Reading Guide Where the Trees Were | Inga Simpson | $29.99 | Hachette Kieran cleared his throat. ‘We swear, on these trees, to always be friends. To protect each other - and this place.’ A beautiful new novel about the innocence of childhood and the scars that stay with you for life, from the award winning author of Mr Wigg.
Ice Letters | Susan Errington | $32.99 | Random House Set during WWI, spanning from the oppressively hot landscape of Adelaide to the icy wilderness of Antarctica, this is a new perspective on parted lovers and the violence of war. Both raw and delicate, Errington writes with rich imagery and poetic vivacity.
AUSTRALIAN FICTION
Mother’s Day
Precious Things | Kelly Doust | $29.99 | Harper Collins Precious Things is a thoroughly absorbing debut novel. It tells the story of an enchanting collar with a rich, delicate history; chanced upon by Maggie, an auctioneer working in contemporary London. The mission that she undertakes to trace back its history is engrossing and carries with it a deeper message about the things we take for granted in life.
Our Tiny, Useless Hearts | Toni Jordan | $29.99 | Penguin Henry has ended his marriage to Caroline and headed off to Noosa with Mercedes’ grade three teacher, Martha. Harnessing the exquisite timing of the great comedies to the narrative power and emotional intelligence for which she is famous, Toni Jordan brings all her wisdom and flair to this brilliant, hilarious novel.
An Isolated Incident | Emily Maguire | $32.99 | Pan Macmillan In a small NSW town Bella Michaels is murdered. Sparking a media storm, the murder leaves the town, and Bella’s sister Chris, in shock. Struck with grief, Chris tries to piece together the puzzle of what happened to Bella and her suspicion of those around her grows. An Isolated Incident is a psychological thriller that gets to the heart of everyday violence.
A Kiss from Mr Fitzgerald | Natasha Lester | $29.99 | Hachette Set in Jazz-age New York, this novel follows Evelyn through the turbulence of life, career decisions and romance. Evie is a small-town woman, standing at the edge of the most exciting period in her life. Lester creates a world with delicacy, set against a bustling Manhattan full of the types of characters for which it is best known.
The Last Painting of Sara De Vos | Dominic Smith | $32.99 | Allen & Unwin If ever there was a page turner, this beautiful literary novel is it! The suspense is equal to a thriller. In 1600’s Sara De Vos is a portrait painter and the first female accepted into the Guild of St Luke’s. When her daughter dies, she paints an eerie landscape while working through her grief. In 1950’s NYC, Australian graduate Ellie is writing her thesis on Dutch painters when she is asked to forge the De Vos. Fifty years later in Sydney, Ellie is curating an exhibition on Dutch painters of the Golden Age at the NSWAG when both the original and her forgery turn up. As the three threads weave their magic, an intoxicating story of deceit unfolds.
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FICTION
The Course of Love | Alain de Botton | $32.99 | Penguin This novel is a moving exploration of the process of meeting someone and falling in love. Does this necessarily always entail living happily ever after with your chosen partner? Falling in love and getting married, after all, is only the beginning.
The Lubetkin Legacy | Marina Lewycka | $32.99 | Penguin Follow a bunch of misfit characters in a London housing block, fighting to save their homes from development. Their displacement is a very current topic and is handled brilliantly, making The Lubetkin Legacy a very easy, current and enjoyable read!
The Bricks That Built the Houses l Kate Tempest | $27.99 | Bloomsbury Rolling, rhythmical, lyrical it reads as her spoken word presents. The story is fresh and ethical; the characters are contemporary and gripping. There is nothing like this book out there. Winner of the Ted Hughes Prize for innovation in poetry, in my opinion she is also an innovator in fiction and a major new literary voice to watch out for. The Pier Falls | Mark Haddon | $32.99 | Random House This collection of short stories from the author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the NightTime is not to be missed. It showcases Haddon’s hallmark flair for evocative language that is able to engage all of the senses at once without overloading them. The opening lines of the title story set a detailed, rustic scene: “Two thousand people saunter along the prom ... A gull picks a wafer from a dropped ice cream and lifts into the wind.” Fans of Haddon’s earlier work and lovers of colourful, literary writing are in for a treat.
Hitman Anders and the Meaning of It All | Jonas Jonasson | $29.99 | Harper Collins Per Persson is a struggling receptionist living and working in a low grade hotel. Frightened by a resident named Hitman Anders, he is coerced into helping him by another resident a priest who doesn’t believe in god. The misadventures that follow make for a wonderful break from reality and a good hearty laugh. Everyone Brave is Forgiven | Chris Cleave | $29.99 | Hachette Four remarkable characters; Mary, a school teacher straight out of finishing school, Tom, a schoolmaster, Alastair, an art restorer turned solider and Hilda, who is posted as an ambulance driver, each experience the horrors of WWII in life-changing ways. Cleave’s new novel sheds new light on a much-discussed topic and is both an epic, sweeping story and a quiet, breathtaking tale.
Britt-Marie Was Here | Fredrick Backman | $29.99 | Hachette Stifled by a loveless marriage that’s lasted over 40 years, 63-year-old Britt-Marie leaves her husband and finds a new job in a new city, where things take a bit of getting used to! A truly heartwarming tale about love, change, and friendship.
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What Is Not Yours, Is Not Yours | Helen Oyeyemi | $29.99 | Pan Macmillan Playful, ambitious, and exquisitely imagined, this story collection is cleverly built around the idea of keys; the key to a house, the key to a heart, the key to a secret. Oyeyemi’s tales span many times and landscapes as they tease boundaries between coexisting realities.
The One Who Got Away | Caroline Overington | $29.99 | Harper Collins Loren Wynne-Estes appears to have it all: from the handsome husband to the fleet of shiny cars. But her Facebook perfect marriage is about to be spectacularly exposed, after a fellow parent taps Loren on the shoulder outside the grand school gate and hands her a note. What comes next is an underbelly of lies and betrayal that will scandalise a small town and leave a family divided. We all keep secrets. Some are deadly.
The Wicked Boy | Kate Summerscale | $27.99 | Bloomsbury Summerscale examines the true story of a shocking Victorian murder case. 13 year old Robert and his brother, Nattie are pawning their parents’ valuables. But when the police are called to investigate, the shocking discovery they make sends the community into a frenzy of horror, with Robert and Nattie at the forefront of a criminal trial. A Midsummer’s Equation | Keigo Higashino | $32.99 | Hachette Manabu Yukawa travels to a resort town that has fallen on hard times and been divided by a proposed mining operation. The night after a tense panel discussion, one of the guests is found dead and Yukawa must uncover the story behind the tragic events that led to this murder.
Fellside | M R Carey | $29.99 | Hachette Jess Moulson finds herself in hospital. Her addict boyfriend is injured, her face is badly burned, and a 10-year-old boy is dead. Sent to Fellside prison, she is visited by the dead boy’s ghost, who begs her to discover the truth about his murder and the miscarriage of justice. A thrilling read!
The Trees | Ali Shaw | $27.99 | Bloomsbury A gang of unlikely misfits band together and travel across England, in a world where trees have taken over. This is an eerie and wild adventure story full of philosophical leanings, magical realism that leads to a dynamic and extraordinary conclusion. An adventure story with a dash of strange!
Children of the Earth & Sky | Guy Gavriel Kay | $32.99 | Hachette Kay reimagines the melting pot of Renaissance Europe. Well-known places and events are transformed into the wonderful and strange through the lens of fantasy, and brought to life with vividly drawn characters and the most graceful of styles.
The Fireman | Joe Hill | $29.99 | Hachette Dragonscale is a highly contagious, deadly spore that afflicts its hosts with beautiful black and gold marks across their bodies before causing them to burst into flames. This thrilling dystopian story draws together stories of survival in a chaotic, plagued world!
CRIME FICTION / FANTASY
Dark Fires Shall Burn l Anna Westbrook | $32.99 | Scribe Based on the true events of a unsolved murder in 1946 Newtown, this is a fascinating atmospheric literary crime novel. Two young girls are introduced to the enigmatic underbelly of violence, sex and queer Sydney through a series of devastating events. Watching the young characters growing into Newtown’s fierce older worlds makes for a terrific read to be enjoyed by crime, literary and history buffs alike.
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BIOGRAPHY
Rosetta | Alexandra Joel | $34.99 | Random House Part-memoir, part-biography, Joel documents her journey of discovering the devastating and scandalous truth about her greatgrandmother, Rosetta. Akin to fellow Australian author Kate Forsyth’s recreations of the past, Rosetta will immerse you!
Enter Helen | Brooke Hauser | $32.99 | Harper Collins Enter Helen explores the life of a prominent female pioneer of the print media industry, drawing from letters and interviews to paint a vivid portrait of Gurley Brown’s life. It also looks at the influence she’s had on discussions of female sexuality.
Lab Girl l Hope Jahren | $32.99 | Hachette If you have any kind of relationship to plants or trees or seeds you simply must read this book. It is less a memoir than an homage to life and storytelling in science and the natural world. The stories are both professional and personal and go far beyond the lab; from beyond the North Pole to Hawaii, Norway and Ireland, and in all likelihood, you’ve not seen these places in this way before. Of Ashes and Rivers that Run to the Sea | Marie Munkara | $34.99 | Random House An old baptismal card falling out of a book changed the course of Marie Munkara’s life forever. Until that moment she had no idea of her true origins in Arnhem Land. Marie went looking for her own family, leaving her strict Catholic establishment family aghast. With devastating honesty, humour and courage, the award-winning author of Every Secret Thing shares her extraordinary journey of discovery to find her origins.
Dear World, How Are You? | Toby Little | $32.99 | Penguin This gorgeous book collects the letters that 5 year old Toby Little wrote in his quest to contact someone in every country in the world. It reflects a sincere appreciation of the power of connecting with the world around us on a broader scale and is a wonderfully unique exploration of a long-established medium. Raif Badawi: The Voice of Freedom | Ensaf Haidar | $32.99 | Hachette Raif Badawi; activist, Saudi Arabia prisoner, nominee for the 2015 Nobel Prize and his wife Ensaf Haidar tell the extraordinary story of their struggle in Saudi Arabia, their activism and their effort to save Raif from murder at the hands of the Saudi judiciary.
What Happened, Miss Simone? | Alan Light | $29.99 | Allen & Unwin Music journalist Alan Light highlights Simone’s musical inventiveness and unwavering quest for equality, while laying bare the personal demons that plagued her from the time of her Jim Crow childhood to her self-imposed exile in Liberia and Paris later in life.
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Paul McCartney | Philip Norman | $32.99 | Hachette A biography of one of the most influential men in modern music, written by the journalist who wrote the best-selling biography of The Beatles that continues to be regarded as the most definitive on the topic, enhanced by new interviews with Paul’s colleagues.
NON-FICTION
Better Living Through Criticism | A O Scott | $35.00 | Random House “The time for criticism is always now, because the imperative to think clearly, to insist on the necessary balance of reason and passion, never goes away.” In this climate of fervour over fact it’s difficult to imagine why anyone would embark upon a career in criticism, but Scott has done so, and what he mounts here is an impassioned and persuasive defence of criticism. Everywhere I Look | Helen Garner | $29.99 | Penguin Helen Garner has published her non-fiction work collected over fifteen years. This brilliant book speaks in Garner’s unmistakable style and shows the many sides of her work. Extracts from her personal diaries and frequently poetic observations make this collection compulsive reading. Garner simply owns the personal essay - the garner garnish, is exactly what you need!
Offshore | Madeline Gleeson | $24.99 | New South Gleeson brings us an unflinching account of the offshore processing of refugees in Australia since 2012. It goes into detail about the still relatively unknown goings on at Nauru and Manus Island, and the treatment of refugees in these centres. Gleeson uses her expertise in international refugee law to unpack the implications of offshore processing.
Street of Eternal Happiness | Rob Schmitz | $35.00 | Hachette One of the most interesting parts of the world right now is Shanghai. As the city undergoes a renaissance of ideas and massive capital injections, lives in Shanghai undergo rapid change. Individual stories create a complex portrait of the way the city and Schultz traces families in distinct generations who pursue their part of the Chinese dream.
Wardrobe Crisis | Clare Press | $29.99 | Penguin Who makes our clothes? What used to be an easy question to answer - it was the seamstress next door, or the tailor on the high street or you made them yourself – is now replaced by a globalised fashion industry worth $1.5 trillion a year. Press uses her insider perspective to examine the current and historical fashion ecosystem with a wittily written, persuasive argument.
Women of Australia | Bruce Postle | $29.99 | Affirm With a collection spanning over fifty years, Women of Australia presents 180 of Postle’s greatest images portraying the lives of women in Australia. This book shows women in all ages of life; some are famous or infamous, or famous only at home. A wonderful keepsake document celebrating the lives of women.
Chronicles | Thomas Picketty | $29.99 | Penguin Bringing readers the same expert eye, breadth of thought and practical ideas which made Capital such a success; Chronicles provides Piketty’s analysis of the financial crisis, and of subjects and individuals, from productivity in Britain to Barack Obama.
Atlas of Lost Cities | Aude de Tocqueville | $45.00 | Hachette Some of the most incredible ancient cities that have been abandoned, forgotten, or hidden by time are now revealed in their full splendor. An illuminating work about how and why ancient civilizations fail; it will prove an invaluable reference.
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COOKING
Studio Olafur Eliasson: The Kitchen l Olafur Elisasson | $59.95 | Penguin Discover the act of cooking and eating in a creative environment. Featuring over 100 vegetarian recipes from the studio kitchen of world-renowned artist Olafur Eliasson; these recipes for the home cook have served as nourishment and a source of inspiration and discussion every day for his staff, artists, and guest collaborators. Olafur’s vision of cooking and eating together as a means of daily connection and inspiration shines through in this stunningly presented hardcover book.
The Kitchen Shelf | Eve O’Sullivan & Rosie Reynolds | $49.95 | Penguin The Kitchen Shelf gives you everything you need to have a perfectly stocked pantry. The ten key essentials of this kitchen shelf? A can of chickpeas, a bag of rice, a can of tomatoes, a bag of flour, a jar of peanut butter, a box of eggs, a bag of pasta, a can of coconut milk, a bar of chocolate, and a bottle of milk. The Kitchen Shelf provides simple and reliable tips to make something delicious for friends and family.
Savour | Peter Gordon | $49.99 | Murdoch Books Savour is a cookbook dedicated to different types of salads in all of their glory, ranging from salads that can act as the centrepiece of a meal as well as those that can serve as an accompaniment. The recipes are creative, diverse, and healthy. Check out the chilli-chocolate teriyaki mackerel with samphire and orange salad!
Raw | Solli Eiriksdottir | $49.95 | Hachette This cookbook is a modern take on healthy vegetarian fare with a lot of the recipes using raw food or ingredients that have been cooked at low temperatures to retain maximum nutrients. 75 recipes have been compiled into chapters; breakfast, snacks, lunch, dinner and sweets, making this an easy to follow, all-encompassing cookbook that embraces healthy living. The accompanying photographs of the Islandic landscape and food highlight the whimsy and beauty of Icelandic food and nature.
Sirocco | Sabrina Ghayour | $39.99 | Hachette Sabrina Ghayour is a self-taught cook, food writer, host of the widely popular Sabrina’s Kitchen supper club in London, and one of the most exciting voices in Middle Eastern cuisine today. Sirocco highlights the use of simple pantry staples and striking flavour combinations to transform everyday dishes. From eye-catching salads to indulgent sweets, each of Ghayour’s recipes is a vibrant addition to the modern home cook’s table.
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The Nordic Kitchen | Claus Meyer | $39.99 | Hachette Discover fresh, Nordic family cooking with this book from Noma cofounder Claus Meyer. With its focus on good, seasonal ingredients and lightness of touch, Nordic cuisine is perfect family food. Divided into four seasonal chapters; it features recipes including Creamy Root Vegetable Soup with Crispy Bacon, Braised Pork Cheeks with Beer and Plum Vinegar, Pan-fried Mullet with Cucumber and Peas in Dill Butter.
Eat Pray Love Made Me Do It | $18.99 | Bloomsbury This is a collection of stories by people inspired by Gilbert’s bestselling sensation. With stories ranging from accounts by people grieving death or divorce, or undertaking spiritual transformations, it covers everything from a globetrotting adventure in the search of delicious pizza to finding new love following a
LIFESTYLE
The Wander Society | Keri Smith | $35.00 | Penguin The creative mastermind is back with this exciting exploration of the Wander Society, a group that holds up the act of wandering as a way of life. Smith’s trademark interactive style is developed in this book and the result is a refreshing and light-hearted adventure into the idea of curiosity.
Fix Your Garden l Jane Moseley, Jackie Strachan & Claire Rollet | $19.99 | Harper Collins Packed with tips and tricks to get your green fingers going, this beautifully illustrated little book will help you make the most of your outdoor space, even if you’ve only got a tiny windowbox. It contains a wealth of information on how to make your garden grow and your balcony bloom. This is a crash course in getting your outdoor space sorted and bringing the outside in! Mirror Work | Louise Hay | $16.99 | Hay House Hay’s latest book outlines a 21 day guide to selfexamination, introspection and healing. Hay’s famous mirror work method has been around for quite some time, but this is the first time it’s been consolidated into a single volume. The simplicity of Hay’s approach to selfhealing and nurturing selfrespect makes it accessible for people with ranging levels of engagement with self-help and motivational literature.
The Joy of Swimming | Lisa Congdon | $34.99 | Chronicle Books Refreshing, exhilarating, meditative, cathartic are among the plethora of emotive responses to swimming that Congdon draws upon in this homage to jumping in the water. Watercolour portraits, colourful drawing, photographs of vintage ephemera and objects, fascinating facts and profiles of those for whom swimming is a daily ritual amalgamates to form a loving tribute to the quintessential Australian pastime. Beyond Belief | Hugh Mackay | $32.99 | Pan Macmillan Mackay does justice to a thoroughly saturated topic by adding a fresh perspective to discussions of faith and God in a way that is accessible for people of the theistic and atheistic persuasion. This book explores how humans engage with notions of faith and the human desire for answers.
Kitchen Garden Companion Growing | Stephanie Alexander | $49.99 | Penguin In the follow up to the much loved ‘Kitchen Garden Companion’, Stephanie Alexander brings us her signature style garden-to-table-inspired mode of food preparation. This book details growing instructions for 73 different fruits, vegetables and herbs. The in-depth explanations of how to nourish and harvest a variety of delicious edibles make this a valuable addition to the bookshelf (or pantry!) of seasoned or beginner gardeners alike. Alexander is one of Australia’s best-loved and most well-known food writers and has authored a number of successful cook books.
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CHILDREN’S FICTION
Dear Mum, I Love You | Ed Allen & Simon Williams | $16.99 | Scholastic “Dear Mum, my favourite place in the whole wide world is always anywhere you are. I love you.” Open letters and lift the flaps to read all the loveable letters to these special mums! Write a letter to your own wonderful mum too on the pull-out note paper included.
My Mum Says the Strangest Things | Katrina Germein & Tom Jellett | $24.99 | Walker Books When Mum’s busy she says she’s run off her feet. When I dawdle, Mum tells me to shake a leg. When I say, “I’m coming,” Mum says, “So is Christmas.” My mum says the STRANGEST things. Affectionate and nostalgic, this is a fun mother’s day gift.
Mummy, You’re Special to Me | Laine Mitchell & Kim Fleming | $9.99 | Scholastic “My mummy tucks me in. She tells stories just right. We make secret wishes. She kisses me goodnight. Mummy, you’re special to me.” Follow Little Giraffe’s journey in this beautiful story to share with your special mummy.
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Supermum | Leah Russak & Anil Tortop | $16.99 | Scholastic My mum has secret superpowers, she can do amazing things... Superheroes have all kinds of special powers. They are super clever, super brave, super kind and super fun. And so are mums! What amazing superpowers does your Supermum have?
I Love Mum with the Very Hungry Caterpillar | Eric Carle | $14.99 | Penguin This delightful little book features Eric Carle’s bright and distinctive artwork of animal mums and babies - from giraffes and crocodiles to bears and penguins with The Very Hungry Caterpillar making an appearance alongside each one. The perfect gift for Mother’s Day!
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