This week’s bestselling books – November 8

FICTION
1 The Songbirds of Florence by Olivia Spooner (Hachette, $37.99)
Oho! Number one with a bullet in its first week in the shops; the author (and North Shore bookseller) really knows how to tell a story, and her latest novel (her first book, The Girl from London, was a smash hit last year) is up for grabs in this week’s free book giveaway.
First, the irresistible blurbology: “In 1942, a group of young women arrive in Cairo. The Tuis, named after the bird, are the first women from their country to serve overseas and are to provide respite to weary soldiers returning from the front line.
“Addy joined the Tuis for the adventure. Vivacious and outgoing, she is the life of the party, with an unforgettable voice. Margot is quiet and withdrawn, grieving the young husband she lost to the war. Despite their differences, the girls become fast friends.
“When the Tuis are relocated to Italy to set up clubs in grand venues in Florence, Bari and Rome, Addy and Margot are enchanted by the culture but their illusion of peace is shattered with news of a devastating attack … Margot and Addy will find their endurance pushed to the limit, as they discover the true meaning of courage, sacrifice and sisterhood amidst the brutal reality of WWII.”
To enter the draw, say why you are dying to read it, and email it to [email protected] with the subject line in screaming caps I WANT TO GO FLORENCE IN 1942, GRAZIE, by Sunday at midnight, November 10.
Nice hat.
2 Tree of Nourishment (Kāwai 2) by Monty Soutar (David Bateman, $39.99)
From a review by Buddy Mikaere, who otherwise hated it: “It’s set against the backdrop of probably the most turbulent time in 19th century Aotearoa history with the arrival of Pākehā bringing new technologies and new ideas, and the impact that that had on traditional Māori life and values. In some ways the arrival of those new technologies expanded some aspects of Māori life. As described in the book, internecine warfare for example took on a new and terrifying aspect with those tribes able to gain early access to guns wreaking havoc on those without the new firesticks.”
3 Kataraina by Becky Manawatu(Makaro Press, $37)
4 Marry Me in Italy by Nicky Pellegrino (Hachette, $37.99)
5 The Bookshop Detectives: Dead Girl Gone by Gareth Ward & Louise Ward (Penguin Random House, $38)
6 Kāwai: For Such a Time as This (Kāwai 1) by Monty Soutar (David Bateman, $39.99)
7 Delirious by Damien Wilkins (Te Herenga Waka University Press, $38)
8 All That We Know by Shilo Kino (Hachette, $37.99)
9 Amma by Saraid de Silva (Hachette, $37.99)
10 Bird Child and Other Stories by Patricia Grace (Penguin Random House, $37)
NON-FICTION
1 Tasty by Chelsea Winter (Allen & Unwin, $55.00)
2 More Salad by Margo Flanagan & Rosa Power (Allen & Unwin, $49.99)
3 Atua Wāhine by Hana Tapiata (HarperCollins, $36.99)
4 Wild Walks Aotearoa by Hannah-Rose Watt (Penguin Random House, $50)
A free copy of this splendid new guide to great walks was up for grabs in last week’s giveaway contest. Readers were asked to say something about their favourite walk. There were many entries, and many was the time I felt inspired to just get up and leave the house and follow in the footsteps of, for example, Richard, who nominated the Tarawera Trail from Te Wairoa to Hot Water Beach; Adian, who nominated tramping Lake Wakatipu to Lake Marion; Paul, who favoured the loop tramp to Mataketake hut near Haast; and Leonie, whose walking “has been curtailed” due to a deteriorating right knee and left ankle but is able to trot the lovely 20-30 minute bush walk behind the Alexandra Redoubt Reserve and its cemetery near Tuakau, south of Auckland.
I loved this entry from Helen, who wrote, “My daughter Melanie lives in Canada and every time she flies home, my sister plans a wild walk for us three ‘girls’. This December, Melanie presents a paper on ‘The Philosophy of Dreams’ at the Dunedin Philosophy conference and then we go walking the Humpridge track. Two years ago it was the fabulous Rakiura. We need to know where to hike next.”
But I loved this entry the most, from Sandra, who wrote, “I’m disabled, and I cannot participate in any of the walks that will be featured in this book.
“I’m actually entering, because my daughter and her partner walked the Hump Ridge Track, and I experienced the beauty and toughness through their fantastic photos, which arrived two or three times a day – always with a different view, steepness, toughness of incline showing me the whole experience they were having. It was marvellous. If I won the book, I could look forward to experiencing (through them) walks I could never dream of doing.”
Huzzah to Sandra, and her daughter; they win a copy of Wild Walks Aotearoa by Hannah-Rose Watt (Penguin Random House, $50).
We also ran a giveaway this week for the short-sleeved dressing gown in a custom handblocked print valued at $140 and designed just for Folly, the lively Wellington journal which is celebrating the release of its second issue. There is a lot of really good reading in it including the strange story told by journalist Emma Gilkison about a well-known broadcaster who left his Calvin Kleins in her bed the morning after. Readers were asked to guess who it was to go in the draw to win the gown, and the latest Folly.
Trish thought Mike Hosking. Ruth reckoned Duncan Garner. Todd said Jeremy Wells (“The red Calvin’s, with the silver waistband. Boxer brief”) and so did Lou (“though Jack Tame could be a solid contender”). There were two votes for Paul Holmes! All were wrong; two readers got it right, and the first to do so was Hinemoana Baker. Huzzah to the brilliant author of Funkhaus, nominated for an Ockham prize for poetry; she wins the gown and new issue of Folly. I alerted her to her triumph, and she replied, “Ha! I knew it. I am a member of the Welly Writers Studio and Folly is just downstairs so I’ll pop in and collect my gown.”
As for the identity of the briefless broadcaster, buy the latest Folly ($30, available in selected bookstores or the Folly site) and find out.
5 Zero to 60 and Beyond by Tony Quinn (Flying Books Publishing, $45)
Revised edition (10 new chapters) from a self-made millionaire “known for iconic brands like V.I.P. Petfoods”. Who; what?
6 View from the Second Row by Samuel Whitelock (HarperCollins, $49.99)
7The Last Muster by Carly Thomas (HarperCollins, $49.99)
8 The Fight for Freshwater by Mike Joy (Bridget Williams Books, $39.99)
From a superb profile of the author by Fox Meyer: “Much of the second half of his book describes the myriad ways the agriculture industry has undermined, obfuscated and sidestepped his research into Aotearoa’s declining freshwater health. After two decades at Massey University, even the hallowed halls of Palmerston North became hostile as his department merged with the agriculturists. And so he ended up in Wellington, still fighting the same fight: one that began when his niece and nephew fell ill after swimming in the Ōroua River.”
Nice hat.
9 Well Woman by Frances Pitsilis (Upstart Press, $39.99)
The good doctor covers many areas of concern for women including which vitamins and minerals to take; life-enhancing activities; hormones; menstrual-related problems including PCOS and endometriosis; and ageing well.
10 Life Hacks from the Buddha by Tony Fernando (HarperCollins, $37.99)