Kaliane Bradley's The Ministry of Time has been regarded as one of the of successful books of 2024 - and it's got quite a history attached to it.

The book was initially written as a fanfiction project intended for a small group of friends over the Covid-19 lockdowns, but it went on to become an instant hit.

Ahead of her appearance at the Auckland Writers Festival, Bradley opened up about her creative process - and the journey that led to the creation of the book.

"It's been a real pleasure to see that there are people out there that have connected with it and who care about it - when I started writing is, I didn't expect it to get beyond the original 15 readers. It really is very thrilling."

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The Book of Guilt by Catherine Chidgey. Set in England in 1979, identical 13 year old triplets are part of a Government scheme where they’re constantly monitored and medicated. They’re overseen by Mothers Morning, Afternoon and Night who teach them from the Book of Knowledge, keep records in the Book of Dreams, and write up their misdemeanours in The Book of Guilt. There’s a slow, insidious creep to the narrative and when the Minister for Loneliness decides more social interaction would be good for them, they’re sent to visit a family who have secrets and a shocking connection to these boys, as they discover that the world they thought they knew is an entire fiction. From the author of the award winning The Axeman’s Carnival, this is remarkable.

The Good Mistress by Anne Tiernan. Set in Ireland, this is the story of three women who knew one another as young girls and went on to have very separate lives. Juliet is mourning the loss of her lover, Rory, with whom she’d had a long affair, and who died suddenly; Erica is mourning the loss of her husband, and Maeve mourns the loss of the happy marriage she once had which over time has become increasingly unhappy. They meet up again when Juliet travels from her home in Auckland for Rory’s funeral, and find they need to reconcile the realities of love, betrayal and the limits of forgiveness.

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Tens of thousands of travellers have descended on the city of Rome for the funeral of Pope Francis and the election of a new pontiff.

The region's had its' share of time in the spotlight over the last couple of weeks - but BloggerAtLarge's Megan Singleton says there's plenty to explore and experience no matter what.

She outlined her tips and recommendations here.

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This week on the Sunday Panel, ZB Wellington mornings host Nick Mills and broadcaster and journalist Wilhelmina Shrimpton joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!

Labour has introduced a new members' bill designed to crack down on tobacco lobbying. Do we need to stop lobbying - or introduce more transparency in the name of health and safety?

Ahead of a House of Lords vote on Monday, 400 artists have signed letter seeking protection from AI - can Governments get ahead of technology with policy?

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With all the discussion around the importance of work-life balance going on, there's been additional questions raised about what that looks like for women.

Many women are navigating the dual pressures of career advancement and family responsibilities, which creates an unrelenting overlap between work and home that often leads to burnout.

Naturopath and wellness expert Erin O'Hara unpacks the issue further.

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Cook time: 30 minutes

Prep time: 15

Serves: 6

2 tbsp sunflower oil

1 medium onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed

3 carrots, peeled and diced

1 cup chopped celery

4 bay leaves

400gm can whole peeled tomatoes

400gm can cannellini beans, drained

1 ltr water & 1 stock cube

½ tsp toasted fennel seeds

5 large spinach leaves, destalked and roughly chopped

1/2 cup kalamata olives

Old parmesan rind if you have one

Lemon garlic bread

6 ciabatta rolls

150 gm unsalted butter

4 tbsp chopped parsley

3 cloves garlic, crushed

Zest and juice of one small lemon

Flaky salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a large soup pot or casserole.

Add chopped onion and garlic and sauté until translucent. Add carrot, celery and bay leaves. Continues to sauté for another minute before adding in the tomatoes, drained beans, fennel seeds, water, stock cube and Parmesan rind.

Simmer for 20 minutes before adding olives when you want to serve.

Super fast and really easy. Whilst your waiting, make up the butter.

Turn the oven on to 180*c

Combine the soft butter to the rest of the ingredient and season with flaky salt and pepper.

Make a couple of cuts in the top of the rolls and fill with butter. You can choose to wrap the rolls in tin foil or simply place onto a baking tray and bake for 10 minutes

Serve soup with warmed lemon garlic rolls.

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Utes and SUVs make up 9 out of 10 of the most popular cars on our roads - but a new study has revealed the safety risks they pose.

Research from the journal Injury Prevention shows that a pedestrian or cyclist is 44 percent more likely to be fatally injured if they are hit by an SUV or light truck (LTV), compared with smaller passenger cars.

For children, the stats are even more bleak - a child hit by a SUV or LTV is 82 percent more likely to be killed than a child hit by a passenger car.

Physicist and science writer Laurie Winkless explains further.

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Dua Lipa, Sir Elton John and Florence Welch are among a list of stars calling on Prime Minister Keir Starmer to update existing copyright laws to protect them from AI.

A letter signed by more than 400 British musicians, writers and artists and addressed to the Prime Minister says failing to give them that protection would mean them 'giving away' their work to tech firms.

Flicks.co.nz editor Steve Newall explains what the letter calls for - and why AI doesn't follow the same regulations as other platforms.

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