Summer reads – Sumo – The Wikipedia game
...and other recs to kick off 2022
Kia ora, welcome back to the first edition of Rec Room for 2022, another year where it looks like we could end up spending a bit more time at home than we ideally might have liked.
Luckily one thing unlikely to be affected by supply chain issues over the coming months is the never ending supply of TV shows, movies, podcasts, games, TikToks and other content we’ve been meaning to get to. My big thing at the moment is “reading books” – I finished two and a half (Greta & Valdin, My Rock ‘n’ Roll Friend, almost finished A Woman in the Polar Night) over the holidays and am determined to get that number up to at least five by the end of the year. So, for some inspiration, I’ve asked the room what they read this summer. Scroll on down to see the answers (and some other recs too).
–Cal
New this week on The Spinoff Podcast Network
On When the Facts Change [Apple | Spotify], Bernard Hickey has been chatting with the experts about the biggest political and economic themes of the last year, and what’s on the cards for 2022.
The original The Real Pod [Apple | Spotify] trio are back this week, and steeling themselves to recap another year of Married at First Sight Australia starting very soon.
And a new episode of Nē? [Apple Podcasts, Spotify] is out tomorrow! Some very good listening in the lead-up to Waitangi Day.
📚 Where The Rēkohu Bone Sings
Leonie says: “I’m almost too guilty to recommend this as I should have read it years ago, but over the summer break I inhaled Tina Makereti’s 2014 novel Where The Rēkohu Bone Sings. It follows two different timelines and the legacy of invasion on Rēkohu (Chatham Islands) by Ngāti Tama, Ngāti Mutunga and British sealers. The terrible fate of the peaceful imi Mōriori is a painful legacy but one I’ve never heard discussed among tangata whenua, only as a racist patu against Māori. While the story and characters are wholly three dimensional, it explores the light and dark in our history – like kaitangata and mōkai – in a way that made me want to know much more.”
📚 Girl, Woman, Other
Alice says: “Over the summer break I read Bernadine Evaristo’s Girl, Woman, Other, which won a heap of awards after it came out in 2019. It follows the interconnected lives of 12 women (well, some women, some girls, some “others”) in the UK and is funny and sad and thought-provoking and all those things a good book should be.”
📚 Happy All the Time
Sam says: “I read Happy All The Time by Laurie Colwin, an author who became famous for her chatty, simple cookbooks in the 80s. First published in 1979, this lightly comedic story about two couples from different backgrounds living in New York is one of many novels she wrote during her short lifetime, and definitely my favourite. It’s short, snippy, and full of messy life.”
📚 She’s a Killer
Toby says: “I really liked She's A Killer by Kirsten McDougall. It takes place in an eerily recognisable near-future New Zealand, where wealthy climate refugees have flooded the country, wine and cheese are nearly extinct luxury items and only the ultra-rich can afford more than basic minimal water supply. It basically feels like a glimpse forward in time, but not in a preachy parable type of way. It's funny and easy to read, with a main character whose flippant attitude to very serious problems feels perfectly observed. But it was the details of the setting that really got into my head – I keep seeing things in the news that make me go 'oh, that feels very She's A Killer', which I guess will be funny until they all come true.”
📚 How to do the Work
Sophie T says: “I read How to do the Work by Dr Nicole LePera aka The Holistic Psychologist, a new age psychologist who found herself frustrated by the limitations of traditional psychology and founded 'Holistic Psychology', blending the worlds of science and spirituality. Her work covers setting boundaries, childhood experiences (and how they manifest into adulthood), healing yourself from trauma, attachment theory, self love – it’s kind of like therapy in a book! Even if you feel like you don't need it, it is great for building self awareness and awareness of others, and is just super interesting.”
📚 An Ugly Truth
Rewiti says: “I read An Ugly Truth: Inside Facebook’s Battle for Domination by Sheera Frenkel and Cecilia Kang. With fly-on-the-wall detail from over 400 interviews, the New York Times investigative reporters confirm all your worst suspicions about the social media giant and its top brass, from how employees' concerns were mishandled to the litany of scandals it’s had a hand in, like Russia's interference in the 2016 US election and ethnic violence in Myanmar. If you were wary of Facebook before reading this book, you'll be ready to delete your account afterwards because you'll be left with a lasting impression that the company (read: Mark Zuckerberg) cares more about world domination than about the people helping it grow (basically, capitalism to a T).”
📚 Crying in H Mart
Jin says: “This summer I read Crying in H Mart, a memoir by Michelle Zauner (aka Japanese Breakfast) about her experiences with grief after her mother passed away from cancer, and navigating and finding her Korean identity all over again after losing the one person that helped her connect to it. I resonated with this book a lot as I felt I went through a similar process of reconnecting with my Korean heritage after my grandma passed away – it was an emotional read, and instead of crying at an H Mart, I was crying on the beach.”
💿 I Need to Go Home
Duncan says: “A gorgeous synth pop glide from an Auckland singer who cites the likes of Robyn and Sigrid as inspo, which you can really hear in her third single I Need to Go Home. New Zealand has lately out-performed its population in this gauzy, intimate genre, through Lorde, Chelsea Jade, Benee and a lengthening list of young artists edging closer to that level. What makes me think Isla Noon might bridge that gap is her confident, vivid lyricism, which makes me super excited to hear more from her.”
🕹️ Wikitrivia
Sam says: “If you need something to do between Wordles, I recommend this quite addictive (and free) new online trivia game. The concept is simple: you’re given an event, and you have to place it on a timeline. For example, did World War Two end before or after Judi Dench was born? You get three lives, but the more you can place correctly, the higher the streak. It is more addictive than it probably sounds, and you also learn while doing it!”
🏟️ Sumo
Josie says: “I recommend getting into sumo wrestling. Tired of being unable to name a single sport you enjoy watching? Want to have a special interest that intrigues and delights your colleagues and acquaintances? Try sumo! Every bout is extremely short (usually mere seconds), the rules are straightforward and it's all on YouTube. You'll quickly pick faves for whom you'll laugh, cry, and celebrate – my current fave is Hōshōryū, the very serious nephew of sumo's biggest bad boy.”
OK, that’ll do for this week. Please reply to get in touch (give me your book recs!) and of course feel free to share with anyone else who might like to subscribe too. See you next Wednesday 👋