1 Fruit Fly by Josh Silver (Oneworld, $37)

Read all about the 10 books that changed Josh Silver’s life, over on Vogue.

2 Kitchen Confidential 25^th Anniversary Edition by Anthony Bourdain (Bloomsbury, $30) 

Pairs well with this episode of Bourdain’s travel documentary series in which he visits Christchurch (Apple TV).

3 The Odyssey by Homer, Emily Wilson Translation (W W Norton, $36)

Read it quick because Wilson is re-translating the whole thing again.

4 London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe (Picador, $40)

London’s criminal underbelly exposed.

5 Green Sea: Lost in the New Zealand Bush by John Summers (Victoria University Press, $40)

One of the publishing highlights of the year: Summers’ book is 10 perfect essays exploring what it means to be lost in the New Zealand bush, along the way exploring the idea “lostness” itself. Read books editor Claire Mabey’s rave review right here on The Spinoff.

6 Cold Sunset by William Boyd (Viking Penguin, $38) 

Shivers.

7 Cauldron: Making of the Modern Middle East by Simon Montefiore (W&N Fiction, $60) 

Montefiore’s latest epic history sure to be a bestseller for some time yet.

8 Facing Up To Our Futures: Challenges and Choices for New Zealand by Peter Davis (Dunmore Press, $35)

Hopefully we do actually have a future.

9 Oceanic Architectural Routes: The Photographic Archive of Mike Austin edited by Albert L. Refiti (Everbest Printing Investment Limited, $35) 

Read more about Refiti’s work here, on Objectspace.

10 That Woman: A Memoir by Sylvia Cartwright (Allen & Unwin, $50)

A major memoir from a remarkable New Zealander. Here’s the publisher’s blurb: “In 1988, Silvia Cartwright published what would become a landmark report, the Cervical Cancer Inquiry, into medical malpractice against cervical cancer patients. While many praised the investigation, some in the medical fraternity dismissed it as a feminist witch-hunt and rallied behind the professor whose research was denounced.

The controversy spilled beyond lecture theatres and hospital corridors. One day, a social worker at Auckland Hospital walked into a doctor’s office to discover him reading a newspaper article about the inquiry. The doctor dropped it on his desk, snarling, ‘That woman!’ only to be told that the woman in question was the sister of the social worker standing before him.

From being one of only two women studying law in the 1960s at Otago University to becoming New Zealand’s first female High Court Judge and its second female Governor-General, Silvia Cartwright’s unparalleled career charts a profound shift in Aotearoa’s legal and social history. She recalls the indignities — being ignored by male peers, struggling to gain employment as a lawyer paid at the same rate as her male colleagues, and even receiving a note from a judge instructing her to lengthen her skirt. But also, the highs — including the Cartwright Inquiry, which helped transform women’s healthcare, her sometimes controversial years as a High Court Judge and Governor-General, her work internationally, and her gruelling but fascinating work judging war crimes in Cambodia.”

WELLINGTON

1 Front Row Seat: How Science Can (and Can’t) Shape Public Decision Making by Juliet A. Gerrard (Auckland University Press, $35)

Continuing on from number 10 above is another fascinating insight from a leading thinker in Aotearoa: “Responding to the terrorist attack on a Christchurch mosque and a global pandemic, the volcanic eruption at Whakaari/White Island and the occupation of Parliament grounds, for six years Dame Juliet Gerrard stood next to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and her successors to provide the insights that science might bring to decisions on issues of public importance.

Sometimes these were emergencies: How fast will Covid spread? How many people are likely to die under different policies? Will the mosque terrorist produce copycats? And sometimes they were longer-term issues: What does the science say about cannabis? Should we worry about 5G or genetic engineering? Will it be easy or hard to get rid of plastic bags? Through case studies like these, Gerrard reflects on the realities of providing evidence to inform policy in the political arena – unpacking the tensions and drawing out general principles.”

2 The Valley of Unlikely Acquaintances by Terri Te Tau (Spoor Books, $38)

An incredibly accomplished debut from Terri Te Tau who has crafted a sci-fi deeply grounded in whakapapa, te taiao and the future of our relationship with our beautiful planet. A compelling, immersive story that poses serious questions about the roles of both whakapapa and tech in conservation, this book is vying for novel of the year!