MUSIC - JUNE
BIOGRAPHICAL INTERLUDE
I had a minor op (day surgery, general anaesthetic) in early July and it took more than two weeks to get back to normal, mostly thanks to the messed up cocktail of drugs they gave me initially.
I had always said to work I'd take at least two weeks off to recover, but secretly I pictured myself reading heaps of books and maybe writing a couple of insightful essays that can help promote my new book... But yeah, I couldn't really even cope with audiobooks.
So it was a lot of Fifa World Cup and binging shows that having a temporary VPN unlocked (Shoresy, Hacks).
My book comes out on 13 August and the launch event is on 19 August on the 4th floor of the city library here in Ōtepoti.
Tomorrow I will post the music playlist that accompanies the collection. 14 songs for 14 stories.
BOOKS
A Short Stay in Hell by Steven L Peck (novella, audiobook, US, 2009) - took a Borges story and sucked the life out of it. Anything promoted as existential is probably best avoided.
Young Skins by Colin Barrett (short stories, audiobook, Ireland, 2013) - good.
Wild Houses by Colin Barrett (novel, audiobook, Ireland, 2024) - preferred the out-and-out short stories.
Afterparties by Anthony Veasna So (short stories, physical book, US, 2021) - Wanted to like this, but found the stories loose, unfocused and frequently dull.
The Unfinished Harauld Hughes by Richard Ayoade (novel, audiobook, UK, 2024) - needed to be funny.
Henry Goes Bush by Wayne Marshall (novel, audiobook, Australia, 2026) - Didn't enjoy the blend of historical editorialising and speculative multiverse shenanigans.
Hot Desk by Laura Dickerman (novel, audiobook, US, 2025) - I was expecting an office-based version of The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary, but instead that romance plays second fiddle to a Secret History-esque lit-world intergenerational #MeToo thingy. Pretty good, all told.
I gave you eyes and you looked toward darkness by Irene Sola (novel, audiobook, Spain, translated, 2023) - Catalan magic realism.
Even the Good Girls Will Cry: My 90s Rock Memoir by Melissa Auf der Maur (non-fiction, audiobook, US, 2026)
Pop.1280 by Jim Thompson (novel, audiobook, US, 1964) - hollow book about the hollowness of American life.
Country People by Daniel Mason (novel, audiobook, US, 2026) - Speaking of The Secret History... Family moves to Vermont for a university posting... Strangeness ensues.
FILM & TV
Shoresy - Seasons 2-5
Hacks - Seasons 4-5
Welcome to Wrexham - Season 5
The Lowdown - Season 1
Only Connect - Season 21
WWE Unreal - Season 4 (and a bunch of other mindless wresting stuff)
Alone - Season 10 (I think)
Sleeping Dogs
Sione's Wedding* (rewatch for me, first time for my son)
Die Hard* (rewatch for me, first time for my son)
Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere
The Bear: Season 5
Gary
Send Help
House of the Dragon - first few eps of Season 3
MUSIC - JULY
