This book gives a nice and brief overview of the history of New Zealand. Especially the early chapters on New Zealand's pre-history and Maori settlement are quite enlightening. However, most of the topics are treated somewhat superficially and if you are interested in a more in-depth history of New Zealand's places and people, you will have to find further material. This book is merely an excellent introduction for someone who has never given thought to Kiwi history. It is certainly helpful in advance of a visit to Aotearoa.

A mind-boggling metanovel which reminded me of Bored to Death sometimes, but which is WAY weirder.

Usually I'm apprehensive to anything that remotely resembles "chick lit", but as I soon learned, Margaret Atwood is something completely different. I have already read "The Handmaid's Tale", which I thought was brilliant - another reason why I chose to check out more stuff by Ms. Atwood.

This is a very ruminative story in a Mad Men-esque setting about how women are consumed by men back in the day (very much a product of its time).

I personally enjoyed the Toronto setting, even though the name of the city is never mentioned.

Wow, another one of those clear cases where the movies have pretty much nothing to do with the book! There's some wicked storytelling going on here (quite literally), considering this book has 4 (or possibly 5) layers to it. In places it was a bit tedious, in other places completely enthralling. I wouldn't really categorize it as a horror story, but rather as a story of grave misunderstandings.

Dafuq did I just read? (A typical Atwood book)

Meh. Meh meh, meh meh meh, meh.