Author Archives: Barbara Howe

Banned Book Week 2020

Posted on 26 September 2020 by Barbara Howe

I was not thrilled when I realised that this year’s Banned Books Week (September 27 – October 3) was coming up. I have been making annual forays into the arena of banned or challenged books since I started this blog, but I … Continue reading →

Posted in A Writer's Life, Children's Fiction | Leave a comment

The Prince of Secrets

Posted on 12 September 2020 by Barbara Howe

The Prince of Secrets, the second book in the Stariel series by New Zealand author A J Lancaster, takes us deeper into the world of the fae we were given only glimpses of in the first book, The Lord of … Continue reading →

Posted in Fantasy, Kiwi author | Leave a comment

Book Announcement: The Wordsmith

Posted on 29 August 2020 by Barbara Howe

Irene van Gelder’s drudge job is killing her, but how can she earn a living as an air witch when her own guild calls her a fraud? The Fire Warlock doesn’t ask for her credentials, but with tensions rising between … Continue reading →

Posted in A Writer's Life, Epic Fantasy | Leave a comment

The Clockill and the Thief

Posted on 21 August 2020 by Barbara Howe

Sin, street urchin turned trainee spy, is back in Gareth Ward’s YA novel, The Clockill and the Thief, the sequel to The Traitor and the Thief. Both books won New Zealand’s Sir Julius Vogel award for Best Youth Novel in their … Continue reading →

Posted in Children's Fiction, Fantasy, Kiwi author | Leave a comment

CoNZealand

Posted on 8 August 2020 by Barbara Howe

CoNZealand, the first online world science fiction convention, has come and gone. While there were some obvious teething pains, in general it turned out much better than I had feared. It wasn’t the same as meeting people in person, but … Continue reading →

Posted in A Writer's Life, New Zealand | Leave a comment

A Memory Called Empire

Posted on 24 July 2020 by Barbara Howe

Lsel Station is a mining colony tucked into a Lagrange point near a metal-rich planet—a tiny, independent entity on the edge of the interstellar Teixcalaanli Empire. When a warship arrives at Lsel Station requesting—er, demanding—a new ambassador, without giving any … Continue reading →

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Provenance

Posted on 11 July 2020 by Barbara Howe

Ingray Aughskold is an insecure, needy kid. Well, not a kid, exactly. She’s in her twenties, with a good job on her home planet Hwae, but her politically powerful mother has encouraged competition between her foster children: Danach, the son … Continue reading →

Posted in Space Opera | Leave a comment

Moo

Posted on 26 June 2020 by Barbara Howe

I first read Jane Smiley’s Moo years ago, but on randomly picking it off my shelf recently, found it still an enjoyable story. Moo is a humorous look at life in an agricultural university in the American Midwest, part soap … Continue reading →

Posted in Modern literary fiction | Leave a comment

Longitude

Posted on 14 June 2020 by Barbara Howe

On a ship at sea, out of sight of land, how do you know where you are? These days it’s easy: check your GPS device and it will tell you, to within a few meters. But before the technological leaps … Continue reading →

Posted in History (non-fiction), Science (non-fiction) | Leave a comment

Taking Care of My Extended Family

Posted on 31 May 2020 by Barbara Howe

When I started this blog, I meant for it to be non-political. Advice I’ve read said don’t antagonise potential readers. That seems like good sense, and I’m not by nature confrontational. But now… Some things are just too important to … Continue reading →

Posted in A Writer's Life | Leave a comment