Jillian Robinson

Picture of Marjane Satrapi alongside a quote from her. The quote reads: The world is not divided into countries. The world is not divided between East and West. You are American, I am Iranian, we don't know each other, but we talk together and we understand each other perfectly. The difference between you and your government is much bigger than the difference between you and me. And the difference between me and my government is much bigger than the difference between me and you. And our governments are very much the same... - Marjane Satrapi, Iranian-French graphic novelist

Thinking about this quote from Persepolis creator Marjane Satrapi again.

The real Lord of the Flies: what happened when six boys were shipwrecked for 15 months When a group of schoolboys were marooned on an island in 1965, it turned out very differently to William Golding’s bestseller, writes Rutger Bregman

As a child, I read LORD OF THE FLIES: never doubting that it reflected actual human nature. Turns out it actually didn't. www.theguardian.com/books/2020/m...

Cover of The Agony and the Ecstasy, depicting the creation of Adam, taken from Michelangelo’s painting in the Sistine Chapel

What a pleasure to be rereading this classic, The Agony and the Ecstasy, some fifty years later. Interesting to realise how much Irving Stone’s depiction of Michelangelo’s artistic journey has informed my appreciation of art and what it takes to make great art. #booksky #pukapuka

I’ve just been lent this book by someone who said the exact same thing!

A hedgehog startled by the spotlight in our garden, nestled against a brick, waiting, no doubt, for the light to go off, and us to go away.

This evening’s visitor to our backyard. Hope it’s been feasting on all the bugs and beetles that have been feasting on my vegetable garden #kikorangi #gardening

Turned my stomach!

Bruce Springsteen - Streets Of Minneapolis (Official Audio) YouTube video by Bruce Springsteen

The Boss! m.youtube.com/watch?v=wWKS...

A picture of the Mary Tyler Moore statue in downtown Minneapolis, depicting the iconic moment from the show where she throws her hat in the air. But the hat has been covered over with a protesters cardboard sign, reading “FUCK ICE.”

On a downtown street in Minneapolis, as people stream out from the massive march, Mary Tyler Moore says “fuck ice.”

I came to Minneapolis to report on what's going on, and one of the main questions I showed up with is "just what is the scale of the resistance?" After all, we're all used to the news calling Portland a "war zone" or whatever when it's just some protests in one part of town.

This particular sentence, amongst so many beautiful sentences, grabbed me as well

Book cover of The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai. It has a faded almost royal blue background, decorated with nine circles, which each have intricate gold and pale blue detailing, a bit like embroidery, that I think might represent the phases of the moon. They are from a painting by Olivia Fraser.

I’ve got the bereft yet satisfied feeling that comes with the last sentence on the last page of the best of storytelling. #BookSky #pukapuka #KiranDesai #BookerShortlist

The Bookshop Woman cover depicts a engrossed in her book, in the foreground is a miniature bookshop with a queue of customers waiting to enter.

Ah, the joy of a book about the love of books which is full of recommendations. Ah, the somehow sweet frustration that the enticing ‘What did you eat?’ - surely a book for someone just like me - is yet to be translated to English. #TheBookshopWoman #NanakoHanada #CatAnderson #BookSky #Pukapuka

My reads of 2025 #StoryGraph #booksky#pukapuka

I’ve been using StoryGraph for the last twelve months or so and much prefer it to Goodreads. Hadn’t sorted the community aspect tho - made a start now - so thanks!

Most succinct analysis ever.

Writing builds resilience by changing your brain, helping you face everyday challenges Resilience is often presented as feats of bravery and endurance. But everyday practices like journaling, drafting a text or even writing a to-do list are manifestations of a capacity to adapt.

Yep! Thought (okay, maybe hoped) as much
theconversation.com/writing-buil...

Here Are All the Award-Winning Novels of 2025! Percival Everett won the Pulitzer and Rabih Alameddine took home the National Book Award, but who else added a shiny new trophy to their mantle this year? From the Booker to the Giller, the Kirkus …

Reckon the short lists are worth plumbing as well #booksky #pukapuka
lithub.com/here-are-all...

Screenshot of a poops.nz graph of the presence of covid in Wellington’s waste water. There’s been a spike since November and the trajectory is still sharply up.

Eek. There‘s been quite the spike in the wastewater surveillance. And anecdata also suggests an increase in Covid cases in the Wellington region. My neighbours have just all had it, and one of the leads in my daughter’s ballet show had to pull out because she got sick.

Curious marginalia all through the library copy of Bruce Mason’s End of the Golden Weather. Such faint little marks, as if their creator imagined others might not notice, might not be distracted. But I do! And I am! #pukapuka

No mucking around for me!

Got it already😀

The Parisian is new to me and I see it’s available at my library!

Ockhams dump books from awards over AI covers A new ruling on AI means the Ockhams are in the strange position of judging a book by its cover

Use people with human skills for goodness sakes! Book design matters. When it’s poorly done - include AI in that - it’s an irritant that intrudes on the whole of the reading experience. Good on the Ockhams for holding the position. #pukapuka #booksky
newsroom.co.nz/2025/11/17/o...

A wooden desk and associated clutter which includes a wooden pen holder, a jar of coins, a journal - the cover of which is decorated with wild flowers and butterflies - and the navy blue boxed set of the Decimal Reckoner and the Dictionary

Sometimes it’s the little things: From the ‘60s : my Dad’s decimal reckoner - which I don’t use - and his Collins English Gem dictionary which, of all the dictionaries I own and of all those on line, is my go to, every single day #pukapuka #booksky #dictionaries

‘The first writer I watched at work was my stepfather, E.B White.’ The Elements of Style, Strunk and White.
#BookySky

2025 Library Community Impact Survey Take this survey powered by surveymonkey.com. Create your own surveys for free.

Are you a library user in Aotearoa? Love your library? Give them some feedback. The survey took about two minutes - less time than it’s taken for me to post this! #pukapuka

www.surveymonkey.com/r/9YRW5C7

Done! Our library is the hub of our small town. It buzzes with all sorts of activities, from Te Reo, to Lego Club, to art exhibitions. And then there are the books!

Only draw back is, it’s so readable I have to put the brakes on in order to absorb the insights, do the thinking, and get the most from it #booksky#pukapuka #Chekhov #GeorgeSaunders

Book cover for A Swim in the Pond in the Rain by George Saunders. The cover is a blue-grey colour with images in a place yellow, of someone swimming in freestyle, someone else floating, another diving (only their legs can be seen above the water). There are also Lilly pads

Why, oh why haven’t I been reading more Chekhov? Or, more specifically, Chekhov through the lens of the multi-talented George Saunders?

Those thoughts reframed: minus the regret - no time for that - thank goodness I’m on to it now. #amustread #booksky #pukapuka #Chekhov #GeorgeSaunders

Tuesday - storm causing significant damage and one death
Thursday - bigger storm resulting in state of emergency
Monday - storm forecast to hit same region, which is still without power in some areas

NACTFirst govt - argues for MORE fossil fuel