13-06-2025
The Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending June 13
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books' stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.
AUCKLAND
1 A Different kind Of Power by Jacinda Ardern (Penguin Random House, $60)
The former prime minister's reign continues! Do make sure you're buying the legit copy and not any of these AI fakes…
2 Delirious by Damien Wilkins (Te Herenga Waka University Press, $38)
The moving, immersive novel about an ageing couple navigating how to be in the last segments of their lives.
3 The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong (Penguin Random House, $38)
The second novel from celebrated writer Ocean Vuong. Here's the publisher's blurb: 'One late summer evening in the post-industrial town of East Gladness, Connecticut, nineteen-year-old Hai stands on the edge of a bridge in pelting rain, ready to jump, when he hears someone shout across the river. The voice belongs to Grazina, an elderly widow succumbing to dementia, who convinces him to take another path. Bereft and out of options, he quickly becomes her caretaker. Over the course of the year, the unlikely pair develops a life-altering bond, one built on empathy, spiritual reckoning, and heartbreak, with the power to alter Hai's relationship to himself, his family, and a community at the brink.'
4 Butter by Asako Yuzuki (Fourth Estate, $35)
Did you know that former prime minister of Australia, Julia Gillard, has a podcast called A Pod of One's Own? Well now you do. And season seven, episode four is all about Butter.
5 The Book of Guilt by Catherine Chidgey (Te Herenga Waka University Press, $38)
The sinister and spectacular alternate history that raises a lot of philosophical questions … a gripping read perfect for these rainy, wintry days. Read a review of this brilliant novel right here on The Spinoff.
6 James by Percival Everett (Picador, $38)
The widely celebrated retelling of Huckleberry Finn.
7 Air by John Boyne (Doubleday, $35)
The conclusion to Boyne's elements trilogy. Read Chris Reed's review over on Booklovers NZ.
8 There Are Rivers In The Sky by Elif Shafak (Penguin Random House, $26)
Turkish writer and activist Elif Shafak's latest, moving novel about the connections facilitated by bodies of water.
9 Eurotrash by Christian Kracht (Profile Books, $39)
A terminally ill mother and her son road trip around Europe and reckon with themselves.
10 Assassin's Apprentice #1 Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb (HarperCollins, $23)
One for the fantasy addicts. Here's the blurb: 'The kingdom of the Six Duchies is on the brink of civil war when news breaks that the crown prince has fathered a bastard son and is shamed into abdication. The child's name is Fitz, and he is despised.
Raised in the castle stables, only the company of the king's fool, the ragged children of the lower city, and his unusual affinity with animals provide Fitz with any comfort.
To be useful to the crown, Fitz is trained as an assassin; and to use the traditional magic of the Farseer family. But his tutor, allied to another political faction, is determined to discredit, even kill him. Fitz must survive: for he may be destined to save the kingdom.'
WELLINGTON
1 A Different Kind Of Power by Jacinda Ardern (Penguin Random House, $60)
2 The Book of Guilt by Catherine Chidgey (Te Herenga Waka University Press, $38)
3 Terrier, Worrier by Anna Jackson (Auckland University Press, $25)
An absolutely stunning new book from poet Anna Jackson. A long-form poetic sort-of memoir it is gorgeous to read and a meditation on daily life as much as it is about the clouds of thought that follow us day in, day out.
4 A Beautiful Family by Jennifer Trevelyan (Allen and Unwin NZ, $37)
A summer holiday you won't forget anytime soon. Here's a snippet from books editor Claire Mabey's review:
'Enter, the child. Trevelyan's narrator is 10 years old. She's unnamed until the very end of the book (I won't reveal it here: best to find out for yourself). It's this naive perspective that makes A Beautiful Family both easy to read and impossible to put down. The narrator's innocence is pitted against several disturbing factors, all orbiting her summer in various shapes and shades, and it's that persistent dance of disturbances that creates the sustained and unrelenting tension in the novel.'
5 What to Do When I'm Gone: A Mother's Wisdom to Her Daughter by Suzy Hopkins and Hallie Bateman (Bloomsbury, $27)
Winter seems a good time to contemplate this kind of inevitability? IDK. But here's the blurb: 'One sleepless night while she was in her early twenties, illustrator/writer Hallie Bateman had a painful realization: Someday, her mother would be gone. The prospect was devastating, and also scary – how would she navigate the world without the person who gave her life? She thought about all the motherly advice she would miss–advice that could help her through a host of future challenges that might arise, including the ordeal of losing a parent.
The next day, Hallie asked her mother, writer Suzy Hopkins, to record step-by-step instructions for her to follow in the event of her mom's death. The list began: 'Pour yourself a stiff glass of whiskey and make some fajitas' and continued from there, walking Hallie through the days, months, and years of life after loss, with motherly guidance and support, addressing issues great and small–from choosing a life partner to baking a quiche. The project became a way for mother and daughter to discuss the everyday realities of grief, and to do so honestly, with humor, openness, and gratitude. It led to a book they hope will help other families have similar conversations.'
6 Delirious by Damien Wilkins (Te Herenga Waka University Press, $38)
7 James by Percival Everett (Picador, $38)
8 Before the Winter Ends by Khadro Mohamed (Tender Press, $30)
'I pondered for a long time how I was going to write this review,' wrote Melissa Oliver in The Spinoff. 'I'd lost any sense of how to form a coherent thought or sentence. It is a book that completely took me away from my own life and my own ways of seeing the world. It's unlike anything I've read for a long time and will be a novel that a lot of people will not know they've been waiting for.'
9 Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic, $30)
The latest instalment from one of the most successful young adult series ever.
10 M āori Rafter & Tāniko Design by J. W. Phillipps (Oratia Books, $40)
This is a republication of a classic book from 1943: 'This complete redesign of W.J. Phillipps' classic work introduces key patterns in an accessible manner with rich illustrations. Beginning with the koru, the book develops from analysis of drawings to real examples, including important meeting house designs. The beautifully rendered patterns gain new life in a generous layout that will be of value to students and experts alike.'
