1. Bird Child and Other Stories by Patricia Grace (Penguin)
Patricia Grace returns with a collection of short stories nearly two decades after her last, and takes over the No 1 slot. As Paula Morris’s Listener review notes: “Patricia Grace’s first book, Waiariki, published in 1975, was a collection of short stories, the first published by a Māori woman writer. Almost 50 years later, she is still writing stories. If the pieces in Bird Child are her valediction, they express what Grace holds most dear as a writer: stories of her childhood and youth in a loving Māori and Pākehā family, and the Māori stories, ancient and modern, encompassing forest and freezing works, the pātaka and the food court, factory floors and hypocritical ministries with their endless reports and ignored recommendations.”
The collection can be divided into three sections: stories based around myths and legends; episodic, atmospheric stories about a girl named Mereana, clearly informed by Grace’s own youth; and stories largely written since Grace’s last collection, Small Holes in the Silence. “The deft and moving Matariki All-Stars is a standout example of Grace’s gift, evoking the complexity of family relationships and social issues in compressed short story time. Her body of work is one of political activism as well as polished sentences, profound empathy and character-rich communities.”
2. Patu: The New Zealand Wars by Gavin Bishop (Picture Puffin)
A beautifully illustrated, large-format account of the New Zealand Wars, aimed at younger readers but which clearly holds plenty of interest for adults, by the award-winning Bishop. The book explores key characters, movements, battle sites and defining moments in the early years of colonial settlement, honouring all those who played a part, including Bishop’s Scottish grandfather, born in 1847. The clues that enabled him to trace his whakapapa? His mother’s middle names: Irihapeti Hinepau.
3. Fungi of Aotearoa by Liv Sisson (Penguin)
Fungi enthusiast Liv Sisson’s popular guide to foraging our fields and forests for mushroom morsels, which came out last May, has returned to the top half of the local bestsellers list. Sisson makes them sound delicious: “Here are some of the most interesting fungi foods I’ve come across in Aotearoa. Slippery jack mushroom burgers, grilled over charcoal, with a dash of pine oil, served over a bed of creamy mushroom-stock polenta. Mushroom mince dumplings. A porcini mushroom chocolate mousse Yule log. Those first two dishes come from Max Gordy, and the third from Vicki Young – both are top Wellington chefs. When we think outside of the ‘mushrooms on toast’ box, we find that fungi offer us untapped foodie potential.”
4. Gangster’s Paradise by Jared Savage (HarperCollins)
NZ Herald reporter Jared Savage’s latest tale of local mobsters is holding its own in the bestseller list. It follows Gangland, an exploration of how organised crime in New Zealand evolved in recent years, particularly around illegal drugs. Savage’s new book explores, in that fast-paced, breathless, newspaper style, how it has escalated – more drugs, more shootings, more corruption – driven by the arrival of “501″ deportees from Australia. Gangs have grown and new ones have sprung up, bringing a harder edge to the scene, he writes. “They have better connections with international drug syndicates, better criminal tradecraft and encrypted communications, and are more willing to use firearms to enforce their will.” Existing gangs have responded in kind, escalating their approach and making life harder for police, who have had to get more innovative and sophisticated to try to counter the threat.
5. Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton (Te Herenga Waka University Press)
Still in the top half of the top 10 is Eleanor Catton’s literary thriller, the highest-selling local novel for the past year, hands down. The story of a dastardly billionaire tech mogul doing bad things in the middle of the South Island, using a guerrilla gardening collective as cover, is many things. It is a genuine thriller, with deception and intrigue, chases by thugs and drones, and has an incendiary finale that – slight spoiler – veers towards horror. It’s a character study, too, of several people, including the idealistic gardeners, a wannabe journalist, and our rich intruder, and contains within it a critique of left-wing politics and of New Zealanders, particularly our tendency to be complacent and even naive about corruption and bad actors.
6. The Girl from London by Olivia Spooner (Moa Press)
Another that’s been popular since its release last November is this historical novel, a “captivating, heart-wrenching story of love, loss, and the resilience of the human spirit”. Part of it is set in wartime London, when young teacher Ruth volunteers to accompany children to Australia and New Zealand. During the perilous journey, she becomes friends with nine-year-old Fergus. Ruth’s attention is also diverted by Bobby, another volunteer. Then, in 2005, Hazel boards a plane to London, holding a book from her grandfather, Fergus, which will lead her to the truth.
7. Bookshop Dogs by Ruth Shaw (A&U)
The author of the bestselling The Bookseller at the End of the World, which was about life and retailing in her bookshops in Manapōuri in the southwest of the South Island, turns her attention to the dogs that visit. These are the hounds of locals and those who are holidaying or just passing through. Among them is Hunza, the German shepherd that worked alongside Shaw when she was a youth worker helping troubled teenagers.
8. Whakawhetai: Gratitude by Hira Nathan (A&U)
Hira Nathan’s inspirational bilingual gratitude journal, based on the Māori holistic approach to health, was released last May and is still in the charts. The publisher’s blurb in part: “Kia ū ki te pai, kia whai hua ai. (Hold on to what is good and good things will follow.) Discover the four dimensions of hauora: taha tinana (physical), taha hinengaro (mental), taha wairua (spiritual) and taha whānau (family). No matter how difficult life can seem, there is always something to feel grateful for. Taking note regularly of the positives – no matter how small – in each of these areas of your life can have a huge impact on your health and happiness.”
9. The Axeman’s Carnival by Catherine Chidgey (Te Herenga Waka University Press)
Catherine Chidgey won last year’s $64,000 Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction for The Axeman’s Carnival, which has rarely left the bestseller lists since it was released in 2022. It’s narrated by Tama, a fledgling magpie taken in and raised by Marnie on the South Island high country farm she shares with ace axeman husband Rob. “If it keeps me awake,” says Rob, “I’ll have to wring its neck.” Tama, who it turns out can speak and becomes something of a social media star, comments on the goings-on in his new home, providing something of a wry, well, bird’s-eye view on rural life, loss and relationships. A sense of dread hangs over proceedings until this kiwi gothic moves towards its final outcome.
10. The Observologist by Giselle Clarkson (Gecko Press)
Giselle Clarkson combines her comics and conservation backgrounds for this cutely illustrated “handbook for mounting very small scientific expeditions” aimed at 7- to 11-year-olds. Observology, says Clarkson, is the study of looking, and specialists in the field make scientific expeditions every day. They notice fascinating details in the world around them, and are expert at finding tiny creatures, plants and fungi. They know that earthworms have bristles, that only female spiders make webs, and how to improve boring situations, such as when an adult bumps into someone they know. Dozens of creatures and aspects of the natural world come under the microscope, from insects to fungi, seeds to bird droppings.
(Source: Nielsen Bookscan NZ – week ending February 3.)
