First Person | Richard Flanagan | $39.99 | Penguin | Lucy’s Pick First Person is the story of a struggling author who takes on the job of ghost writing the memoir of a conman. Flanagan blurs the lines of reality and the imaginary, creating a dark novel that immerses the reader in the protaganist’s struggle between who he really is and who he want to be.
Mrs. M | Luke Slattery | $29.99 | Harper Collins | Emily’s Pick An evocative fictional account of Sydney’s early history under Macquarie, told through his young wife’s eyes. Macquarie has grand plans for Sydney, and enlists the help of a convict architect, which attracts ire from many parties. And that’s not to mention Mrs M’s own burgeoning attraction to him.
AUSTRALIAN FICTION
CHRISTMAS READING GUIDE
The Life to Come | Michelle de Kretser | $32.99 | Allen & Unwin | Karma’s Pick Winner of the Miles Franklin Award for her novel Questions of Travel, Michelle de Kretser’s latest novel is set in Sydney, Paris and Sri Lanka. The connected worlds of each of the characters offer meditations on intimacy, reality, and the powerful force of memory. Playing on the strength of de Kretser’s stylistic talent, it balances lightness and depth with mastery. Two Steps Forward | Graeme Simsion & Anne Buist | $29.99 | Text Publishing | Dean’s Pick Martin’s wife has left after an affair. Zoe’s husband has died a few months ago. Separately they walk the Camino Trail to leave anger, a change in life and a restlessness in career behind and to figure themselves out. Full of humour, quirk, inspiration and affirmation, written in alternating voices!
Soon | Lois Murphy | $29.99 | Transit Lounge | Lillian’s Pick This horror details the chilling plight of an almost deserted town in WA, following the arrival of a menacing mist that accompanies the winter solstice. Those few who refuse to abandon their home town become wound up in a terrifying fight for survival. The whole story is haunted by the ominous warning “soon”, which not only drives the novel but also creates a sense of and foreboding.
Atlantic Black | A S Patric | $29.99 | Transit Lounge | Mischa’s Pick In this haunting new novel, Katerina Klova and her mother are crossing the Atlantic by ocean liner. When Anne suffers a psychotic breakdown, Katerina is left alone on a ship full of strangers who span classes and stations. Achingly tender; the tone merciless but heartbreaking in its compassion.
Force of Nature | Jane Harper | $32.99 | Pan Macmillan | Jan’s Pick Award-winning Jane Harper has once again proven that she can write truly gripping crime. Clever writing with enough twists and turns to mislead the reader. The subplots were interesting and the characterisation was incredible. Looking at women in groups when under pressure, the subtle changes in character were convincing and entertaining. After one of the cliff hangers I thought “what!” then this exclamation was cleverly paralleled by a character in the next chapter. Fans of the bestseller The Dry will certainly not be disappointed and newcomers should definitely give Harper a try she’s excellent!
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FICTION
Demi-Gods | Eliza Robertson | $27.99 | Boomsbury | Fabienne’s Pick The coming of age story of 9-year-old Willa and her unusual relationship with her step-brother over a ten year period. Robertson’s ability to encapsulate the vibe of laidback 1950s summers stands out and provides the reader with a vivid sense of the time period.
In the Midst of Winter | Isabel Allende | $39.99 | Simon & Schuster | Emily’s Pick Three people are drawn together during the biggest Brooklyn snowstorm in living memory. Richard Bowmaster, a lonely university professor, hits the car of Evelyn Ortega, a young, undocumented migrant. Allende weaves together the threads of three lives as they face a storm together.
Winter l Ali Smith | $29.99 | Penguin | Gin’s Pick The world shrinks; the sap sinks. But winter makes things visible. And if there’s ice, there’ll be fire. In this second novel in her acclaimed Seasonal cycle, the follow-up to her sensational Autumn, Smith’s shape-shifting quartet of novels casts a merry eye over a bleak posttruth era with a story rooted in history, memory and warmth, its taproot deep in the evergreens: art, love, laughter.
The Silent Companions | Laura Purcell | $24.99 | Bloomsbury | Mischa’s Pick Inside a dilapidating mansion there is a locked room; inside the locked room lies a two-hundred-yearold diary and a painted wooden figure… a silent companion. Laura Purcell has created an unsettlingly eerie and atmospheric Gothic tale that pays homage to Henry James and Shirley Jackson. Jumping between 1635 and 1865, with many twists and turns, Purcell weaves a complex and compelling narrative full of family secrets and traumatic histories. The Silent Companions consumed me!
The Dreams of Bethany Mellmoth | William Boyd | $32.99 | Penguin | Steph’s Pick Boyd depicts the random encounters that bring the past bubbling to the surface; the impulsive decisions that irrevocably shape a life; and the endless hesitations and loss-of-nerve that wickedly complicate it. These surprising and moving stories are a resounding confirmation of Boyd’s originality as a storyteller. Dunbar | Edward St Aubyn | $29.99 | Penguin | Gin’s Pick The silver tongue of Edward St Aubyn takes on Shakespeare’s King Lear. This is a vicious novel for and of our times concerning generational power, money and forgiveness. The once ever powerful, now aging Henry Dunbar is in a care facility, having handed control of his corporation to his two eldest daughters. Brilliant, plenty of bite!
Fresh Complaint | Jeffrey Eugenides | $34.99 | Harper Collins | Gin’s Pick Eugenides’ new collection of short stories is immaculate. The word polish comes to mind, and also dynamic, interesting and just uncommonly funny in a way that is definitely in the vein of tragi-com. His stories present characters in crises in America. It’s a blast!
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Heather, the Totality | Matthew Weiner | $24.99 | Allen & Unwin | Fergus’ Pick Karen has managed to meet her body-clock’s final deadline by settling for Mark, a banker ‘rich by any standard other than his own’. Now the main object of their competing narcissisms is their only child, the beautiful intelligent Heather. Powerful spare prose drives this brilliant first novel.
The World of Tomorrow | Brendan Mathews | $32.99 | Allen & Unwin | Dean’s Pick This is what popular fiction is all about, a fantastic tale of family with equal parts suspense, humour and adventure. Set in art deco NYC three Irish brothers brave their fortunes, creating scandals in their wake. The conclusion left me with a surge of emotion - sad to finish reading this entertaining debut. An Chabon-esque epic which is loads of fun!
Sing, Unburied, Sing | Jesmyn Ward | $24.99 | Bloomsbury | Lucy’s Pick A touching exploration of masculinity and race, Sing, Unburied, Sing looks into the intimate domestic life of 13 year old Jojo and his mother Leonie in rural Mississippi. As Jojo questions what it means to be a man, led by his grandfather, Leonie wrestles with visions of her deceased brother. A moving story that examines the struggles of family life.
The Rest of Their Lives | Jean-Paul Diederlaurent | $29.99 | Pan Macmillan | Lillian’s Pick It’s difficult to find love in a profession like Ambroise’s - as he works as an embalmer. And while Manelle, a home-help for the elderly in the same small French town, adores her days spent with her eccentric clients, she too often ends her evenings alone. A novel filled with larger-than-life characters and enchanting storytelling.
FICTION
The Boat Rocker | Ha Jin | $27.99 | Penguin | Dean’s Pick An urgent, timely novel that follows an aspiring author, an outrageous book idea,and a journalist’s quest for truth. Feng Danlin is an investigative reporter for a Chinese-language, American newspaper, exposing corruption when he sees it between China and the United States. Danlin consciously maintains his self-integrity but at a cost. A subtle and thoughtful book that really packs an emotional punch! The Sparsholt Affair | Alan Hollinghurst | $32.99 | Pan Macmillan | Dean’s Pick In 1940, the handsome young David Sparsholt arrives in Oxford. A masterly new novel that evokes the intimate relationships of a group of friends bound together by art, literature and love across three generations. It explores the social and sexual revolutions of the most pivotal years of the past century, which led to life-changing, enduring changes.
Elmet | Fiona Mozley | $29.99 | Hachette | Fabienne’s Pick This is a brilliant, twisted fable about the clash of the land-owning and “serf” classes in contemporary England. This commentary on contemporary society reads like a Robin Hood tale enhanced with a mixture of lyrical well-written prose and Yorkshire dialect. An atmospheric and unsettling book which has found a worthy place on the Man Booker 2017 shortlist. The Ninth Hour | Alice McDermott | $29.99 | Bloomsbury | Fabienne’s Pick The Ninth Hour is a warm novel about the life of a Brooklyn Irish widow and her daughter. McDermott draws the reader into the intimacy of so many situations; the laundry, sickrooms, a pivotal train journey, a funeral, and the story is dominated by its well-drawn characters.
A Field Guide to the North American Family | Garth Risk Hallberg | $27.99 | Hachette | Steph’s Pick A novella told in words and pictures, which glimpses into the lives of two Long Island families. It is at once a fascinating tale of people coming together and growing apart, and an interesting exploration of the American dream.
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CRIME FICTION
Miss Kopp’s Midnight Confessions | Amy Stewart | $32.99 | Scribe Publications | Mischa’s Pick A continuation of the extraordinary journey into the real lives of the forgotten but fabulous Kopp sisters! Set during WWI, this time Deputy sheriff Constance Kopp is outraged to see young women brought into the Hackensack jail over dubious charges of waywardness, incorrigibility, and moral depravity. An entertaining and rollicking read with a lot of historical detail and feminist action! Bluebird, Bluebird | Attica Locke | $29.99 | Allen & Unwin | Dean’s Pick The writer of Empire constructs a compelling and fast paced race crime. Masterfully folding the fear, power struggles and racial tension that grips America, Locke creates a story rich in atmosphere with slow bubbling tension. Bluebird, Bluebird, like the John Lee Hooker song it’s named after, is bluesy and easy to drink in.
Clear to the Horizon | Dave Warner | $29.99 | Freemantle Press | Amelia’s Pick In 1999 and 2000, three young women disappear outside a nightclub. Based on the until recently unsolved Claremont Murders in Perth, WA, Clear to the Horizon is one of the finest examples of Australian-noir crime writing I have read in some time. Warner nails the laconic Australian voice and has a brilliant way of rendering our harsh landscape.
Under the Cold Bright Lights | Garry Disher | $29.99 | Text Publishing | Amelia’s Pick Disher has taken a break from his long-standing crime series to introduce us to a new detective, Alan Auhl - a retired homicide detective who now investigates cold cases, focusing on them with an obsessive tenacity. Tense, subtle and quietly thrilling – this will be another Australian crime series to watch.
Bonfire | Krysten Ritter | $29.99 | Penguin | Dean’s Pick Celebrity aside, Ritter writes a really great story. Environmental lawyer Abby Williams heads home to small town Indiana to investigate Optimal Plastics, the towns economic heart. As she digs, a decade-old scandal comes into play involving her missing best friend. A well-crafted, fastpaced, character-driven suspense that questions- can you ever outrun your past?
Deadlier | Sophie Hannah | $44.99 | Harper Collins | Lucy’s Pick An anthology of female written crime short stories, edited by Hannah. Blending figures such as Agatha Christie, Daphne du Maurier and Margaret Atwood together in one collection you are left with an epic book that is exhilarating from start to finish.
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The Darkest Day | Hakan Nesser | $32.99 | Pan Macmillan | Dean’s Pick Inspector Barbarotti is called to investigate missing members of the Hermansson family. Filled with sinister family secrets and chilling turns, this dark and gritty thriller is spine-tingling Scandi crime at its very best. I eagerly await the sequel!
The Mitford Murders | Jessica Fellowes | $29.99 | Hachette | Lillian’s Pick Based on a true unsolved crime, this novel by the award-winning author of the Downtown Abbey series takes the reader on an enthralling period-piece mystery. When Florence Nightingingale Shore is murdered on a midday train in olden-day London, there appear to be no suspects... Not just a tale of suspense and intrigue but also of romance and growing up.
The Furthest Station | Ben Aaronovitch | $26.99 | Hachette | Emily’s Pick PC Peter Grant is back! In this novella, Grant is called upon to help commuters being accosted by ghostly entities on their train lines. However, the victims can’t seem to remember their supernatural encounters after reporting them, making follow-up interviews rather difficult. With help from his fantastic teenage cousin Abigail, Grant is ready to solve another supernaturally-touched crime!
The Rules of Magic | Alice Hoffman | $32.99 | Simon & Schuster | Dean’s Pick A 16th century curse is effecting the romantic lives of the Owen’s siblings. It is the sixties in New York and love is blossoming amongst these young witches yet they are only just starting to understand the powers they hold and the love curse that plagues their family. Entertaining, magical and a gentle fantasy that takes you away. Provenance | Ann Leckie | $32.99 | Hachette | Mischa’s Pick Ingray is a power-driven young woman caught in the centre of a planet in political turmoil and escalating conflict. Leckie delivers another stunning, compelling, and thought-provoking interstellar adventure with vividly drawn characters and distinct, complex alien cultures.
Gnomon | Nick Harkaway | $32.99 | Random House | Sylvia’s Pick Technology. Humanity. Observed societies. Five characters (across time) in one mind. Oh, and sharks. Gnomon is a totally original, highly imaginative and epic sci-fi fantasy offering that blends politics, alternative realities and detective story into an inception-like whole.
It Devours | Joseph Fink & Jeffrey Cranor | $32.99 | Hachette | Dean’s Pick Weird goings on, mysterious earthquakes plaguing the town and the mysterious newly formed Joyous Congregation of the Smiling God. Marked with Fink and Cranor’s signature humor, this absurd and entertaining blend of horror and comedy is every bit as good as the podcast.
Artemis | Andy Weir | $32.99 | Random House | Lucy’s Pick Jazz Bashara has a tough life living in the city of Artemis. To get by she smuggles contraband into Artemis which leads to her getting twisted in a bed of lies and conspiracy. Fans of The Martian or any sci-fi novel for that matter will love Weir’s thrilling new work.
Strange Weather | Joe Hill | $29.99 | Hachette | Emily’s Pick A Polaroid camera that erases memories snap by snap. A sentient, solid cloud is one man’s deserted island. Nails falling from the sky across the world. A mall security guard becomes a hero for the gun rights movement then loses his sanity. Horror is at its best in these four novellas.
SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY
Sleeping Beauties | Stephen & Owen King | $32.99 | Hachette | Mischa’s Pick In the first published collaboration between the master of horror and his son, Sleeping Beauties is a bewitching and haunting read that bubbles with immediacy and provocation. The concept is an intriguing one: in an undisclosed future, women are going to sleep shrouded in a cocoon and if awoken, turn into feral, violent beings – except for one, Evie, who is hunted both to be studied and to be slain.
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OUR BOOKS OF THE MONTH 2017
OUR BOOKS OF THE MONTH 2017 February Pick | Lincoln in the Bardo | George Saunders | $32.99 | Bloomsbury Surreal, experimental fiction at its very best! Absolutely original, this historical fiction is written in the form of arranged, collected true and fictional historical accounts. Abraham Lincoln sits at the grave of his eleven year old son, Willie. Willie is trapped in the bardo - the in-between state between life and death. A collection of colourful characters talk back and forth about life’s more uncertain moments, unaware of where they really are. What I loved most is the differing account of seemingly irrefutable subjects: on the moon, his eye colour. George Saunders is best known for his short stories, but his debut novel is outstanding!
April Pick | The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley | Hannah Tinti | $27.99 | Hachette An original coming-of-age novel that plays out like a Tarantino film. It is cool and rugged; violent yet full of heart. Loo lives with her father Hawley. She is used to packing up and moving states in an instant. She likes it this way, and hangs a shrine to her dead mother in every new hotel they stop to live in. Suddenly they settle in Olympia near her estranged grandmother where Loo starts displaying violent tendencies just like her father. Hawley wears his past on his body in the form of twelve bullet holes. Each wound carries a story revealing a past he is hiding from Loo, a past that is slowly creeping up on them.
March Pick | The Animators | Kayla Rae Whitaker | $22.99 | Scribe An exciting debut with a real kick! Two friends, Mel Vaught & Sharon Kisses who meet in art school, develop a friendship and creative partnership stronger than any other relationship in their lives. Both from difficult family backgrounds, they seek solace in their friendship and begin drawing biographical animations which quickly rise to cult status - propelling them into the limelight. How they handle themselves publicly and how their lives unfold and unhinge as a result of this fame is completely engaging and moreish. This engrossing novel explores passion and creativity perfectly.
May Pick | Based on a True Story | Delphine de Vigan | $29.99 | Bloomsbury Like a balloon being blown up slowly, slowly then held huge and tight - will it pop? A gripping psychological thriller where a new friendship spins into obsession. This French blockbuster is impossible to put down and I was completely hooked! A Hitchcockian ambiance that gets more and more tense as you read. There is so much at stake. The style and depth of this novel is brilliant and the twist blew me away!
June Pick | Year of the Orphan | Daniel Findlay | $26.95 | Penguin Random House Daniel Findlay is an exciting new voice in Australian fiction, with his debut novel a stylistically brave and provocative page-turner! The distinctive language draws you into a post-apocalyptic Australian landscape, wrought with destruction, desolation, and scavengers. There is something believably chilling about ‘The System’ - a walled dessert community that fears the past and the undoing that it left – and an intensity that encompasses you as you read that will not relinquish until you’ve read right to the very eerie, yet somewhat hopeful end.
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August Pick | On the Java Ridge | Jock Serong | $29.99 | Text Publishing I have not been able to stop thinking about this book! It is dynamic, expertly written, vast in scope with many facets to think over. A compelling literary political thriller and a must read commentary on the Australian political environment and its treatment of refugees. It also delivers a striking commentary on the impact technology is making on weakening our sense of community and the range of reactions humans undergo when in a crisis. Australian fiction at its best! September Pick | City of Crows | Chris Womersley | $29.99 | Pan Macmillan This gothic masterpiece set in France 1673 is based on a historical incident and real-life characters much like Hannah Kent’s Good People. It is a bewitching novel that explores the lengths a mother will go to rescue her child. A sorceress and a demon collaborate, here the magical balance is exceptional, maintaining a realistic bent that has you enamoured and believing, its feet are firmly placed in literature, never swaying into a fantasy realm. Gripping with exciting gritty historical details and the right serving of good versus evil adventure, I loved it!
October Pick | Manhattan Beach | Jennifer Egan | $32.99 | Hachette Egan has penned her first historical novel and it is spectacular. Set in NYC during WWII, Anna works at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, where women are allowed to hold jobs that had previously only belonged to men. This relatively unknown snapshot of history is made even more fascinating by Egan’s attention to detail and research. With the pace of a noir thriller, this novel is mesmerising and immensely satisfying.
OUR BOOKS OF THE MONTH 2017
July Pick | Moshi Moshi | Banana Yoshimoto | $32.99 | New South Banana Yoshimoto is an absolute joy to read; her quirky style stands out all on its own. She might just be your new favourite! Banana is a masterful storyteller with an amazing ability to slow the reader down and immerse you into a dreamy meditation on life, love and saying goodbye, where you walk the fine line between this world and the other, between solitude and loneliness, between dreams and prestidigitations. As a homage to the healing powers of food, family and music and a lively portrait of Shimokitazawa Moshi Moshi is a rare gem of tranquillity which will remind you of the simple pleasure of reading.
November Pick | Future Home of the Living God | Louise Erdrich | $29.99 | Hachette A perfect blend of dystopian nightmare with Indigenous American Lore. Reminiscent of Atwood’s Handmaid’s Tale, yet this book’s own apocalyptic take is original and prophetic. The characters are complex and vivid. Erdrich is a gifted writer so I was expecting very big things and Future Home of the Living God surpassed my expectations to deliver a powerful, riveting novel and one of the very best books of the year!
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COOKING
Salads & Pickles l Alex Elliott-Howery & Sabine Spindler | $39.99 | Murdoch Books | Steph’s Pick From our favourite Marrickville café comes another comprehensive cookbook focused on vegetables. This time the focus is on pickling, preserving and making salads; organised seasonally to take advantage of the best Australian produce. I particularly loved the flavoured salt and salad dressing guides. There are recipes for everything from sauerkraut and sambals to bibimbap and miso-braised eggplant. With more emphasis on skills and handy techniques, Salads & Pickles is a practical, visually beautiful gift.
Cheese | Michel Roux | $29.99 | Hardie Grant | Terry’s Pick Cheese has been a lifelong passion for Roux, initially inspired by early visits to French markets and fuelled by extensive travels around the world discovering new cheeses. Here he offers a wealth of advice on cheese and a fantastic collection of over 100 recipes. In addition to the great cheese classics, such as fondue, tartiflette, Parmesan soufflés, and gnudi, Michel offers a host of creative ideas with original flavour combinations.
Bourke Street Bakery: All Sweet Things | Paul Allam & David McGuinness | $55.00 | Murdoch Books | Lillian’s Pick The latest recipe book from the iconic Bourke Street Bakery deals with “all things sweet”, ranging from classics like chocolate sponge to more advanced delicacies such as sweet brioche pizza! The instructions are easy to follow for the culinarychallenged like me, and complete with mouth-watering photography.
Australian Bush Superfoods | Lily Alice O’Quinn | $29.99 | Hardie Grant | Dean’s Pick Australia’s unique native ingredients boast nutritional and medicinal benefits coming from knowledge passed down in Aboriginal cultures for thousands of years. This authentic cookbook offers easy plant based recipes, where these superfoods are grown, traditional uses, nutritional benefits and how they can be used in the home kitchen. Beautifully illustrated with O’Quinn’s botanical illustrations.
Feasts | Sabrina Ghayour | $39.99 | Hachette | Fabienne’s Pick Unsure of what to bring to a party? Take along a dish cooked from Ghayour’s new middle eastern cookbook and it is sure to be a crowd pleaser! For me, the pomegranate and aubergine salad with harissa and sundried tomatoes did the trick. This highly-anticipated follow up to Persiana and Sirocco brings together friends, family and food and will have everyone eager to dig in!
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The Moosewood Restaurant Table | The Moosewood Collective | $49.99 | Pan Macmillan | Lucy’s Pick As a new vegetarian I have been searching for new recipes to try, and The Moosewood Restaurant Table cookbook gave me just that. Filled to the brim with fantastic ‘farm to table’ recipes, it has definitely revolutionised my vegetarian cooking. Be sure to try the chickpea burgers and the butternut latkes!
COOKING
The Little Library Cookbook | Kate Young | $39.99 | Harper Collins | Mischa’s Pick When I saw the index of this book, it filled my heart with warmth! It brought on feelings of nostalgia when I recreated the ‘Spaghetti al Pomodoro’ that featured in Looking for Alibrandi for my family; joviality for the light and berrylicious Alice in Wonderland inspired ‘Summer Tart’; delight for Victorian raspberry and coconut tea cakes from the recent Sarah Perry novel The Essex Serpent. Kate Young has created a cookbook that is more than an in-depth selection of delicious, practical recipes for every occasion – it brings people who love literature together, and it brings the books to sensory life!
Cooking with Kindness | Edgar’s Mission | $35.00 | Affirm Press | Sylvia’s Pick Chefs contribute 70 delicious, nutritious and creative vegan recipes for this crueltyfree book from Edgar’s Mission, a notfor-profit farm sanctuary. Cooking With Kindness promotes a gentler, less harmful way of living with cooking options ranging from healthy meals to comfort foods and delectable desserts. Contributors include Matcha Mylkbar, Smith & Daughters, Soul Burger, Pana Chocolate and The Raw Kitchen. Yum!
Hummus & Co. | Michael Rantissi & Kristy Frawley | $49.99 | Thames & Hudson | Nelson’s Pick Hummus & Co lovingly collects a smorgasbord of Middle Eastern dishes inspired by cuisines. Fend off balmy nights with fresh, invigorating salads; add some more midweek meals to your repertoire, or indulge the sweet tooth with refined deserts such as the pistachio and rosewater cake with plums and mascarpone. There’s a recipe for hummus too!
The Vegetable l Caroline Griffith & Vicki Valsamis | $49.99 | Simon & Schuster | Amelia’s Pick This ultra-talented, Australian-based duo are here to make vegetables the hero of any meal! Vegetables have a staggering range of tastes, textures and culinary opportunities. These beautifully photographed, delicious recipes are guaranteed to inspire readers to make vegetables the main event. Ideal for faithful consumers and picky eaters alike.
America: The Cookbook | Gabrielle Langholtz | $59.95 | Phaidon | Terry’s Pick A thoroughly researched compendium of 800 home-cooking recipes for delicious and authentic American dishes, this cookbook explores the country’s myriad traditions and influences, regional favorites and melting-pot fusion – the culinary heritage of a nation, from appetizers to desserts and beyond. A unique state-by-state section features essays and menus from a ‘who’s who’ of 100 foremost food experts and chefs.
Corsica: The Recipes | Nicolas Stromboni | $59.99 | Simon & Schuster | Terry’s Pick This beautifully photographed book celebrates all that is Corsican – the people, the geography and, most importantly, the food. And with around 80 incredible Corsican recipes designed to be prepared in the home kitchen, you’ll be transported to the island in no time.
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HISTORY
Beneath Another Sky | Norman Davies | $69.99 | Penguin | Steph’s Pick Davies’ account of a global circumnavigation, of the places he visited and the history he found there. His historical gaze penetrates behind the present to see how things became as they are, and how peoples came to tell themselves the stories which make up their identities.
Queens of the Conquest l Alison Weir | $35.00 | Penguin | Dean’s Pick The lives of England’s medieval queens were packed with incident - love, intrigue, betrayal, adultery, and warfare - but their stories have been largely obscured by centuries of myth and omission. Weir provides a fresh perspective and restores these women to their rightful place in history. Saga Land | Richard Fidler & Kari Gislason Baird | $39.99 | Harper Collins | Steph’s Pick A perfect book! There is a symmetry and seamless transition between Richard and Kari’s writing. The blend of history into present day is superb. Looking at Iceland’s history of Saga writing with a raw honesty and open insight into the cultural and geographic history. This oneof-a-kind book is wise, intelligent, warm and completely enchanting.
The Future is History | Masha Gessen | $32.99 | Allen & Unwin | Nelson’s Pick An examination of the seemingly symbiotic relationship between Russia and autocracy. Gessen effectively refutes this, instead pointing to the resurgent of old Soviet order in the form of a new totalitarian mafia state. Entrepreneurs, activists, thinkers are portrayed as aspirational products of a new Russia who, but due various personal contexts, are treated like de-factor political prisoners by an unchallengeable regime fervent on crushing opposition. Powerful and urgent.
The Unwomanly Face of War | Svetlana Alexievich | $29.99 | Penguin Random House | Karma’s Pick The ground-breaking Unwomanly Face of War, first published in 1985 and recently translated into English, is a landmark oral history of women in WW2 in Europe and Russia. Alexievich’s remarkable history explores the experiences of Soviet women in the war, on the home front, and in the occupied territories.
Mythos | Stephen Fry | $32.99 | Penguin Random House | Fabienne’s Pick The Greek myths are the greatest stories ever told and have influenced many writers and artists. Stephen Fry brings to life the gods of Ancient Greece. He perfectly captures and reimagines these myths for the modern age, keeping them entertaining, informative and moving.
1947 | Elisabeth Asbrink | $29.99 | Scribe Publications | Steph’s Pick As the clock strikes the end of the war, the time begins to turn towards a new age - the one we call now. 1947 chronicles the creation of the modern world, as the forces that will go on to govern all our lives during the next 70 years first make themselves known.
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The Square and the Tower | Niall Ferguson | $35.00 | Penguin Random House Ferguson argues that social networks are nothing new. From the printers and preachers who made the Reformation to the freemasons who led the American Revolution, it was the networkers who disrupted the old order of popes and kings.
The Harbour | Scott Bevan | $49.99 | Simon & Schuster | Steph’s Pick Fireworks on New Year’s Eve. Vivid lights projected on the Sydney Opera House. The Harbour Bridge at sundown. Sydney Harbour is arguable the most famous in the world and holds the affection of Australians and tourists alike. Bevan details the long history of this waterway; from its significance to Aboriginal peoples to its invasions, and everything in between. A comprehensive, cove to cove history of the heart of our city.
In Black & White | Warren Mundine | $45.00 | Pantera Press | Steph’s Pick Overcoming segregation, discrimination, personal hardship and political betrayal, Nyunggai Warren Mundine tells it all in black and white. His memoir, an optimistic and inspirational tale, speaks to a changing Australia, answering a big question on everyone’s minds: what’s next?
AUSTRALIAN STUDIES
Mirror Sydney | Vanessa Berry | $39.95 | Giramondo Press | Karma’s Pick Vanessa Berry’s Mirror Sydney showcases her brilliant creative and imaginative skill. Made up of essays and hand-drawn maps, the book explores the unexplored and enigmatic spaces of Sydney and all of the memories and stories they evoke. A wonderful collection that is illustrative of the power of observation to make places come alive.
Tracker | Alexis Wright | $39.95 | Giramonda Press | Fergus’ Pick This is an artfully woven collective memoir of charismatic Aboriginal leader, political thinker and entrepreneur Tracker Tilmouth, who died in Darwin in 2015. The book comprises transcribed interviews with family, friends, colleagues and Tilmouth himself. The book is a tribute as much to the role played by storytelling in contemporary Aboriginal life as to the legacy of this remarkable man.
Caroline Chisholm | Sarah Goldman | $39.99 | Harper Collins | Jan’s Pick Caroline Chisholm was a take-no-prisoners gamechanger of colonial Australia - as well as a charming, wholly committed, and utterly determined force of nature. Arriving in Australia in 1838, she was appalled by the plight of young female immigrants in Australia. A fresh, spirited and engaging biography of a fascinating and influential woman who was absolutely instrumental in shaping modern Australia - but whose influence and importance has largely been forgotten.
Australian Gypsies | Mandy Sayer | $34.99 | New South | Lucy’s Pick Investigating a part of Australian history not normally presented in the public eye Sayer writes with truthfulness and intricate detail as she follows the generations and traditions of gypsies in Australia. Sayer delves into the origins of Romani culture and the first arrivals of gypsies in Australia. A thought provoking read about an unseen side of Australia’s history.
Songlines: Tracking the Seven Sisters | Margo Neale | $49.95 | New South | Steph’s Pick A stunning companion to the National Museum of Australia’s Indigenous-led exhibition, Songlines: Tracking the Seven Sisters, explores the history and meaning of songlines, the Dreaming or creation tracks that crisscross the Australian continent, of which the Seven Sisters songline is one of the most extensive. Perfect for those interested in finding out more about these complex pathways of spiritual, ecological, economic, cultural, and ontological knowledge.
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POETRY, ANTHOLOGY & GRAPHIC NOVELS
The Best of the Lifted Brow Volume Two | $29.99 | Brow Books | Sylvia’s Pick The goal of Lifted Brow, Australia’s most idiosyncratic literary journal, is ‘to publish and promote the vivid literatures of Australia and beyond’. That it certainly does by consistently featuring exciting and experimental fiction, nonfiction and poetry.
Devotion | Patti Smith | $27.99 | Footprint | Dean’s Pick Smith opens her notebooks to share her inspiration and creative process. Beginning with an original tale of obsession of a young skater living for her art, she then explores the sources of this story and we glimpse at the alchemy of her art. An arresting book on writing from one of the greatest writers of our time.
The Drover’s Wife | Frank Moorhouse | $34.99 | Random House | Gin’s Pick In essays and commentary, Frank Moorhouse examines our ongoing fascination with Lawson’s story and has collected some of the best pieces of writing on the subject. This remarkable, gorgeous book is, he writes, ‘a monument to the drovers’ wives’.
The Sun and Her Flowers l Rupi Kaur | $24.99 | Simon & Schuster | Mariana’s Pick Kaur’s second book of poetry has been highly anticipated since the success of her debut collection, Milk & Honey. The structure of this collection follows the blooming pattern of a flower, and is a journey through love in all of its forms. This collection promises to be a literary force to be reckoned with. Kaur did all of the illustrations in the Sun and Her Flowers.
Baking with Kafka | Tom Gauld | $24.99 | Allen & Unwin | Lillian’s Pick A thoroughly enjoyable collection of witty cartoons from the critically-acclaimed Guardian cartoonist, Tom Gauld. Gauld’s characteristic use of reductio ad adsurdum, coupled with his understated British humour, lends lightness to traditionally highbrow themes, rendering his comics topical, insightful and, most importantly, laugh-out-loud funny. A perfect Christmas gift for one’s inner literary nerd! Overheard: The Art of Eavesdropping | Oslo Davis | $19.99 | Harper Collins | Dean’s Pick Cult cartoonist and eavesdropper Oslo Davis draws out what he overhears people saying on the streets of Melbourne. His observations are wry, hilarious and onpoint. This brilliant collection of 10 years worth of eavesdropping and cartooning is social commentary at its best. Spinning | Tillie Walden | $27.99 | Thames & Hudson | Karma’s Pick Spinning is a moving and engaging memoir about Walden’s coming of age, heartache, coming out, and her first love. The story spans the 12 years Walden spent figureskating and its place in her life when everything, including who she knew herself to be, was changing so rapidly.
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Slugfest | Reed Tucker | $32.99 | Hachette | Mariana’s Pick Folks! It’s a book about the longstanding DC/Marvel rivalry! The first one, in fact, to document the epic history between the competing comics publishers. Slugfest follows the historical trajectories of these giants of the graphic world. Perfect for any comics-lover or literary historian alike.
Where the Past Begins | Amy Tan | $32.99 | Harper Collins | Steph’s Pick Amy Tan’s life is shrouded in complexity and mystery; full of truths and secrets uncovered in family memorabilia and revealed now to us through her journals, letters and spontaneous storytelling. The emotional nucleus of her award-winning novels has origin in the memories detailed in this memoir, as she explores with humour and candor the inner workings of her writer’s mind.
Riot Days | Maria Alyokhina | $39.99 | Penguin | Mariana’s Pick Riot Days is Alyokhina’s account of the notorious Pussy Riot performance that gained international recognition as one of the most politically transgressive and important performance art pieces of recent years. The tome features both text and art to tell the story of the performance. This book is an invaluable puzzle piece in the archive of contemporary feminist history.
The Zoo Quest Expeditions | David Attenborough | $39.99 | Hachette | Terry’s Pick In 1954, Attenborough was asked to travel the world finding rare animals for a London Zoo’s. Written with his trademark wit and charm, Zoo Quest is not just the story of the remarkable adventure which launched Attenborough’s career, but of the man who made us fall in love with the natural world, and who is still doing so today.
BIOGRAPHY
The Trauma Cleaner | Sarah Krasnostein | $32.99 | Text Publishing | Dean’s Pick An extraordinary read on an extraordinary woman, written with dignity and insight. Sandra is a trauma cleaner, working in crime scenes and horders homes; she is fatally ill and a trauma victim herself, treating her clients with a warmth and understanding that stems from her past. This book is absolutely brilliant. Dare Not Linger | Nelson Mandela and Mandla Langa | $39.99 | Pan Macmillan | Nelson’s Pick An examination of Mandela’s years as the first president of democratic South Africa and the challenges of overcoming centuries of colonialism. Fellow countryman, novelist and poet Mandla Langa took great care to uphold the integrity of Mandela’s voice and pieced together the 70,000 words of existing manuscript.
At the Strangers’ Gate | Adam Gopnik | $32.99 | Hachette | Dean’s Pick Gopnik arrives in NYC in the 80’s where apartments are similar to present day Sydney; tiny, overpriced, and infected with rodents. From here he carves out a brilliant art career, describing a wild exactitude of Soho’s art movement. This is a stunning loveletter to his fiesty wife Martha and the art scene of New York.
Logical Family | Armistead Maupin | $35.00 | Random House | Fergus’ Pick The author of the Tales of the City series finally tells his own story. Caitlin Moran calls this ‘a sweet, filthy peach of a memoir from a cultural explosion of a man’. Here Maupin recounts his ‘families’ - both birth and acquired with beautiful writing and almost sublime graciousness.
Richard Nixon: The Life | John A Farrell | $59.99 | Scribe | Fergus’ Pick A highly praised new biography; there’s a lot to navigate, and Farrell does so with ease. Without dipping into melodrama or hyperbole, he lays out Nixon’s rise from a lower-middle-class kid to his swiftly acquired identity of “a man of destiny” as he came to be viewed.
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MUSIC & SPORT
Sticky Fingers | Joe Hagan | $34.99 | Penguin | Lizzy’s Pick Founding editor of Rolling Stone Wenner has put an indelible stamp on culture. His trailblazing magazine came to embody the freewheeling excesses of the sixties. A nuanced portrait of a man who helped define a generation, and provides an explosive chronicle of an era.
Bon: The Last Highway | Jesse Fink | $34.99 | Penguin Bon is the original, unflinching and masterful biography Bon Scott has so richly deserved and music fans around the world have been waiting for. Furthermore, it explores the creation of Back in Black, AC/DC’s tribute to their fallen bandmate.
Unbreakable l Jelena Dokic | $34.99 | Random House | Mariana’s Pick I’m really looking forward to the release of this biography. Dokic was in the world Tennis top 10 by the time she was 18 and was groomed as a prodigious talent from an early age. This revealing memoir discusses her tumultuous relationship with her father, her encounters with xenophobic bigotry as a Serbian-Australian athlete and what it was like growing up without the wealth of many of her tennis peers. Unbreakable is compelling and worthwhile.
Lou Reed | Anthony DeCurtis | $32.99 | Hachette | Sylvia’s Pick Lou Reed is a music legend. His five-decade career, beginning with the Velvet Underground, produced iconic experimental albums, virtually invented alternative rock and embodied his own intense exploration of art, sexuality and identity. As an acclaimed contributing editor to Rolling Stone, DeCurtis is uniquely placed to examine Reed’s chaotic and influential life and music.
The Long and Winding Way to the Top | Andrew P Street | $32.99 | Allen & Unwin Australia likes to celebrate its musical heritage, but there are so many stories that haven’t been told. This is a history of Australia in 50 songs (or so). Deeply cheeky, unashamedly nostalgic and endlessly enthusiastic, Street dives into our national playlist from the birth of rock’n’roll to the reign of Australian hip hop, and everything in between.
Ali | Jonathan Eig | $49.99 | Simon & Schuster Revealing Ali in the complexity he deserves, Eig’s definitive biography sheds important new light on his politics, religion, personal life, and neurological condition. Ali is a story about America, about race, about a brutal sport, and about a courageous man who shook up the world.
A Thoroughly Unhelpful History of Australian Sport | Titus O’Reily | $34.99 | Penguin Part history, part social commentary and part the ravings of a madman, Titus examines how sport - including cricket, league, swimming and tennis - has united Australians and given us something to do in our spare time.
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How to Build a Car | Adrian Newey | $49.99 | Simon & Schuster How to Build a Car explores the story of Adrian’s unrivalled 35-year career in Formula One through the prism of the cars he has designed, the drivers he has worked alongside and the races in which he’s been involved. Illustrated with never-before-seen drawings.
Outsiders | Lyndall Gordon | $32.99 | Hachette | Mariana’s Pick Mary Shelley, Emily Bronte, George Eliot, Olive Schreiner, Virginia Woolf – these are the five novelists Gordon writes about in Outsiders, a book about some of the most important writers of the modern canon who were considered, in some way, to be outsiders. In her biographical accounts of these women, Gordon looks at their commonalities and how their fiction was infused with their own lived experiences.
The Mother of All Questions | Rebecca Solnit | $24.99 | Allen & Unwin | Gin’s Pick No introduction is really needed here. Since popularising the term “mansplaining” in 2014, Solnit has been very busy. From the writer of Men Explain Things to Me, comes a new collection of essays that attempt to offer feminism to all people via the history of feminine storytelling. Solnit offers her trademark wit and artful style to this work.
Chronicles of a Liquid Society | Umberto Eco | $45.00 | Random House | Fabienne’s Pick This collection of magazine columns covers everything from mobile phones to monotheism, online porn to, 9/11, the order of the Templars, Twitter, pirates, literary festivals, taxi drivers, James Bond, Charlie Hebdo, – and much more. Eco’s irony is disarming, his cleverness dazzling. A compulsive summer read.
From Here to Eternity | Caitlin Doughty | $27.99 | Hachette | Emily’s Pick Practising mortician Caitlin Doughty is fascinated by the Western terror of death and corpses. In this book, she travels the world to discover how other cultures care for their dead. She participates in and learns about death practices across the world, explaining them to her audience with respect and a pinch of morbid humour. For everyone fascinated by death.
CULTURAL STUDIES & ESSAY
The Diary of a Bookseller | Shaun Bythell | $29.99 | Allen & Unwin | Sylvia’s Pick A very funny, wry and beautifullyobserved account of a bookselling life from the owner of Scotland’s largest second-hand bookstore. Bythell encounters eccentric customers, unexpectedly emotional buying visits to estates and daily perplexing dealings with his only semi-regular, Black-Book-ian staff member, Nicky.
100 Nasty Women of History | Hannah Jewell | $32.99 | Hachette | Lillian’s Pick A highly relevant anthology of 100 stories featuring the world’s most courageous women - from 3rd century Japanese Empress Jingu to 20th century British reformer Octavia Hill. Riffing off Trump’s public belittling of Hillary Clinton as ‘such a nasty woman’, this important cultural work is at once eye-opening, accessible, and hilarious.
The Magic Lamp | Ben Okri & Rosemary Clunie | $34.99 | Harper Collins | Gin’s Pick An inspiring and innovative collection. They have created an incredible world. Fairy tales or dream tales, these narratives are a response to our times. The works explore themes such as modern times, lost worlds, revolutions, and love.
Curing Affluenza | Richard Denniss | $27.99 | Black Inc. Affluenza is that strange desire we feel to spend money we don’t have to buy things we don’t need to impress people we don’t know. In this sparkling book of ideas, Richard Denniss offers a lucid explanation of a critical global issue and a stirring call to action.
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OUR FAVOURITE BOOKS OF 2017 16
OUR FAVOURITE BOOKS OF 2017 FABIENNE’S PICK | The Refugees | Viet Thanh Nguyen | $32.99 | Hachette This superb collection of short stories from the author of The Sympathizer offers an intimate look at the migration experience. What is captured and shared through these eight stories is the loneliness, disassociation and identity of immigrants once they have settled into a Western world.
SYLVIA’S PICK | The Museum of Words | Georgia Blain | $29.99 | Scribe Georgia Blain’s final work is a moving, tender meditation on words by a woman whose life was devoted to writing and reading. The frustration she feels at the impending loss of her language skills from a devastating, fatal brain tumour is palpable. Blain speaks with passion and vibrancy.
LUCY’S PICK | Dear Ijeawele | Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie | $17.99 | Harper Collins When Adichie was asked by an old friend about how to raise her daughter as a feminist, she responded with 15 suggestions. This book is her response. It is utterly moving, as Adichie masterfully writes simultaneously with tenderness and urgency.
DEAN’S PICK | The End We Start From | Megan Hunter | $19.99 | Pan Mamillan Sparse, beautiful prose with exacting descriptions that ache to be read out loud. A mysterious environmental crisis submerges London under water. A woman gives birth to her first child Z then must escape the rising water. This book needs to be shared; alluring and powerful.
AMELIA’S PICK | Home Fire | Kamila Shamsie | $24.99 | Bloomsbury Shamsie’s pulls off a fine balancing act: it is a powerful exploration of the clash between society, family and faith in the modern world, while acknowledging the same conflicts in the ancient tale it owes so much to. One of the most memorable final scenes I’ve ever read.
LILLIAN’S PICK | Vernon Subutex | Virginne Despentes | $29.99 | Hachette Becoming somewhat of a cult classic amongst young people in France, this scathing social critique provides a visceral reminder of how one’s luck can suddenly change. A brutally honest portrayal of Paris’ underworld, Vernon Subutex is a dark and hardhitting masterpiece.
MARIANA’S PICK | Hunger | Roxane Gay | $32.99 | Hachette Gay’s highly anticipated memoir is a phenomenal, unsettling read. Gay speaks with great conviction into the space between resisting the fatphobia rampant in society while also acknowledging the daily physical realities of navigating a world as a person classified as “super morbidly obese”.
STEPH’S PICK | Little Fires Everywhere | Celeste Ng | $29.99 | Hachette The phrase ‘page-turner’ is a little clichéd, but I can think of no better way to describe Celeste Ng’s far-from-clichéd novel. At once an unflinching portrayal of closed community life, a clever look at diverse family dynamics and a topical exploration of reproductive rights and adoption.
EMILY’S PICK | I Am, I Am, I Am | Maggie O’Farrell | $29.99 | Hachette A stunning memoir, each chapter a vignette about a brush with death. O’Farrell has had her share of close calls, and she recalls each with incredible insight. It is hair-raising and terrifying and just overall completely marvellous. My heart was in my throat the entire time.
FERGUS’ PICK | Mozart’s Starling | Lyanda Lynn Haupt | $35.00 | Hachette Seattle eco-philosopher Haupt adopted a starling hatchling to supplement with first-hand experience her research into the fact that Mozart owned a pet of the same species. She weaves a loving anecdotal record of her singular little example-bird Carmen’s complex behaviour.
MISCHA’S PICK | October is the Coldest Month | Christoffer Carlsson | $19.99 | Scribe Publications This nuanced and authentic crime noir tracks 16-year-old Vega as she searches for her brother and for the truth about what happened the night she accompanied him to pick up a dead body in his car. Vega is forced to enter a dark, illicit, and sensual adult world.
JAN’S PICK | The Girl, the Dog and the Writer in Rome | Katrina Nannestad | $16.99 | Harper Collins When Freja’s mum falls ill, she is sent to live with Tobias, a clumsy, forgetful crime writer and trusted friend of her mother’s. Together they set off to Rome! This is a story that will make you laugh out loud and fall in love with the characters.
JAMES’ PICK | First They Killed My Father | Loung Ung | $24.99 | Harper Collins Ung was 5 years old when the Khmer Rouge captured Phomn Penh in 1975. Her memoir rightfully takes its place amongst the great books to have emerged from the time, and is told through the eyes of a child desperately surviving a pulverised and insanely reassembled world.
VIRGINIA’S PICK | Blind Spot | Teju Cole | $39.99 | Allen & Unwin On the heels of his brilliant essay collection Known and Strange Things, this is Cole’s first book of photographs. Cole is interested in what is common, the act of seeing and the action of photography, the masses of imagery the world is inundated with and the journeying of the human.
NELSON’S PICK | Borne | Jeff Vandermeer | $24.99 | Harper Collins Author of the Southern Reach Trilogy, VanderMeer returns with his trademark capricious and lyrical writing style. Borne is a standalone title, taking place in an unnamed city after an ecological catastrophe where the leftover humans struggle to survive in the shadow of dangerous biotech.
OUR FAVOURITE BOOKS OF 2016
KARMA’S PICK | Is Racism an Environmental Threat? | Ghassan Hage | $21.95 | Wiley The way that we speak about environmental issues, like oceanic waste, and the way that we speak about refugees are uncannily similar, argues Hage. Both involve a similar language of classification, management, domination, and of eradication. An excellent, eye-opening read.
To read our full reviews, visit us on Facebook (Better Read Than Dead) or Instagram (@betterreadbookshop)
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ART & DESIGN
LGBT San Francisco | David Nicoletta | $99.00 | Peribo | Mariana’s Pick This collection from acclaimed photographer Daniel Nicoletta is not to be missed. It collects a rich array of photographs from the photographer’s archive of the LGBT rights movement in San Francisco over the past 40 years. Each photograph captures a thrilling moment in time - from drag queens to parade floats - and illustrates the vast array of characters embedded in San Fran’s tapestry. Nicoletta is widely known for his photographs of prominent activist Harvey Milk.
Georgia O’Keeffe At Home | Alicia Guzman | $49.99 | Murdoch Books | Sylvia’s Pick Although O’Keefe consistently refused a biographic interpretation of her art, the influence of place, travel and her home in New Mexico is clear to those familiar with her extraordinary work. Guzmán’s fully-illustrated study pairs O’Keefe’s own paintings and drawings with archival imagery of her homes, friends and family and offers an intriguing insight into the life of one of the most significant artists of the twentieth century.
Bittersweet | Noma Bar | $60.00 | Thames & Hudson | Dean’s Pick Noma Bar is an intelligent and innovative graphic designer whose clever play with negative space and minimalist form is adored the world over, take a look at Murakami’s vintage covers. Flicking through this immaculate collection you’ll notice the hidden stories emerge from minimal details. A perfect treasury for graphic designers and popular culture lovers.
Portraits 2005-2016 l Annie Leibovitz | $120.00 | Phaidon This new collection from Annie Leibovitz is a masterful exploration of family, loss, and contemporary culture. Her life with Susan Sontag in the lead up to her death is captured with such intimacy and beauty. The collection finds a way to bring in never-before-published photographs with the wider context of her work with well-known figures.
Phantom Architecture | Philip Wilkinson | $49.99 | Simon & Schuster | Mariana’s Pick An ode to infrastructural phantasmagoria. This book takes us through a range of different buildings that were conceived, planned, blueprinted – but never built. Wilkinson explores how these designs have inspired other architects, highlighting the importance of this part of the architectural process. The result is a cohesive documentation of a fascinating area in the history of architecture.
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Small House Living Australia | Catherine Foster | $39.99 | Penguin Random House Small House Living Australia features 21 small, inspiring Australian homes. Some are clever additions onto tight urban sites- others are tranquil weekenders in deep countryside what all have in common is a shared belief that good architectural design principles make even the smallest of architectural and ecological footprints possible.
The River of Consciousness l Oliver Sacks | $32.99 | Pan Macmillan | Karma’s Pick A remarkable series of essays that explore a wide range of themes, from memory, creativity, forgetting, evolution, and consciousness. Collated by his colleagues after his death, this collection offers a rich and rewarding commentary on the nature of human existence.
SCIENCE
In Shock | Dr Rama Awdish | $29.99 | Penguin | Gin’s Pick This is an extraordinary account of a deep personal, physical and professional journey of an ICU doctor. This memoir asks health professionals to listen to patients, and support each other and offers sage insight from her experiences in hospital after losing a child.
Moonshots | Piers Bizony | $99.99 | Murdoch Book | Dean’s Pick Moonshots is the definitive photographic chronicle of NASA space exploration. Piers Bizony scoured NASA’s archives of Hasselblad film frames to assemble this remarkable selection of 200 photographs captured by astronauts using Hasselblad equipment, many of them seldom previously published. The Apollo voyages form the centerpiece of this amazing collection. A must have for any space enthusiast, or sci-fi lover.
Into the Grey Zone | Adrian Owen | $29.99 | Allen & Unwin | Nelson’s Pick Renowned neuroscientist Adrian Owen has conducted extensive research involving cognitive abilities amongst people who suffered traumatic brain injuries. In examining just where these people lie in the ‘grey zone’ spectrum of alive or dead, Owen collates years of cutting edge procedures and personal stories of patients and their families. Poignant and heartbreaking, yet optimistic.
The Inner Life of Animals | Peter Wohlleben | $29.99 | Random House | Dean’s Pick From the bestselling author of The Hidden Life of Trees, Wohllenben examines animals under a similar lens. Comparing animals traits to human qualities and emotions, he effectively explores animals in an original and relatable way. Interesting and informed popular science described through a unique and special voice. The Quantum Astrologer’s Handbook | Michael Brooks | $29.99 | Penguin | Mischa’s Pick A science book that reads like a novel, Michael Brooks uses both the scientific and creative disciplines to his advantage to produce a compelling and fresh look at the world of quantum physics. Vividly bringing to life Jerome Cardano, a mathematical rogue of the sixteenth century, made the science writing accessible and compelling.
The Secret Life of Cows | Rosamund Young | $19.99 | Allen & Unwin | Fergus’ Pick In this affectionate chronicle Young shows recounts how cows love, play games, bond and form life-long friendships. They are individuals that seek out willow when injured and stinging nettles when pregnant, babysit for one another, invent games, take umbrage and grieve. The reason most of us don’t know about this is that modern farming leaves n o room for the natural behaviour celebrated here.
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LIFESTYLE & TRAVEL
Ain’t Got Time to Bleed | Andrew Shaffer | $22.99 | Harper Collins | Dean’s Pick Favorite movie characters splayed out on the operating table are drawn in cartoon with the real injuries endured in the film. Medics access these injuries and give their diagnosis - survivor or not able to walk off into the sunset! Clever fun for all movie fans!
The Book of Forgotten Authors | Christopher Fowler | $35.00 | Hachette | Mischa’s Pick Christopher Fowler has created the perfect collection for prolific book lovers and incessant second-hand book hunters because a lot of the books mentioned are hard to find or out of print! The backstories, anecdotes, and musings on 99 authors – who, once hugely popular, have become less well known or have even all but disappeared from shelves – will make for an enlightening and entertaining read.
50 Queers Who Changed the World | Dan Jones | $19.99 | Hardie Grant | Dean’s Pick From Oscar Wilde, who defended his homosexual relationships in court, to RuPaul acting as an ambassador for drag on network television, queer people have fought to express their identities and make a difference. This book celebrates their lives, work and unique perspectives. What Are We Even Doing With Our Lives? | Chelsea Marshall | $24.99 | Harper Collins | Emily’s Pick In Digi Valley, everyone is very, very busy – texting, tweeting, sending selfies, swiping for dates, and more. Labels scattered throughout the illustrations include CEO coach, urban farmer and brunch photographer. A very fun satire making us question our daily grind. Cinemaps | Andrew Degraff & A D Jameson | $49.99 | Penguin Random House | Steph’s Pick Follow Marty McFly through the Hill Valley as he races Back to the Future. Trail Jack Torrance as he navigates the corridors of the Overlook Hotel in The Shining. Beautiful hand-painted maps of all your favorite films, from King Kong and North by Northwest to The Princess Bride, Fargo, Pulp Fiction, even The Breakfast Club - with the routes of major characters charted in meticulous cartographic detail.
Law School | Benjamin Law & Jenny Phang | $24.99 | Brow Books | Mischa’s Pick The world’s first mother-son sex and relationships advice duo is here to save you from yourself! Ben and his mum Jenny (perhaps recognisable from the acclaimed TV show The Family Law) team up to challenge the way we think about intimacy in relationships and break the boundaries of societal taboos. Hilarious, rude, earnest, and heart-warming, Law School covers the practical and ethical dilemmas of love and sex from two generational and cultural perspectives.
Ungrateful Mammals | Dave Eggers | $45.00 | Thames & Hudson | Mariana’s Pick This is Dave Eggers’ first venture into art in over a decade. Eggers was trained as a painter and also worked as a graphic designer in the days before his writing career took off. This book features drawings of animals alongside biblical quotations and quips on global politics. It really captures the breed of dry satire Eggers is so well-known for, and would make the perfect gift for that whimsical friend or family member with a penchant for humorous coffee table books.
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