A weekly feature at the Spinoff Review of Books: The best-selling books at the Wellington and Auckland stores of Unity Books.
THE BEST–SELLER CHART FOR THE WEEK JUST ENDED: July 15
UNITY WELLINGTON
1. Hera Lindsay Bird (Victoria University Press, $25) by Hera Lindsay Bird
Her, here.
2. Salt River Songs (Potton & Burton, $25) by Sam Hunt
He obviously only got there because of his looks.
3. How Did We Get into This Mess? (Verso, $39) by George Monbiot
Kind of needs updating, post–Brexit, post-Boris, post-anarchy in the UK.
4. A Little Life (Picador, $25) by Hanya Yanagihara
Misery loves company.
5. SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome (Profile, $28) by Mary Beard
Bill Ralston went there the other day.
6. A History of New Zealand Women (Bridget Williams Books, $70) by Barbara Brookes
Sexist.
7. Barkskins (Fourth Estate, $37) by Annie Proulx
Elspeth Sandys loved it.
8. The Sympathizer (Piatkus, $28) by Viet Thanh Nguyen
Why haven’t we got this reviewed yet?
9. The Vegetarian: A Novel (Portobello Books, $23) by Han Kang
Wyoming Paul loved it.
10. Maori Place Names: Their Meanings and Origins -4th Edition (Oratia Books, $30) by AW Reed
AW Reed!
UNITY AUCKLAND
1 The Sympathizer (Piatkus, $28) by Viet Than Nguyen
2 In Love with These Times: My Life WIth Flying Nun Records (HarperCollins, $37) by Roger Shepherd
Gary Steel liked it.
3 The Vegetarian (Portobello, $23) by Han Kang
4 The Silk Roads: A New History of the World (Bloomsbury, $28) by Peter Frankopan
Geopolitics.
5 The Romanovs: 1613-1918 (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, $50) by Simon Sebag Montefiore
Russopolitics.
6 The Lonely City: Adventures in the Art of Being Alone (Canongate, $40) by Olivia Laing
Ashleigh Young may get around to filing her Spinoff review maybe this time next year.
7 Belgravia (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, $38) by Julian Fellowes
A jolly good Fellowes.
8 This Must Be the Place (Tinder Press, $38) by Maggie O’Farrell
Her seventh novel.
9 A Little Life (Picador, $25) by Hanya Yanagihara
10 Tuesday Nights in 1980 (Hamish Hamilton, $38) by Molly Prentiss
“In one sentence, Ms. Prentiss captures a sense of intoxication and possibility that six seasons of voice-overs from Sarah Jessica Parker never could…Ms. Prentiss concludes her novel on a note that’s both ethereal and brutally realistic. She cauterizes wounds, but they’re still visible and bare. But for her characters—for this promising author—it’s enough.” —The New York Times.
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