AUCKLAND
1 Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
Flip to any page of an Ishiguro novel and see if you don’t get chills.
“I think Rick and Josie must have grown up side by side,” I said to Rick. “Just like your houses.” He shrugged. “Yeah. Side by side.” “I think Rick’s accent is English.” “Just a little perhaps.” “I’m happy Josie has such a good friend. I hope my presence will never come in the way of such a friendship.” “Hope not. But a lot of things come in the way of friendships.”
2 Still Life by Sarah Winman
The author of When God was a Rabbit and Tin Man has a new novel, one which Rachel Joyce winningly described as “a bear-hug of a book”. Still Life begins with an intimate and life-changing conversation between strangers in a wine cellar in 1944 Tuscany. We think that between that description and the bear-hug comment, you have all the information you need.
3 Labour Saving: A Memoir by Michael Cullen
Ex-Labour Party politician Michael Cullen wrote his new memoir largely in lockdown, after he was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. A Stuff reviewer says, “Given his famously sharp wit, most of the characters in Cullen’s memoir have probably got off lightly. He apologizes for being too harsh on his opponents, and it’s true that much of the book is about setting the record straight on political itches that clearly rankle. But mostly it’s an historical account of a long and successful political career and one that offers a fascinating insight into how politics works – and how the business of government is much more than the daily headlines.”
4 Apeirogon by Colum McCann
A novel based on the real-life friendship between two men, one Palestinian and one Israeli, both of whom are mourning young daughters killed in the Middle Eastern conflict.
5 Noise: A Flaw in Human Judgment by Daniel Kahneman, Olivier Sibony & Cass R. Sunstein
Noise is about the things which shouldn’t shape our judgments, but do – hunger, tiredness, three-thirty-itis, Mercury being in the seventh house. Think of it as bias’s more random, flabbergasting cousin, making a mess of consistency in important areas like medical diagnosis and court sentencing.
6 Rangikura by Tayi Tibble
This is what I remember.
Rising before daylight but wishing it away.
The sun coming up and the lid going on.
Uncles fucking up the reo they spent ages scraping together.
Faith Wilson has many wonderful things to say about Rangikura.
7 The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
This 2011 novel has stuck to the charts like a limpet! Not that we mind. Romance, the Trojan War, sex, suspense, mythology – it’s all good stuff.
8 Best Korean Short Stories Collection by Janet Park
A collection of 25 Korean short stories from the 20th century.
9 Circe by Madeline Miller
It’s not just The Song of Achilles! Another Madeline Miller has risen up the ranks. We suspect (and hope) a group of avid Classics enthusiasts wearing togas visited Unity Auckland this week.
10 The Frontiers of Knowledge: What We Now Know About Science, History and the Mind by A. C. Grayling
Grayling explores the advancement of science, history and psychology, asking “What do we know, and how do we know it? What do we now know that we don’t know? And what have we learnt about the obstacles to knowing more?”
