The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.
AUCKLAND
1 Yes, Minister: An Insider’s Account of the John Key Years by Chris Finlayson (Allen & Unwin, $37)
Local political books are dominating the bestsellers – and we’re here for it all the way. “We” in this case refers mainly to Toby Manhire, who’s done it again: releasing a crisp new Yes, Minister review / author interview and a special Gone By Lunchtime podcast. Plus, Henry Cooke wrote us an essay about why more politicians should write books, to round it all off.
2 Poor People With Money by Dominic Hoey (Penguin, $37)
Gritty and humorous local fiction about living on Aotearoa’s poverty line. We’ve got you set with an excerpt, which includes a nurse who talks like this: ‘“Any luck, you’ll keep the legs.” She looked at them again. “Yep, they’re proper fucked.”’
3 Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan (Grove Press, $25)
A very deserving 2022 Booker long-lister. From the Guardian: “Small Things Like These, Keegan’s latest short novel, shares its properties with the very best of her stories. Plunge pool-like, the narrative implies significant depth below its close, bounded surface. The protagonist here is the father, Bill Furlong, a coal merchant with a wife and five daughters. It is Christmas 1985, in the town of New Ross, County Wexford.”
4 Better the Blood by Michael Bennett (Simon & Schuster, $35)
A new crime thriller, winning the heart of Aucklanders by being set in Tāmaki Makaurau – and by being a damn good read. From Michael Bennett’s recent Spinoff essay: “But if you write, entertaining is just one part of it. You write because you have something to say, something burning inside, something you feel is important. In creating Better The Blood I want to offer something more between the lines – to talk about some things that are important to me, about where we are, 200 years after colonisation. For me that’s as big a part of the reason to write, as giving the reader a compelling, thrilling, visceral story. “
5 Blue Blood by Andrea Vance (Harper Collins, $37)
The second political dominator in question.
6 The Pyramid of Lies by Duncan Mavin (Macmillan, $40)
A juicy new book full of British scandal. From the publisher’s blurb: “Pyramid of Lies charts the meteoric rise and spectacular downfall of Greensill and his company. He had a simple idea – democratising supply chain finance – and disrupted a trillion dollar industry in the process. But a staid business model concealed dubious practices as Greensill made increasingly risky loans to fraudulent companies using other people’s money.
“Financial journalist Duncan Mavin, who has reported on the scandal for over three years, tells the incredible story of how a former sugar-cane farmer would go on to put tens of thousands of jobs at risk and gain unfettered access to the inner workings of the British government. With a globe-circling narrative full of scandal and intrigue, Pyramid of Lies reveals how the grubby world of shadow banking really operates.”
7 Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience by Brene Brown (Vermilion, $45)
People ask Google, “Is Atlas of the Heart worth it?”
Google says, “If you want to understand emotions and how to improve your connection with yourself and others, this book is worth checking out.”
Well, then.
8 Four Thousand Weeks: Time and How to Use It by Oliver Burkeman (Bodley Head, $38)
80 years of life is just four thousand weeks. Scary. We spend 10 of those weeks brushing our teeth. Even scarier.
9 Eddy, Eddy by Kate De Goldi (Allen & Unwin, $30)
From Kete Books: “In her new novel, Eddy, Eddy, set in her hometown, De Goldi explores notions of family among the literal and psychological ruins, with a strong dose of religion spilt through, threatening everyday stability.
“Though mostly told in third person, her picaresque protagonist’s distinct outlook reigns. Eddy is equipped with the verbal tools of the trade of life and his sumptuous interpretations generously coat his anything-but-banal days.”
10 How to Loiter in a Turf War by Coco Solid (Penguin, $28)
Coco Solid is speaking at the Auckland Writers Festival this weekend! Get excited – and more importantly, get a ticket. And look out for a rave review coming out this Sunday, right here on The Spinoff.
WELLINGTON
1 Yes, Minister: An Insider’s Account of the John Key Years by Chris Finlayson (Allen & Unwin, $37)
2 New Zealand’s Foreign Service: A History edited by Ian McGibbon (Massey University Press, $60)
The book that every foreign service fangirl needs in her life.
3 Ross Taylor: Black & White with Paul Thomas (Upstart Press, $50)
Looking for something to get your sport-loving Dad for Father’s Day? Look no further.
4 Atua: Māori Gods and Heroes by Gavin Bishop (Picture Puffin, $40)
The stunning picture book that recently won everything at the 2022 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults.
5 Blue Blood by Andrea Vance (Harper Collins, $37)
6 Wellington Architecture: A Walking Guide by John Walsh & Patrick Reynolds (Massey University Press, $25)
Wellingtonians, walking rain, rain or shine.
7 Imagining Decolonisation by Rebecca Kiddle, Bianca Elkington, Moana Jackson, Ocean Ripeka Mercier, Mike Ross, Jennie Smeaton and Amanda Thomas (Bridget Williams Books, $15)
The most constant of bestseller companions.
8 Poor People With Money by Dominic Hoey (Penguin, $37)
9 Māori Philosophy: Indigenous Thinking From Aotearoa by Georgina Stewart (Bloomsbury, $39)
“In a beautifully written, at times painful, examination of living bi-culturally in ‘two worlds,’ Georgina Stewart ties together ancient Māori ways of knowing and te ao hurihuri; contemporary concerns in the modern world. She unpacks the tension of ‘fractionated’ bloodlines, the postmodern dissonance of cultural performativity, and what it means to be authentic in fast changing times.” – Ruth Irwin, RMIT University, Melbourne.
10 Greta & Valdin by Rebecca K Reilly (Te Herenga Waka University Press, $35)
The fictional sibling duo bringing wit and brightness to readers on a rainy day.