Online exclusive
1. (1) Atua Wāhine by Hana Tapiata (HarperCollins)
Writer Hana Tapiata (Te Arawa, Ngati Awa, Ngati Porou, Waikato, Pākehā) is a mother and writer who lives by Māori philosophies “to explore wellness, self-determination and liberation”. From the publisher: “Atua wahine are the Māori goddesses who make up the world around us: earth, fire, water, the moon and more. From the earth mother, Papatuanuku, who sustains and nurtures us to the goddess of peace, Hineputehue, who transformed pain into beauty, and the misunderstood goddess of the underworld, Hinenuitepo, who created purpose and enlightenment from betrayal – this book is a treasure of knowledge and insight. Drawing on whakatauki (proverbs) and purakau (traditional stories), discover how the wisdom of 17 atua wahine can help us live with courage and confidence in the modern world. With guided steps, these atua will inspire you to foster creativity, acknowledge cycles of change, and embrace self-determination.”
2. (1) More Salad by Margo Flanagan & Rosa Power (Allen & Unwin)
The latest cookbook from sisters Margo Flanagan and Rosa Power, which promises more of the same tasty-looking food that delivered them previous bestsellers. Neither are vegetarian or vegan, they just encourage moderation in all things. Recipes go from raw to pan to oven, as well as desserts. Included are swappable ingredients, tips and timesavers, and pairing suggestions. You’ll find recipes from the book here.
3. (NEW) Woman Uninterrupted by Brodie Kane (HarperCollins)
Brodie Kane is a broadcaster and podcaster, and she’s written a memoir. From the publisher: “First up: this is absolutely not a guide to life. I’ve done some impressive stuff, but I’ve also slept on the floor of an old Greek man’s house and lost my dignity in the Brunei jungle. I say yes to everything this life has to offer – I’m from the ‘women can have it all’ club – and, boy, have I got the stories to show for it. From surf-lifesaving to a hungover army deployment, being broke with a gum infection in Europe, spooning Richie McCaw on a mountain, improvising make-up for Paul Holmes, running my first ultra-marathon and reinventing myself after redundancy: every wild, brilliant and hilarious experience has taught me something new. Whether it’s how not to care about being judged, how to fake it till you make it, how to throw yourself into the unknown or how to push through the pit of despair, I’ve come to love that we are all works in progress. If I fail from time to time, that’s okay, too. Open the book of this open book (me). I want to show you the raw, the real and the vulnerable of a full-volume life and how the greatest moments – or at the very least the greatest yarns – come about by just giving it a crack.”
4. (4) Hairy Maclary’s Magnet Fun by Lynley Dodd (Picture Puffin)
Is it school holidays already? In the bestsellers for the past few weeks is this Hairy Maclary book where kids can create their own stories thanks to magnetic figures of the mischievous mutts including Hercules Morse, Bottomley Potts and the rest.
5. (NEW) This is the F#$%ing News by Patrick Gower (A&U) There’s the weird-looking grawlix in the title – #$% – and the fact that TV journalist Paddy Gower’s memoir was ghost-written by another journalist, Eugene Bingham, which will have eaten into the author’s profits, and that it promises to be “funny, brutally honest and packed with incredible yarns”. One reviewer said it was a “diverting, sometimes affecting narrative. He comes across more like a journo from a gritty thriller: a bit battered, more than a bit addicted, basically decent and always determined.” Another says Gower’s life is full of surface yarns … You never find out in This is the F#$%ing News who Gower really is or what his life is like but the March 15 chapter is more important than that. It’s journalism, powerfully and vividly presented, told by a master storyteller to one of the best reporters in New Zealand.”
From the publisher: “Paddy Gower has never been afraid to stand up for what he believes in. From his teenage and university years where he learnt to defend himself from cruel bullying about his looks, to the pressure-cooker years he spent in the Press Gallery holding politicians to account, to advocating for the families of the Christchurch terrorist attacks and for sufferers of cystic fibrosis, he has scrapped and fought for the truth and justice for others. This unrelenting drive has come at a cost: a serious alcohol addiction, anger issues at times, and bouts of anxiety and depression.
“Ironically, it was through his own work – a documentary about the outsized role that alcohol plays in many Kiwis’ lives – that Paddy’s wake-up moment came. It led him to quit the booze for good; a decision he has never regretted despite the knockbacks that kept coming, including the shock of the decision to close down the entire Newshub operation.”
6. (3) Marry Me in Italy by Nicky Pellegrino (Hachette)
This, if we’re counting right, is the 15th novel from author and Listener writer Nicky Pellegrino, who manages to come up with fresh plots that combine food, wine and love in the sunniest, most picturesque spots of il bel paese. From the publisher: “A dream wedding in Italy? It’s the chance of a lifetime! Skye has been with Tim forever and the last thing she’s thinking about is saying ‘I do’. It’s Tim that enters the dream wedding competition – he’s longing to win an all-expenses-paid trip to romantic Montenello. An escape to a beautiful Italian hill town might be just what they need to find love again. Ana definitely isn’t interested in getting married – she doesn’t need a man to make her happy. But when she loses her job at a glossy food magazine, she jumps at the chance of a new life, renovating a crumbling Italian farmhouse. Her handsome (and very distracting) neighbour definitely isn’t part of the plan.” You can read more about Nicky Pellegrino’s books here.
7. (6) Life Hacks from the Buddha by Tony Fernando (HarperCollins)
With a subhead of “How to be calm and content in a chaotic world”, this guide, from Auckland psychiatrist, sleep researcher and former Buddhist monk Dr Tony Fernando promises 50 practical and easy-to-follow life hacks that “will make you a calmer, happier and more chilled-out version of yourself”.
8. (RETURN) View from the Second Row by Samuel Whitelock (HarperCollins)
All Blacks lock Sam Whitelock’s memoir begins with 14 full lines of the injuries he’s suffered playing rugby, the outcome of which was five surgeries under general anaesthetic. And then deciding to play in the 2023 Super Rugby Pacific final with an Achilles tendon injury. The most capped AB in history speaks – with the help of sports journo Dylan Cleaver – about his career, which covers four World Cups and 153 appearances in the black jersey, his life and his family. Whitelock (he’s called Samuel by most of his family, Sam by his friends) knew when to toggle as captain between rooster and sheepdog, says ABs coach Scott Robertson in the foreword: leading from the front or guiding his flock. Whitelock claims not to be a complicated guy: “family, footy and farming” are at the centre of his life.
9. (8) Lisa Carrington Chases a Champion by Dame Lisa Carrington & Scott Pearson (Huia)
Inspirational children’s tale from NZ’s most decorated Olympian (eight gold medals and one bronze), set in Ōhope, which is where she first began to paddle. From the publisher: “Lisa Carrington Chases a Champion is a story about eight-year-old Lisa, who is determined to participate in a big surf competition but is plagued by self-doubt and fear of failure. With encouragement from her coach, family and a top paddler named Māia, Lisa trains hard and improves, but a close call with a wave days before the competition shakes her confidence. After finding solace and regaining her self-belief with her mum’s help, Lisa bravely competes on the big day, conquering her fears.” A Māori language edition is also available.
10. (NEW) Kataraina by Becky Manawatu (Makaro Press)
Becky Manawatu’s long-awaited sequel to her award-winning novel Auē. Expect this one to keep moving up the charts. As the Listener’s interview with Manawatu notes, a swamp, or kūkūwai, runs under and through Kataraina. “It is a shifting, changing body of water – an expansive wetland, a drained and lifeless bog, a deep lagoon. Like poet Seamus Heaney’s Irish bogs preserving Iron Age bodies in places where ‘there is no reflection’, it is a repository for memories of ancestral violence and retribution. As Aunty Moira says in the book, ‘That kūkūwai is all roimata. Tears.’
“Kataraina takes up the story of Kataraina Te Au, Aunty Kat. In Auē, she is a partially drawn character, seen through the eyes of the nephew she looks after, young Ārama, and feisty Beth. They see her spark, her love, her defensiveness, but also her bruises, meted out by Stuart Johnson, Uncle Stu, and never talked about. Never discussed.” You can read the full interview with Becky Manawatu here.
Source: Nielsen Bookscan NZ – week ending September 28
