The Holiday Inn Express recently unveiled a new morning alarm system that's designed to be more pleasant than a blaring clock.

The Holiday Inn Express Breakfast Alarm Clock is designed to wake guests up with the smell of bacon, coffee or muffins.

BloggerAtLarge's Megan Singleton got the chance to try it out to find out if this technology's worth the hype.

LISTEN ABOVE

The Holiday Inn Express recently unveiled a new morning alarm system that's designed to be more pleasant than a blaring clock.
The Holiday Inn Express Breakfast Alarm Clock is designed to wake guests up with the smell of bacon, coffee or muffins.
BloggerAtLarge's Megan Singleton got the chance to try it out to find out if this technology's worth the hype.
LISTEN ABOVE

News, opinion, analysis, lifestyle and entertainment – we’ve got your Sunday morning listening covered with The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin on Newstalk ZB.

The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin

Megan Singleton: BloggerAtLarge.com writer on the scented alarm clocks being offered by hotels

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/1150e1f0-b743-4c2e-b633-b36d00027852/transcript

Kiwi actor Julian Dennison's built up an impressive acting resume between Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Deadpool 2, and How to Train Your Dragon, but he's about to make the switch to music next.

Dennison is confirmed to be playing a DJ set at the upcoming Rhythm and Vines festival in Gisborne at the end of December.

He says he needed another hobby to keep him going between acting gigs, and he felt inspired to explore the world of DJing after getting some advice from a friend.

"He's like - man, why don't you pick up some DJing, it's a fun hobby, you get to listen to music, curate music, you can kind of do whatever you want with it. And that's kind of how it started."

LISTEN ABOVE

Kiwi actor Julian Dennison's built up an impressive acting resume between Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Deadpool 2, and How to Train Your Dragon, but he's about to make the switch to music next.
Dennison is confirmed to be playing a DJ set at the upcoming Rhythm and Vines festival in Gisborne at the end of December.
He says he needed another hobby to keep him going between acting gigs, and he felt inspired to explore the world of DJing after getting some advice from a friend.
"He's like - man, why don't you pick up some DJing, it's a fun hobby, you get to listen to music, curate music, you can kind of do whatever you want with it. And that's kind of how it started."
LISTEN ABOVE

Julian Dennison: Kiwi actor speaks ahead of upcoming Rhythm and Vines gig

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/06654099-ffb0-4895-9e5b-b3b300086786/transcript

Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy. This is by the author of the Booker Prize winning The God of Small Things - about her life growing up in India, the forces that shaped her, and particularly her very difficult relationship with her mother, Mary, who is always referred to in the book as Mrs Roy. Mrs Roy was a formidable force of nature and in trying to make sense of the dynamic between them, and to find her own way in the world, Arundhati has written a deeply moving, entertaining and profound memoir.

How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair. The author grew up in Jamaica where her father was a radical Rastafarian and was paranoid about keeping his daughters away from the secular world which they referred to as Babylon. Safiya’s childhood was often brutal, peripatetic and poor but she had the soul of a poet and the dream to eventually become one. It’s an extraordinary and deeply moving memoir – how one young woman eventually found the courage to stand up to her father and became the woman she never thought she could be. Anyone who read Educated and loved it will love this.

The Breath of the Gods by Simon Winchester: A remarkable exploration of our atmosphere, and the role played in our lives by wind – which can be both benign and malevolent.  It’s a fascinating story told through history, literature, science, poetry and engineering – and includes a piece on our own Wahine disaster. Simon Winchester has an ability to make the everyday and apparently mundane, extraordinary.

The Hollows Boys by Peta Carey. The story of the three Hollows brothers Gary, Mark and Kim, who were pivotal in the helicopter deer recovery era in Fjordland in the 1970s which was a dangerous and unregulated time. Gary Hollows died (as did many others) and the pain of that is still felt keenly today, more than 40 years on. The work they did against the backdrop of such a beautiful part of the country is jaw dropping, with high deer tallies helping keep that population down (and thereby protecting the environment), lots of money sloshing around and amazing stories of real derring do by a group of extraordinarily brave and reckless men who lived by their own rules.

Mana by Tame Iti. The deeply personal account of the life of one of our greatest rebels and radicals who grew up being forbidden to speak te reo and became one of its biggest advocates (amongst many other causes). He’s lived much of his life in the public eye, going from bad boy status to that of a national treasure and the journey is well documented in this beautiful and thoughtful book. It’s a lovely production and includes lots of photographs, including some of his own artwork. 

LISTEN ABOVE

Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy. This is by the author of the Booker Prize winning The God of Small Things - about her life growing up in India, the forces that shaped her, and particularly her very difficult relationship with her mother, Mary, who is always referred to in the book as Mrs Roy. Mrs Roy was a formidable force of nature and in trying to make sense of the dynamic between them, and to find her own way in the world, Arundhati has written a deeply moving, entertaining and profound memoir.
How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair. The author grew up in Jamaica where her father was a radical Rastafarian and was paranoid about keeping his daughters away from the secular world which they referred to as Babylon. Safiya’s childhood was often brutal, peripatetic and poor but she had the soul of a poet and the dream to eventually become one. It’s an extraordinary and deeply moving memoir – how one young woman eventually found the courage to stand up to her father and became the woman she never thought she could be. Anyone who read Educated and loved it will love this.
The Breath of the Gods by Simon Winchester: A remarkable exploration of our atmosphere, and the role played in our lives by wind – which can be both benign and malevolent. &nbsp;It’s a fascinating story told through history, literature, science, poetry and engineering – and includes a piece on our own Wahine disaster. Simon Winchester has an ability to make the everyday and apparently mundane, extraordinary.
The Hollows Boys by Peta Carey. The story of the three Hollows brothers Gary, Mark and Kim, who were pivotal in the helicopter deer recovery era in Fjordland in the 1970s which was a dangerous and unregulated time. Gary Hollows died (as did many others) and the pain of that is still felt keenly today, more than 40 years on. The work they did against the backdrop of such a beautiful part of the country is jaw dropping, with high deer tallies helping keep that population down (and thereby protecting the environment), lots of money sloshing around and amazing stories of real derring do by a group of extraordinarily brave and reckless men who lived by their own rules.
Mana by Tame Iti. The deeply personal account of the life of one of our greatest rebels and radicals who grew up being forbidden to speak te reo and became one of its biggest advocates (amongst many other causes). He’s lived much of his life in the public eye, going from bad boy status to that of a national treasure and the journey is well documented in this beautiful and thoughtful book. It’s a lovely production and includes lots of photographs, including some of his own artwork.&nbsp;
LISTEN ABOVE

Whitcoulls Recommends: Joan's top non-fiction books of 2025

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/e1b585ac-d6c5-42bd-bb29-b3b2018b7b9c/transcript

Everyone loves a Christmas market, and travel expert Megan Singleton's examining an unconventional method to explore some of the best overseas.

Megan's explored some of the best Christmas markets from the cruise ships, and she's revealed whether or not she recommends the experience. 

Read more about Megan's travel tips here.

LISTEN ABOVE

Everyone loves a Christmas market, and travel expert Megan Singleton's examining an unconventional method to explore some of the best overseas.
Megan's explored some of the best Christmas markets from the cruise ships, and she's revealed whether or not she recommends the experience.&nbsp;
Read more about Megan's travel tips<a href="https://www.bloggeratlarge.com/what-to-pack-for-european-christmas-markets/"> here.</a>
LISTEN ABOVE

Megan Singleton: BloggerAtLarge.com writer on Christmas market cruises

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/e828fd07-2deb-4dff-9e0a-b3b20189e11f/transcript

Megan Singleton: BloggerAtLarge.com writer on the scented alarm clocks being offered by hotels

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