1. Bird Child and Other Stories by Patricia Grace (Penguin)
Patricia Grace’s new collection of short stories, published nearly two decades after her last, holds on to the No 1 slot for the third week.
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 stand-out 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. Kai and Kindness by Jane Rangiwahia & Paul Rangiwahia (Huia)
This book, conceived during the first Covid-19 lockdown by a brother and sister duo, Jane Rangiwahia, a cook, and Paul Rangiwahia, an artist, is intended “to nourish the body and mind”.
“Their aim is to help start conversations about health and emotional wellbeing and promote positive action – whether it is in the kitchen or in the mind. The book is richly illustrated with the recipes and Paul’s artworks, and Paul’s inspiring ‘A Mental WOF’ frames short discussions about aspects of emotional and mental health. Jane’s delicious recipes are no-fuss and focus on making food to share with friends and family. Jane and Paul say, ‘The body goes where the mind goes, and they go well when they are both nourished.’”
3. 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 NZ. During the perilous journey, Ruth becomes friends with 9-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.
4. 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 makes regular appearances 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.”
5. Untouchable Girls by Jools & Lynda Topp (A&U)
The memoir of our beloved Topp Twins has remained in or close to the bestsellers since it was released last October. As their interview with the Listener notes, when putting this together they “made a list of significant periods in their lives, then worked their way through it non-chronologically. Eventually, they had 31 chapters that recall how the Waikato farm girls ran away to the army, stayed on in Christchurch, and found a new home among the increasingly vociferous local lesbian community, turned their country music-honed voices into protest songs … then somehow, via the magic of television, abundant charisma and their array of characters, became beloved mainstream entertainers. Oh, and in chapter 23, cancer.” Also in the book is a topic largely uncanvassed: the sisters’ sometimes roller-coaster love lives during the decades.
6. Aroha by Hinemoa Elder (Penguin)
The wisdom of 52 Māori proverbs explained by psychiatrist Hinemoa Elder in this bestselling book first released in 2020. An extract:
“Ko te mauri, he mea huna ki te moana – The life force is hidden in the sea.
“Powerful aspects of life are hidden in plain sight.
“This whakataukī stems from one of our famous ancestors from the north, Nukutawhiti. He cast his kura, his feathered cloak, into the Hokianga Harbour to calm the waters for safe passage. And this treasure remains there, out of sight, yet signifies the ancient presence of those that have gone before.
“This saying has given me strength so many times. I have always found it comforting because it speaks to the hidden magic of life.
“It reminds me of those things we feel intuitively but often ignore – we can choose to tune in to our gut instinct, for example, or wait until the messages become clearer and more obvious.
And it reminds me that we all have hidden powers inside us that we can too easily forget.”
7. Gangster’s Paradise by Jared Savage (HarperCollins)
NZ Herald reporter Jared Savage’s latest tale of local mobsters, published in October, is holding its own in the bestseller list. It follows Gangland, an exploration of how organised crime in New Zealand has 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.
8. 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, holds steady in the bestsellers and has been rightly longlisted for an Ockham award in the illustrated non-fiction category. 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.”
9. Kāwai by Monty Soutar (David Bateman)
This epic tale of early life in Aotearoa from the respected historian is back in the charts, revealing the role of colonisation in shaping the country while not shying away from an honest and sometimes visceral depiction of the times. It has sold extremely well since its release in 2022; another in the series will be out this year.
10. The Bookseller at the End of the World by Ruth Shaw (Allen & Unwin)
Ruth Shaw has been in the bestseller charts for the past couple of years, most recently for her book on bookshop dogs. But her first, very popular, book, The Bookseller at the End of the World, has popped back up. It is an account of the people and stories and books she has encountered running two small bookshops in remote Manapōuri in Fiordland. But, as the marketing notes, it’s about more than that. “She’s sailed through the Pacific for years, been held up by pirates, worked at Sydney’s Kings Cross with drug addicts and prostitutes, campaigned on numerous environmental issues, and worked the yacht Breaksea Girl with her husband, Lance. Underlining all her wanderings and adventures are some very deep losses and long-held pain. Balancing that out is her beautiful love story with Lance, and her delightful sense of humour.”
(Source: Nielsen Bookscan NZ – week ending February 17.)
