1. (1) The Unlikely Doctor by Timoti Te Moke (Allen & Unwin)
Holding on to the number one spot for the third week is Timoti Te Moke’s memoir of becoming a doctor at the age of 56.
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 fully qualified doctor – proof that brilliance can come from anywhere, and that our society must change to allow it.”
2. (2) A Different Kind of Power: A Memoir by Jacinda Ardern (Penguin)
The former PM’s memoir, the first such account since Jim Bolger’s, sits firm at No 2, having previously held top spot for seven weeks.
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.”
3. (3) Underworld by Jared Savage (HarperCollins)
NZ Herald journalist’s latest book about New Zealand’s world of gangs and organised crime.
From the publisher: “The brutal execution of an innocent man. The undercover DEA agent who fooled the Hells Angels in a 400kg cocaine plot. The brutal execution of a not-so innocent man. The never-ending quest to bring down New Zealand’s most wanted gangsters. These stories read like a crime novel – delving down into a parallel universe that many do not know even exists: the underworld.
“Jared Savage’s first book, Gangland, traced the evolution of the methamphetamine drug trade in New Zealand from the late 1990s to 2020. His second book, Gangster’s Paradise, focused on stories about the escalation of organised crime: more drugs, more guns, more money. Underworld follows that pattern but now the situation is even more dangerous. The stakes even higher.”
4. (6) Julia Eichardt by Lauren Roche (Flying Books Publishing)
Roche, the author of Mila and the Bone Man and who worked as a doctor before a spinal cord injury, returns with another NZ historical novel, this one based on fact.
From the publisher: “From famine-ravaged Ireland to the glittering goldfields of Australia and New Zealand comes the captivating true story of Julia Eichardt, a woman who defied every hardship life placed before her. Born into poverty and shaped by loss, Julia’s fierce determination and unbreakable spirit propel her on an extraordinary journey. In the rugged chaos of the gold rush era, Julia courageously navigates love, heartbreak and survival in a world dominated by men. Against the odds, she builds a legacy, reinventing herself as an influential figure in the burgeoning hospitality industry. Her resilience culminates in the creation of Eichardt’s, an iconic Queenstown hotel that still stands proudly today.”
5. (NEW) The Hungry Cook by Olivia Galletly (A&U)
First cookbook from Olivia Galletly, who lives north of Auckland with her husband and two young daughters, and blogs and posts on social media as The Hungry Cook.
From the publisher: “She spends her life creating recipes for her popular blog, Dish magazine and many well-known New Zealand food brands. Olivia loves to create delicious recipes for the everyday cook, lots of which are adaptations of old classics she’s loved and experimented with for years. This cookbook gathers Liv’s tried and true recipes that her fans love. From tasty nibbles to easy meals for weeknight dinners to recipes that are perfect for weekend entertaining — including her favourite cocktails — or when you have a bit more time on your hands ... this cookbook will be on high rotation in your kitchen.”
You’ll find recipes from The Hungry Cook here.
6. (4) Leading Under Pressure by Ian Foster & Gregor Paul (HarperCollins)
Demonstrating the rule that rugby memoirs are a sure bet in NZ, 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 in 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.”
7. (NEW) Songs from the Shaky Isles by Gareth Shute (David Bateman)
Brisk, illustrated account of music from New Zealand.
From the publisher: “Songs from the Shaky Isles provides a vivid account of how popular music arose in our far-flung island nation. From early songs that could only be heard in person through to modern hits that spread digitally to all ends of the earth. It’s a fast-paced, big-picture account that shows how wider society influenced, and was itself impacted by, the country’s musical culture. There’s also plenty of room for outrageous anecdotes and insightful analysis. It’s a treat for music fans and history buffs alike.”
8. (7) Polkinghorne by Steve Braunias (A&U)
Journalist and Listener columnist Steve Braunias’s account of New Zealand’s trial of the century so far.
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.”
You can read more about Steve Braunias’s crime writing here and an extract from the book here.
9. (5) The Book of Guilt by Catherine Chidgey (Te Herenga Waka University Press)
Holding its own after many weeks 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 13-year-old triplets in an all-boys’ 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.
10. (NEW) The Treaty of Waitangi by Ross Calman (Oratia Books)
Non-fiction book aimed at general readers and schools that took out this year’s Margaret Mahy Book of the Year Award.
From the publisher: “The story of The Treaty of Waitangi/Te Tiriti o Waitangi is one of the greatest in New Zealand history. It marks the moment British and Māori history intersected and a new nation was formed.
“In The Treaty of Waitangi, Ross Calman outlines the impact of the Treaty from early contact between Māori and European settlers and signing around the country through to its revitalisation in the 20th century, the formation of the Waitangi Tribunal and the present-day debates about its place at the centre of political and cultural life.
“Extensive illustrations, photos and fact boxes examine New Zealand’s founding document from a range of viewpoints, and highlight the importance of Te Tiriti as a key to understanding the nation’s past, present and future.”
Source: NielsenIQ BookScan – week ending August 16.
