One of the first books from newbie Awa Press is Best: A New Zealand Compendium, compiled by Ella Griffiths.

It’s a compact, stylish little volume. Each spread features one category, with a short recommendation from someone qualified to know.

Some of the categories are inspired: Best DOC Hut, Best Blue Cheese and Best Reggae Band spring to mind. Others are less so: Best Female Impersonator, anyone?

The contributors are mostly A- and B-List, including the celebrity Bobs Campbell, Harvey and Jones. And the ubiquitous Gary McCormick pops up, revealing his favourite surf beach.

It’s the natural attractions that seem to work the best. Craig Potton’s Best Walk, Wade Doak’s Best Dive Spot and Mick Hopkinson’s Best Kayak Run all had me reaching for the map.

At the risk of incurring the wrath of Awa, I’ll reveal the literary recommendations. The Wellington manager of Unity Books, Tilly Lloyd, salutes Bill Pearson’s Coal Flat as the best novel. Graeme Lay nominates Frank Sargeson’s An Affair of the Heart for best story.

John McIntyre, of the Children’s Bookshop in Wellington, cheers for Lynley Dodds’ Slinky Malinki in the Best Children’s Picture Book category. Miranda Harcourt reckons the best poem is Home Thoughts by Denis Glover. And Denis Welch plumps for Ken Duncum’s Blue Sky Boys as best play.

They are all good but arguable choices, and that’s part of the fun. As Harcourt says,

There is no such thing as the best … of anything. There is only the marvellous prospect of conflict over different opinions about the best.

We can see this book taking up residence in middle class toilets all over the land, next to Desiderata and The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook.