The week's biggest-selling New Zealand books, as recorded by the Nielsen BookScan New Zealand bestseller list and described by Steve Braunias
FICTION
1 Harbouring by Jenny Pattrick (Penguin Random House, $36)
2 Na Viro by Gina Cole (Huia Publishers, $ 35)
Sci-fi from New Zealand's most inventive publisher. Blurbology: "Appearing before the head of the Academy for fighting at her graduation ceremony, puffer ship navigator Tia Grom-Eddy must either join the crew of a spaceship on a deep space mission or complete a lengthy probationary period on Earth. Mortally afraid of travelling into deep space, Tia chooses probation."
3 Winter Time by Laurence Fearnley (Penguin Random House, $36)
From a very admiring review at ReadingRoom on Thursday by Owen Marshall: "Laurence Fearnley's new novel Winter Time has two major strengths, and the first of these is the setting. Most of the story takes place in the South Island's Mackenzie Country, at the lake and village she names Matariki, but which are based on a clearly recognisable Tekapo. She has set other work in the region and her allegiance to it is plain.
"…Not only is this setting authentic, it mirrors the emotional state of the novel's protagonist, a physical and visual complement to the emotional condition experienced by Roland March, the character whose creation is the second strength of the novel. Roland's winter is not so much one of discontent, but rather sorrow, loneliness and unease. Brought up in Matariki, but never comfortable in the rural lifestyle, he moved to Sydney after an unproductive stint at university, to run a wholefoods store with his partner Leon."
4 The Leonard Girls by Deborah Challinor (HarperCollins, $36.99)
5 Eddy, Eddy by Kate De Goldi (Allen & Unwin, $29.99)
Paddy Richardson will review De Goldi's novel in ReadingRoom next week.
6 Greta and Valdin by Rebecca K Reilly (Victoria University Press, $35)
7 How to Loiter In a Turf War by Coco Solid (Penguin Random House, $28)
8 Mrs Jewell and the Wreck of the General Grant by Cristina Sanders (The Cuba Press, $37)
9 Auē by Becky Manawatu (Makaro Press, $35)
10 Kurangaituku by Whiti Hereaka (Huia Publishers, $35)
NON-FICTION
1 The Boy from Gorge River by Chris Long (HarperCollins, $39.99)
The author of the best-loved book of 2022 will appear alongside Solo author Hazel Phillips next month at the Auckland Writers Festival.
2 Yum! by Nadia Lim (Nude Food Inc, $55)
3 The Bookseller at the End of the World by Ruth Shaw (Allen & Unwin, $36.99)
4 A Quiet Kitchen by Nici Wickes (David Bateman, $45)
New cookbook. From the NZ Booklovers site: "Now in her mid-age, Nici is enjoying a slower pace and is content living in her little house in a small seaside community with her darling cat Joshua. Each chapter begins with a brief story about a different phase of her life, followed by recipes that brought her joy at that time. Many of these are for single servings. 'I may be single but that doesn’t have to mean missing out on the nurturing quality of homemade food or the celebration of a simple yet fabulous feast,' she writes. She cooks a proper dinner for herself every night. But when you live alone, you can be self-indulgent and have pudding for a meal any time of the day. Crumbles and fruit sponges are her favourites. Singles-serve recipes can be hard to find and are often a bit dour. Cookbook writers seem to be oblivious to the fact that there are lots of people living solo who are interested in good food and cooking. These people will love Nici’s recipes."
5 Aroha by Hinemoa Elder (Penguin Random House, $30.)
6 I am Autistic by Chanelle Moriah (Allen & Unwin, $29.99)
7 Solo: Backcountry adventuring in Aotearoa New Zealand by Hazel Phillips (Massey University Press, $ 39.99)
From an excerpt published at ReadingRoom on Tuesday: "I began solo tramping after my friend David told me I couldn’t do it. I’d been organising group tramping trips nearly every weekend and I usually carried more than my fair share of gear, figured out the route, and did the meal plans and the cooking. But there were trips I wanted to do — typically longer ones — and I couldn’t find buddies who were on the same crazy page as me. Eventually it occurred to me that I’d be doing the same amount of planning, organising and carrying if I went solo. The only difference would be that I was, well, by myself."
8 Imagining Decolonisation by Rebecca Kiddle & Bianca Elkington & Moana Jackson (Bridget Williams Books, $14.99)
A small, perfectly timed book which has sold an astonishing 10,000 copies.
9 A Gentle Radical by Gareth Hughes (Allen & Unwin, $39.99)
Uncritical portrait of the late leader of the Greens. Another book on New Zealand political leadership is published next week. It's a lot more critical.
10 Edmonds Cookery Book (Fully Revised) by Goodman Fielder (Hachette, $34.99)
First published in 1908; an article of faith, a founding document; the New Zealand way of domestic life, an Ode to the oven; and the lasting legacy of Christchurch grocer Thomas J Edmonds, whose interests included the Radiant Health movement, set up to "study and practise solar plexus breathing".
