Taking their hats off to Leon

The late rock piano pioneer is saluted in a book and album with a Kiwi connection.

Skin in the game

The Springbok tour protests, Foreskin's Lament, Dunedin and the star of Hunt for the Wilderpeople collide in a new local feature film.

In times of trouble

Three novels of magic, dark dystopia and espionage have women struggling for better lives.

Huns and guns

Horse-backed archers from central Asia left a lasting imprint on world history.

Fight for life

A resourceful young woman flees a dying American colony only to battle for survival in a terrifying wilderness.

All the right moves

More and more New Zealanders are discovering the joys - and health benefits - of social Latin dancing.

Fool's paradise

New Zealanders may be leaving for Australia in droves, but they'll be back.

Rush-hour ranting

Stationary traffic can do strange things to motorists, especially when traffic light phasing continues relentlessly and no cars can move.

Getting what we ask for

Market research, rather than principle, is driving the pledges of our mainstream parties - and voters may be tiring of it.

Booze cruisers

\"Normalising\" drinking at home isn't changing teenagers' binge-drinking culture, say health campaigners calling for price hikes and advertising clampdowns.

Soap on the ropes

As the health spotlight falls on the skin microbiome, some experts claim our obsession with cleanliness is harming us and the planet.

Moaners on the money

Unlike most pathological pessimists, Winnie-the-Pooh's friend Eeyore was endearing in his gloom, but it's beginning to seem as though the depressive donkey's philosophy is the most adaptive to cultivate these days.

A taxing listen

We will never know what W a member of the public to begin asking questions of the Inland Revenue Department earlier this year.

Immersed in reo

Hona Black's first book tackled metaphors; his second tackles humour. At the heart of both is tīkanga.

A bit on the nose

It's hard to decide what's worse: when companies openly treat people like idiots, or when they do it by stealth.

A story in notes

For five years, I have been collecting medical anecdotes. They exist in a file of short stories, anonymised, and with invented names.

A tale of two stars

Almost 16 years ago, I wrote a review of a memoir written by the English comedian and sometimes film star Russell Brand. The book was scandalous, libidinous and often very funny. Brand discussed his heroin addiction, his sex addiction and his crazed pursuit of fame.

Lift up their voice

West of Alice Springs, where gentle sandhills meet an ancient stone range, a frail cluster of corrugated iron shelters and rickety houses cling to the wild desert.

Just Acting up

While pre-election performances career from farcical to fatiguing, hapless voters are left counting the days until October 14.

Places, please

As the election campaign kicks up a gear, politicians start behaving as if they've won lead roles in a local amateur dramatics show.

Water, water everywhere

Undersea freshwater sources could help to counter the impacts of climate change.

Normal people

The hallmarks of a serial killer may be there but you have to know what you're looking for.

HEART TO HEART

A simple pulse wave test could be a lifechanger for a group of people unknowingly on a path to cardiac disease.

Music in the beautiful nowhere

The AWE chamber music festival takes place in some of Aotearoa's most stunning scenery.

It's very debatable

What the channels are doing in the first week of election programmes.

Southerly change

Celebrating Celebrity Treasure Island's bold new direction.

Faking his own life

\"Succession\" star does a Reginald Perrin in true scandal drama.

Finding true south

Nina Simone's enduring live power and the Blind Boys of Alabama bid farewell.

The WOW factory

As the World of WearableArt gears up for its annual extravaganza in Wellington, DIONNE CHRISTIAN asks the garment wranglers, riggers, models and designers about putting it all together.

Monuments to patience

The late Francis Pound's homage to one of our greatest painters is a magnificent mystery story told by a master.