A Little Bit Booked
A Little Bit Booked is like listening to two friends chat about their latest literary obsession. Editor and writer Claire Williamson (@accidentaltokyoite) is regularly joined by authors, book lovers, and publishing experts for in-depth interviews, reviews, and plenty of recommendations. Expect more than a bit of banter! Have a burning books question? Email alittlebitbookednz@gmail.com.
Episodes
October 21, 2026 • 39 mins
Ahead of his appearance at the 2026 Nelson Arts Festival, Booker Prize-winning author Shehan Karunatilaka joins to talk about his magical realism novel “The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida” – from ghosts and truth-finding to absurdism and a little bit of hope.
Books mentioned in this episode:
- The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida, Shehan Karunatilaka (Sort of Books)
- Chinaman: The Legend of Pradeep Mathew, Shehan Karu...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
October 7, 2026 • 41 mins
Catherine Chidgey’s latest captivating novel follows Hazel, a young woman who signs up as a Blackpool sideshow act where she won’t eat for 40 days. As the days tick by and strangers watch Hazel transform, she must decide how far she’s willing to go for what she wants.
Books mentioned in this episode:
- The Starving Bride, Catherine Chidgey (Te Herenga Waka University Press)
- The Book of Guilt, Catherine Chidgey...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
September 23, 2026 • 44 mins
With over 30 children’s books to his name, author and illustrator Ned Barraud looks at the world a little bit differently. With an eye for detail and love of nature, his love of New Zealand’s environment are brought to life for little readers around the country.
Books mentioned in this episode:
- Fairy Wings: A Story, Lauren A. Mills
- Little Oh, Laura Krauss Melmed and Jim LaMarche
- Peek-a-boo Bambi, Denise Lewis Pat...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
September 9, 2026 • 40 mins
Allyson Gofton’s latest cookbook, Give: Seasonal Recipes for Gifting, is all about recipes you can bake, make and share with the loved ones in your life, any time of the year. We talk everything from recipe development, what qualities a “giftable” recipe needs to have and the secret to flaky pastry. $30 from every book sold goes to support Breast Cancer Cure, funding vital breast cancer research in Aotearoa New Ze...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
August 26, 2026 • 40 mins
How do you learn to work in publishing? Whitireia Publishing Programme tutor Theresa Crewdson and current student Gaby West do their best to tempt me into a career change...and share some exciting you-heard-it-here-first news about what’s next for the course!
Books mentioned in this episode:
- The Forty Rules of Love, Elif Shafak (Penguin)
- The Bookshop Detectives 3: Murder and Mojitos, Gareth and Louise Ward (Penguin)
- Ta...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
August 12, 2026 • 41 mins
There’s a new writing festival coming to Nelson. Beautiful Words Con 2026 runs from 1-26 September and 1-10 October online. Cofounder George Penney talks all things indie publishing, why skill sharing is so important and making writing accessible to all.
Books mentioned in this episode:
- Noël Coward Autobiography, Noël Coward
- The Stranger Times, C.K. McDonnell (Penguin)
- OverLondon, George Penney (Swashbuckler Press)
- T...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
July 29, 2026 • 44 mins
Jenny Williams’ new psychological thriller, “House of Liars” asks what it means to create and be human in a world where technology offers the temptation of instant gratification.
Books mentioned in this episode:
- The House of Liars, Jenny Williams
- Dungeon Crawler Carl, Matt Dinniman (Ace Books)
- There Is No Antimemetics Division, Qntm (Del Ray)
- The Ministry of Time, Kaliane Bradley (Hodder & Stoughton)...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
July 15, 2026 • 46 mins
What makes a book perfect for rereading? Does where we are in life influence how we feel about a book? Why do I keep reading books about rabbits? Frazer MacDiarmid joins to talk about what books he rereads (or doesn’t) and how those experiences went.
Books mentioned in this episode:
- Watership Down, Richard Adams
- The Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro
- The Unconsoled, Kazuo Ishiguro
- On Beauty, Zadie Smith (Penguin)
- H...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
July 1, 2026 • 31 mins
Sophie Rogers’ latest novel is set in 1800s New Zealand, at the height of the gold rush. She unpicks how she brings historic characters to life, balancing detail with narrative flow and what it’s like to be crowned a Blossom Festival Queen.
Books mentioned in this episode:
- Orchids & Camellias, Sophie Rogers (Flying Books Publishing)
- Nightshades & Paperwhites, Sophie Rogers
- Harry Potter, JK Rowling
- Lady ...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
June 17, 2026 • 46 mins
British artist and book cover artist Todd Atticus on his art practice, what makes a good book cover and two recent, impactful covers he designed – And How Are Things With You by Mia Farlane and The Valley by Asher Emanuel.
Books mentioned in this episode:
- The Valley: Crime And Punishment In A New Zealand City, Asher Emanuel (Bridget Williams Books)
- And How Are Things With You, Mia Farlane (Mākaro Press)
- Night, Ma, Eliz...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
June 3, 2026 • 32 mins
Friends of Founders Treasurer and book connoisseur Peter Rigg takes us behind the scenes of the highly anticipated Founders Annual Book & Record Fair, including the best book he’s ever found and how you can volunteer.
Books mentioned in this episode:
- A History of the World in 47 Borders, John Elledge (Headline)
- The Men Who Killed the News, Eric Beecher (Scribner Australia)
- One More Kilometre and We're in the Shower...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
May 20, 2026 • 43 mins
After putting his main character, the plucky Honey Chalmers, through the wringer in “The Call,” author Gavin Strawhan is back with “Slash.” He joins to talk about dialogue, developing character and the social issues that underpin his thrillers.
Books mentioned in this episode:
- My Family and Other Animals, Gerald Durrell (Penguin Classics)
- The Covenant of Water, Abraham Verghese (Grove / Atlantic)
- Cutt...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
May 6, 2026 • 41 mins
Writer and poet Harold Coutts is back to read and discuss “Hoods Landing,” “Terrier, Worrier,” and “This Compulsion In Us” from the 2026 Ockham Awards shortlist ahead of the awards ceremony on 13 May. Featuring bird facts, tarot, and some meta thought on thought.
Books mentioned in this episode:
- Hoods Landing, Laura Vincent (Āporo Press)
- Terrier, Worrier: A Poem in Five Parts, Anna Jackson ...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
April 22, 2026 • 36 mins
Paranormal romance writer Colette Rhodes is prolific and passionate about the value of romance (and happy endings). And she’s bringing that enthusiasm to live at her dedicated romance bookshop, The Ink Pot, in central Dunedin.
Books mentioned in this episode:
- The North Wind, Alexandria Warwick (Simon & Schuster)
- Shield of Sparrows / Rites of the Starling, Devney Perry (Entangled Publishing)
- Dreaming of You, Lisa K...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
April 9, 2026 • 46 mins
Josie Shapiro discusses the perils of success, what we owe our friends and the pursuit of perfection in her novels, “Everything is Beautiful and Everything Hurts” and “Good Things Come and Go.”
Books mentioned in this episode:
- On the Calculation of Volume, Solvej Balle (Faber)
- The Last Living Cannibal, Airana Ngarewa (Moa Press)
- Wonderland, Tracy Farr (The Cuba Press)
- 1985, Dominic Hoey (Penguin)
- ...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
March 25, 2026 • 41 mins
Poet and writer Kate Camp took the brave step of publishing her teenage diary from 1986 in full as a memoir, Leather & Chains: My 1986 Diary. She joins me to talk feminism, the diary as postmodernism expression and the fallibility of memory.
Books mentioned in this episode:
- Lyrical Ballads, Bill Manhire (Te Herenga Waka University Press)
- What to Wear, Jenny Bornholdt (Te Herenga Waka University Press)
- Girl on Girl: How ...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
March 11, 2026 • 36 mins
Author and restaurateur Erin Palmisano joins A Little Bit Booked to talk about her newest novel, “The Secrets of the Lost Vineyard,” and the food, friendship, and family that underpins her writing.
Books mentioned in this episode:
- People We Meet on Vacation, Emily Henry (Penguin)
- Foster, Claire Keegan (Faber)
- Small Things Like These, Claire Keegan (Faber)
Erin’s books are:
- The Secrets of the Little Greek...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
February 25, 2026 • 50 mins
Historian and writer Karen Stade joins A Little Bit Booked to talk about her career from journalist to historian, the importance of regional social history and the questions everyone should ask their grandparents for posterity.
Books mentioned in this episode:
- The Private Life of Helen of Troy, John Erskine
- Finding Private Webber, Angela Fitchett (Writes Hill Press)
- No, I Don't Get Danger Money: Confessions of an Accidental ...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
February 11, 2026 • 42 mins
Mountain lover and writer Hazel Phillips on what she always has in her tramping pack, “topselling” stories, and the many great women behind her upcoming book and how they made their mark on New Zealand mountaineering.
Books mentioned in this episode:
- An Offer from a Gentleman, Julia Quinn (Avon US)
- See How They Fall, Rachel Paris (Hachette Aotearoa NZ)
- The Girl in the Mirror / No One Will Know, Rose Carlyle
- Axe...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
February 2, 2026 • 37 mins
Paper Plus Nelson book buyer Michaela Smith opens up about how she approaches book reviews, breaking containment on bookstagram, and learning to love reading with dyslexia.
Books mentioned in this episode:
- The Poppy War, R.F. Kuang (HarperCollins)
- Babel, R.F. Kuang (HarperCollins)
- Nobody's Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice, Virginia Giuffre (Transworld Publishers)
- The Book of Guilt, Catherine Chid...
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
Popular Podcasts
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.
The Herd with Colin Cowherd is a thought-provoking, opinionated, and topic-driven journey through the top sports stories of the day.