Bestsellers: Books by Brad Thorn, Nigel Latta and Thomas Coyle. Images \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
1. (1) Champions Do Extra by Brad Thorn (HarperCollins)<\/p>\n
The dual rugby champion\u2019s memoir holds the No 1 slot as tightly as a muddy ball in a tryline maul.<\/p>\n
\n From the publisher: \u201cBrad Thorn\u2019s career rewrote the rules of what an athlete can achieve. From his country upbringing on
\n the frosty fields of Otago in New Zealand to the baked turf of Queensland in Australia, Brad Thorn reveals the powerful lessons he learned in his relentless pursuit of excellence, inspiring readers to unlock their own potential.\n <\/p>\n
\u201cIn a remarkable 30-year career, spanning 477 games of professional footy across two codes, the dual international played for some of the highest performing teams on the planet: the All Blacks, Kangaroos, Queensland Maroons, Brisbane Broncos and Canterbury Crusaders. He was still playing professionally at the age of 41.<\/p>\n
\u201cBrad Thorn\u2019s trophy cabinet includes a Rugby World Cup, four Rugby League NRL premiership titles, two State of Origins series, one Super Rugby title, five Bledisloe Cups, three Tri Nations titles, two NPC titles, the Ranfurly Shield, and a European Rugby Champions Cup.<\/p>\n
\u201cThorn credits his achievements and longevity to the lessons in this book, and, above all, the credo his father taught him \u2018champions do extra\u2019. Champions Do Extra is an inspirational story about what family, faith and footy can teach us about how to succeed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Champions Do Extra by Brad Thorn. Image \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
2. (2) Lessons on Living by Nigel Latta (HarperCollins)<\/p>\n
The late TV psychologist Nigel Latta\u2019s mental toolkit for life\u2019s ups and downs has finally relinquished its hold on the top spot.<\/p>\n
From the publisher: \u201cWhat do you do when you\u2019re told you have only months to live? If you\u2019re Nigel Latta, first, you\u2019re going to eat a lot of ice cream. And then you\u2019re going to assemble a mental toolbox to deal with every conceivable conundrum the world could throw at you (the small ones and the big ones). After three decades working as a clinical psychologist, Nigel has found there are just three principles you need to deal with life\u2019s ups and downs. Whether you want to be a better parent, build an empire or get through some tough times, these easy-to-carry principles will help you to do that. Consider this book a guide to how to respond in any situation, drive your own bus, and do it all with resilience, joy and attention to what matters most.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lessons of Living, By Nigel Latta. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
3. (3) The Dead Speak by Thomas Coyle (Allen & Unwin)<\/p>\n
Memoir of one the country\u2019s top forensic scientists.<\/p>\n
From the publisher: \u201cIn this empathetic and darkly funny memoir, Thomas Coyle \u2013 one of New Zealand\u2019s most seasoned forensic investigators \u2013 pulls back the police tape and walks us straight into the crime scenes. With sharp detail, he reveals how the tiniest fragment of evidence can expose a suspect, prove a motive or confirm an identity. Sometimes, all at once.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut crime scenes are only part of his story. The Dead Speak also plunges us into the world of disaster victim identification \u2013 a discipline where time, science and compassion collide. Where forensic experts are flung into a race against time to identify bodies in makeshift morgues as desperate families wait for news of their loved ones.<\/p>\n
\u201cTaking us from meticulous casework at New Scotland Yard to the chaos of the Boxing Day tsunami in Thailand and the devastation of the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, The Dead Speak is both a gripping insider\u2019s account of forensic investigation and an unflinching portrait of humanity at its best and worst.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Dead Speak by Thomas Coyle. Image \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
4. (RETURN) The Hollows Boys by Peta Carey (Potton & Burton)<\/p>\n
Frequent Listener contributor Peta Carey tells the story of Gary, Mark and Kim, three siblings who grew up on Kawau Island, who all went to Fiordland to hunt venison. It\u2019s a lively, intimate tale, of helicopters, planes and jet boats, of characters and derring-do, of success and joy and risk and loss, full of the voices of the family, of catching deer, fish, crays, with plenty of photos. <\/p>\n
The Hollows Boys: A story of three brothers & the Fiordland deer recovery era by Peta Carey. Image \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
5. (NEW) Seed by Elisabeth Easther (Penguin)<\/p>\n
A comic-serious NZ novel about two sets of friends dealing with questions of fertility. Elisabeth Easther wrote the novel based on an earlier play.<\/p>\n
The publisher summarises the plot: \u201cHillary and her partner are eager for a baby, their sex life dictated by the automated texts from their fertility agency. Hillary\u2019s best friend, Maggie, is a single mother living her best life, enjoying a healthy relationship with her ex, and sating a healthy appetite on the dating apps. With her youngest now at school, Shelley is returning to the office, hoping to prove her value at the gold-star advertising agency she works for. Meanwhile, midwife Virginia has made a career of helping other people have babies, but is suddenly yearning for one of her own. With no partner in sight, she cooks up an unhinged plan…\u201d<\/p>\n
From the Listener\u2019s review<\/a>: \u201cSeed grapples with some big ideas but remains a light-hearted book that devotes as much time to describing characters\u2019 outfits as it does to relationship woes, so while readers going through similar circumstances to the characters will relate to the fears and anxieties, there\u2019s enough gentleness and cheeky humour to alleviate any anguish.\u201d<\/p>\n 6. (5) Become Unstoppable Gilbert Enoka (Penguin)<\/p>\n If there\u2019s one thing Kiwis love as much as a biography from a veteran All Blacks player or coach, it\u2019s a guide to how the ABs perform as well as they do, as consistently as they do \u2013 with the idea that the \u201cwinning mindset\u201d lessons might just rub off on the reader.<\/p>\n From the publisher: \u201cIn a career spanning almost three decades, visionary psychological coach Gilbert Enoka changed the way the All Blacks played their game. With a 77% winning record in test match rugby, the highest of any professional sports team, they are the only international team to have a winning record against every opponent.<\/p>\n That is only possible because they leave no part of their preparation to chance. Their winning mindset and resilience are as important as the physical training and Gilbert Enoka was their secret weapon. \u201cFor the first time, Gilbert distils his essential lessons to building unshakeable staying power \u2013 particularly at times of high pressure where others would crumble \u2013 creating a winning team mentality \u2013 and leaving things better than how you found them so that we can all learn the All Blacks\u2019 way. Discover how to build a winning culture, hone your leadership to inspire your team in times of need and establish iconic rules for performance that will become your competitive advantage for years to come.\u201d<\/p>\n 7. (4) A Different Kind of Power: A Memoir by Jacinda Ardern (Penguin)<\/p>\n Jacinda Ardern\u2019s memoir, recently longlisted for the general non-fiction category of this year\u2019s Ockham NZ book awards, is the first such account since the late Jim Bolger\u2019s 1998 effort, A View From the Top.<\/p>\nSeed by Elisabeth Easther. Image \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
Become Unstoppable by Gilbert Enoka. Image \/ Supplied<\/p>\n