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1. (10) Route 52: A Big Lump Of Country Unknown, by Simon Burt (Ugly Hill Press)
Yoyoing around the charts is this account by Simon Burt, who travelled the back roads around Wairarapa and southern Hawke’s Bay with a caravan in tow, nattering to locals along the way. From the first chapter: “One of those visitors is Masterton angler Nick Jolliffe. Nick is around my age and has been fishing for as long as he can remember. He’s been plying the Mākurī River for over 40 years. A natural storyteller (he’s a career salesman), Nick entertains me over a long black and a flat white at Masterton’s Trocadero Cafe with the history of his relationship with the waterway. He’s pleased I’m writing about the river – he’s not one to keep fishing secrets – and about the area in general. ‘Good on you,’ he says. ‘Fame for Route 52 is long overdue. It’s a big lump of country unknown.’”
2. (1) Understanding Te Tiriti, by Roimata Smail (Wai Ako Books)
David Seymour’s Treaty Principles Bill is likely behind brisk sales of human rights lawyer and educator Roimata Small’s book, a brief and easily digestible guide to the basics of the Treaty of Waitangi.
3. (2) Tasty, by Chelsea Winter (Allen & Unwin)
There must have been plenty of versions of Chelsea Winter’s Noodle Peanut Stir-Fry and Aloo Palak whipped up during the recent holiday break. The MasterChef NZ winner’s latest cookbook, chock-full of plant-rich comfort food as it is, has held tight to the top spots of the bestsellers’ charts. It’s been four years since the mega-selling Supergood. As she told the Listener: “Tasty is a plant-based book, but it’s not staunchly plant-based. I’ve designed it to be flexible. If someone wants to use a recipe as fully plant-based – great. If they want to sub in a bit of cheese and cream – perfect. If they want to serve it alongside a cut of meat, or chuck some chicken or fish in one of the curries – perfect. It’s for every kind of eater.” She replaced refined sugar in recipes with the likes of coconut sugar after seeing the effects on her children. “Man, my children don’t need any more energy.” For recipes from Tasty, go here.
4. (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.”
5. (NEW) Relish, by Rowan Bishop & Carolyn Robertson (David Bateman)
A local guide to all things chutney, relish, preserve, sauce and dip from a writer of bestselling cookbooks for several decades.
From the publisher: “This book showcases Rowan Bishop’s lifelong passion for preserving seasonal produce and developing recipes designed to let the natural qualities of the ingredients shine.”
6. (RETURN) Atua Wāhine, by Hana Tapiata (HarperCollins)
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.”
7. (9) Kāwai: Tree of Nourishment, by Monty Soutar (David Bateman)
Monty Soutar picks up the narrative where Kāwai: For Such a Time as This left off. As the Listener’s review notes (you can read it here), “The advent of muskets placed the power of fire and death into the hands of any iwi with the cunning, the connections and the economic capacity to possess them. In so doing, the musket undermined the foundations of Māori society, including the mana of the tohunga, upending their command of magic and their bond with the spirit world through its blind disregard for the sacred pageantry of war, death and the interweaving of these things with all that is tapu. This in turn paved the way for European missionaries to bring stories of a different god, a new perspective on faith and the sanctity of life, and irrevocable change. Soutar uses this narrative to explore the power of words, both the writings of men who claimed to be holy and the fractious ink of te tiriti, whose intentions remain contested to this day.”
8. (4) Mrs D is Not on a Diet, by Lotta Dann (A&U)
Lotta Dann, who wrote a popular book about giving up drinking, turns to diet culture, working out from her own struggles with weight and food. From the publisher: “Would you start another diet if you knew it would probably fail? Would you love your body if our culture didn’t tell you it was wrong? Lotta Dann’s journey with extreme dieting and drastic weight loss led to endless praise for her skinny body. But no one knew what she had to do to maintain it. When the weight came back on, Lotta started asking fundamental questions that she’d never considered before.
“Why do we believe that to be healthy you must be skinny? Why do we think any measure of fat on our body is bad? Why do so many of us hate our bodies? And why do we spend so much time, money and energy trying to shrink ourselves? The answers surprised her, angered her, and ultimately empowered her. She thinks they will do the same for you.” You can read listener.co.nz nutritionist Jennifer Bowden’s thoughts on the book here.
9. (RETURN) Wild Walks Aotearoa, by Hannah-Rose Watt (Penguin)
Top-notch guide to the country’s best tramps by someone who has literally done the hard yards. It’s beautifully illustrated, and the amount of detail provided by Watt is impressive, from a personal measure of difficulty to a gear guide, first aid, maps and weather. And then there are the 59 walks. Divided into ones that can be done with kids, quick walks, multi-day and two levels of tough, they are mostly in the South Island, and it’s all written in a zippy, knowledgeable style.
10. (7) More Salad by Margo Flanagan & Rosa Power (A&U)
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 is vegetarian or vegan; they just encourage moderation in all things. Recipes go from raw to pan to oven, including desserts. They list swappable ingredients, tips and timesavers, and pairing suggestions. You’ll find recipes from the book here.
Source: Nielsen Bookscan NZ – week ending February 15.
