Steve Brownias
Steve Braunias edits the books section of Newsroom, ReadingRoom, and is a noted writer at the NZ Herald. He has been nominated (alongside ReadingRoom book reviewer Philip Matthews) as Best Reviewer of the Year at the 2022 Voyager Media Awards.
Read Room
The week’s bestselling New Zealand books, as captured by the Nielsen BookScan New Zealand Bestseller List and described by Steve Braunias
FICTION
1 accommodate by Jenny Pattrick (Penguin Random House, $36)
2 in Viro by Gina Cole (Huia Publishers, $35)
Sci-fi from New Zealand’s most inventive publisher. Blurbology: “Appearing before the head of the Academy of Combat during her graduation ceremony, puffership navigator Tia Grom-Eddy must either accompany a starship crew on a deep space mission or complete a long trial on Earth. Deadly afraid to travel. deep in space, Tia opts for probation.”
3 winter time by Laurence Fearnley (Penguin Random House, $36)
“Laurence Fearnley’s New Novel” winter time has two strengths, and the first of these is the setting. Most of the story takes place in Mackenzie Country on the South Island, near the lake and village she calls Matariki, but which are based on a distinctly recognizable Tekapo. She has done other work in the region and her loyalty to them is clear.
“…This setting is not only authentic, it reflects the emotional state of the novel’s protagonist, a physical and visual complement to the emotional state experienced by Roland March, the character whose creation is the novel’s second strength. The Roland’s winter is not so much about discontent, but rather sadness, loneliness and unease.Raised in Matariki but never comfortable with the rural lifestyle, he moved to Sydney after an unproductive period at university, to open a shop with his partner Leon for wholesome nutrition”: from a very admiring review on Thursday’s ReadingRoom by Owen Marshall.
4 The Leonard Girls by Deborah Challinor (HarperCollins, $36.99)
5 Eddy, Eddy by Kate De Goldi (Allen & Unwin, $29.99)
Paddy Richardson will be reviewing De Goldi’s novel in ReadingRoom next week.
6 Greta and Valdin by Rebecca K Reilly (Victoria University Press, $35)
7 How to hang out in a turfr by Coco Solid (Penguin Random House, $28)
8 Mrs. Jewell and the wreck of the General Grant by Cristina Sanders (The Cuba Press, $37)
9 oops by Becky Manawatu (Makaro Press, $35)
10 Kurangaituku by Whiti Hereaka (Huia Publishers, $35)
NON-FICTION
1 The boy from Gorge River by Chris Long (HarperCollins, $39.99)
The author of the most beloved book of 2022 appears on the right Solo author Hazel Phillips next month on the Writers Festival in Auckland.
2 yum! by Nadia Lim (Nude Food Inc, $55)
3 The bookseller at the end of the world by Ruth Shaw (Allen & Unwin, $36.99)
4 A quiet kitchen by Nici Wickes (David Bateman, $45)
New cookbook. From the NZ Booklovers site: “Now in middle age, Nici enjoys a slower pace and is content to live in her tiny home in a small coastal community with her sweet cat Joshua. Each chapter begins with a short story about another phase of her life, followed by recipes that brought her joy at the time. Many of these are for single servings. “I may be single, but that doesn’t mean I love the nurturing quality of homemade food or the celebration of a simple but fantastic feast.” she writes. She cooks a good dinner for herself every night. But if you live alone, you can spoil yourself and eat pudding any time of the day. Crumbs and fruit sponges are her favorites. Single-serve recipes are sometimes hard to find and are often a bit strict Cookbook writers seem to be oblivious to the fact that there are many people who live alone and are interested in good food and cooking. know. These people will love Nici’s recipes. †
5 Love by Hinemoa Elder (Penguin Random House, $30.)
6 I am autistic by Chanelle Moriah (Allen & Unwin, $29.99)
7 Solo: Backcountry Adventure in New Zealand Aotearoa by Hazel Phillips (Massey University Press, $39.99)
From a fragment Tuesday published at ReadingRoom: “I started running solo after my friend David told me I couldn’t do it. I organized group tours almost every weekend and I usually had more than my fair share of gear with me, figured out the route and did the meal planning and cooking But there were trips I wanted to do – usually longer ones – and I couldn’t find friends who were on the same crazy page as I. Finally it occurred to me that I would do the same number of planning, organizing and wearing if I were going alone The only difference would be that I was, well, alone.”
8 Propose decolonization by Rebecca Kiddle & Bianca Elkington & Moana Jackson (Bridget Williams Books, $14.99)
A small, perfectly timed book that sold 10,000 copies.
9 A gentle radical by Gareth Hughes (Allen & Unwin, $39.99)
10 Edmond’s Cookbook (completely revised) by Goodman Fielder (Hachette, $34.99)
First published in 1908; an article of faith, a founding document; the New Zealand way of life, an ode to the oven; and the lasting legacy of Christchurch grocer Thomas J Edmonds, whose interests include the Radiant Health movement, founded to “study and practice solar plexus breathing.” The Radiant Health movement didn’t last long.