Get all your news in one place.

100’s of premium titles.
One app.

Start reading

Get all your news in one place.

100’s of premium titles. One news app.

Start reading

Newsroom.co.nz

Lifestyle

Steve Braunias

This week's best-sellers lockdown positivity remix

He's the one: Stephen McDowell, who should have won The Apprentice New Zealand.

Bookstores are closed until further notice but two Steves join forces to apply a positive vibe to this week's Nielsen BookScan New Zealand bestseller list

Okay, we get it, it's Level 4 and OMG what a drag, wear a mask if you step out the door but it's best if you don't step out the door, stay inside, stay home, stay fully sheepled, Delta's gonna git ya git ya git ya one day maybe next week - but lockdown doesn't have to be so negative. Lockdown can be a positive and even beautiful experience. This week's best-selling books chart is kind of null and void on account of the fact you can't actually go into a bookshop but that provides an excellent opportunity to focus on the real meaning of books, which is also to say it provides an excellent opportunity to focus on books which have real meaning.

Most of the time we devour books for entertainment, diversion, amusement, facts, statistics, recipes, fantasies, fictions, make-believes. The best-seller chart reflects that. But lockdown, with its long, slow hours, its dream time, its life lived in the mind, reminds us of our potential to look deep inside ourselves and employ our minds to read books which can change the way we live and prosper. With perfect timing, then, this week's bookcase star - every week, we illustrate the best-seller chart with a photo of a Kiwi of some distinction standing in front of their bookcase - is one of New Zealand's most inspirational role models in the field of positive thinking, Stephen McDowell, an entrepreneur manqué who recently appeared in The Apprentice New Zealand and very nearly won it, finishing runner-up.

I wanted him to win. His self-belief was amazing. The contestants were competing for $50,000 to seed their get-rich business plan, and even though Stephen had some tom-fool notion of selling instant coffee sachets to Ponsonby hipsters, he backed himself to the hilt in every petty and humiliating challenge thrown his way throughout the series, and never lost faith in his mission to succeed. We will surely be hearing more from this fellow. His Insta account @thebuzzykiwi has nearly 50,000 followers. He's from Invercargill! He's sincere, passionate, thoughtful, and has Zoolander good looks.

And so I asked him to send in photos of himself with some of his favourite books, and then I asked him to write a few words about his favourite books. He replied, "These books each hit a different part of who I am and they are a good resemblance of the diversity within myself. I try to focus on holistic self-improvement rather than just one topic." He goes into detail about each book below the photograph. Cool shirt! I've got one a bit like it.

*Stephen McDowell and the six books that blew his mind.*

Stephen on The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho (first published in 1988, with a print run of 900; it's since sold an estimated 65 million copies): "The Alchemist was the first book I ever read from start to finish. I was going through a really rough period of my life and this book gave me the hope and inspiration to keep grinding forward and not give up."

Stephen on Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter (1997, and used by actor Will Smith to teach his son about financial responsibility): "Rich Dad Poor Dad is a book that has been recommended to me countless times. It helps people like myself who did not have a father figure or financial mentorship to learn about the world of making money and how to make money work for you rather than you work for money."

Stephen on You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero (2014, followed by a sequel, You Are a Badass at Making Money): "You Are a Badass was the second book I read and it gave me the confidence that I can achieve my dreams, no matter how big and unattainable they may seem."

Stephen on The Power of Now by Echart Tolle (2004, featuring Tolle's famous declaration that at the age of 29, "I heard the words 'resist nothing' as if spoken inside my chest"): "The Power of Now is a complex read but has incredible insights into the meaning of life, to be present in the now. It can take multiple times reading the same paragraph for the teachings and insights to truly sink in so take your time reading this one."

Stephen on The 4-hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss (2007, inspired by the author's streamlined system of checking email once per day): "The 4-hour Work Week is ironically a book that I have not had time to finish reading even though the purpose of the book is to teach you how to have more time, so that's a bit of a funny paradox."

Stephen on Light on Yoga by B.K.S. Iyengar (1966, describing 216 yoga postures): "Light on Yoga is an in-depth explanation of all things yoga. It touches a part of my life that is very different from the others. Taking the time to learn about personal practices to improve your quality of life is as important, if not more important than all the business and financial teachings."

And there you have it: let that be a lesson to your state of mind At This Time.

Anyway, this week's bestseller list - featuring three great collections of short stories (by Owen Marshall, Elizabeth Smither and Airini Beautrais), the two best novels of 2021 (Loop Tracks, Greta & Valdin), the year's best collection of poetry (Rangikura by Tayi Tibble), and a shitload of unreadable junk in the non-fiction list - is as follows.

FICTION

1 The Author's Cut by Owen Marshall (Penguin Random House, $36)

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

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

4 The Piano Girls by Elizabeth Smither (Quentin Wilson Publishing, $35)

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

6 Shelter by Kirsten Le Harivel (The Cuba Press, $25)

7 Butcherbird by Cassie Hart (Huia Publishers, $25)

8 Bug Week by Airini Beautrais (Victoria University Press, $30)

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

10 Rangikura by Tayi Tibble (Victoria University Press, $25)

NON-FICTION