1. (NEW) Saving Elli by Doug Gold (Allen & Unwin)
Muscling its way straight into the No 1 spot is Doug Gold’s latest based-on-fact tale of bravery and sacrifice.
Said the Listener: “Saving Elli is a compelling, well-told story, even a page turner, despite its harrowing subject matter.”
“Saving Elli … showcases a courageous Dutch couple, Frits and Jo Hakkens, who worked for the Resistance in Nazi-occupied Holland. At significant personal risk, Frits and Jo successfully hid Abraham and Gita Szanowski’s daughter Elli from the Nazis for two years, despite regular raids on their house.”
Tailor Abraham Szanowski suffered a period of forced labour at Buchenwald, before being transferred to Mauthausen, and was later among other prisoners who became early victims of the Nazis’ first mass gassings. Gita succeeded in reaching Switzerland after a perilous journey through occupied Belgium and France. Gita and her two daughters survived the war. In 1960, Frits and Jo emigrated to New Zealand with their three sons. After they died in the 1970s when only in their 50s, their son Marcel and his wife Gloria picked up the search for Elli, their lost “sister”. It wasn’t until 2011 that the brothers finally tracked her down.
2. (1) Become Unstoppable by Gilbert Enoka (Penguin)
From the publisher: “In a career spanning almost three decades, visionary psychological coach Gilbert Enoka changed the way the All Blacks played their game. With a 77% winning record in test match rugby, the highest of any professional sports team, they are the only international team to have a winning record against every opponent. That is only possible because they leave no part of their preparation to chance. Their winning mindset and resilience are as important as the physical training and Gilbert Enoka was their secret weapon.
“For the first time, Gilbert distils his essential lessons to building unshakeable staying power – particularly at times of high pressure when others would crumble – creating a winning team mentality and leaving things better than how you found them, so that we can all learn the All Blacks’ way. Discover how to build a winning culture, hone your leadership to inspire your team in times of need and establish iconic rules for performance that will become your competitive advantage for years to come.”
3. (4) Ara by Hinemoa Elder (Penguin)
From the publisher: “Dr Hinemoa Elder introduces us to a profound journey guided by Hinengaro, Māori goddess of the mind, leading us through 23 specific rua, caves, into the unfamiliar depths of Papatūānuku, our Earth mother, and back to the surface again.
“Hinengaro offers us a dedicated path to gather insights, face challenges and help us navigate the complexities of our minds. Ara: A Māori Guidebook of the Mind is a resource for anyone seeking some comfort and clarity amid the chaos of our life’s path. Travel through this mind map navigating growth and discovery.”
4. (2) Habits of High Performers by James Laughlin (HarperCollins)
This “roadmap for everyday people to achieve extraordinary things”, by Christchurch-based mental skills coach and podcaster James Laughlin, vaulted into the No 1 spot after just two days on sale. Laughlin has apparently worked with top performers and organisations around the world, including professional athletes, CEOs, billion-dollar companies and high-achieving sports teams.
From the publisher: “This collection of principles is a game-changer for anyone wanting to earn more, be healthier, grow, or be the best at what they do. Habits of High Performers will show you that high performance is hormonal and plays a massive role in your ability to perform at your best. Cortisol, dopamine and oxytocin all influence how we handle stress, stay motivated and build connections. This book will also show you that high performers focus on their strengths, take their MEDs, supercharge their belief systems, understand that desire is to a result what fuel is to a fire, and when your why is clear your how is easy.”
5. (5) A Different Kind of Power: A Memoir by Jacinda Ardern (Penguin)
The former PM’s memoir is the first such account since Jim Bolger’s.
Ardern’s book has generally found favour among reviewers, including Henry Cooke for the Listener. He thought it intimate and fluent, “compulsively readable, easily consumable in two or three sittings and often very funny”, even if it barely explained her government’s policy decisions. “Ardernism was always more a sensibility than a full ideology. It was a way of looking at the world and reacting to it, not a theory of change.” Cooke says, “There are some hints near the end of the book that perhaps she isn’t so certain quitting was the right idea … There is little attempt to engage with the arguments against the latter half of the Covid period, when MIQ’s usefulness looked shaky and vaccine mandates radicalised thousands of people.”
Tracy Watkins, editor of The Post and Sunday Star-Times, agreed the book let us into some of Ardern’s emotional highs and lows. “We also gain some fresh insight into her own personal mechanisms for coping with such momentous events as the terror attack and Covid. But we don’t learn a lot more about what was going on behind closed doors within her government, which must, at times, have been under enormous strain.”
The Guardian considered it “an emotionally rich and candid read, [but] the downside of skipping the political detail is that it’s hard to get a sense of how exactly her astonishing early popularity ebbed away”.
Tim Stanley of The Telegraph was more acerbic, writing that the natural disaster at Whakaari White Island and the Christchurch mosque killings “brought out Ardern’s best: authoritative and sensitive, she has a fine temperament”. But “the practicalities of the job don’t interest her: this book hinges on how everything felt”.
6. (10) The Vanishing Place by Zoe Rankin (Moa Press)
A traumatised and hungry child emerges from the bush and is found in the only shop in the remote village desperately looking for food. The child bears an uncanny resemblance to another child who disappeared 20 years ago – the novel’s lead protagonist Effie, who now lives in Scotland, where she works in mountain rescue.
“This ambitious debut is told through two alternating timelines, one in the present day and the other focused on 20 years earlier that details a young Effie’s experience growing up off the grid with her family, headed by a taciturn, difficult father. They live in a small hut set deep in the bush and rarely venture into Koraha, a fictional town inspired by small settlements on the West Coast.
“The bush, both its dangers and its beauty, is captured with an eagle eye. The story carries an undertow of menace. There’s a lot going on and Rankin, for the most part, manages to draw the various plot lines together with dexterity.
“The Vanishing Place is a solid debut, an evocative off-the-grid thriller with a memorable finale that marks out Rankin as a writer to watch.”
7. (6) Just a Mum’s Kitchen by Anna Cameron (A&U)
From the publisher: “From the creator behind the hugely popular Just a Mum’s Kitchen website and social-media community comes a cookbook filled with delicious, well-tested recipes that are as comforting as they are achievable. Anna’s recipes have become a beloved part of many kitchens – and now they’re gathered in one easy-to-use collection.
“With something for everyone, there is a mix of savoury and sweet dishes, with sections including snacks and starters, family meals, muffins and scones, cakes, cookies and more. Whether you’re craving something decadent or a simple heartwarming meal, you’ll find recipes that are inviting, tasty and perfect for creating memories in the kitchen. Anna’s clear, step-by-step instructions and passion for helping others build their confidence in the kitchen make this a must-have for anyone looking to create family meals and treats that work every time. It’s more than just a cookbook – it’s a reflection of the warm fuzzies Anna brings to her followers with every recipe.
8. (7) Anything Could Happen by Grant Robertson (A&U)
The biography from Jacinda Ardern’s longtime finance minister, now a university administrator, focuses at least as much on his early life as his time in politics.
From the publisher: “In this illuminating and beautifully written book, Grant Robertson reflects on the major events in his life, from growing up in a loving but complex family through to his highly successful career as a Labour politician and becoming finance minister in the Ardern government during one of New Zealand history’s most tumultuous times.
“A natural storyteller, Robertson writes memorably about his childhood and teen years in Dunedin: grappling with his sexuality, his passion for music and a fleeting career managing bands, his emerging political beliefs, and being told the shocking news that his father had been stealing from his employer and was facing imprisonment.
“Robertson paints a vivid picture of life inside Parliament – including his time in Opposition, where he learnt at the feet of Helen Clark, and the immense privilege and responsibility of being finance minister, never more so than when the Covid-19 pandemic threatened to decimate New Zealand’s economy.
“In recounting the challenges he faced, Robertson writes honestly about how politics works and why it matters and his belief in the unique potential of Aotearoa and his optimism for its future.”
Robertson’s interview with the Listener’s Russell Brown is here.
9. (NEW) Edible Weeds Handbook by Andrew Crowe (Penguin)
“When in doubt, don’t eat it,” says nature writer Andrew Crowe. His handbook covers introduced plants by family that thrive in the wild and that can definitely be eaten, from choco to marigold to purslane, using traditional-use history backed up by research where possible. Eighty percent of the energy we get globally from our diet comes from just 12 plants – eight grasses and four tubers – so it’s surely time to branch out.
10. (9) The Unlikely Doctor by Timoti Te Moke (A&U)
Timoti Te Moke’s memoir of becoming a doctor at age 56 holds fast in the top 10.
From the publisher: “Born into love but then thrust into violence and shaped by struggle, Timoti Te Moke was never destined to be a leader. After an early start as a bright boy in the eastern Bay of Plenty, nurtured by his reo Māori-speaking grandparents, Timoti’s life changed sharply when his mother took custody of him when he was 6. He survived abuse, state care, gangs and prison, his life marked by trauma and pain.
“By 14, he was behind bars. By 20, he’d crossed the Tasman, trying to leave his past behind. But it was a moment in a prison cell – a glimpse of blue sky – that sparked a life-altering question: What if this isn’t all there is?
“Through grit and an unyielding drive for justice, Timoti transformed his life. He returned to Aotearoa, became a paramedic and, after facing racism and an unsupported manslaughter charge that nearly derailed his life, became a medical student in his 50s. Timoti is now a qualified doctor – proof that brilliance can come from anywhere and that our society must change to allow it.”
Source: NielsenIQ BookScan – week ending September 13.
