The Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending November 6

The top 10 sales lists recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.

AUCKLAND

1 Birdlands: Up Close and Personal with the Birds of Remote New Zealand by Edin Whitehead (Penguin Random House, $50)

A stunning collection of photography and stories from the field from scientist, writer and photographer Edin Whitehead.

2 Court of Splintered Harmony #6: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas (Bloomsbury UK, $37)

After a rocky start which many indie bookstores across Aotearoa not receiving their stock, ACOTAR is now flying.

3 End Times Fascism: And the Fight for the Living World by Astra Taylor & Naomi Klein (Allen Lane, $40)

Fascinating, disturbing and hopeful: listen to Klein discuss the book with Louis Theroux, here.

4 Dirty Work: The Taxpayers’ Union and New Zealand’s Hard Right by Nicky Hager (Potton & Burton, $35)

Pre-election day reading.

5 The Starving Bride by Catherine Chidgey (Te Herenga Waka Press, $38) 

A woman is paid to lie down in a glass box every day while a lion prowls around and crowds of paying people gawk at her deteriorating form. Sounds farfetched? Chidgey's latest novel is based on a true carnival attraction. Read all about it right here on The Spinoff.

6 Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout (Penguin Random House, $38)

Strout's protagonist Artie Dam would probably be stoked about the results of the mid-terms.

7 Simple Too by Yotam Ottolenghi (Penguin Random House, $75)

Christmas day menu planning.

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

One of the biggest novels of the year is about exploitation and hypocrisy in the publishing industry.

9 May We Feed the King by Rebecca Perry (Granta UK, $35) 

We'll find out how this stunning debut will fare against some heavyweight competition on the Booker Prize shortlist when the winner is announced on November 9.

10 Exit Party by Emily St John Mandel (Picador UK, $38)

"2031. America is at war with itself, but for the first time in weeks there is some hope: the Republic of California has been declared, the curfew in Los Angeles is lifted, and everyone in the city is going to a party. Ari, newly released from prison, arrives with her friend Gloria just as a fragile new era begins. But there are people at the party who shouldn't be there. Something is very wrong . . .

Years later, living a different life in Paris, Ari remains haunted by that night. Whatever happened at the party fractured her sense of reality - and may hold the key to a very different world. Exit Party is Emily St. John Mandel's electrifying new novel about freedom and surveillance, art and survival, love and loss in a broken world."

WELLINGTON

1 Court of Splintered Harmony #6: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas (Bloomsbury UK, $37)

2 Butterflies & Moths of Aotearoa by Liv Sisson (Penguin, $50)

A gorgeous new book from the brain that brought us the bestselling Fungi of Aotearoa. Read an excerpt from Butterflies & Moths on The Spinoff, here.

3 Dirty Work: The Taxpayers’ Union and New Zealand’s Hard Right by Nicky Hager (Potton & Burton, $35)

4 The Valley: Crime & Punishment in a New Zealand City by Asher Emanuel (Bridget Williams Books, $40)

More pre-election reading, and post-election too.

5 Mincemeat by Anthony Lapwood (Āporo Press, $38) 

A new novel from award-winning writer Anthony Lapwood and published by award-winning indie, Āporo (Hoods Landing by Laura Vincent). Here's the blurb:

"In the years after his disastrous coming out, Lewis kept his old neighbourhood – and his mum and dad, Madeleine and David – at a safe distance. But tragedy has been drawing him back: first his parents separated, and now they’ve vanished.

Tucked away in his family home with Doggo the ageing Labrador, Lewis is plagued by troubles both past and present. Confronted with the inner lives of his parents – discovered on audio tape recordings and scribbled in journals – their voices feed his imagination as he delves into the mystery of their disappearance.

When speculation gives way to paranoia, and his investigations drive him deeper into perilous territory, Lewis is compelled to take control of the narrative.

He’s a writer; he can’t help himself. "

Wellingtonians can catch Lapwood talking about Mincemeat alongside fellow crime writer Molly Crighton at VerbCrawl on November 14.

6 Black Bag by Luke Kennard (John Murray, $38) 

Also shortlisted for this year's Booker Prize (see number nine, above). The judges said: "This of-the-moment satire considers anonymity and disgust, online rackets, and what it means to find love in our unstable times. We admired its sharply crafted sentences and humour."

7 Redwood: The Untold Story of the Cold War's Most Extraordinary Spy by Ben Macintyre (Penguin, $40)

Non-fiction that slips down like fiction.

8 Lifted by Mandy Hager (OneTree House, $30) 

The latest novel from prolific novelist Mandy Hager (yes, related to author of number three, above). Here's the blurb:

"Elora, Librarian of The Sanctuary, faces an impossible choice: allow herself to be trapped and Lifted, or stay and risk dying alone. In a world devastated by climate collapse and haunted by a mysterious alien presence, seventeen-year-old Elora is the last-trained Librarian safeguarding humanity’s remaining knowledge. When a stranger arrives with a message claiming her long-dead father is alive, Elora is forced to question everything she believes. As hope, grief, and duty collide, she must decide whether to leave the safety of her mountain refuge and risk everything for the truth.

A compelling blend of science fiction and coming-of-age adventure, Lifted explores survival, legacy, and what it means to be human in a fractured world where one young woman may hold the key to humanity’s future."

9 Beyond the Gates of Gloriavale by Rosie Overcomer (Allen & Unwin, $38)

What does it take to walk away from a cult? This extraordinary memoir tells the story of growing up in Gloriavale, having a family of her own and realising she has to get them out. Read an excerpt from Overcomer's story here, on The Spinoff.

10 The Disappearers by Marlon James (Hamish Hamilton, $38) 

The hot favourite to win the Booker Prize this year: a masterpiece.