Staff Picks

These reads come highly recommended by the Te Kōputu team...

Updated October 19, 2023
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Still life
Winman, Sarah
Paper Book
A Good Morning America Book Club Pick A captivating, bighearted, richly tapestried story of people brought together by love, war, art, flood, and the ghost of E. M. Forster, by the celebrated author of Tin Man.     Tuscany, 1944: As Allied...
A thousand splendid suns
Hosseini, Khaled.
Paper Book
Propelled by the same superb instinct for storytelling that made The Kite Runner a beloved classic, the #1 New York Times bestseller A Thousand Splendid Suns is at once an incredible chronicle of thirty years of Afghan history and a deeply moving story of family,...
Instructions for a heatwave
O'Farrell, Maggie
Paper Book
Piranesi
Clarke, Susanna
Paper Book
WINNER OF THE WOMEN'S PRIZE 2021 WINNER OF THE KITSCHIES' 2021 SHORTLISTED FOR THE COSTA NOVEL OF THE YEAR AWARD A SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER CHOSEN AS A BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE THE TIMES,...
The trials of Morrigan Crow
Townsend, Jessica
Paper Book
A breathtaking, enchanting new series by debut author Jessica Townsend, about a cursed girl who escapes death and finds herself in a magical world--but is then tested beyond her wildest imagination. Morrigan Crow is cursed. Having been born on Eventide, the unluckiest day for any...
The overstory
Powers, Richard
Paper Book
THE MILLION-COPY GLOBAL BESTSELLER and WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE FOR FICTION **AS SEEN ON BBC 2'S BETWEEN THE COVERS** 'It changed how I thought about the Earth and our place in it' Barack Obama 'Really, just one of the best novels,...
The island of sea women : a novel
See, Lisa
Paper Book
THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER "A mesmerizing new historical novel" (O, The Oprah Magazine) from Lisa See, the bestselling author of The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane, about female friendship and devastating family secrets on a small Korean island. ...
The name of the wind
Rothfuss, Patrick
Paper Book
Discover #1 New York Times-bestselling Patrick Rothfuss' epic fantasy series, The Kingkiller Chronicle. "I just love the world of Patrick Rothfuss." --Lin-Manuel Miranda   OVER 1 MILLION COPIES SOLD! DAY ONE: THE NAME OF THE WIND ...
Across the risen sea
MacDibble, Bren
Paper Book
Across the Risen Sea is an action-packed, compelling and heartfelt middle-fiction adventure, set in a post-climate change landscape, from the multi-award winning author of How to Bee.
A long way home
Brierley, Saroo
Paper Book
A true story of survival and triumph against incredible odds, now the major motion picture Lion starring Dev Patel, Nicole Kidman and Rooney Mara. When Saroo Brierley used Google Earth to find his long-lost home town half a world away, he made global headlines. Saroo...
Lenny's book of everything
Foxlee, Karen
Paper Book
A multi-award-winning book about finding good in the bad that will break your heart while raising your spirits in the way that only a classic novel can.
The Thursday Murder Club
Osman, Richard
Paper Book
In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet up once a week to investigate unsolved murders. But when a brutal killing takes place on their very doorstep, the Thursday Murder Club find themselves in the middle of their first live case. Elizabeth, Joyce,...
The reading list
Adams, Sara Nisha
Paper Book
A BEST OF SUMMER READ ACCORDING TO NEWSWEEK, PARADE MAGAZINE, NBC NEWS, LITHUB, AND POPSUGAR! "The most heartfelt read of the summer...a surprising delight of a novel."--Shondaland An unforgettable and heartwarming debut about how a chance encounter with a list of...
Temeraire
Novik, Naomi.
Paper Book
Naomi Novik's stunning series of novels follow the global adventures of Captain William Laurence and his fighting dragon Temeraire as they are thrown together to fight for Britain during the turbulent time of the Napoleonic Wars. Captain Will Laurence has been at sea since he was just...
The Devil's bargain
Rimington, Stella
Paper Book
'I wanted more' DAVID GILMANOne lie put the nation at risk. Another might save it.Harry Bristow: policeman, father, chauffeur, fraud.In 1988 Harry made one mistake: he took a bribe, letting a man he knew as Igor into Britain - and he's regretted it ever since. So when he...
Chance developments stories
McCall Smith, Alexander
Paper Book
From the bestselling author of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series comes this splendid collection. Inspired by vintage photographs, these five lyrical stories capture the surprising intersections of love and friendship that alter life's journeys.  A smiling girl leading a...
Lessons in chemistry
Garmus, Bonnie
Paper Book
A New York Times Top 100 Best Books of the 21st Century Reader's Pick Discover the must-read Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller, the perfect uplifting summer read, now a major Apple TV series starring Brie Larson. 'The most charming,...
The axeman's carnival
Chidgey, Catherine
Paper Book
A dazzling portrayal of humanity and the natural world that perfectly balances violence and humour.
The marriage portrait
O'Farrell, Maggie
Paper Book
'I thought I had made myself clear. I want something that conveys her majesty, her bloodline. Do you understand? She is no ordinary mortal. Treat her thus.'Florence, the 1560s. Lucrezia, third daughter of Cosimo de' Medici, is free to wander the palazzo at will, wondering at its...

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