Why am I like this?

There's always a book on my bedside that I bring up to my coffee table every morning, along with my phone and water bottle. I try to make time for reading in my daily life, but despite reading consistently, I've always felt my knowledge of fiction set in Aotearoa has been lacking. This year, I set a few creative and fun goals for 2025. For one of those goals, I wanted to read at least 5 books by New Zealand authors.  By the time I started my first novel by an NZ author, things were looking dicey. It was nearing the midpoint of the year, and my reading speed had slowed significantly. When we decided to set the theme of New Zealand fiction for my book club, I picked up Birnam Wood by  Eleanor Catton, which had been sitting idle on my Kindle for years.  I was pleasantly surprised by Catton's book. Following that, I set out to finish three more books set in Aotearoa. Now I'm on my fifth and final book, with more on my TBR pile. This will likely mean I'll reach my goal, ...