TOP TITLES OF 2023

By far and away the number one title was Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton. Best described as a literary thriller, it tells of a guerilla gardening group pitted against an American billionaire for control of an abandoned farm.  Can they trust him?  Can they trust each other?

The second top-selling title was The Axeman's Carnival by Catherine Chidgey. Not only a bestseller, but also awarded the prestigious Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction at this year's Ockham Book Awards.  A contemporary story set on an Otago farm, the narrator is a magpie who witnesses the domestic abuse and conflict between the couple who have taken him in.   You'll also see below that Catherine's Pet published earlier this year is also on our list at number ten.

And rounding off this trio we are thrilled that our local author Madeleine Eskedahl takes the third place for the second in her Matakana Series, Rings on Water.   From a narcotics pickup at sea gone wrong and a growing number of dead bodies and unexplained happenings shakes the local community.   Sergeant Bill Granger is once again on the case and it's a page-turner like the first book! 

Also of note is Lessons in Chemistry - our top selling title overall in 2022 and still a very popular book last year.

Here’s the full top ten of 2023 

1. Birnam Wood / Eleanor Catton

2. The Axeman's Carnival / Catherine Chidgey

3. Rings on Water / Madeleine Eskedahl

4. Tom Lake / Ann Patchett

5. Lessons in Chemistry / Bonnie Garmus

6. Year of the Locust / Terry Hayes

7. Lola in the Mirror / Trent Dalton

8. Atlas / Lucinda Riley & Harry Whittaker

9. The Covenant of Water / Abraham Verghese

10. Pet / Catherine Chidgey