in Remuera, and the arrest of her husband, eye surgeon Dr Philip Polkinghorne, led to an epic trial that played out like a scandalous expose of rich Auckland life. Braunias pieces it all together and presents it as unforgettable drama—including an extraordinary encounter that will leave readers stunned. NZ Top 50. Note if requesting this book over Alexa please use book number 143767 as Alexa is having difficulty interpreting the name Braunias or you can request it by title but you need to pronounce it very clearly for Alexa to understand. Adult content advised. Read by Kevin Keys in 7 hours, 31 minutes. Published 2025. RNZFB. Book number 143767.

The survivors by Steve Braunias

One survivor chooses loneliness. One chooses exile. One chooses oblivion. Some have violent tendencies, ruining lives indiscriminately. Some seal their own fate in slow motion; others do so in the blink of an eye. In The Survivors, award-winning true-crime writer Steve Braunias retells 12 mysteries of human nature—unusual stories of how people choose to survive their own lives, and their decisions, desires, impulses and failings. Read by Kevin Keys in 8 hours, 46 minutes. Published 2024. RNZFB. Book number 143759.

Disabilities and Society

Copious hosting: a theology of access for people with disabilities by Jennie Weiss Block

Many religious people, however well meaning, are unfamiliar with the language and philosophy of the disability movement. They unintentionally give offence by language and actions that reflect a by-gone era. This book aims to acquaint church and synagogue leaders with the history and philosophy of the disability movement and Provides resources from scripture and theology for thinking and preaching about disability in a new way. Read by Madeleine Lynch in 6 hours, 10 minutes. Published 2002. RNZFB. Book number 143940.

Food and Beverages

Recipetin eats—tonight by Nagi Maehashi

Australia’s favourite home cook, Nagi Maehashi, is back to solve the perennial problem of what’s for dinner tonight and every night. There are crave-worthy crowd-pleasers—try slow-baked Italian meatballs in a rich tomato sauce with bubbling melted cheese or fall-apart Asian chicken cooked in a sticky-sweet soy glaze. Some dinners can be cooked in 20 minutes, and others can be made using only pantry staples. NZ Top 50. Read by Madeleine Lynch in 12 hours. Published 2024. RNZFB. Book number 143797.

Bake with Brooki by Brooke Bellamy

100 iconic recipes from the internet’s favourite bakery—Brooki Bakehouse. Step into the kitchen with wildly popular baker Brooke Bellamy, owner of Brooki Bakehouse, and discover how to create the most delectable sweet treats for every craving and occasion. Since growing up baking with her mum in Tasmania, Brooke’s journey to becoming a bakery owner has spanned continents—from patisserie classes in Paris and visiting Swiss chocolate factories, to hunting down the ultimate cookies in New York City and seeking out cardamom buns in snowy Copenhagen. Now, she inspires millions of followers with her day-in-the-life videos from her Brisbane bakery, selling out daily to the queues of fans waiting in line for their Brooki fix. Brooke’s insatiable sweet tooth and passion for creating the very best bakes have driven her through it all, to here—her first cookbook. NZ Top 50. Read by Christina Cie in 7 hours, 4 minutes. Published 2024. RNZFB. Book number 143796.

Familiar foods: Treats of Aotearoa by Hannah Molloy, Lara Macgregor, Shelley Darren and Good Bitches Baking

Making and sharing food is a way of showing love and creating connection, across cultures and communities. Familiar Foods: Treats of Aotearoa is a collection of 43 recipes from 30 cultures. It takes a wide view of the word “treat” and how food makes people feel connected and nurtured across time and space. Read by Madeleine Lynch in 3 hours, 33 minutes. Published 2025. RNZFB. Book number 143858.

Great Britain

The Siege by Ben Macintyre

On April 30, 1980, six heavily armed gunmen burst into the Iranian embassy on Princes Gate, overlooking Hyde Park in London. There they took 26 hostages, including embassy staff, visitors, and three British citizens. A tense six-day siege ensued as millions gathered around screens across the country to witness the longest news flash in British television history, in which police negotiators and psychiatrists sought a bloodless end to the standoff, while the SAS—hitherto an organisation shrouded in secrecy—laid plans for a daring rescue mission: Operation Nimrod. Drawing on unpublished source material, exclusive interviews with the SAS, and testimony from witnesses including hostages, negotiators, intelligence officers and the on-site psychiatrist, bestselling historian Ben Macintyre takes readers on a gripping journey from the years and weeks of build-up on both sides, to the minute-by-minute account of the siege and rescue. Read by the author in 14 hours, 28 minutes. Published 2024. Ulverscroft. Book number 143475.

Health and Wellbeing

Eat your age: feel younger, be happier, live longer by Ian K. Smith, M. D

Smith shows listeners the steps they need to take in their 30s, 40s, 50s, and beyond to increase longevity and stave off future illnesses and ailments. By eating the right foods, keeping tabs on the right numbers, moving the right way, and sleeping better, we can slow the hands on the proverbial clock. Since food is medicine, this book will teach you what to eat at every age to prevent life-threatening diseases. Read by the author in 6 hours, 4 minutes. Published 2025. Blackstone. Book number 143329.

Glaucoma: how to save your sight by Ivan Goldberg and Remo Susanna Jr.

Glaucoma is infamous as “the sneak thief of sight”: the most common types give no warning they are slowly, progressively destroying a person’s vision. Because usually the vision at first is affected to the side, patients notice little, if anything. By the time an individual realizes something is wrong, there may have been considerable damage. Why write a book about it? And why dedicate it to all patients with glaucoma, to their relatives and friends, to the general community as well as to ophthalmologists, other doctors and eye health care practitioners who wish to be familiar with management of this group of diseases? Undisturbed, glaucoma blinds people. It respects neither gender nor education; it ignores wealth and privilege. We have no cure for it and we cannot reverse the damage that it has caused. Read by Synthetic speech in 2 hours, 27 minutes. Published 2015. RNZFB. Book number 143228.

When your ears can’t help you see: Strategies for blind or low vision individuals with hearing loss by Deborah Kendrick

What do you do when everyone at work and home seems to be mumbling, and you are missing words in your favorite TV shows or talking books? What do you do when the echolocation that used to let you “see” with your ears is suddenly silent? And what happens next when the third (or thirteenth) person tells you they rang the doorbell, and you realize that, no, it is not broken: your ears are? The good news is that, just as you found with working around blindness—whether you grew up blind or lost your sight in your fifties—there are techniques and technologies that can work with limited hearing. Coverage includes: issues and adaptations specific to blind individuals with hearing loss; the dangers of isolation; choosing an audiologist; selecting hearing aids and personalizing them to your specific needs; choosing hearing aid apps and accessories; other assisted listening devices available; covering the costs; and much more. Read by an unknown narrator in 2 hours, 37 minutes. Published 2020. National Braille Press. Book number 144069.

Life beyond diagnosis: your journey after a life changing diagnosis by James Childers

Welcome to Life Beyond Diagnosis. This book is a guide, a companion for those navigating the difficult terrain that follows a health diagnosis. It is not just a compilation of facts and medical advice, but a holistic approach to facing the challenges head-on and emerging stronger on the other side. The pages that follow are filled with insights, practical strategies, and stories of courage to help you navigate the complexities of a health crisis. Read by Synthetic speech in 6 hours, 9 minutes. Published 2024. RNZFB. Book number 143549.

Volume 1: Community and Society Global reflections on Covid-19 and urban inequities by Brian Doucet, Raianne Van Melik, and Pierre Filion

Our experiences of the city are dependent on our gender, race, class, age, ability, and sexual orientation. It was already clear before the pandemic that cities around the world were divided and becoming increasingly unequal. The pandemic has torn back the curtain on many of these pre-existing inequalities. Contributions to this volume engage directly with different urban communities around the world. They give voice to those who experience poverty, discrimination and marginalisation in order to put them in the front and center of planning, policy, and political debates that make and shape cities. Offering crucial insights for reforming cities to be more resilient to future crises, this is an invaluable resource for scholars and policy makers alike. Read by Madeleine Lynch in 9 hours, 14 minutes. Published 2021. RNZFB. Book number 143968.

Māori Language and Literature

Whānau: Reo Māori phrases to share with the people you love by Donovan Te Ahunui Farnham and Rehua Wilson

Ignite your interest in te reo Māori with Whanau, a starting point for your language journey or a way to build on what you already know. Most of all, sow the seed of the Māori language within your home and see it bloom in the fertile soils of te ukaipo. NZ Top 50. Read by Kayne Ngatokowha Peters in 40 minutes. Published 2025. RNZFB. Book number 143788.

Medicine (Biography)

This is going to hurt: Secret diaries of a junior doctor by Adam Kay

As soon as Adam Kay set foot on a hospital ward for the first time, he realized there’s quite a lot they don’t teach you at medical school. His diaries from the NHS front line scribbled in secret after long nights, endless days and missed weekends are hilarious, horrifying and heartbreaking by turns. This Is Going to Hurt is everything you wanted to know about being a junior doctor, and more than a few things you really didn’t. And yes, it may leave a scar. Read by Kevin Keys in 6 hours, 51 minutes. Published 2018. RNZFB. Book number 143487.

Musicians (Biography)

Theremin: Ether music and espionage by Albert Glinsky

A creative genius and prolific inventor, Leon Theremin almost single-handedly launched the field of electronic music in 1920. The theremin—the only musical instrument that is played without being touched—created a sensation worldwide and paved the way for the modern synthesizer. But the otherworldly sound that entranced millions was only part of Theremin’s epic life. As a Soviet scientist, Theremin surrendered his life and work to the service of State espionage. On assignment in Depression-era America, he worked the engines of capitalist commerce while passing data on US industrial technology to the Soviet apparat. Following his sudden disappearance in 1938, Theremin vanished into the top-secret Soviet intelligence machine and was presumed dead for nearly thirty years. Using the same technology that spawned the theremin, he designed bugging devices and a host of other electronic wonders, including an early television and multimedia devices that anticipated performance art and virtual reality by decades. Read by Paul Barrett in 19 hours, 49 minutes. Published 2000. RNZFB. Book number 143811.

NZ and Pacific Non-Fiction

No, I don’t get danger money: confessions of an accidental war correspondent by Lisette Reymer

A world away from the Waikato farm she grew up on, Lisette Reymer suddenly found herself reporting from one of the most dangerous places on earth. And she kept going back. Driven by a desire to tell people’s stories, wherever they are; the right stories, not the easy ones—Lisette’s time as Newshub’s Europe Correspondent coincided with some of the biggest global headlines in decades. From inside Ukraine to the Queen’s death, the war between Israel and Gaza, Donald Trump’s indictment, the King’s coronation, the region’s deadliest natural disaster in a century, the Tokyo Olympics, the hunger crisis in Ethiopia and a revolving door of UK prime ministers; she has seen and done more in three years than many journalists do in a lifetime. This is a funny, brutally honest account of what it was really like to cover some of the most perilous and extraordinary moments in recent history. NZ Top 50. Adult content advised. Read by Anne Speir in 9 hours, 30 minutes. Published 2025. RNZFB. Book number 143786.

Underworld: the new era of gangs in New Zealand by Jared Savage

From the author of the bestselling books about the escalation of organised crime and gangs in New Zealand. The brutal execution of an innocent man. The undercover DEA agent who fooled the Hells Angels in a 400kg cocaine plot. The brutal execution of a not-so innocent man. The never-ending quest to bring down New Zealand’s most wanted gangsters. These stories read like a crime novel—delving down into a parallel universe that many do not know even exists: The Underworld. Adult content advised. Read by Bruce Hopkins in 8 hours, 4 minutes. Published 2025. RNZFB. Book number 143824.

New Zealand Law: foundations and method—Second edition by Stephen Penk and Mary-Rose Russell

New Zealand Law: Foundations and Method (2nd edition) is a complete, easy-to-read introduction written with a focus on student learning. It brings the theory to life with plenty of worked examples, questions and answers, and practice exercises throughout the text and is an essential tool for any legal method student. Read by Owen Scott in 37 hours, 28 minutes. Published 2018. RNZFB. Book number 143154.

Nature And Animals

Three wild dogs (and the truth): a memoir by Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak tells of his family’s adoption of three troublesome rescue dogs in a charming and courageous love story about making even the most incorrigible of dogs into family. Read by the author in 5 hours, 30 minutes. Published 2024. Blackstone. Book number 143345.

The secret life of cows by Rosamund Young

Cows are as varied as people. They can be highly intelligent or slow to understand; vain, considerate, proud, shy or inventive. Although much of a cow’s day is spent eating, they always find time for extracurricular activities such as babysitting, playing hide and seek, blackberry picking or fighting a tree. This is an affectionate record of a hitherto secret world. Read by Cheryl Lawton in 3 hours, 22 minutes. Published 2017. RNZFB. Book number 143784.

Religion (Biography)

Australian gospel by Lech Blaine

Michael and Mary Shelley are Christian fanatics who loathe their fellow Australians—especially their foul language, reckless indulgence in alcohol, and obsession with idiotic ball sports. Lenore and Tom Blaine are working-class Queensland publicans raising a large family in a raucous, loving, rugby-league-obsessed home. There’s just one problem. The Blaines are foster parents to three of the Shelleys’ children, who were removed from Michael and Mary as infants. And the Shelleys are prepared to do anything to get them back. Anything. Winner of the Age Book of the Year 2025 for Non-Ficiton. Read by Adam Fitzgerald in 12 hours, 18 minutes. Published 2024. Ulverscroft. Book number 143473.

Sport

Become unstoppable: the blueprint from the world’s most successful sports team by Gilbert Enoka

In a career spanning almost three decades, visionary psychological coach, Gilbert Enoka, changed the way the All Blacks played their game. With a 77% winning record in test match rugby, the highest of any professional sports team, they are the only international team to have a winning record against every opponent. That is only possible because they leave no part of their preparation to chance. Their winning mindset and resilience are as important as the physical training and Gilbert Enoka was their secret weapon. Read by John Leigh in 9 hours, 44 minutes. Published 2025. RNZFB. Book number 143825.

Sports People (Biography)

Billy Slater autobiography by Billy Slater with Richard Hinds

During a long and decorated career with the Melbourne Storm, Queensland and Australia, Billy Slater has forged a reputation as not merely one of rugby league’s great fullbacks, but as one of the best players in the game’s long history. Slater’s story is that of a young country recruit with superb natural talent who rose quickly to the top level, playing with the Storm after just one pre-season in Melbourne and starring for Queensland during just his second season in the NRL. But inside the player who has scored so many audacious tries on the game’s biggest stages is a fierce competitive drive and a relentless work ethic, one inherited from parents who worked tirelessly to provide for their two children. Read by John Leigh in 10 hours, 56 minutes. Published 2018. RNZFB. Book number 143574.

Travel Writing

Landlines by Raynor Winn

As the fracture lines between nations grow wider, how do we relate to each other, and to the land? Are we united enough to see protection of the environment as a priority? These are the questions Raynor asks herself as she embarks on her most ambitious walk to date with her husband Moth, from the dramatic beauty of north-west Scotland to the familiar territory of the South-west Coast Path. Chronicling her journey across Great Britain with trademark luminous prose, Raynor maps not only the physical terrain, but captures the collective consciousness of a country facing an uncertain path ahead. Read by Bruce Hopkins in 9 hours, 26 minutes. Published 2022. RNZFB. Book number 143520.

Adult Fiction

Adventure Stories

Tom Clancy: Defense protocol by Andrews & Wilson

For decades, Taiwan has been a thorn in the side of the Chinese government. An independent nation to the rest of the world, it is considered a rogue province by the People’s Republic of China. Previous governments have tried to conquer the island using economic force and diplomatic pressure, but new Chinese President Li Jian Jun is done fooling around. He’s devised a secret military operation to take the island. Only one man knows how to stop Li’s mad plan and that’s Minister of Defense Qin Haiyu. Fearing for his life and the safety of his family, Qin covertly makes contact with the CIA in Beijing and signals his desire to defect to the West. To get Qin out, John Clark creates an international task force reminiscent of Rainbow Six and goes undercover in mainland China. Meanwhile, Lt. Commander Katie Ryan is deployed to the tip of the spear on the destroyer USS Jason Dunham to defend Taiwan. Jack Ryan Universe series, book 40. Sequel to: Tom Clancy: Shadow state, not yet in collection. Has sequel: Tom Clancy: Line of demarcation, not yet in collection. Read by Simon Prast in 12 hours, 42 minutes. Published 2025. RNZFB. Book number 143223.

Australian Stories

The valley by Chris Hammer

Nell Buchanan and Ivan Lucic are back as Nell is thrown into her most emotionally fraught investigation yet. A controversial entrepreneur is murdered in a remote mountain valley, but this is no ordinary case. Ivan and Nell are soon contending with cowboy lawyers, conmen, bullion thieves and grave robbers. But it’s when Nell discovers the victim is a close blood relative, that the past begins to take on a looming significance. What did take place in The Valley all those years ago? What was Nell’s mother doing there, and what was her connection to troubled young police officer Simmons Burnside? And why do the police hierarchy insist Ivan and Nell stay with the case despite an obvious conflict of interest? The Valley features a page-turning plot, intriguing characters, and an evocative sense of place where nothing is ever quite what it seems. NZ Top 50. Ivan Lucic & Nell Buchanan series, book 4. Sequel to: The Seven, 143243. Read by Dorje Swallow in 11 hours, 40 minutes. Published 2024. VisAbility. Book number 143898.

Crime Fiction

The raging storm by Ann Cleeves

Fierce winds, dark secrets, deadly intentions. When Jem Rosco—sailor, adventurer and legend—blows into town in the middle of an autumn gale, the residents of Greystone, Devon, are delighted to have a celebrity in their midst. But just as abruptly as he arrived, Rosco disappears again, and soon his lifeless body is discovered in a dinghy, anchored off Scully Cove, a place with legends of its own. This is an uncomfortable case for Detective Inspector Matthew Venn. Greystone is a place he visited as a child, its community populated by the Barum Brethren that he parted ways with. Superstition and rumour mix with fact as another body is found, and Venn finds his judgment clouded. As the stormy winds howl and the village is cut off, Venn and his team start their investigation, little realizing their own lives might be in danger. Two Rivers series, book 3. Sequel to: The heron’s cry, 142437. Read by Jack Holden in 10 hours, 8 minutes. Published 2023. VisAbility. Book number 142707.

One last kill by Finn Bell

Bobby Ress is a cop with a simple life. He believes in making a difference. He loves his wife and his daughter. He has a place in the world. Then people start dying, a lot of them, in horrible ways. It’s a case like no other. And step by gruesome step the simple, true things Bobby knew to be right and good begin to make less and less sense. Because Bobby is learning about pain. He doesn’t like to admit it. He doesn’t like to know, but he’s slowly realizing: If you hurt someone bad enough for long enough then there’s nothing, absolutely nothing, you can’t make them do. Adult content advised. Far South series, book 1. Has sequel: Dead Lemons, 97554. Read by John Leigh in 8 hours, 6 minutes. Published 2017. RNZFB. Book number 143541.

Fantasy

Shield of sparrows by Devney Perry

The gods sent monsters to the five kingdoms to remind mortals they must kneel. I’ve spent my life kneeling—to their will and to my father’s. As a princess, my only duty is to wear the crown and obey the king. I was never meant to rule. Never meant to fight. And I was never supposed to be the daughter who sealed an ancient treaty with her own blood. But that changed the fateful day I stepped into my father’s throne room. The day a legendary monster hunter sailed to our shores. The day a prince ruined my life. Now I’m crossing treacherous lands beside a warrior who despises me as much as I despise him—bound to a future I didn’t choose and a husband I barely know. Everyone wants me to be something I’m not—a queen, a spy, a sacrifice. But what if I refused the role chosen for me? What if I made my own rules? What if there’s power in being underestimated? And what if—for the first time—I reached for it? NZ Top 50. Adult content advised. Shield Of Sparrows series, book 1. Read by Wendy Karstens in 23 hours, 11 minutes. Published 2025. RNZFB. Book number 143814.

Archangel’s light by Nalini Singh

Illium and Aodhan have been inseparable for centuries, until darkness shattered Aodhan’s body and soul. As he heals, their bond is tested like never before. Serving together in a perilous land haunted by an ancient evil, they face a choice: walk away from the relationship that has defined them, or risk everything for a love that demands courage, trust, and the vulnerability of two deeply scarred hearts. Guild hunter series, book 14. Sequel to: Archangel’s sun, 142255. Has sequel: Archangel’s resurrection,142257. Read by Wendy Karstens in 13 hours, 28 minutes. Published 2021. RNZFB. Book number 142256.

The castle of wind and whispers by Steffanie Holmes

Now she’s returned from the dead, Maeve’s mother reveals the secret of how she defeated the fae twenty-one years ago. That secret will cost Maeve more than she could ever imagine. Briarwood is no longer safe. The castle walls have been breached, and the coven’s enemies batter at their doors. The coven has two options left—surrender, or die. Maeve Moore doesn’t do ultimatums, not when she’s got five powerful men, an ancient witch, a prostitute with a heart of gold, a faithful sister, and the ghost of her dead mother on her side. Plus, her ancient castle still has a few tricks left to reveal. If the fae want Briarwood, they’ll have to get past Maeve and her coven first. Adult content advised. Briarwood Witches series, book 4. Sequel to: The castle of water and woe, 131245. Has sequel: The castle of spirit and sorrow, in production. Read by Christina Cie in 8 hours, 8 minutes. Published 2024. RNZFB. Book number 143832.

Gay and Lesbian Fiction

Ordinary love by Marie Rutkoski

Emily seems to have an enviable life on the Upper East Side, but behind the façade her marriage is strained, her family relationships are tense, and she’s still carrying an old heartbreak. When she unexpectedly reunites with her former best friend and first love Gen, now a famous Olympic athlete, their buried feelings resurface. Drawn together yet wary of the past that once tore them apart, Emily must decide whether she can trust Gen again and whether risking her family’s fragile stability is worth a second chance at the love she never forgot. Adult content advised. Read by Anne Speir in 12 hours, 9 minutes. Published 2025. RNZFB. Book number 143754.

Historical Novels

The girl with the suitcase by Lesley Pearse

London 1941. When Mary meets a glamorous stranger named Elizabeth she realises their lives couldn’t be more different. But when an air raid forces them to take shelter underground Mary’s life is set in change forever. After waking up in hospital, injured but alive, the nurse mistakes her for Elizabeth and hands over her suitcase with Elizabeth’s money and tickets to Ireland inside. This is Mary’s chance to escape the hardship of her life and start afresh. What could go wrong? NZ Top 50. Adult content advised. Read by Catriona MacLeod in 8 hours, 21 minutes. Published 2025. RNZFB. Book number 143856.

James by Percival Everett

When the enslaved Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a man in New Orleans, separated from his wife and daughter forever, he decides to hide on nearby Jackson Island until he can formulate a plan. Meanwhile, Huck Finn has faked his own death to escape his violent father, recently returned to town. As all readers of American literature know, thus begins the dangerous and transcendent journey by raft down the Mississippi River toward the elusive and too-often-unreliable promise of the Free States and beyond. Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Adult content advised. Read by Tim Roxborogh in 6 hours, 16 minutes. Published 2025. RNZFB. Book number 143614.

The jam maker by Mary-Lou Stephens

Tasmania, 1874. Growing up in the impoverished tenements along the Hobart Rivulet, Harriet Brown is used to doing whatever it takes to survive. Including, at just twelve years old, shearing off her hair and pretending to be a boy to secure a job as label-paster at the George Peacock and Sons jam factory. Four years later, the deceit becomes too much to bear and Harriet risks everything on the chance at a future with her ambitious friend and workmate Henry Jones. But this decision forces her into a new deception: play the role of expert jam maker, or else be cast out onto the streets. As the secrets and lies grow, Harriet is driven to more and more desperate choices. Adult content advised. Read by Christina Cie in 14 hours, 8 minutes. Published 2025. RNZFB. Book number 143844.

The scent of oranges by Kathy George

A retelling of one of literature’s great novels, Oliver Twist, from the point of view of Nancy, one of the most sympathetic, most maligned and most tragic of Dickens’s characters. Nancy has spent her whole life on the vibrant and gritty streets of Victorian London, first as one of Fagin’s child pickpockets and now on the arm of violent and mercurial Bill Sikes. Nancy does what she must to get by. She’s attuned to the harsh realities of life, but also knows how to find moments of beauty amid the grime, even if it is only the scent and taste of an orange—its miraculous colour and form. When she embarks on a relationship with enigmatic gentleman Mr Rufus, it awakens emotions she’s never felt before, and makes a better life feel possible for the first time. But when she takes cherubic orphan Oliver Twist under her wing, something even more elusive and appealing seems to be within reach: redemption. Read by Gemma Lawrence in 10 hours, 7 minutes. Published 2024. Ulverscroft. Book number 143461.

Small things like these by Claire Keegan

It is 1985, in an Irish town. During the weeks leading up to Christmas, Bill Furlong, a coal and timber merchant, faces into his busiest season. As he does the rounds, he feels the past rising up to meet him—and encounters the complicit silences of a people controlled by the Church. The long-awaited new work from the author of Foster, Small Things Like These is an unforgettable story of hope, quiet heroism and tenderness. In 2022, the book won the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction, and was shortlisted for the Rathbones Folio Prize and the Booker Prize. Read by Aidan Kelly in 1 hour, 58 minutes. Published 2021. VisAbility. Book number 143893.

Humour

Clickbait by Holly Baxter

Back in New York at thirty-five and single, divorced from a kind man she loved, journalist Natasha finds herself at the bottom of the media food chain, a junior reporter at a clickbait factory, rewriting sensational tabloid stories to make them just different enough to avoid lawsuits. Things begin to pick up when her ex-boyfriend Zach moves back to New York and accepts her offer of a spare bedroom in the boxy apartment she recently bought in Rockaway Beach, Queens. The arrangement is strictly platonic, for him. But Natasha can’t help but wonder whether he might be the solution to all her problems. Read by Brittany Pressley in 10 hours, 33 minutes. Published 2024. Blackstone. Book number 143326.

Mystery And Detective Stories

A beautiful family by Jennifer Trevelyan

As the summer holiday stretches ahead, with her older sister more interested in boys, her mother disappearing on long walks and her father, beer in hand, watching the cricket, the youngest in the family often finds herself alone. At the beach, she meets Kahu, a boy who tells her a tragic story about a little girl who disappeared a couple of years ago, presumed drowned. Suddenly, the summer has purpose—they will find the missing girl and become local heroes. Between dips in the ocean, afternoon barbecues and lazy sunbaking, their detective work brings to the surface shocking discoveries and dark secrets, even about her own beautiful family. NZ Top 50. Adult content advised. Read by Catriona MacLeod in 7 hours, 45 minutes. Published 2025. RNZFB. Book number 143776.

Not quite dead yet by Holly Jackson

In seven days Jet Mason will be dead. Jet is the daughter of one of the wealthiest families in Woodstock, Vermont. Twenty-seven years old, she’s still waiting for her life to begin. I’ll do it later, she always says. She has time. Until Halloween night, when Jet is violently attacked by an unseen intruder. She suffers a catastrophic head injury. The doctor is certain that within a week, the injury will trigger a deadly aneurysm. Jet has never thought of herself as having enemies. But now she looks at everyone in a new light: her family, her former best friend turned sister-in-law, her ex-boyfriend. She has at most seven days, and as her condition deteriorates she has only her childhood friend Billy for help. But nevertheless, she’s absolutely determined to finally finish something: Jet is going to solve her own murder. NZ Top 50. Adult content advised. Read by Janice Finn in 11 hours, 58 minutes. Published 2025. RNZFB. Book number 143812.

Nightshade by Michael Connelly

Detective Stilwell of the Los Angeles County Sherriff’s department has been exiled. Once he manned a mainland homicide desk; now internal politics have relegated him to a low-key post, policing rustic Catalina Island. He’s beginning to think he could get used to it. It’s all business as usual in his new territory, following up drunk-and-disorderlies and petty thefts, until Stilwell receives a report of a body found wrapped in plastic at the bottom of the harbour. He begins working the case, and soon he’s forced to cross all lines of protocol and jurisdiction in pursuit of justice. But when Stilwell discovers dark secrets hidden in the shadows he must now ask: Is Catalina really the serene island it appears to be or is it brewing a deadly poison? NZ Top 50. Adult content advised. Detective Stilwell series, book 1. Read by Tim Roxborogh in 7 hours, 40 minutes. Published 2025. RNZFB. Book number 143775.

When the deep, dark bush swallows you whole by Geoff Parkes

It’s January 1983. During his university summer break, Ryan Bradley returns to the remote town of Nashville in New Zealand’s rugged King Country. It’s a bittersweet trip: he’s working long, punishing hours as a woolpresser, he needs to sell his late mother’s house, and he’s increasingly feeling like an outcast in his childhood town. But mostly he’s haunted by memories of Sanna Sovernen, a Finnish backpacker and his secret lover, who worked with him in the shearing shed the summer before—then vanished without trace. Now Sanna’s sister Emilia has arrived from Finland, determined to get answers—and as he’s the workmate who reported Sanna missing, she wants Ryan’s help. Because Emilia knows her sister was not the first female traveller in the area to disappear. NZ Top 50. Adult content advised. Read by John Callen in 10 hours, 37 minutes. Published 2025. RNZFB. Book number 143605.

Hidden nature by Nora Roberts

Frustrated and bored, injured cop Sloan Cooper is looking for anything to distract her from staring down the barrel of months of slow, painful recovery. When a woman mysteriously vanishes without trace from a supermarket car park, Sloan knows there is more to this case than meets the eye. As she begins to investigate she quickly uncovers similar cases across three states. Men and women, old and young-all with seemingly nothing in common. And the abductions keep happening. With no clues to speak of and a list of the missing growing almost daily, it will take every ounce of Sloan’s endurance to get to the dark heart of this bizarre case. And she’s willing to risk her life again if that’s what it takes. NZ Top 50. Read by Wendy Karstens in 16 hours, 44 minutes. Published 2025. RNZFB. Book number 143774.

Nobody’s fool by Harlan Coben

A year after the events of Fool Me Once, former detective Sami Kierce is confronted by the darkest secret of his past. As a college student travelling in Spain, he woke up covered in blood beside the body of his girlfriend, Anna and fled, haunted ever since. Now a private investigator and new father, he’s stunned when a woman who looks exactly like Anna appears in his night school class, only to disappear the moment he approaches. Determined to uncover the truth, Kierce dives into a mystery that forces him to confront what really happened decades ago and reveals that some secrets are far more dangerous than he ever imagined. NZ Top 50. Adult content advised. Detective Roger “Sami” Kierce series, book 2. Sequel to: Fool me once, 139538. Read by Tim Roxborogh in 8 hours, 4 minutes. Published 2025. RNZFB. Book number 143772.

The dark wives by Ann Cleeves

The man’s body is found in the early morning light by a local dog walker in the park outside Rosebank, a home for troubled teens in the coastal village of Longwater. The victim is Josh, a staff member, who was due to work the previous night but never showed up. DI Vera Stanhope is called out to investigate the death, with her only clue being the disappearance of one of the home’s residents, fourteen-year-old Chloe Spence. Vera can’t bring herself to believe that a teenager is responsible for the murder, but even she can’t dismiss the possibility. NZ Top 50. Adult content advised. Vera Stanhope series, book 11. Sequel to: The rising tide, 142031. Read by Catriona MacLeod in 9 hours, 27 minutes. Published 2025. RNZFB. Book number 143742.

The wrong daughter by Dandy Smith

The phone starts vibrating in my hand. It’s my father. He never calls. Pulse racing, I sit up in bed and answer. “Caitlin,” he says. “You need to come to the house. Right now. It’s Olivia. She’s back.” On the night when Caitlin and Olivia’s parents leave them to go to a dinner party both girls are full of excitement about finally being old enough to stay home alone. What they don’t see is the figure watching them through the open window. Who, after the girls have fallen asleep, will turn the handle of the unlocked back door. Adult content advised. Read by Wendy Karstens in 14 hours, 55 minutes. Published 2024. RNZFB. Book number 143751.

NZ and Pacific Novels

The songbirds of Florence by Olivia Spooner

In 1942, a group of young women arrive in Cairo, Egypt. The Tuis, named after the beautiful New Zealand songbird, are the first women from their country to serve overseas. They are to provide respite and a touch of home to weary soldiers returning from the front line. Addy joined the Tuis for the adventure. Vivacious and outgoing, she is the life of the party, with an unforgettable voice. Margot is quiet and withdrawn, grieving the young husband she lost to the war. Despite their differences, the girls become fast friends. When the Tuis are relocated to Italy to set up clubs in grand venues, Addy and Margot are enchanted by the culture. But dark shadows loom, and when their illusion of peace is shattered by news of a devastating attack, the friends will find their endurance pushed to the limit. NZ Top 50. Read by Antonia Beamish in 9 hours, 51 minutes. Published 2024. Ulverscroft. Book number 143435.

Sea change by Jenny Pattrick

A tsunami has devastated a small Kapiti Coast community. The government mandates managed retreat—a decision manipulated by Adrian Stokes, a powerful businessman with an agenda of his own. A resourceful and colourful collection of villagers defy the order to retreat. They persuade reclusive Lorna, blind Toddy and young, traumatised Eru to join them as their properties are key to Stokes’s plans. It soon becomes apparent that to survive they must work together. Close bonds are formed, and problems are solved in surprising ways. Stokes tries repeatedly to uproot the determined community, but it seems he has underestimated their resilience and adaptability. NZ Top 50. Read by Wendy Karstens in 9 hours, 58 minutes. Published 2025. RNZFB. Book number 143782.

The night she fell by Eileen Merriman

A beautiful young law student dies on the concrete below her third-storey window in chilly Dunedin. It’s clear enough how she died. What isn’t is why—or who’s involved. Plenty of people had a reason to hate Ashleigh, with her straight As and perfect looks. She’d fallen out with her flatmates, and her boyfriend Xander was having second thoughts about their future together. And then there are the weird messages. Read by Sara Lynam and Jono Selvadurai in 6 hours, 37 minutes. Published 2024. Ulverscroft. Book number 143469.

Hobson’s chance by Jenny Haworth

In 1830, Anita Hobson travels through England with her brother, longing to reunite with her fiancé, Seamus O’Neill, an Irish nationalist transported to Australia. A chance meeting with journalist Thomas Matthews leads to an offer of work as governess to his daughter, giving Anita the means to pursue her journey. But when Matthews unexpectedly leaves for Australia without explanation, Anita—determined to follow her own path—takes young Hannah and sets out after him, risking everything for love and a new beginning. Read by Paul Barrett in 12 hours, 50 minutes. Published 2003. RNZFB. Book number 143550.

A change from mutton by Mary Scott

A new supermarket opens up in opposition to Miss Adams’s general store where the farmers’ wives have always shopped. Susan and Larry, and their husbands, Paul and Sam, know and love Miss Adams but still they cannot help but be tempted by the supermarket’s array of frozen beef and sausages on busy days, and by its sponge cakes on days when “Ladies a Plate” is the accepted social form. Breakfast At Six series, book 4. Sequel to: Tea and biscuits, 143657. Has sequel: Turkey at twelve,143573. Read by Cheryl Lawton in 7 hours, 18 minutes. Published 1964. RNZFB. Book number 143572.

The water’s dead by Catherine Lea

The chin tattoo confirms the victim is Māori. The whorls of ink from her lower lip to her chin—the moko—is worn only by Māori women. So her ethnicity is a given. Finding who murdered her and dumped her body in the pool at the base of Mason’s Rock waterfall is DI Nyree Bradshaw’s latest case. From the strangely unsympathetic parents to the belligerent boyfriend on home detention for drugs, it seems everyone has something to hide, and no one is telling the truth. Then Nyree discovers six-year-old diabetic Lily Holmes is missing, last seen in the victim’s care. Now Nyree must find the killer to save Lily. The clock is ticking. She has already failed her own son. She cannot fail this child. DI Nyree Bradshaw series, book 1. Has sequel: Better left dead, 143468. Read by Sara Lynam in 10 hours, 45 minutes. Published 2022. Ulverscroft. Book number 143467.

Romance

One night at the Château by Veronica Henry

Over the last few months, Connie’s whole world has fallen apart. Her husband’s run off with another woman, the magazine she works for has gone bust and she’s having to sell the family home. So when her beloved godmother, Lismay, begs her to help run the beautiful Château Villette, it couldn’t come at a better time. No one knows the château quite like Connie. She spent a blissful summer there in her 20s, learning to cook delicious French food, ironing the lavender-scented sheets—and trying to resist the very handsome neighbour, Remy. As soon as she arrives, it’s clear that the château is close to crumbling and Connie knows she’s going to have her work cut out. Could it be the fresh start she needs—and will she find a way to save the château, before it’s too late? Read by Imogen Stubbs in 11 hours, 22 minutes. Published 2025. Ulverscroft. Book number 143471.

Regretting you by Colleen Hoover

Morgan is determined that her sixteen-year-old daughter, Clara, won’t make the same mistakes she made when she got pregnant and married her husband Chris too young. When Chris dies in an accident, the consequences reach beyond just Morgan and Clara. Adult content advised. Read by Gabriella Cavallero in 11 hours, 36 minutes. Published 2019. NLS. Book number 143043.

Night road by Kristin Hannah

Pine Island, Washington. Fourteen-year-old freshman Lexi, a former foster child, becomes wealthy Mia’s best and only friend. By senior year Mia’s popular twin brother Zach and Lexi are a couple. But bad choices made by the three teens lead to disaster for both families. Adult content advised. Read by J. Michael McCullough in 14 hours, 21 minutes. Published 2011. NLS. Book number 142734.

Fangs for nothing by Steffanie Holmes

Lord Alaric Valerian has a problem. His mother is visiting his castle for the first time, but she doesn’t know that Alaric has filled every room with his centuries of artistic passions and creative pursuits. Desperate, he hires professional organiser Winnie Preston to help him tame the mess. But Alaric isn’t prepared for bubbly, passionate Winnie to show up at his castle and ram a metaphorical stake through his cold, vampire heart. Winnie sets his fangs on edge, but the more closely he works with her, the more he wishes she could be his. Nevermore Murder Club and Smutty Book Coven series, book 1. Read by Christina Cie in 14 hours, 53 minutes. Published 2024. RNZFB. Book number 143752.

Short Stories and Essays

Pātea Boys by Airana Ngarewa

A lively and playful bilingual collection of stories about growing up in Patea. Interlinked and full of recurring characters, these stories are about growing up in small-town Aotearoa—sneaking away during cross country, doing bombs in the pool while the lifeguard isn’t looking, peeling spuds on the marae, crashing a car at age four, and learning to live by the tikanga “don’t ask, don’t tell”. The collection is designed to bridge a gap between children’s books in te reo and full-length literary works. NZ Top 50. Read by Kayne Ngatokowha Peters in 9 hours, 26 minutes. Published 2024. RNZFB. Book number 142919.

Foster by Claire Keegan

A small girl is sent to live with foster parents on a farm in rural Ireland, without knowing when she will return home. In the strangers’ house, she finds a warmth and affection she has not known before and slowly begins to blossom in their care. And then a secret is revealed and suddenly, she realizes how fragile her idyll is. Winner of the Davy Byrnes Memorial Prize, Foster is now published in a revised and expanded version. Beautiful, sad and eerie, it is a story of astonishing emotional depth, showcasing Claire Keegan’s great accomplishment and talent. Read by Aoife McMahon in 1 hour, 27 minutes. Published 2021. VisAbility. Book number 143892.

So late in the day by Claire Keegan

After an uneventful Friday at the Dublin office, Cathal faces into the long weekend and takes the bus home. There, his mind agitates over a woman named Sabine with whom he could have spent his life, had he acted differently. All evening, with only the television and a bottle of champagne for company, thoughts of this woman and others intrude—and the true significance of this particular date is revealed. Read by the author in 50 minutes. Published 2023. VisAbility. Book number 143895.

Spy Stories

Polostan by Neal Stephenson

Born in the American West, Dawn Rae Bjornberg spent her early years in Russia before growing up as a teenager in Montana, where she’s drawn into gunrunning and revolution. When a surprising revelation puts her in the crosshairs of US authorities, Dawn returns to Russia, where she is groomed as a spy by the organization that later becomes the KGB. Bomb Light seires, book 1. Read by January LaVoy in 11 hours, 41 minutes. Published 2024. Blackstone. Book number 143331.

The Family

We all live here by Jojo Moyes

Lila Kennedy has a lot on her plate. A recently broken marriage, two wayward daughters, a house that is falling apart, and an elderly stepfather who seems to have quietly moved in. Not to mention a once promising writing career that is now in freefall. So when her real dad a man she has barely seen since he ran off to Hollywood thirty-five years ago suddenly appears on her doorstep wanting to make amends, it feels like the final straw. But it turns out even the family you thought you could never forgive might have something to teach you about love, friendship, and what it actually means to be family. NZ Top 50. Read by Catriona MacLeod in 12 hours, 24 minutes. Published 2025. RNZFB. Book number 143600.

The winter runaway by Katie Flynn

Tammy and her mother, Grace, are desperate to escape Tammy’s violent bully of a father. But when an unforeseen tragedy strikes, mother and daughter must flee Scotland in the dead of night. To survive the severest of penalties, they leave behind everything they know and love—including one another. Under new identities, Tammy and Grace must start afresh. Tammy joins the services and there she meets a dashing officer who begins to break her guard down. But can the course of love ever run smooth with Tammy unable to reveal her true self? Read by Julie Maisey in 10 hours, 2 minutes. Published 2024. Ulverscroft. Book number 143458.

Sandwich by Catherine Newman

For decades, Rocky has looked forward to her family’s yearly escape to their humble beach rental on Cape Cod. But this year, Rocky is sandwiched between her half-grown kids and fully aging parents and is experiencing menopausal bouts of rage and melancholy. Then events trigger the past, forcing her to accept that she can no longer hide her secrets from the people she loves. Read by Nan McNamara in 5 hours, 45 minutes. Published 2024. Blackstone. Book number 143323.

A Clergyman’s daughter by George Orwell

George Orwell’s A Clergyman’s Daughter follows Dorothy Hare, the overlooked daughter of a small-town rector, as she is suddenly thrust into a bewildering world. From amnesia in London to life in the Kentish countryside and a night in Trafalgar Square, Dorothy experiences loss, hardship, and authority before ultimately returning to her familiar but constrained life. Read by Christina Cie in 10 hours, 29 minutes. Published 2021. RNZFB. Book number 143555.

Thrillers

Nemesis by Gregg Hurwitz

Evan Smoak is the guy you want on your side. A former government black ops assassin, he’ll be there for you in your darkest hour—and he’ll rain hell and thunder on those who caused your pain. A lone wolf operator, Evan can’t afford to lose any of the few people he likes and trusts. But when Tommy Stojack, Evan’s loyal, long-time gunsmith and armourer, betrays him, it’s war. Because a good assassin keeps his friends close, but his weapons closer. NZ Top 50. Adult content advised. Orphan X series, book 10. Sequel to: Lone wolf, 143603. Has sequel: Antihero, not yet in collection. Read by Greg Hughes in 15 hours, 47 minutes. Published 2025. RNZFB. Book number 143604.

Don’t let him in by Lisa Jewell

He’s the perfect man. He says he loves you. You think he might even be made for you. Before long he’s moved into your house and into your heart. And then he leaves for days at a time. You don’t know where he’s gone or who he’s with. And you realise if you looked back you’d say to yourself don’t let him in. NZ Top 50. Adult content advised. Read by Wendy Karstens in 12 hours, 48 minutes. Published 2025. RNZFB. Book number 143773.

The tenant by Freida McFadden

There’s no place like home. Blake Porter is riding high, until he’s not. Fired abruptly from his job as a VP of marketing and unable to make the mortgage payments on the new brownstone he shares with his fiancée, he’s desperate to make ends meet. Enter Whitney. Beautiful, charming, down-to-earth, and looking for a room to rent. She’s exactly what Blake’s looking for. Or is she? Because something isn’t quite right. NZ Top 50. Read by Sara Dakin in 9 hours, 37 minutes. Published 2025. RNZFB. Book number 143790.

The first gentleman by Bill Clinton and James Patterson

The President of the United States is up for re-election. Her husband is on trial for murder. Is the First Gentleman a killer? A pair of brilliant investigative journalists set out to answer that burning question. NZ Top 50. Adult content advised. Read by Tim Roxborogh in 8 hours, 37 minutes. Published 2025. RNZFB. Book number 143815.

The collector by Daniel Silva

On the morning after the Venice Preservation Society’s annual black-tie gala, art restorer and legendary spy Gabriel Allon enters his favourite coffee bar on the island of Murano to find General Cesare Ferrari, the commander of the Art Squad, eagerly awaiting his arrival. The Carabinieri have made a startling discovery in the Amalfi villa of a murdered South African shipping tycoon—a secret vault containing an empty frame and stretcher matching the dimensions of the world’s most valuable missing painting. General Ferrari asks Gabriel to quietly track down the artwork before the trail goes cold. Adult content advised. Gabriel Allon series, book 23. Sequel to: Portrait of an unknown woman, 143093. Has sequel: A death in Cornwall, 142921. Read by Tim Roxborogh in 9 hours. Published 2023. RNZFB. Book number 143388.

War Stories

Reign of hell by Sven Hassel

Burning, looting, raping, murdering, Hitler’s Penal Regiment advanced on the centre of Warsaw leaving in their wake a bloody trail of death and destruction. They killed indiscriminately: Pole or German, man, woman or child—anyone who crossed their path was eliminated. For Himmler had sworn that Warsaw would be razed to the ground—if it took every member of the German army to do it! Adult content advised. Legion of the Damned series, book 9. Sequel to: SS General, 143141. Has sequel: Blitzfreeze, 99299. Read by Synthetic speech in 9 hours, 13 minutes. Published 2010. RNZFB. Book number 143190.

EBraille and Braille books

This issue contains EBraille and Physical Braille books in our collection. Ebraille books have an EBraille number and Physical Braille books have a BR number. EBraille, can be embossed upon request or supplied in BRF format. If you are unsure, please contact us to enquire as to whether a particular title is available on the shelf or requires embossing. Braille books are contracted, single-spaced and double sided.

Abbreviations:

UEB: Unified English Braille Code

EBraille: Electronic Braille books

BR: Braille

CNIB: (Formerly known as) Canadian National Institute for the Blind

NLS: National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled Library of Congress

RNZFB: The Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind

Adult Non-Fiction

Australia and the Pacific

Australia: our heritage by John N. Moloney

Starting with the Aboriginal Dream Time and ending in the 21st Century, this is the story of Australia. In learning the ways of the land, Aborigines saw the mother-earth as a life-giving entity to be respected and cherished. They became one with it. To Europeans, the land was a commodity lying open to their grasp; they prospered in their use of it. Over almost ten generations, many of them also have come to understand and be one with the country. Encompassing our Aboriginal heritage and moving through the convict era and golden days, depression and drought, the building of the cities, railways and roads, the opening of the land to white settlement and the shift in focus from Europe to Asia, this history reveals a heritage built by all the men and women of Australia. 1 computer file, contracted, UEB. Published 2005. Vision Australia. EBraille 143492.

Australia: a biography the beginnings from the cosmos to the genesis of Gondwana, and its rivers, forests, flora, fauna, and fecundity by Eric C. Rolls

A story of natural events and scientific discovery, this book takes the reader from the infinity of creation to the detail of Australia’s land, plants and animals. 1 computer file, contracted, UEB. Published 2000. Vision Australia. EBraille 143493.

Health and Wellbeing

When your ears can’t help you see: Strategies for blind or low vision individuals with hearing loss by Deborah Kendrick

What do you do when everyone at work and home seems to be mumbling, and you are missing words in your favorite TV shows or talking books? What do you do when the echolocation that used to let you “see” with your ears is suddenly silent? And what happens next when the third (or thirteenth) person tells you they rang the doorbell, and you realize that, no, it is not broken: your ears are? The good news is that, just as you found with working around blindness—whether you grew up blind or lost your sight in your fifties—there are techniques and technologies that can work with limited hearing. Coverage includes: issues and adaptations specific to blind individuals with hearing loss; the dangers of isolation; choosing an audiologist; selecting hearing aids and personalizing them to your specific needs; choosing hearing aid apps and accessories; other assisted listening devices available; covering the costs; and much more. 1 computer file, contracted braille, UEB. Published 2020. National Braille Press. EBraille 144070.

NZ and Pacific Non-Fiction

The road to Chatto Creek: Leaving the rat race for life in the country by Matt Chisholm

Matt Chisholm’s number-one bestselling book, Imposter, saw Matt and his family leaving Auckland to buy some land in Chatto Creek, Otago, with big dreams to build their own house and farm cattle and sheep. Fast forward a few years and it’s been a huge shift for Matt, his wife Ellen and their three kids—lots of highs and a few lows, too. Matt writes candidly and with his unique humour about the joys of being part of a farming community, new friendships, the realities of farm life and his work as an Ambassador for Rural Support Trust, where he gives talks on mental health to farmers around New Zealand. 1 computer file, contracted, UEB. Published 2024. RNZFB. EBraille 142934.

Politics (Biography)

On the record by Steven Joyce

Steven Joyce, a central figure in the Key National Government, served as both a senior minister and National’s chief campaign strategist. Entering Parliament in 2008, he helped lead the party to major election victories in 2011 and 2014 and became known as the government’s reliable problem-solver, overseeing major portfolios including transport, infrastructure and later finance. In this insider account, Joyce reflects on a decade at the heart of power, revealing the strategy, discipline and decision-making that helped keep National in government for nearly ten years. 8 volumes of braille, UEB. Published 2023. RNZFB. BR5352.

Margaret Thatcher: the authorized biography by Charles Moore

Not For Turning is the first volume of Charles Moore’s authorized biography of Margaret Thatcher, the longest serving Prime Minister of the twentieth century and one of the most influential political figures of the postwar era. Charles Moore’s biography of Margaret Thatcher, published after her death on 8 April 2013, immediately supersedes all earlier books written about her. At the moment when she becomes a historical figure, this book also makes her into a three dimensional one for the first time. It gives unparalleled insight into her early life and formation, especially through her extensive correspondence with her sister, which Moore is the first author to draw on. 22 volumes of braille, UEB. Published 2013. RNZFB. BR5365.

Sportspeople (Biography)

Lydia Ko: portrait of a teen golfing sensation by Michael Donaldson

There have been many unique influences that have shaped Lydia Ko into the top-class golfer she is today. When she was six years old she moved to New Zealand from Korea. Her parents nurtured her golf and she was instructed by a young coach that instilled in Ko a fun-loving approach to life. 3 volumes of braille, UEB. Published 2016. RNZFB. BR5326.

Adult Fiction

Fantasy

Norse mythology by Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman has long been inspired by ancient mythology in creating the fantastical realms of his fiction. Now he presents his fashioning of the primeval Norse myths into a novel, which begins with the genesis of the legendary nine worlds, delves into the exploits of the deities, dwarves, and giants, and culminates in Ragnarok, the twilight of the gods and the rebirth of a new time and people. Gaiman stays true to the myths while vividly recreating the characters—the gods with their fiercely competitive natures, their susceptibility to being duped and to dupe others, and their tendency to let passion ignite their actions—and making these long-ago myths breathe pungent life again. Bestseller. 3 volumes of braille, UEB. Published 2017. NLS. BR5355.

Historical Novels

The marriage portrait by Maggie O’Farrell

In 1550s Florence, young Lucrezia is content to live quietly in her family’s palazzo—until her sister’s sudden death forces her into an arranged marriage with the powerful Duke of Ferrara. Thrust into an unfamiliar and suspicious court, she must navigate new expectations, shifting alliances and a husband whose true nature is far from clear. As she sits for a portrait meant to secure her legacy, Lucrezia realises that her fate depends on one thing: producing an heir, the only safeguard for her precarious future. 5 computer files, contracted, UEB. Published 2022. NLS. EBraille 143801.

The love child by Catherine Cookson

Anna Dagshaw is one of six illegitimate children born to Nathaniel Martell and Maria Dagshaw. Nathaniel’s drunken wife will not divorce him, so he, Maria, and the children live as a family and endure the spitting, taunts, hostility, and even violence of the villagers. Anna is determined to overcome her heritage but fears she will never marry—until she meets Timothy Barrington, who has his own pain. Adult content advised. 3 volumes of braille, UEB. Published 1990. NLS. BR5410 also available EBraille 143486.

Mystery And Detective Stories

Gone to dust by Matt Goldman

A brutal murder with no usable evidence pulls private detective Nils Shapiro into a chilling case. Suburban divorcee Maggie Somerville is found dead, her body covered in vacuum dust to destroy DNA traces. As Nils investigates, he uncovers a mysterious young woman whose connection to Maggie could upend the family and reveal a killer. Nils Shapiro series, book 1. Has sequel: Broken ice, BR5430. 4 volumes of braille, UEB. Published 2017. RNZFB. BR5429 also available EBraille 143755.

Dead heat by Dick Francis

Newmarket, England. Guests suffer food poisoning after a horseracing gala catered by chef Max Moreton. At the races the next day a bomb detonates on the grandstand where Max is serving lunch—killing and injuring dozens. Determined to find out who is ruining his business, Max begins investigating. 3 computer files, contracted, UEB. Published 2007. NLS. Ebraille 143730 also available BR5432.

NZ and Pacific Novels

See how they fall by Rachel Paris

Turner Corp, a luxury goods empire, has been rocked by the death of its founder. As his three sons gather at the family’s opulent estate for a long weekend, tensions rise when an illegitimate heir is introduced—and no one could predict the tragedy that follows. Skye, who married into the dynasty, is uneasy in her husband’s world, hiding her own secrets while trying to maintain a normal life for their six-year-old daughter. The weekend quickly morphs into any parent’s worst nightmare, leaving Skye desperate to uncover the truth about the Turner family. Mei, the detective assigned to the case, is pressured by her superiors to close the investigation swiftly. However, as she begins to unpick the complex web of lies and betrayal, she realizes that pulling at these threads might just bring down an empire. NZ Top 50. 5 computer files, contracted, UEB. Published 2025. RNZFB. EBraille 143687.

Thrillers

The woman in cabin 10 by Ruth Ware

Lo Blacklock, a journalist who writes for a travel magazine, has just been given the assignment of a lifetime: a week on a luxury cruise with only a handful of cabins. At first, Lo’s stay is nothing but pleasant. But as the week wears on, frigid winds whip the deck, gray skies fall, and Lo witnesses what she can only describe as a dark and terrifying nightmare: a woman being thrown overboard. The problem? All passengers remain accounted for—and so, the ship sails on as if nothing has happened, despite Lo’s desperate attempts to convey that something (or someone) has gone terribly, terribly wrong. Bestseller. 4 volumes of braille, UEB. Published 2016. RNZFB. BR5359 also available EBraille 125540.

Youth Collection

Adventure Stories

Brave the storm by Anh Do; illustrated by James Hart

Amber has become used to summoning her insect friends and transforming into Skydragon at the first sign of danger. But now her powers are gone, and she’s just back to being just Amber again. Will she be able to get her powers back in time to help new friends defeat an old enemy? Skydragon series, book 4. Sequel to: Ride the wind, 141298. Has sequel: Wave breaker, in production. Read by Matthew Curtis in 1 hour, 50 minutes. Published 2022. RNZFB. Book number 141299.

Humour

Diary of a wimpy kid: no brainer by Jeff Kinney

Up until now, middle school hasn’t exactly been a joyride for Greg Heffley. So when the town threatens to close the crumbling building, he’s not too broken up about it. But when Greg realises this means he’s going to be sent to a different school than his best friend, Rowley Jefferson, he changes his tune. Can Greg and his classmates save their school before it’s shuttered for good? Diary of a wimpy kid series, book 18. Sequel to: Diary of a wimpy kid: Diper overlode, 142621. Has sequel: Diary of a wimpy kid: Hot mess, 143147. Read by Greg Hughes in 1 hour, 59 minutes. Published 2023. RNZFB. Book number 142629.

Diary of a wimpy kid: hot mess by Jeff Kinney

The pressure is building for Greg Heffley, who discovers that when you mix heaps of family, a tiny beach house, and sweltering heat, it’s a recipe for disaster. Speaking of recipes-the secret ingredients behind Gramma’s famous meatballs have been closely guarded for years. Can Greg unpack all of his family’s mysteries before their vacation is over? Or will he just stir the pot? NZ Top 50. Diary of a wimpy kid series, book 19. Sequel to: Diary of a wimpy kid: No brainer, 142629. Read by Greg Hughes in 1 hour, 47 minutes. Published 2024. RNZFB. Book number 143147.

Gangsta Granny by David Walliams; illustrated by Tony Ross

Ben is bored beyond belief after he is made to stay at his grandma’s house. She’s the boringest grandma ever: all she wants to do is to play Scrabble, and eat cabbage soup. But there are two things Ben doesn’t know about his grandma. 1) She was once an international jewel thief. 2) All her life, she has been plotting to steal the crown jewels, and now she needs Ben’s help! Gangsta Granny series, book 1. Has sequel: Gangsta Granny strikes again! In production. Read by David Walliams and Matt Lucas in 3 hours, 25 minutes. Published 2011. VisAbility. Book number 128384.

Nature And Animal Stories

Buzz the honey bee written and illustrated by Sandy A. Bower

A story about Buzz the honey bee and how bees make honey. Read by Christina Cie in 10 minutes. Published 2017. RNZFB. Book number 143803.

NZ and Pacific Novels

The Cinderella service: a New Zealand land girl’s wartime story by Lynda Taylor

During World War Two, New Zealand’s labour shortage leads young women to step into farm work as the nation’s “land girls.” Among them is Emerald (Emma), who leaves home to face the tough realities of rural life. As she learns resilience with the support of the farm family and new friends, Emma also clings to hope through letters from her soldier sweetheart, Clifford. When he returns on furlough, she must confront how deeply the war has changed them both—and find her own strength in a world transformed. Read by Cheryl Lawton in 4 hours, 1 minute. Published 2025. RNZFB. Book number 143805.

NZ and Pacific Non-Fiction

Matariki around the world: a cluster of stars, a cluster of stories by Rangi Matamua and Miriama Kamo; illustrated by Isobel Joy Te Aho-White

When Matariki rises above the horizon, a new year full of hope and promise begins. The Matariki star cluster holds great importance for Māori and the people of Aotearoa New Zealand, but this cluster is seen and celebrated across the world. From times of old, it has been used to guide people from many different lands, and it goes by many different names, such as Makali’i, Pleiades and Subaru. This beautifully illustrated collection of stories, written by Māori astronomer Rangi Matamua and co-authored by much-loved journalist Miriama Kamo, explores the origins of the Matariki cluster through nine named whetū (stars), as well as stories from the Pacific Islands to Australia, Asia, the Americas, Europe and Africa. Read by Joe Dekkers-Reihana in 2 hours, 1 minute. Published 2022. RNZFB. Book number 143728.

Contact Details: Blind Low Vision NZ Library

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Sound and Touch is available in print, Daisy Audio over Alexa, on Bookdrive, Envoy, Email, Braille or on TIS13. To change your format or cancel, please contact the library.

Accessible Formats

• Large Print Sound and Touch December 2025 (docx, 123KB)
• Braille Sound and Touch December 2025 (brf, 85KB)

Previous Editions

• September 2025 Sound and Touch (docx, 123KB

• June 2025 Sound and Touch (docx, 87KB)
• March 2025 Sound and Touch (docx, 55KB)
• December 2024 Sound and Touch (docx, 95KB)
• September 2024 Sound and Touch (docx, 100KB)
• June 2024 Sound and Touch (docx, 109KB)
• March 2024 Sound and Touch (docx, 96KB)
• December 2023 Sound and Touch (docx, 45KB)
• September 2023 Sound and Touch (docx, 109KB)
• June 2023 Sound and Touch (docx, 677KB)
• March 2023 Sound and Touch (docx, 696KB)
• December 2022 Sound and Touch (docx, 693KB)
• September 2022 Sound and Touch (docx, 696KB)
• March 2022 Sound and Touch (docx, 689KB)
• June 2022 Sound and Touch (docx, 677KB)
• December 2021 Sound and Touch (docx, 694KB)
• September 2021 Sound and Touch (docx, 696KB)