This week’s biggest-selling New Zealand books, as recorded by the Nielsen BookScan New Zealand bestseller list and described by Steve Braunias.
Fiction
1 In the Clearing by JP Pomare (Hachette, $34.99)
Crime thriller by the Melbourne-based Kiwi author. From the Books + Publishing site: “If J P Pomare’s Call Me Evie was a slow-burner of a psychological thriller, his follow-up, In the Clearing, is a pared-back firecracker.”
2 The Absolute Book by Elizabeth Knox (Victoria University Press, $35)
Named in ReadingRoom as one of the 10 best novels of 2019.
3 A Madness of Sunshine by Nalini Singh (Hachette, $34.99)
Thriller “set against a backdrop of lush greenery, jagged cliffs, and crashing waves” of the South Island’s West Coast.
4 Call Me Evie by JP Pomare (Hachette, $24.99)
5 Auē by Becky Manawatu (Makaro Press, $35)
Named in ReadingRoom as one of the 10 best novels of 2019.
6 A Dream of Italy by Nicky Pellegrino (Hachette, $24.99)
Named in ReadingRoom as one of the 10 best novels of 2019.
7 The History Speech by Mark Sweet (Huia, $32)
“What an awesome book. It was a relatable, page-turning slice of Kiwiana in the 1960s but still equally as relevant today. Expertly told from the point of view of school boy Callum in an authentic voice. Recommended”: Anne on Goodreads.
8 The Parihaka Woman by Witi Ihimaera (Penguin Random House, $39)
Historical novel published in 2011, when it was rated poorly by Listener reviewer John McCrystal, who wrote, “As Ihimaera continues to flounder, groping for a literary sense of purpose, his muse is clearly proving a slippery customer.”
9 This Mortal Boy by Fiona Kidman (Penguin Random House, $38)
Named in ReadingRoom as one of the 10 best novels of 2019.
10 Caging Skies by Christine Leunens (Penguin Random House, $38)
The book that inspired Taika to make the Oscar-nominated movie.
Non-Fiction
1 Vegful by Nadia Lim (Nude Food, $55)
Cooking.
2 A Maori Phrase a Day by Hemi Kelly (Penguin Random House, $30)
Haere mai ki te kai! Come and eat!
3 All of This is for You by Ruby Jones (Penguin Random House, $24)
Drawings.
4 Jacinda Ardern by Michelle Duff (Allen & Unwin, $39.99)
Panegyric.
5 The Invisible Load by Dr. Libby Weaver (Little Green Frog Publishing, $39.95)
Self-helper.
6 Straight 8 by Kieran Read & Scotty Stevenson (Upstart Press, $49.99)
Rugby.
7 The Feel Good Guide by Matilda Green (Allen & Unwin, $39.99)
Nothingness.
8 Two Raw Sisters by Rosa Flanagan & Margo Flanagan (David Bateman, $39.99)
Cooking.
9 Puppy Zen by Mark Vette (Penguin Random House, $45)
Pets.
10 Perform Under Pressure by Ceri Evans (HarperCollins, $39.99)
Self-helper.
