The latest Nielsen BookScan New Zealand bestseller list, described by Steve Braunias
FICTION
1 Kāwai by Monty Soutar (David Bateman, $39.99)
The biggest-selling novel of 2022 looks like it will be well up there when Nielsen BookScan tote up the biggest-selling books of 2023 – a testament to the good word that has followed Kāwai ever since it was published. A lot of people love this exciting, historically accurate imagining of life and love and death (and the eating of human flesh) in Aotearoa set before the coming of whitey. The expected publication in 2024 of Soutar's sequel (Kāwai was always intended as the first book in a trilogy) is set to be one of the hottest items in the New Zealand book trade next year.
2 The Axeman’s Carnival by Catherine Chidgey (Te Herenga Waka University Press, $35)
3 The Bone Tree by Airana Ngarewa (Hachette, $37.99)
4 Pet by Catherine Chidgey (Te Herenga Waka University Press, $38)
5 Remember Me by Anne Kennedy (Auckland University Press, $45)
6 Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton (Te Herenga Waka University Press, $38)
7 The Penguin New Zealand Anthology (Penguin Random House, $45)
8 The Deck by Fiona Farrell (Penguin Random House, $37)
9 The Savage Coloniser Book by Tusiata Avia (Te Herenga Waka University Press, $25)
This week's free book giveaway is not, in fact, The Savage Coloniser Book, Tusiata Avia's poetry collection published in 2020, and winner of the 2021 Ockham award for best book of poetry; this week's free book giveaway is her latest poetry collection, to be launched next Saturday in Christchurch, her keenly anticipated and intensely provocative book which really is titled Big Fat Brown Bitch. She sticks it to Luxo. She sticks it to Act. She sticks it to racists past and present. It's the poetry event of 2023 and to enter the draw, share your thoughts on "The 250th Anniversary of James Cook's Arrival in New Zealand", Avia's poem which gave David Seymour an attack of the dog whistles, and email it to stephen11@xtra.co.nz with the subject line in screaming caps I WANT TO WIN A COPY OF BIG FAT BROWN BITCH. Entries close at midnight on Sunday, November 12.
10 Everything is Beautiful and Everything Hurts by Josie Shapiro (Allen & Unwin, $36.99)
NONFICTION
1 Untouchable Girls by Jools & Lynda Topp (Allen & Unwin, $49.99)
Topps.
2 Smithy by Wayne Smith & Phil Gifford (Upstart Press, $49.99)
Ferns.
3 Gangster’s Paradise by Jared Savage (HarperCollins, $39.99)
Drugs.
4 Bookshop Dogs by Ruth Shaw (Allen & Unwin, $38.99)
A free copy of this totally charming collection of stories about dogs by the much-loved author of The Bookseller at the End of the World was up for grabs in last week's giveaway. Readers were asked to share some kind of story about a dog. There were a great many entries and I think the best of them were all kind of harrowing.
This, from Susan: "Georgia is ruled by stray dogs. They roam (and snooze) in squares, in parks, outside restaurants, and around rubbish bins. I’ve seen them in packs chasing noisy motorbikes. Sometimes they follow you, more nosy than aggressive. The community takes care of them. If their ears are tagged they’ve been vaccinated. On the overnight train from Tbilisi to Yerevan at about midnight we stopped for passport control. To accompany our entry into Armenia were about 10 large dogs, most without ear tags. Well-fed and confident they patrolled the platform. I thought of rabies and stood as still as I could. I want to love, not fear, dogs again."
This, from Judy: "Ted the bearded Collie was my companion at an open air art exhibition. Oils, water colours, pencil work and collages were charmingly placed through the woodland. Sadly ,Ted disliked one watercolour piece so much he piddled on it, or up against it. Whichever it was, the ink ran, the artwork was no longer. I felt compelled to purchase the remains of the piece. The artist kindly offered to cut out the urinated section and replace it but despite the concept of Japanese kintsugi (“when a broken pot is transformed to possess a different sort of beauty") I was not inclined to accept this well meant offer. But Ted did look abashed. That helped ease the gap in my savings."
Okay so that one was only kind-of harrowing. But this one is truly harrowing, and it's the winning entry. "I'm always on the lookout for a good bucket," emailed Lee. "I use them to load horse poo in, on the back of a trailer on the quad bike. So when I was out walking the dogs and saw one floating in the middle of the river, I decided to wade in and grab it.
"The bed of the river was slippery with Didymo. At first, I backed off, thinking was it really worth it to end up in the drink, fully clothed, just for an old bucket but I persevered anyway, inching forward in my gym shoes.
"The dogs were bounding around me with excitement; it was all fun and games to them. My youngest dog was right at my feet and when I reached the bucket and bent down to pull it from the rapids, my wee dog took off.
"I pulled it up out of the water and dropped it immediately.
"A chubby little pit bull was roped to its handle, lodged in the river, and a sinister glove still wedged inside the bucket.
"The river had skinned the little dog clean – the gruesome scene its desperate end to life. Only a youngster, drowned by an ugly hand and tossed in the bucket to float downstream."
God almighty. Disgusting. Anyway, huzzah to Lee; a free copy of Bookshop Dogs by Ruth Shaw is hers.
5 Fungi of Aotearoa by Liv Sisson (Penguin Random House, $45)
Saprotrophs.
6 Whakawhetai: Gratitude by Hira Nathan (Allen & Unwin, $36.99)
Inspiration.
7 The Dressmaker and the Hidden Soldier by Doug Gold (Allen & Unwin, $37.99)
Romance.
8 The Art of Winning by Dan Carter (Penguin Random House, $40)
Self-helper.
9 Summer Favourites by Vanya Insull (Allen & Unwin, $39.99)
Food.
10 Aroha by Hinemoa Elder (Penguin Random House, $30)
Wisdom.
