{"title":"Shirl's Top 10 NZ Fiction Reads","description":"\u003cp\u003eWe are spoilt for choice in Aotearoa with so many amazing authors as well as more up and coming authors being published. Check out my favourites that I have enjoyed, this was a hard list to narrow down and put together! Enjoy these reads from our great local authors.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"all-that-we-know","title":"All That We Know","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAll That We Know\u003c\/em\u003e, authored by Shilo Kino, masterfully captures the vibrant and complex essence of contemporary Aotearoa, New Zealand, threading together the intricate relations between the past, present, and future. This compelling novel boldly explores themes of identity, love, activism, and the enduring impacts of colonisation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eMeet Mareikura Pohe, a young woman teetering on the edge of great personal and societal upheaval. Mareikura is in love with her best friend, who is poised to leave her behind, adding to her sense of instability. An unintentional activist, Mareikura finds herself thrust into the limelight as she becomes an influential voice for change. She grapples with self-diagnosed ADHD and the complexities of a new relationship, all while striving to reclaim her native language, te reo Māori.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAs her platform grows, Mareikura unwittingly takes on the mantle of a crusader against the enduring effects of New Zealand's colonial history. Her journey is one of self-discovery and resilience, but it also comes with significant personal sacrifices. This richly-woven narrative delves into the cost of activism, the challenge of balancing multiple facets of identity, and the power of language reclamation in the pursuit of healing and unification.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis modern take on family and friendship illustrates how, even in a divided world, love and connection can triumph against formidable odds. Mareikura's story is a poignant reminder of the strength found in community and the enduring power of cultural heritage.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'Magnificent ... a well-observed mirror of our current time' - Pip Adam\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'Shilo Kino is an extraordinary writer - a growing, potent voice in Aotearoa\/NZ literature. \u003cem\u003eAll That We Know\u003c\/em\u003e is a clever, knowing insight into language trauma and reclamation and how we each navigate our experiences of colonisation and healing through te ao Māori me te ao Pākehā...' - Miriama Kamo\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis novel is a beautifully written exploration of how past injustices inform present struggles and future aspirations, making it a must-read for anyone interested in the rich tapestry of New Zealand's cultural and social landscape. Immerse yourself in Mareikura’s world and witness a powerful portrayal of resilience and hope amidst the challenges of contemporary life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hachette New Zealand Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45711040741612,"sku":"9781869718237","price":31.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781869718237.webp?v=1732923565"},{"product_id":"amma","title":"Amma","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'I couldn't put it down - a moving, heartbreaking (and repairing) family drama. The writing is gorgeous, transporting, powerful: this will be one of the big adult novels of the year'\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cem\u003eThe Spinoff\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'In \u003cem\u003eAmma\u003c\/em\u003e, the past is never far away - it binds three generations of remarkable women, each juggling their own desires and secrets with the expectations placed on them by tradition and the volatile environments they find themselves in ... A book as shocking and revelatory as any family secret, \u003cem\u003eAmma\u003c\/em\u003e will leave you shaken and reminded of the power of love and loyalty'\u003c\/strong\u003e Chris Tse, New Zealand Poet Laureate\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eSingapore, 1951\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eWhen Josephina is a girl, her parents lock her in a room with the father of the boy to whom she's betrothed. What happens next will determine the lives of generations to come.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eNew Zealand, 1984\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eJosephina and her family leave Sri Lanka for New Zealand. But their new home is not what they expected, and for the children, Sithara and Suri, a sudden and shocking event changes everything.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eLondon, 2018\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eArriving on her uncle Suri's doorstep, jetlagged and heartbroken, Annie has no idea what to expect - all she knows is that Suri was cast out of the family before she was born.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eMoving between cities and generations, \u003cem\u003eAmma\u003c\/em\u003e follows three women on very different paths,\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eagainst a backdrop of shifting cultures. As circumstance and misunderstanding force them apart, it will take the most profound love to knit them back together before it's too late.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003e'I can't remember the last time a book held me captive the way \u003cem\u003eAmma\u003c\/em\u003e did... the power of memory, of perspective, pain and love in all its different forms through the eyes of three unforgettable women'\u003c\/em\u003e Ore Agbaje-Williams\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hachette New Zealand Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45711054340332,"sku":"9781869715403","price":32.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781869715403.jpg?v=1725970481"},{"product_id":"aue","title":"Aue","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTaukiri was born into sorrow. Aue can be heard in the sound of the sea he loves and hates, and in the music he draws out of the guitar that was his father's. It spills out of the gang violence that killed his father and sent his mother into hiding, and the shame he feels about abandoning his eight-year-old brother to a violent home. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBut Arama is braver than he looks, and he has a friend and his friend has a dog, and the three of them together might just be strong enough to turn back the tide of sorrow. As long as there's aroha to give and stories to tell and a good supply of plasters. Here is a novel that is both raw and sublime, a compelling new voice in New Zealand fiction. Haere mai, Becky Manawatu.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"David Bateman Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45739452891372,"sku":"9780995111073","price":30.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780995111073.jpg?v=1726571221"},{"product_id":"1985-by-dominic-hoey-9781776950782","title":"1985","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBest-selling author Dominic Hoey's much-anticipated third novel.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIt's \u003cem\u003e1985\u003c\/em\u003e and Obi is on the cusp of teenagehood, after a childhood marked by poverty, dysfunctional family dynamics, (dis)organised crime, and street violence. His father is delusional, his mother is dying, the Rainbow Warrior is bombed, and it's time for Obi to grow up and get out of the arcade.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhen he and his best mate Al discover a map leading to unknown riches, Obi wonders if this windfall could be the thing that turns his family's fortunes around. Instead, he's thrown into a quest very different from the games he loves.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAn electric novel about life in a multi-cultural, counter-cultural part of Auckland pre-gentrification. \u003cem\u003e1985\u003c\/em\u003e is an adventure story with a local flavour, a coming-of-age story for the underdogs, the disenfranchised, and the dreamers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e'This is writing of raw and shining brilliance' - NZ Herald on Poor People With Money\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46230639706348,"sku":"9781776950782","price":30.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781776950782.jpg?v=1740949498"},{"product_id":"the-vanishing-place-by-zoe-rankin-9781869715854","title":"The Vanishing Place","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eJane Harper's \u003ci\u003eForce of Nature\u003c\/i\u003e meets the wild and atmospheric setting of \u003ci\u003eThe Great Alone\u003c\/i\u003e by Kristin Hannah in this twisty, stay-up-all-night thriller about family, love, and loyalty, and the fight for survival in the most beautiful but dangerous New Zealand wilderness.\u003c\/b\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOn the remote West Coast of the South Island, vast forests stretch out between mountain ranges and rugged beaches. There, in the small town of Koraha, not a lot happens—until a young girl with blood on her hands walks out of the bush and into the local store, collapsing to the floor.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eShe can't—or won't—speak to anyone. It's the town's sole policeman who recognises her face. She looks exactly like a local girl who disappeared twenty years ago. She has the same red hair. The same green eyes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhat horrors has she left behind in the bush? Who will come looking for her? And what secrets are about to come to light?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cb\u003eA twisty and daring thriller about how those close to you can be even more dangerous than the deadliest wilderness.\u003c\/b\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Vanishing Place\u003c\/i\u003e breaks new ground in a genuinely thrilling ride\u003c\/b\u003e - LISA GARDNER\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA hauntingly atmospheric tale of family secrets . . . will keep you up late at night\u003c\/b\u003e - ROSE CARLYLE\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA white-knuckle tale of evil and love\u003c\/b\u003e - CHARITY NORMAN\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hachette New Zealand Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46349249446124,"sku":"9781869715854","price":31.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781869715854.jpg?v=1744152326"},{"product_id":"greta-and-valdin-b-format-by-rebecca-reilly-9781776922109","title":"Greta and Valdin (B Format)","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eGreta \u0026amp; Valdin\u003c\/em\u003e, a bestseller and international sensation, has captivated readers everywhere with its offbeat comedy and quirky goodness.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eValdin is still in love with his ex-boyfriend Xabi, who used to drive around Auckland in a ute but now drives around Buenos Aires in one. Greta is in love with her fellow English tutor Holly, who doesn't know how to pronounce Greta's surname, Vladisavljevic, properly.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFrom their Auckland apartment, brother and sister must navigate the intricate paths of modern romance as well as weather the small storms of their eccentric Maori-Russian-Catalonian family.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis beguiling and hilarious novel by Adam Foundation Prize-winner Rebecca K Reilly owes as much to Shakespeare as it does to Tinder. Set in a world that is deeply familiar (but also a bit sexier and more stylish than the real one), \u003cem\u003eGreta \u0026amp; Valdin\u003c\/em\u003e will speak to anyone who has had their heart broken, or has decided that they don't want to be a physicist anymore, or has wondered about all of the things they don't know about their family.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'Generous [and] tender... Reilly's warm, overflowing novel defies categorization because its characters are too complex and multifaceted to be easily summed up. They're too alive in their messiness. If this novel shows us anything, it's that love—of family, of romantic partners, of community—is most joyful when it's without limits.' - \u003cem\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Upstart Press Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46423458611436,"sku":"9781776922109","price":22.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781776922109.webp?v=1746671054"},{"product_id":"the-tally-stick-by-carl-nixon-9780143774761","title":"The Tally Stick","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA gripping new novel from one of our leading writers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA compulsive and chilling novel about subjugation, survival, and the meaning of family.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eUp on the highway, the only evidence that the Chamberlains had ever been there was two smeared tyre tracks in the mud leading into the almost undamaged screen of bushes and trees. No other cars passed that way until after dawn. By that time the tracks had been washed away by the heavy rain... It was a magic trick. After being in the country for only five days, the Chamberlain family had vanished into the air. The date was 4 April 1978.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn 2010 the remains of the eldest Chamberlain child have been discovered in a remote part of the West Coast, showing he lived for four years after the family disappeared. Found alongside him are his father's watch and what turns out to be a tally stick, a piece of wood scored across, marking items of debt.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHow had he survived and then died? Where was the rest of his family? And what is the meaning of the \u003cem\u003etally stick\u003c\/em\u003e?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House Distribution","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46556002451692,"sku":"9780143774761","price":31.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/4463803482239.jpg?v=1750130826"},{"product_id":"axemans-carnival-b-format-by-catherine-chidgey-9781776922260","title":"Axeman's Carnival (B-Format)","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEverywhere, the birds: sparrows and skylarks and thrushes, starlings and bellbirds, fantails and pipits – but above them all and louder, the magpies. We are here and this is our tree and we’re staying and it is ours and you need to leave and now.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTama is just a helpless chick when he is rescued by Marnie, and this is where his story might have ended. ‘If it keeps me awake,’ says Marnie’s husband Rob, a farmer, ‘I’ll have to wring its neck.’ But with Tama come new possibilities for the couple’s future. Tama can speak, and his fame is growing. Outside, in the pines, his father warns him of the wickedness wrought by humans. Indoors, Marnie confides in him about her violent marriage. The more Tama sees, the more the animal and the human worlds – and all of the precarity, darkness and hope within them – bleed into one another. Like a stock truck filled with live cargo, the story moves inexorably towards its dramatic conclusion: the annual \u003cem\u003eAxeman’s Carnival\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003ePart trickster, part surrogate child, part witness, Tama the magpie is the star of this story. Though what he says aloud to humans is often nonsensical (and hilarious with it), the tale he tells us weaves a disturbingly human sense. \u003cem\u003eThe Axeman’s Carnival\u003c\/em\u003e is Catherine Chidgey at her finest – comic, profound, poetic and true.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Upstart Distribution","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46626810822892,"sku":"9781776922260","price":26.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781776922260.jpg?v=1751869141"},{"product_id":"good-things-come-and-go-by-josie-shapiro-9781991006707","title":"Good Things Come and Go","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eWith an expert eye for light and shadow, Shapiro traces the contours of sorrow, regret, and the luminous moments of bliss we hold close. Poignant, redemptive, electrifying.\u003c\/i\u003e - Catherine Chidgey\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAfter the death of their young daughter, Penny Whittaker and Adam Riggs are struggling. Penny's lifelong dream of becoming a successful artist has stalled, and Riggs, battling an addiction to prescription painkillers, is coming to grips with the end of his glittering professional skateboarding career. When Penny is unexpectedly offered a chance to exhibit her work at an Auckland gallery, she accepts, despite her reservations.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAt the same time, back in Auckland, Jamie Flannery suddenly finds himself out of work and out of options. To recuperate, he moves to his uncle's abandoned beach on the Coromandel, and when his childhood friend Riggs calls out of the blue, the three friends reunite.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAt first, being together feels just like old times. But secrets from their shared past threaten their newfound peace, forcing them to reckon with their history and themselves.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA novel about friendship and betrayal, ambition and grief, \u003ci\u003eGood Things Come and Go\u003c\/i\u003e is also a study of homecoming and heartbreak, and an ode to the courage of taking risks no matter the consequences.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46741819162860,"sku":"9781991006707","price":29.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/583df20c5c2f4e633d63f885cd554631.jpg?v=1755635004"},{"product_id":"the-black-monk-by-charlotte-grimshaw-9781776951314","title":"The Black Monk","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe latest novel from Charlotte Grimshaw, best-selling author of \u003cem\u003eThe Mirror Book\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA woman haunted by family denial, secrets and a shadowy figure . . .\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhile her brother Cedric spirals into addiction, Alice Lidell finds herself confronted not only by his decline, but by memories of the past. From their chaotic Auckland childhood to her present day life, Alice is haunted by a mysterious figure she calls the Black Monk.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAs Alice tries to hold her family together, the Black Monk appears in various guises - a stranger met in a cemetery, a face on television, a character surfacing in her own writing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003ePart psychological thriller, part family saga, this is a daring novel that examines the themes of the moment - shame, addiction, truth and the stories we tell to survive.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47083920621804,"sku":"9781776951314","price":31.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781776951314.jpg?v=1765299964"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.co.nz\/collections\/shirls-top-10-nz-fiction-reads.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}