1. (1) A Different Kind of Power: A Memoir by Jacinda Ardern (Penguin)
The former PM’s memoir, the first such account since Jim Bolger, tops the bestsellers for a sixth week.
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 practicalities of the job don’t interest her: this book hinges on how everything felt”. 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 she subtly vilified her opponents, he says: “I am so kind that anyone who disagrees with me must be nasty; so reasonable that my critics must be nuts.”
2. (NEW) Polkinghorne by Steve Braunias (Allen & Unwin)
Entering the charts at No 2 is the story behind the Listener’s July 26 issue cover feature.
From the publisher: “With unparalleled access to the key players, Braunias offers readers his unique insight into the investigation, the trial and the astonishing revelations that kept the New Zealand public utterly transfixed.
“The death of Pauline Hanna in her home in Remuera, and the arrest of her husband, eye surgeon Dr Philip Polkinghorne, led to an epic trial that played out like a scandalous exposé of rich Auckland life. Braunias pieces it all together and presents it as an unforgettable opera – including an extraordinary encounter that will leave readers stunned.”
3. (2) Leading Under Pressure by Ian Foster & Gregor Paul (HarperCollins)
Demonstrating the rule that rugby memoirs are a sure bet in New Zealand, Ian Foster’s account of his time as All Blacks coach remains near the top of the bestsellers. I haven’t read Foster’s book, but I hope it goes into the – in my opinion – unedifying way he was replaced as coach. Only super-retrospective refereeing stopped his team of All Blacks winning the RWC.
From the publisher: “Appointed as head coach 2019, Ian Foster led the All Blacks through one of the most tumultuous periods of the team’s 120-year history. Leading Under Pressure is a fascinating look into the pressure cooker inner-sanctum of the world’s most famous rugby team. With revelations about Foster’s time in the job, it also delves into the politics of rugby, and the events preceding the dramatic 2023 Rugby World Cup.”
4. (3) No, I Don’t Get Danger Money by Lisette Reymer (A&U)
Waikato-born Reymer, after covering the Tokyo Olympics, found herself in the UK, where she became Newshub’s Europe Correspondent. She burst into tears when she got the job, which the Listener’s reviewer found instantly endearing.
“Her next three years were ‘London, August 2021 … Przemysl, Poland, March 2022 … Bucha, Ukraine, May 2022 … Kahramanmaras, Turkey, late April 2023 … Tel Aviv, late October 2023 …’ So it goes, with other locales in between, ending in Ethiopia, Lucerne, London again, and Barcelona, August 2024.“Her commitment to catastrophes starts with watching the Twin Towers fall on Mum and Dad’s TV. It’s the first of many, many narratives in a text that’s anecdotal rather than analytical. But then, stories are frequently the best way of getting to the guts of an issue, and Reymer tells hers with clarity and competence-plus.”
5. (5) The Book of Guilt by Catherine Chidgey (Te Herenga Waka University Press)
Holding its own on the list is Catherine Chidgey’s much praised latest novel, which tells the mysterious, ominous story of three boys in an alternative 1970s Britain.
It’s a “tense, compelling, genre-fusing book”, said Emma Neale in the Listener. “There is the hint of submerged identity; of aspiration and prosperity, rubbing skins with disappointment and neglect; a preoccupation with what is authentic and what is fraudulent; the self and truth only dimly visible … Calling on the deeply rooted psychological power of the storytelling rule of three, the novel is divided into The Book of Dreams, The Book of Knowledge and The Book of Guilt. Three women, Mother Morning, Mother Afternoon and Mother Night, care for a set of thirteen-year-old triplets in an all-boy’s orphanage. There are three main narrative perspectives: Vincent, one of the triplets; the Minister of Loneliness, a government minister in charge of national care institutions known as the Sycamore Homes; and Nancy, a young girl kept in seclusion by fastidious older parents. This attention to pattern also coolly embodies the quest for order and control, the troubling obsession at the core of the fictional investigation.”
You can read Michele Hewitson’s interview with Catherine Chidgey here.
6. (4) Māori Millionaire by Te Kahukura Boynton (Penguin)
The publisher says the book “offers a beginner’s guide to healing your money mindset, building better habits for your money and life, and understanding how you can increase your income. Because no amount of budgeting can compensate for not earning enough.
“Discover how to:
— Introduce small, life-changing habits
— Master your mindset to align with prosperity
— Get out of debt
— See real returns by investing in yourself
— Protect yourself with insurance
— Overcome obstacles to achieve your goals
And so much more!
“The lessons in this book will teach you how to become 1% better every day — not only for you, but for your whānau too.”
7. (6) Dr Libby Fix Iron First by Dr Libby (Little Green Frog)
“The one thing that changes everything,” reckons the subtitle of the latest book from Libby Weaver.
Iron is essential for our health, and its lack is particularly common among girls and women. Menstruation, pregnancy and hormonal change can lead to iron deficiency, iron absorption can be an issue for some people, and it’s often a trial to eat enough iron-rich foods.
Weaver’s new book Fix Iron First aims to address this. As her website, which also sells iron supplements made from organic peas, notes that low iron doesn’t just make you tired. “It can alter your brain chemistry, slow your metabolism, impact your thyroid, disturb your sleep and lower your emotional resilience. It affects how you think, how you feel, how you show up in the world – every single day.”
8. (8) Ellie Copter (Nee Naw and Friends) by Deano Yipadee & Paul Beavis (Scholastic)
A new tale from children’s troubadour Dean O’Brien. This time: “There’s a fire in a field where two goats, Plinky and Plonky, are trapped. Nee Naw is on the way, but when a bridge collapses and Nee Naw can’t drive any further, Ellie Copter whirs into action and saves the day.”
9. (NEW) Coach by Mike Cron (HarperCollins)
From the publisher: “Mike Cron was an All Blacks coach over 217 games. He was instrumental in the success of one the greatest sports dynasties ever – an All Blacks side that lost just 14 games of the 103 they played, won two successive world cups, and set a new world record for their time ranked as number one. In 2022 he came out of retirement to help the Black Ferns, adding another world cup title to his record, and in 2024 he joined Joe Schmidt to coach the Australian national rugby team, the Wallabies.
“Coach: Lessons from an All Blacks Legend recounts a remarkable coaching career and reveals what Mike has learned about how to manage people, finding the competitive edge, and the philosophies of a champion team.”
10. (NEW) Hairy Maclary and Friends: Little Learning Library by Lynley Dodd (Picture Puffin)
Four books in a handy case to start your child’s own Hairy Maclary mini-library for just $16.
From the publisher: “Little ones love to learn with rascally Hairy Maclary and his rollicking gang! Introducing important first concepts including the alphabet, counting to 10, colours and opposites, this delightful tiny board book collection in a slipcase makes a perfect first library for the youngest fans of Hairy Maclary and his friends.
“Each little learning book is populated with Lynley Dodd’s much-loved characters getting up to their usual antics, and large, simple text. The sturdy board pages are the ideal size for little hands to hold and durable enough to withstand the rough and tumble of toddlers. Pulling the books out and returning them to their slipcase provides a fine-motor challenge, and the four books also make a four-piece puzzle that combines into a gorgeous illustration.”
Source: NielsenIQ BookScan – week ending July 19.
