The best-selling books at Xmas

This week's bookcase case is the fabulous Kirsten McDougall, author of the year's most exciting novel, She's a Killer. She writes, "We have lots of book stacks around our house. Sometimes I get sick of them and leave a box of free books outside our house for passersby to grab. But the ones in these photos have made it to being alphabeticised. I'm the only one in the family who does this. It's a Sisyphean task but i actually enjoy it. I worked at the Hard to Find Bookshop in Onehunga when I was 19 and loved shelving the books then too. Nerd!" Spotted: The Bell Jar, Moby Dick, Murikami, Ian McEwan, lots of Henning Mankell, The Luminaries, good old Auē. Photo by Daniel Long.

This week's biggest-selling New Zealand books, as recorded by the Nielsen BookScan New Zealand bestseller list and described by Steve Braunias

FICTION

1 To Italy, With Love by Nicky Pellegrino (Hachette, $34.99)

Number one for 11 weeks! It narrowly missed out on being named one of the best novels of 2021 at ReadingRoom.

2 She's a Killer by Kirsten McDougall (Victoria University Press, $30)

Number two for 10 weeks! Named one of the best novels of 2021 at ReadingRoom.

3 Isobar Precinct by Angelique Kasmara (The Cuba Press, $37)

Fantastical new novel that was launched last week at the Parisian Tie Factory in Myers Park, Auckland; the signing queue was long, very long. It narrowly missed out on being named one of the best novels of 2021 at ReadingRoom.

4 Auē by Becky Manawatu (Makaro Press, $35)

Named the best novel of 2019 at ReadingRoom.

5 Polaroid Nights by Lizzie Harwood (The Cuba Press, $37)

The author recently wrote a compelling account of the time her house was burgled by the man she refers to as *** but is widely known as Malcolm Rewa. Her novel narrowly missed out on being named one of the best novels of 2021 at ReadingRoom.

6 The Last Guests by J.P. Pomare (Hachette, $34.99)

Named one of the best novels of 2021 at ReadingRoom.

7 Greta and Valdin by Rebecca K Reilly (Victoria University Press, $35)

Named the best novel of 2021 at ReadingRoom.

8 Loop Tracks by Sue Orr (Victoria University Press, $35)

Named one of the best novels of 2021 at ReadingRoom.

9 Out Here by Chris Tse & Emma Barnes (Auckland University Press, $49.99)

Andrew Paul Wood will review this popular new anthology of Takatāpui and LGBTQIA+ writing after the Xmas break. His last review at ReadingRoom, of A Queer Existence: The Lives of Young Gay Men in Aotearoa New Zealand by Mark Beehre, didn't make him very popular.

10 The Author’s Cut by Owen Marshall (Penguin Random House, $36)

Named one of the best books of the year at the Listener.

NON-FICTION

1 Lost and Found by Toni Street (Allen & Unwin, $36.99)

From a super interesting profile in the latest Woman's Day: "Christmas arrived early at TV and radio star Toni Street's place this year. The tree went up at the start of November, decorations were dusted off and carols have been blaring ever since. The Coast breakfast host might be a festive fanatic, but even for her, this was a little more enthusiastic than usual. 'We decided to go hard and early,' laughs Toni, borrowing Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's famous line. 'We really needed to break the monotony of lockdown and lift everyone's spirits. The kids loved it and excitement levels have been super-high ever since.'"

2 Salad by Margo Flanagan & Rosa Flanagan (Allen & Unwin, $45)

3 Steve Hansen: The Legacy by Gregor Paul (HarperCollins, $49.99)

4 The Joy of Gardening by Lynda Hallinan (Allen & Unwin, $45)

From a review by Julia Atkinson-Dunn at Stuff: "Her brand-new title reads as both a gardening memoir, with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, mixed gently with emotion, supported by her signature advice which always feels so easy to consume. This book is a treasure and speaks of her continued contribution to our local gardening journeys."

5 Aroha by Hinemoa Elder (Penguin Random House, $30)

6 Sonny Bill Williams by Sonny Bill Williams & Alan Duff (Hachette, $49.99)

7 Gone Bush by Paul Kilgour (HarperCollins, $39.99)

From the Radio New Zealand site, marking a fascinating interview he gave to Kathryn Ryan: "Paul Kilgour has probably visited more huts than anyone else in New Zealand. He's a wanderer, a long-distance tramper and one of New Zealand's most famous hutbaggers, although he shies away from the term. Paul has visited over 1200 huts in New Zealand - not a bad feat, considering there are only supposed to be 900 DOC huts nationwide. His book is a memoir of a lifetime walking New Zealand's backcountry and tells stories of the eccentric characters he's met along the way and the huts he's visited."

8 Dish by Sarah Tuck (McKenzie Publishing, $45)

9 Note to Self Journal by Rebekah Ballagh (Allen & Unwin, $29.99)

10 After the Tampa by Abbas Nazari (Allen & Unwin, $36.99)