Tanya Faulkner – Reporter
What book are you currently reading?
I am currently reading the 8 Rules to Love by Jay Shetty. I’ve been obsessed with his podcast for the last few years and never miss an episode, and his last book Think Like a Monk absolutely changed the way I think about myself and how I interact with situations.
What is the first book you remember reading?
With my parents, it’s definitely Winnie the Pooh, I loved Tigger, but on my own I think it was the Harry Potter Series when I was 10 or 11 years old. I love the way J.K Rowling wrote the books, and they still hold a special place in my heart.
Where is your favourite place to read?
So being from New Zealand, my favourite place of all time was at this lookout up the road from my parent’s house, or with a pile of blankets and cushions on the back tray of a ute, facing the beach. These days I like to get cozy in bed or on the couch at home.
What book has had the most impact in your life?
Umm… All of my books seem to go back to NZ authors – but I have two in mind. One was called Under the Mountain by Maurice Gee – it’s NZ fiction from 1979 about creatures called the ’Wilberforces’ that lived under the mountains that make up Auckland, and this mission to destroy them before they destroyed our planet. There’s a couple of movies out as well, but I find the original film to be better than the re-make. Secondly is a book called The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse-Anderson, and it’s just a really well written book about PTSD and how war can impact children in families as well as their parents.
What is a book you think everyone should read?
Oooh… this one is hard… recently I’ve been really into my self-development and mindset books and podcasts, so off the top of my head I would say Atomic Habits by James Clear or The Subtle Art to Not Giving a F**k. Both of them give you really good tools to learn more about the way you think, and helps you to take more control of how you interact and engage with people and situations for a less stressful life.
What is your favourite book?
A book I always go back to at some point is a book called Restless Spirit (Te Wairua Whakariuka) by Susan Brocker. It’s a New Zealand book about our Kaimanawa horses, in particular this rare white one that no one seems to see much, but know he’s there. The book follows a few storylines, like a girl who moved from Auckland city down to this small country school and makes friends with a Māori boy, and a farmer who rounds up and culls the horses for ’population control’ and is trying to catch the white horse – look it’s a book that needs to be read and enjoyed really.
