Love him or loathe him, believe him or disbelieve him, it doesn't matter.

Because Prince Harry's polarizing 416 page ghostwritten memoir 'Spare” is proving to be a favourite pot boiler in Tauranga this week.

Paper Plus in Bethlehem Town Centre ordered in 44 copies of the book. The day before yesterday's release date, there had been pre-approved sales of about 30 and the rest had gone by midday yesterday. The store spent yesterday afternoon asking people to tie-ho because more copies were on the way from Auckland – hopefully by tomorrow.

'I am surprised by the response,” says Bethlehem Paper Plus owner Donna Gardner. 'But I have read it, it's worth it.” And she gave the reporter a strong recommendation. 'Get it and read it.”

The world has been bombarded with ‘Spare' spoilers over the last week– Harry using cocaine and weed, Harry and William having a donnybrook, Harry losing his virginity to an older woman behind a pub, Harry killing 25 Taliban, Kate and William encouraging Harry to wear the infamous Nazi party costume and Harry begging Charles not to marry the 'dangerous” Camilla. Raw, frank and revealing confessions and accusations. So do we need to buy and read the $60 book after all the publicity.

'The reality check is this,” says Donna Gardner. 'There's a lot of media spin. There's so much sensationalism by the media to sell their newspapers. And really his book is all about there being two sides to the story. Prince Harry is saying this is actually what happened and this is how the media tried to spin it. We don't need to be doing this to each other, so let's stop it.”

Tauranga City Library on Devonport Road is putting Prince Harry's 'Spare” up there alongside a new Lee Child release, or Michelle Obama's 'The Coming” … just on borrower interest alone. And because of that interest, 'Spare”, the book will be added to the library's 'top title collection” which means borrowers will get just a two week loan to plough through the 400 plus pages. Because other readers are waiting.

Content team leader at the library Michelle Sims says ten copies of the standard print format turned up today, another five are on the way. There are 85 holds on those copies, that's 85 people registered to borrow the book from the library. 'That level of holds is amongst the highest we ever get,” says Michelle. 'Yes, a very high level of interest.”

The library also has four copies of the large print format on order and there are 23 holds on those. Prince Harry actually narrated the audio version of 'Spare” and there are four holds on the two audio copies the library has ordered.

It's reported two thirds of all Britons now have a negative attitude towards Prince Harry. And if that negativity and all the full and frank TV interviews and the book excerpts leaked to newspapers over the past week were expected to dull interest in the book, it hasn't.

The book broke sales records for a non-fiction book on publication day in Britain. And New Zealanders are expected to continue their fascination for the royals as well.

Donna Gardner from Paper Plus at Bethlehem Town Centre says she hears people saying Prince Harry is just another ‘whinging pom.' "But no, ‘Spare' is very well written and I am pleased I read it because it has given me another perspective of how the royals are treated. Also they are human, and who hasn't made a mistake in their life and done dumb s..t."