Whitcoulls Top 100: Ten Kiwi authors make list as Harry Potter series rules the charts

The Harry Potter series reigns supreme once again in the Whitcoulls Top 100 list for 2020. Photo / File

Kiwi kids remain under the spell of Pottermania more that 23 years after the Harry Potter series burst onto the literary scene.

The series written by J.K. Rowling has once again topped the Whitcoulls Top 100 books of the nation for 2020.

Irish actor turned historical fiction writer Lucinda Riley was second with her series The Seven Sisters, while Delia Owens skyrocketed into third place with her mega-bestselling novel Where the Crawdads Sing.

Whitcoulls book manager Joan Mackenzie said many Kiwis turned to literature for escapism and entertainment during the level 4 lockdown, boosting sales in the store.

"We are thrilled to see 10 books by New Zealand authors make an appearance in 2020," she said.

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"The notion of supporting homegrown writers has clearly resonated with Whitcoulls voters and we are particularly pleased to see them on the list."

Lauded West Coast writer Becky Manawatu (Ngāi Tahu), whose novel Auē won the Fiction Prize in the 2020 Ockham Book Awards, was voted in at number 30, while psychologist Gwendoline Smith's The Book of Knowing Series came in at number 29.

Kiwi author Doug Gold's The Note through the Wire, a true story about a prisoner of war and a resistance heroine, made number 43 on the list and Elizabeth Knox's new novel, The Absolute Book came in at number 45.

Mackenzie said there has been huge enthusiasm for Māori language books throughout the year and it was no surprise to see Scotty Morrison's book Māori Made Easy made number 53 on the list.

The television series of Normal People, based on Sally Rooney's wildly popular second book, saw the book shoot to number five on the list after screening in New Zealand.

Books written by women writers continue to be popular, with nine of the top 10 books written by women, including Michele Obama's memoir Becoming.

"Overall, there is something for everyone on this List and we look forward to introducing Kiwi readers to a wide range of books," Mackenzie said.

"We hope our List encourages them to take a risk and experience something different, confident that thousands of Whitcoulls readers have already voted them into the Top 100."

Twenty-five newcomers were voted onto the Whitcoulls list this year, including Jeanine Cummins' #1 New York Times Bestseller American Dirt, which made the number 10 spot.

Whitcoulls was founded more than 130 years ago when printer and bookbinder George Tombs and publisher and bookseller George Whitcombe joined forces.

For the past 23 years, it has been calling for Kiwi readers to vote for their favourite books, with online voting being the most popular method.

The Top 10 Books:

1. Harry Potter series, J.K.Rowling

2. The Seven Sisters series, Lucinda Riley

3. Where the Crawdads Sing, Delia Owens

4. The Tattooist of Auschwitz, Heather Morris

5. Normal People, Sally Rooney

6. Outlander Series, Diana Gabaldon

7. The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R.Tolkien

8. Me Before You Series, Jojo Moyes

9. Becoming, Michelle Obama

10. American Dirt, Jeanine Cummins