Well, we haven’t done the bestsellers list for a while have we? Kinda dropped off the radar of my supplier. However, here it is, just the top five NZ books, LeafSalon stylee. This is for the week ended 2 September.

On the adult fiction list, at number one, from Fiona Kidman, it's The Captive Wife (Vintage), up from number two last time. Tu (Penguin Books) is next, by Patricia Grace, toppled from number one last period. Then we have a double Jenny Pattrick: at number three (same as last time) is Catching the Current, and also steady at number four is the good old Denniston Rose (Black Swan). Finally, back at number five – it had dropped off the list for a short time – is the immortal The Bone People by Keri Hulme.

In the non-fiction stakes we have no surprises with David Lange’s My Life (Viking) at number one – we should have a review of that coming up at some stage. Then there’s Yeah Right: Tui Billboards (Hodder Moa Beckett) steady at number two. Can’t be too many ad campaigns that have made it into a book … Care to comment, ad-man Chris? At number three is a newcomer: My Property World by Bob Jones (Trio Books), and up one from last time at number four is Wellington Portrait of the Region by Graham Stewart (Grantham House). Finally at number five is Angus Gillies’ bio of Justin Marshall (Hodder Moa Beckett), up from number eight.

But wait, hold everything: where in name of all that’s holy is the Edmonds Cookery book? No, it can’t be – way down at number ten? Must be a record. But don’t worry, the gourmet state of the nation is intact: at number seven is 100 Great Ways to use Slow Cookers & Crockpots by Simon & Alison Holst (Hyndman). I thought Crockpots had all left the planet in the mid-eighties but there you go. Maybe it's the fast food backlash has come at last.