The Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending 18 November

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  Becoming Pākehā by John Bluck (HarperCollins, $40)

Writer and retired Anglican bishop John Bluck has released a new book – part memoir, part argument that the Pākehā and Māori worlds are becoming more separate and fractured over time. Essential reading for those experiencing discomfort in being Pākehā or wanting to better understand Māori-Pākehā relations in Aotearoa.

2  The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka (Sort of Books, $37)

Winner of this year’s Booker Prize, Karunatilaka’s satirical novel is set in 1989 during the Sri Lankan Civil War, and told from the perspective of a dead man who has seven days to remain in touch with the living world. So far, so juicy. 

Neil MacGregor, Chair of the 2022 judges, said: “This is a metaphysical thriller, an afterlife noir that dissolves the boundaries not just of different genres, but of life and death, body and spirit, east and west. It is an entirely serious philosophical romp that takes the reader to ‘the world’s dark heart’ — the murderous horrors of civil war Sri Lanka. And once there, the reader also discovers the tenderness and beauty, the love and loyalty, and the pursuit of an ideal that justify every human life.”

3  Straight Up by Ruby Tui (Allen & Unwin, $37)

After the Black Ferns’ win, Straight Up has absolutely taken off. Stuff reports that sales are up 100% at Paper Plus, 76 people are waiting for a copy at Wellington City Libraries, and happy news – Allen & Unwin is reprinting like mad.

4  People Person by Joanna Cho (Te Herenga Waka University Press, $30)

The most popular local poetry debut in yonks (unofficially), which you can peruse via this excerpt on The Spinoff.

5  Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan (Faber & Faber, $23)

A beautifully written and touching novella set in 1986 Ireland. One of our best and top picks for the year.

6  Lessons by Ian McEwan (Jonathon Cape, $37)

The new McEwan, continuing to do its bestseller thing in style. Andrea from good old Goodreads says, “Masterful! I’ve had an up and down relationship with Ian McEwan’s novels, but this one scales the heights. Although it took me a long time to read (it’s chunky!) I didn’t begrudge the author a single moment of my time.”

7  Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver (Faber & Faber UK, $37)

The author of The Poisonwood Bible and The Lacuna reimagines David Copperfield, and the Guardian claims the result “feels in many ways like the book she was born to write.”

8  Wawata – Moon Dreaming: Daily Wisdom Guided by Hina, the Māori Moon by Hinemoa Elder (Penguin, $30)

This gem from Jessica Hinerangi Thompson-Carr’s review here on the Spinoff: “Her pukapuka rises and falls like the breast of the sea. We begin in Whiro, a time of darkness and renewal. From this new moon we are led toward the first light of Tirea, a beautiful moon which confronts us with vital pātai about our bodies, how we treat and value them. Elder does not shy away from asking us the hard questions. How can we be more forgiving toward ourselves? How can we reclaim our rage? What does it mean to say ‘I love you’?”

9  Femina: A New History of the Middle Ages, Through the Women Written Out of It by Janina Ramirez (WH Allen, $40)

A new history of the Middle Ages, where Janina Ramirez focuses her pen on the lives of women and how their stories were erased. From Jadwiga the woman King to memoirist and pilgrim Margery Kempe and the Loftus Princess, Femina is full of lives that will be new to many of us.

10  Needles & Plastic: Flying Nun Records, 1981 – 1988 by Matthew Goody (Auckland University Press, $70)

An illustrated account of Flying Nun’s early years in Christchurch, told through the stories of the records themselves. Denise Roughan from Look Blue Go Purple and The 3Ds says it’s “a fascinating and edifying book that is drenched in a wealth of fabulous photographs and illustrations throughout. And Matthew Goody really gets it: rather than simply expressing exasperation at the idiosyncrasies of the label in its early incarnation, he determines to untangle conundrums presented by them. His inspired methodology and meticulous research have resulted in this marvellous story – told as a series of stories – that is absorbing from go to woah.”

WELLINGTON

1  Gaylene’s Take: Her Life in New Zealand Film by Gaylene Preston (Te Herenga Waka University Press, $40)

A new memoir from one of our very best filmmakers – think Mr Wrong, Ruby & Rata, War Stories Our Mothers Never Told Us, and My Year With Helen. Jane Campion says, “I had no idea Gaylene was so hilarious. I adored this brilliant memoir: part liar, part cowgirl, mouthy and determined Gaylene grows up in Greymouth and migrates into the wild 70s, ending up in the tough-as-gumboots world of New Zealand film. Her book is irresistible.”

2  Straight Up by Ruby Tui (Allen & Unwin, $37)

3  The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka (Sort of Books, $37)

4  Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver (Faber & Faber UK, $37)

5  A History of New Zealand in 100 Objects by Jock Phillips (Penguin, $55)

A fresh take on the history of Aotearoa, perfect for dipping your toes into one fascinating story at a time.

6  The Passenger by Cormac McCarthy (Knopf, $50)

89-year-old McCarthy’s first book release since The Road, and that’s not all – a second linked novel is being published next month, so there’s plenty of meat for starved fans to sink their teeth into.

7  I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy (Simon & Schuster, $45)

The only memoir you need to feel glad you were never a child actor.

8  Needles & Plastic: Flying Nun Records, 1981 – 1988 by Matthew Goody (Auckland University Press, $70)

9  Wawata – Moon Dreaming: Daily Wisdom Guided by Hina, the Māori Moon by Hinemoa Elder (Penguin, $30)

10  Imagining Decolonisation by Rebecca Kiddle, Bianca Elkington, Moana Jackson, Ocean Ripeka Mercier, Mike Ross, Jennie Smeaton and Amanda Thomas (Bridget Williams Books, $15)

Imagine: we’re nearing the end of 2022, and this little beauty is still a consistent bestseller.