The Lamb | Lucy Rose | $34 99 | Hachette
This absurd yet touching novel about a mother-daughter cannibal duo/relationship is, fittingly, as tender as the flesh they cook into stews Set in a rural English countryside, this fairytale-esque story follows Margot’s troubles with adolescence along with her and her mother’s insatiable appetites Beneath the layers of absurdity, the novel touched me with its striking reflections on complicated parental relationships, social difference and loneliness You will be unable to look away from this story filled with so much love and such terrible heartbreak – Angus
A Piece of Red Cloth | Leonie Norrington, Merrkiyawuy Ganambarr-Stubbs, Djawa Burarrwanga & Djawundil Maymuru | $34 99 | Allen & Unwin
Set in 1600s pre-colonial Arnhem Land, this immersive novel transports the reader into the lives of the Yolŋu people and their (mostly peaceful) trade with the Macassans of Indonesia The authors vividly evoke the daily life of the Yolŋu, and the connections they have with Country and each other. Tension mounts when an unscrupulous Macassan threatens a young woman ’ s honour, bringing the Yolŋu ’ s strength (particularly that of the extraordinary women) to the fore – Sylvia
The
Fermentation
All Better Now | Neal Shusterman | $22 99 | Walker Books
We’re almost a decade into the future and a pandemic is slowly taking hold For those that contract it, 4% will die For those who survive, there will be a life changing side-effect, happiness and contentment Meet Mariel, she's living in her car with her mother Gena, and Tiburon, son of billionaire Bas Escbedo, who just wants to have the chance to live his own life And Morgan, brilliantly minded and hungry to take what she wants from the world How will the pandemic deal with them? Shusterman always delivers incredible storylines, creating worlds, events and situations that blow your mind. This book delivers on every single page – Robert
Kitchen | Sam Cooper | $42 99 | Penguin
There are certain fermented foods that really tick all the boxes for me: gherkins, sauerkraut and the ultimate in umami funkiness, kimchi While I have made a quick onion pickle before, the lengthier processes of fermentation intimidate me somewhat Here, Sam Cooper kicks that fear to the ground and sweeps it out of the kitchen! Sam, a strong advocate for the health benefits of fermented foods, shows you how to make your favourite ferments and what to cook with them This is perfect for those who love a flavour bomb or three – Sylvia
The Group | Sigge Eklund | $32 99 | Allen & Unwin
An art gallery intern sees a group of cool-looking Swedes and immediately falls in lust and obsession Set in sultry Madrid, this book is an examination of sex, class, FOMO and exactly how far we would go to fit in At times, I was tempted to roll my eyes, but generally, I was captivated – Lexie
Nephthys | Rachel Louise Driscoll | $34 99 | Random House
Hieroglyphist Clemmie Attridge is a savant with languages Her story unfolds like a lotus, each petal revealing a little bit more: a broken engagement, a betrayal and the ancient curse of Isis and Nephthys This wonderful book is part-mystery, part-thriller, partgothic romance, with meticulously researched detail – Robert
Witchcraft for Wayward Girls | Grady Hendrix | $34 99 | Macmillan
This gothic horror brings together several ‘wayward’ girls who must fight for their rights, their babies and their lives The theme of women ’ s autonomy around their bodies is more important than ever; WFWG emphasises this, and the horrors society continues to allow to happen – Ruby
Head Cases | John McMahon | $34 99 | Harper Collins
The FBI’s Patterns and Recognition unit are too good to let go, but too weird to fit in – perfect for Gardner Camden, with his eidetic memory and the social graces of a dropped pie Now somebody is killing serial killers, and only Gardner and his elite pack of kooks can stop a killer so brilliantly cunning – Connor
Nesting | Roisín O'Donnell | $34 99 | Simon & Schuster
Clara and her daughters flee their abusive home, yet a successful escape is a fleeting hope as Clara encounters a broken public housing system She is left emotionally and financially devastated Clara’s visceral experiences come through so strongly that this book is almost impossible to put down – Angus
A Spring of Love | Celia Dale | $24 99 | Faber
My first entry into the genre of ’suburban horror’ imparts some important life lessons Don’t get old Don’t get married Don’t trust your husband And never, ever, ever give anybody else access to your finances In a story where a you want to scream ‘look behind you!’, marriage is truly the worst horror – Lexie
Fromacrosstheriver,foryearsCharlesLamoswayhaswatchedhisyoung neighbourElizabeth’slifeunfoldonMaine'sPenobscotReservation.Elizabeth ishisdaughter–butshedoesn’tknowCharlesbecomesworriedwhen ElizabethdisappearsCanhesharehissecret?Andwouldhisdaughterwant toknowthetruth,evenifitcosthereverythingshe'severknown?
People Collide | Isle McElroy | $36 99 | Harper Collins
One day when Eli leaves the cramped Bulgarian apartment he shares with his wife Elizabeth, he discovers that he inhabits her body When Elizabeth, now ‘Eli’, disappears without a trace, Eli undertakes a search across Europe and America for his missing wife People Collide is a portrait of shared lives that shines a refreshing light on everything we thought we knew about love, sexuality and the truth of who we are
Small Rain | Garth Greenwell | $34 99 | Pan Macmillan
A poet’s life is turned inside out when he is plunged into the dysfunctional American healthcare system After living for so long in his mind, he struggles to understand what is happening to his body This is a searching, sweeping novel set at the furthest edges of human experience, where the forces that give life value – art, memory, poetry, music, care – are thrown into sharp relief Small Rain surges beyond the hospital to encompass a radiant vision of human life
Three Days in June | Anne Tyler | $32 99 | Random House
It's the day before her daughter's wedding and things are not going well for Gail Baines She loses her job, her ex-husband Max turns up, and their daughter Debbie discovers her groom has a secret Gail is seriously worried, but Max is unconcerned After the wedding, Gail and Max prepare to go their separate ways again, but the questions about the future of the happy couple have stirred up the past for Gail Could the younger generation teach the older about secrets, acceptance and taking the rough with the smooth?
Savage Theories | Pola Oloixarac | $24 99 | Allen & Unwin
A philosophy student unsuccessfully stalks a middle-aged professor then seduces a former leftist guerilla, blurring the lines between predator and prey Kamtchowsky, a transgressive filmmaker, and her boyfriend’s intellectual and sexual misadventures illustrate the underground scene of Buenos Aires A Dutch anthropologist theorises about the development of beast into man This is a novel of seduction and madness, both strange and spellbinding
The Knowing | Madeleine Ryan | $29 99 | Scribe
Camille lives in the country She's forgotten her phone She's taking the train to work She's got period pain She can't escape herself or her toxic boss, Holly And it's Valentine's Day The Knowing is a day in the life of a woman who goes to work dreaming of more
Grave Empire | Richard Swan | $34 99 | Hachette
The Empire of the Wolf is facing dark times Amid plague and war, worrying signs herald the end of days It falls to Renata Rainer, a low-ranking ambassador, to find the answers But with the Empire on the brink, there may not be a world left to save
Blob: A Love Story | Maggie
Su | $32 99 | Hachette
Vi Liu is stuck in a job she hates, her ex-boyfriend has blocked her and she's lashing out Then she stumbles across a strange sentient blob and discovers that she can shape the blob into her perfect man But is Bob the Blob really the answer to her dreams, or a catalyst for further disaster?
Somebody Down There Likes Me |
Robert Lukins | $32 99 | Allen & Unwin
The Gulch family have led a charmed existence in their ultrawealthy Connecticut enclave But the false empire they have built is on the edge of collapse The children are summoned and Kick Gulch is soon drawn back into a world she thought she'd escaped
Of the Flesh | Various | $34 99 | Harper Collins
Eighteen writers present stories that will curdle your blood, haunt your dreams and redefine terror An exploited child worker finds an ally, but at what cost? A sailor's wife takes her communion with Nature a little too far A long-dead corpse is found perfectly preserved This collection plumbs the depths of the psyche and dredges up some very modern horrors
Perspectives | Laurent Binet | $34 99 |
Random House
Florence, New Year's Day, 1557 A painter is discovered dead on the floor of the church A scandalous painting depicting a naked Maria de Medici is found As the city erupts in chaos, art historian Giorgio Vasari leads the investigation Who is the murderer? Who created the painting? The truth is as shocking as the art that made Florence the centre of Europe
How to Fall in Love with Humanity | James ‘Fish’ Gill | $34 99| Affirm Press
Wellbeing is ultimately founded on fulfilling relationships Yet misunderstandings, disagreements and conflicts arise with those we care most about Without skills to mend relationship ruptures, disconnection deepens; unsurprisingly, loneliness is becoming a public health epidemic How to Fall in Love with Humanity delivers a practical roadmap to relationship repair and prevention of conflicts through strength and open-heartedness
The Forgotten Sense | Jonas Olofsson | $34 99 | Harper Collins
Smells and scents are the colour that enrich life When we reflect on our sense of smell, discussions can range from food and wine, or smells that evoke memories of childhood, dead relatives, pregnancy, love and sex Our sense of smell not only reflects the chemical world outside us, but also bears witness to our feelings and thoughts This fascinating book explores the unknown mind and how it shapes us
Unfortunately, She was a Nymphomaniac | Joan Smith | $34 99 | Harper Collins
Writer, activist and journalist Joan Smith reinterprets the bloody, violent story of twenty-three women –wives, mothers and daughters – closely associated with the Julio-Claudian emperors of Rome While the most privileged women of their time, their lives were overshadowed, dominated and controlled by these men Raped, killed, ripped apart from their children and mostly airbrushed from history, Smith brings their extraordinary and tragic stories back into focus, bringing to this history not only a fresh interpretation of the original texts but also an understanding of what we now know about the mechanics of domestic abuse.
The Peepshow: The Murders at 10 Rillington Place | Kate Summerscale | $34 99 | Bloomsbury London, 1953 Police discover the bodies of three young women hidden in a wall at 10 Rillington Place, a dingy terrace house in Notting Hill Then they find another body beneath the floorboards, and an array of human bones in the garden But three years ago, they already investigated a double murder at 10 Rillington Place – and the killer was hanged Did they get the wrong man? Kate Summerscale uncovers the lives of the victims, the tabloid frenzy their deaths inspired, and the truth about what happened inside the house
The Use of Photography | Annie Ernaux & Marc Marie | $26 99 | Allen & Unwin
An account of Annie and Marc’s passionate love affair as Annie dealt with breast cancer. Annie describes how, following their encounters, she became entranced by the sight of clothes strewn about and how painful it was to put things back in order Annie began to take photos of the disarray Translated by Alison L Strayer, this is an intense meditation on eroticism, writing and photography
Emperor of the Seas | Jack Weatherford | $34 99 | Bloomsbury
By the time Khublai Khan created the Yuan dynasty in 1279, the Mongols controlled the most powerful navy in the world How did a nomad come to conquer China and master the sea?
Specialist in Mongol culture Jack Weatherford brings this littleknown story vibrantly to life
Your Guide to Not Getting Murdered in a Quaint English
Village | Maureen Johnson & Jay Cooper | $29 99 | Bloomsbury
If you insist on visiting English villages, take this book with you!
With dozens of drawings and allusions to classic crime fiction, this guide will teach you to not look in the pond, keep away from the maze and never trust the vicar
Prosecuting the Powerful | Steve Crenshaw | $34 99 | Hachette
Could Putin ever be put in the dock for his crimes? This once seemed unthinkable, but journalist and human rights advocate Steve Crawshaw believes that this scenario is now a possibility
Drawing on his experiences on the front lines in Ukraine and Israel and more, Crawshaw tells of the long struggle for accountability
Poet, Mystic, Widow, Wife | Hetta Howes | $34 99 | Bloomsbury
What was life like for women in medieval times? Could they live independently? How did they think about sex, death and God? Howes shares the stories of four extraordinary medieval women who pushed back against misogyny and broke new ground in women ' s writing
Stranger than Fiction | Edwin Frank | $36 99 | Random House
As director of the New York Review Books, Edwin Frank has introduced readers to forgotten or overlooked texts for more than two decades Here, the legendary editor offers a survey of the key works that defined the twentieth-century novel, and mixes biographical portraiture, cultural history and encounters with great works of art to make sense of a century of writing
Poor Artists| Gabrielle de la Puente and Zarina Muhammad | $45 00 | Penguin
When working as a professional artist is an increasing luxury, art criticism duo The White Pube investigate why so many artists try anyway Here they ridicule a contemporary art world that has turned art schools into universities and creative expression into competition, and follow artist Quest Talukdar as she embarks on a surreal journey into the creative industry
The Deadly Fang (Super Epic Dragon Quest #1) | Adam Wallace | $15 99 | Scholastic | 6+
Arlo is a farmboy brushing the unibrows of his unicows Julia’s an adventurer who wants a friend to talk to Together, they embark on a quest to save their town from grumpiness and disgusting lemonade by finding an invisible island, facing a freaky foe and bringing home dragon treasure
Hattie Peck| Emma Levey | $24 99 | Affirm Press | 3+
Hattie Peck loved eggs! Big ones, small ones, speckled ones All she wanted was an egg of her own One day, Hattie left her cosy coop to find all the abandoned eggs of the world And find them she did! But what will happen when they hatch? This is a heartwarming story about family, love and overcoming adversity
Monty and Mandy Take on Camp Spaloonka | Adam Wallance | $14 99 | Simon & Schuster | 6+
Besties Monty and Mandy are super excited to go to Camp Spaloonka, their first ever school camp Will they outsmart Samson O'Reilly and win the Talent Show? Will they survive White-water Mania? And will everyone else survive their camp hijinks?
Fairy Door Diaries: Eliza and the Flower Fairies | Megan McDonald | $19 99 | Walker Books | 5+
A door in Eliza’s bedroom leads to the Land of UnderStair There, Eliza travels to a magical place of fairies and blooms But when she picks a strange flower, things soon go terribly awry Can her friend Poppy rescue Eliza from beyond the hedgerow?
The Ballad of Darcy & Russell | Morgan Matson | $22 99 | Affirm Press |13+ Stranded at a bus station after a music festival, Darcy meets funny, kind and extremely cute Russell – he’s perfect But over the course of twenty-four hours filled with night swimming, run-ins with the law, epic road trips and dramatic revelations, Darcy must question everything she believes about love Can you really fall for someone you just met? And is it worth saying hello when you you ' re destined for goodbye?
The Story Factory | Jam Dong | $27 99 | Walker Books | 3+
The story factory knows exactly what makes a book: characters, plot, vocabulary and punctuation It uses these over and over again Nothing new or original is ever added – that is, until the day the factory suddenly stops producing books The workers must locate the problem, but what they find may just change everything!
Eli and the Uncles | Jehan Madhani | $27 99 | Walker Books
Wonderful, vibrant, powerful and loving This gorgeous picture book takes us on a glorious ride with Eli as he spends a day with his many adoring, talented uncles The illustrations and words show us a day of family as well as the beauty of SouthAsian culture – Robert
Cruel is the Light | Sophie Clark | $24 99 | Penguin
Following a century of conflict between Russia and the Roman Empire, high-ranking exorcist Selene Alleva runs from a dark family legacy and kindles a romance with soldier Jules Lacroix When they discover a terrible conspiracy, the lovers are forced to make a choice between love and duty – Arabella
The Day You Begin | Jacqueline Woodson | $16 99 | Hachette
A heartwarming, reassuring story about forging connections in the face of difference Though we may feel like an outsider if we eat different food or speak a different language, friendship with others just like us can be found With lyrical text and vibrant illustrations, The Day You Begin makes a great conversation starter – Caro
The Worst Perfect Moment | Shivaun Plozza | $19 99 | Walker Books
When Tegan Masters wakes up, she discovers she is dead – and back at Marybelle Motor Lodge. She must find her identity in the afterlife, or spend eternity at the worst place ever With humour, tragedy and a coming-of-age theme, this edgy read explores queer romance, self-acceptance and much more – Adina
Ice Apprentices | Jacob North | $17 99 | Simon & Schuster
Rich with lore, sketchy characters, powerful families and secrets, this is precisely the thrilling adventure I hoped it would be! Set in an icy land teeming with monsters and magic, Oswin has his life upended when he goes to the magic school, Corridor There, he learns the secrets behind this mysterious frozen land – Hugh
Maurice: The Illustrated Edition | E M Forster & Luke Edward Hall | $34 99 | Allen & Unwin
I’m always weak for historical gay folks, so I’m delighted that Faber has reissued Maurice in this stunningly illustrated edition. So radical that it couldn’t be published in Forster’s lifetime, this book is considered a founding work of contemporary (Western/Anglophone) gay literature – Leona
A Rebel in Gaza | Asmaa Alghoul and Sélim Nassib | $32 99 | Allen & Unwin
An intimate, heartfelt and insightful memoir about a young woman who was born in Rafah, raised in Gaza, and who spent her adolescence in the UAE
Both a very readable chronicle and a nuanced look at the abhorrent situation in Palestine – Steph
Perfection | Vincenzo Latronico | $29 99 | Text
This take on the tension between creativity and the grind of contemporary life paints an intriguing dilemma: should we reach for perfection? A bleak but beautiful picture of relationships, political impulse, art and society that lingers, this book left me questioning whether perfection is attainable or simply an illusion – Francesca
Into the Great Wide Ocean | Sönke Johnsen | $39 99 | NewSouth Books
An awe-inspiring science book about animals that live in ‘pelagic’ zones in the ocean – animals that live in the middle of the open ocean, unmoored from solid ground, that display bizarre and enthralling adaptions Johnsen truly captured my imagination! – Lewis
A Serial Killer’s Guide to Marriage | Asia Mackay | $32 99 | Hachette Fox and Haze give up their glam serial-killer lifestyle for suburbia Haze struggles to adjust and a spontaneous kill soon threatens what they’ve built Funny, endearing and a reminder that the key to a healthy marriage, even the ones based on vigilante kills, is good communication – Meahb
Eclipse | Kirli Saunders | $24 99 | Allen & Unwin
With prose as evocative and intricate as the illustrations that embellish this book, Kiri Saunders’ brings us another lyrical poetry collection, playing with structure and form to tell stories about Ancestral wisdom, life as a queer Black woman, community, history and love – Steph
May You Have Delicious Meals | Junko Takase | $34 99 | Random House
A delightfully pithy deep dive into office politics Using food and communal eating as the central point, Takase examines annoying bosses, people not pulling their weight, inter-office relationships, and bullying in the work place This snack sized book is perfect to get through in a single sitting – Lexie
Unfinished Business | Shankari Chandran | $34 99 | Ultimo Press
Sri Lanka, 2009 Decades of civil war are being brought to an end at last, but in Colombo, journalist Ameena Fernando is murdered With pressure growing to find Ameena’s killer, CIA agent Ellie Harper is sent to seek justice for the journalist’s death, with strict instructions: find something, but not too much Amid the international scheming and jostling for stakes in post-war Sri Lanka, Ellie, haunted by past mistakes, follows the trail of secrets on a mission to uncover a truth worth killing for
Three Boys Gone | Mark Smith | $34 99 | Macmillan
Three of Grace Disher’s students are about to die On a high school camping trip, the boys slip away for an ocean swim but when Grace catches up to them, the surf conditions are perilous. Should she give her life to save them? This question haunts Grace as investigations begin and her decision not to attempt a rescue comes under scrutiny Hounded by conflicted staff, grieving parents and relentless media, Grace's safety is compromised and she must be careful who she trusts A heart-in-mouth psychological thriller
Cold Truth | Ashley Kalagian Blunt | $34.99 | Ultimo Press
Harlow Close is an influencer famous for uncovering the secrets of Winnipeg, dubbed ‘North America's strangest city’. The region is renowned for its subzero temperatures, yet, it’s not just the frigid winters and geographic seclusion that render Winnipeg peculiar When Harlow’s father mysteriously disappears, suspicions of foul play arise Unhappy with the police investigation, Harlow launches her own search and as she struggles to uncover the truth, she’s forced to question everything and everyone around her – including herself
The Grape Vine | Kate Kemp | $32 99 | Hachette
It's summer in Australia, 1979, and in a quiet cul-de-sac, a housewife is scrubbing the tiles of her bathroom floor – at 3 am She is trying to remove traces of blood before they stain Her husband, remarkably calm after murdering their neighbour, looks on Soon, news of Antonio Marietti's death spreads like wildfire and suspicion mounts Determined twelve-year-old Tammy launches her own investigation, but she is not the only one whose well-meaning efforts uncover more mysteries than they solve
The Reunion | Bronwyn Rivers | $32 99 | Hachette
Ten years ago, six teenagers hiked into the Blue Mountains wilderness –and only five came out alive The survivors have barely seen each other since Yet when an invitation arrives to attend a 10-year memorial of their friend's death, Hugh, Charlotte, Alex, Laura and Jack travel back into the rugged landscape where it all began A weekend at an isolated homestead in the bush should be a chance to reflect and reconnect, but the friends have been carrying secrets from the fateful hike and someone will stop at nothing to get the truth
The Knowing: Madeleine Ryan in-conversation with Orla Doyle
Thursday 6th February at 6.30pm
Upstairs at Better Read Than Dead
Half Truth: Nadia Mahjouri in-conversation with Winnie Dunn
Wednesday 12th February at 6.30pm
Upstairs at Better Read Than Dead
The Oasis: Graeme Simsion and Anne Buist in-conversation
Thursday 27th February at 6 30pm
Upstairs at Better Read Than Dead
For more information, to find out what else is on this month and to RSVP, head to www.betterreadevents.com
