Of the two crime novels \u2013 here and the one above \u2013 this is the superior. Herron is a brilliant writer \u2013 propulsive and fulsome without being laggy. The above needs to be fiercely edited \u2013 960 pages! Absurd.<\/p>\n
3 Katabasis<\/a> by R.F. Kuang (Harper Collins, $38)<\/p>\n A dark academia roller coaster in which grad students Peter and Alice must walk through the courts of hell to save the soul of their professor.<\/p>\n 4 The Safe Keep<\/a> by Yael van der Wouden (Penguin, $26)\u00a0<\/p>\n When are we going to get the film adaptation?<\/p>\n 5 Ara: A M\u0101ori Guidebook of the Mind<\/a>\u00a0by Hinemoa Elder (Penguin, $30)<\/p>\n Elder\u2019s latest book is guided by Hinengaro, M\u0101ori goddess of the mind. Hinengaro \u201cleads us through 23 specific rua, caves, into the unfamiliar depths of Papat\u016banuku, our earth mother, and back to the surface again.\u201d<\/p>\n 6 Seascraper<\/a> by Benjamin Wood (Viking Penguin, $40)<\/p>\n This novel comes with very impressive puff quotes from Hilary Mantel, Benjamin Myers and Douglas Stuart among others. Here\u2019s the blurb: \u201cThomas lives a slow, deliberate life with his mother in Longferry, working his grandpa\u2019s trade as a shanker. He rises early to take his horse and cart to the grey, gloomy beach to scrape for shrimp; spending the rest of the day selling his wares, trying to wash away the salt and scum, pining for Joan Wyeth down the street and rehearsing songs on his guitar. At heart, he is a folk musician, but it remains a private dream.<\/p>\n When a striking visitor turns up, bringing the promise of Hollywood glamour, Thomas is shaken from the drudgery of his days and begins to see a different future. But how much of what the American claims is true, and how far can his inspiration carry Thomas?\u201d<\/p>\n 7 Strange Pictures <\/a>by Uketsu (Pushkin Press, $37)<\/p>\n A mystery revolving around a series of creepy drawings.<\/p>\n 8 The Unlikely Doctor<\/a> by Timoti Te Moke (Allen & Unwin, $38)\u00a0<\/p>\n Astounding and inspirational story of becoming at doctor at 56 years old after overcoming a traumatic early life.<\/p>\n 9 Anything Could Happen<\/a>\u00a0by Grant Robertson (Allen & Unwin, $40)<\/p>\n Still going! Here\u2019s what Henry Cooke\u2019s\u00a0<\/a>had to say about it.<\/p>\n 10 Mother Mary Comes To Me<\/a> by Arundhati Roy (Hamish Hamilton, $40)<\/p>\n Roy describes her mother as \u201cmy shelter and my storm\u201d \u2013 herewith a rollicking, moving, surprising memoir of the mother-daughter relationship that shaped the great writer.<\/p>\n WELLINGTON<\/p>\n 1 Ara: A M\u0101ori Guidebook of the Mind<\/a>\u00a0by Hinemoa Elder (Penguin, $30)<\/p>\n 2 How to Save Democracy in Aotearoa New Zealand<\/a> by Sir Geoffrey Palmer (Te Herenga Waka University Press, $30)<\/p>\n Stunning cover! Here\u2019s the blurb: \u201cIn this timely and provocative book, Sir Geoffrey Palmer draws on his experience as former Prime Minister, Minister of Justice, and Attorney-General to get people thinking about the state of New Zealand\u2019s democracy. Palmer offers rare insights into the machinery of power and its vulnerabilities, and rather than surrendering to pessimism, he presents a roadmap for renewal.\u201d<\/p>\n 3\u00a0Clown Town: Slough House #9<\/a>\u00a0by Mick Herron (Baskerville, $38)<\/p>\n 4 Rangatiratanga and Gentlemanship: a conversation in 1825<\/a> by Grant Hodgson (Writes Hill Press, $30)<\/p>\n This book looks closely at historical documents that reveal something of the nature of interactions between M\u0101ori and P\u0101keh\u0101 missionaries at Kerikeri in 1825, in the earliest stages of colonisation.<\/p>\n 5 Anything Could Happen<\/a>\u00a0by Grant Robertson (Allen & Unwin, $40)<\/p>\n 6 Hallmarked Man #8 Cormoran Strike<\/a> by Robert Galbraith (Sphere, $40)<\/p>\n 7 Katabasis<\/a> by R.F. Kuang (Harper Collins, $38)<\/p>\n 8 Mother Mary Comes To Me<\/a> by Arundhati Roy (Hamish Hamilton, $40)<\/p>\n 9 The Unlikely Doctor<\/a> by Timoti Te Moke (Allen & Unwin, $38)\u00a0<\/p>\nThe fancy Katabasis display at Unity Books Wellington.<\/p>\n