Martene McCaffrey of Unity Books Auckland reviews The Trees by Percival Everett, published by Graywolf Press

Kathryn speaks with screen writer and director Michael Bennett. He was the 2020 recipient of the Te Aupounamu Maori Screen Excellence Award, given in recognition of significant contributions to the Maori screen industry. Michael Bennett is widely acclaimed for his work documenting the case of the wrongly convicted Teina Pora, including his documentary The Confessions of Prisoner T and a subsequent non-fiction novel and feature film, both called In Dark Places. With a stellar career in film making and script writing, Michael had never attempted writing fiction - until now. Better the Blood is a post-colonial crime thriller and it's already captured the attention of publishers around the world, with 11 translations in the works, and plans for a TV series are underway.

Karen says the republic debate is rumbling following the Queen's death. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the Government have been saying is not the time to discuss future governance, that it should wait until after the mourning period has passed. But those who are keen for change are saying if not now, then when? Prominent ABC journalist Stan Grant, who is Indigenous, has written a searing piece of commentary this week on the role of the monarchy from a First Nations perspective, which has sparked some further debate.

GeoNet has increased the alert level for the volcano below Lake Taupō for the first time, after a swarm of quakes around the lake this year. The super-volcano has been rattled by 40 tremors a week since May, and 700 overall since January. The volcano caused the largest eruption on Earth in the past 5000 years when it last exploded about 1800 years ago. Dr Finn Illsley-Kemp is a volcano seismologist at Victoria University of Wellington.

It's just over two weeks to kick-off in the Women's Rugby World Cup - delayed of course from last year thanks to Covid. The team will play a warm-up test match this weekend against Japan at Eden Park, before they face Australia on October 8 in their first pool match. So what does it take to get the players World Cup-ready? Amanda Murphy is the Black Ferns' strength and conditioning coach.

A UK based energy company has been granted approval to develop a solar farm in Waikato which will generate electricity to power 30,000 homes. The Environmental Protection Authority has approved Harmony Energy's proposal for approximately 330,000 solar panels to be installed on 182 hectares of a 260-hectare site at Te Aroha West. The land is currently a dairy farm, but livestock grazing will continue with sheep around the panels. Construction will get underway in 2024, with the solar farm operational in 2025. Kathryn speaks with Pete Grogan, a New Zealander who co-founded Harmony Energy.

Simran Kaur is the co-host of the podcast Girls That Invest. She speaks to Lynn about how rising inflation and the reduction in house prices affect millennials, and a new study which reveals women in couples having significantly less savings and are more financially vulnerable. This discussion is of a general nature, and does not constitute financial advice.

Business commentator Rebecca Stevenson discusses the case against the agricultural giant John Deere by farming groups in the United States, fighting for the freedom to repair machinery without being locked in to using a John Deere- determined solution. She also looks at the announcement last week by the founder of the outdoor clothing company Patagonia Yvon Chouinard, that he's giving away his company to support environmental protection. Rebecca Stevenson is a senior writer at interest.co.nz.

David Hill reviews Haven by Emma Donoghue, published by Macmillan

Author Lauren Roche has lived a life of constant reinvention. She was a high school drop out, who stowed away on a ship to the US at the age of 16. After being deported home she turned to prostitution - and it was an overdose that finally led her to get help for depression. She returned to high school at 20 - then medical school - where she graduated and worked for many years as a GP. She was also an elite athlete, competing in Ironman events until a back injury robbed her of the ability to continue. Lauren has written about the events in her life in two autobiographies - Bent not Broken which was published in 2000 and its sequel Life on the Line. She joins Lynn to talk about her latest book, Mila and a Bone Man - a novel about guilt, forgiveness and finding your way home.