Summer Reading Guide 2021

SUMMER READING GUIDE 2021 - 2022

265 KING ST NEWTOWN NSW 2042 | 02 9557 8700 | BOOKS@BETTERREAD.COM.AU

AUSTRALIAN FICTION

Love and Virtue | Diana Reid | $32.99 | Ultimo Press A contemporary campus tale with a local backdrop. Set at a Sydney University college and navigating young friendship, consent and privilege, this striking novel digs deep and is delivered in an engaging and engrossing prose. The characters are very real - we see them on King Street regularly. The ethical dilemma to do with consent is also very topical and it will be a

novel to talk about among friends. What a great summer read!

- Dean

Bodies of Light | Jennifer Down | $32.99 | Text Publishing A quiet, small-town existence. An unexpected Facebook message, jolting her back to the past. A history she’s reluctant to revisit. She became a new person a long time ago. What happens when buried stories are dragged into the light? This epic novel is a masterwork of tragedy and heartbreak— the story of a life in full.

Wild Abandon | Emily Bitto | $32.99 | Allen and Unwin A heartbroken man flees Australia for the USA where he meets a troubled Vietnam veteran, would-be spirit guide and collector of exotic animals. These men in crisis form an unlikely friendship. Wild Abandon is a compelling exploration of the falling world of capitalism and haunting, hyperreal snapshot of our times.

The Hush | Sara Foster | $32.99 | Harper Collins In the six months since the first case of a terrifying new epidemic - when a healthy baby wouldn’t take a breath at birth - the country has been thrown into turmoil. As a midwife, Lainey’s mum Emma is determined to be there for those who need her. But when seventeen-year-old Lainey finds herself in trouble, this dangerous new world becomes very real. The Hush is an unflinching look at a society close to tipping point.

Plum | Brendan Cowell | $32.99 | Harper Collins

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The Plum is a 49-year-old exstar NRL player whose life is turned upside-down following a startling diagnosis. A powerfully moving, authentic, big-hearted novel of men, their inarticulate pain and what it takes for them to save themselves - from themselves.

7 1/2 | Christos Tsiolkas | $32.99 | Allen and Unwin A man arrives at a house on the coast to write a book. Separated from his lover and family and friends, he finds the solitude he craves in the pyrotechnic beauty of nature. An audacious and transformative novel about the past, the present and the power of writing.

Apples Never Fall | Liane Moriarty | $32.99 | Pan Macmillan Moriarty has mastered the art of writing of the compulsively readable novel. Apples Never Fall cleverly employs the nonlinear narrative and chorus of voices that would be familiar to those who have read her other works. These elements carry the story of Joy and Stan, tennis coaches and parents to four children, as well as a mysterious house guest who shakes up their entire family. And there is a disappearance!

Apples Never Fall is utterly captivating and very witty.

- Steph

Nothing but my Body | Tilly Lawless | $29.99 | Allen and Unwin Spread over a snapshot of eight days across thirteen months of our unnamed protagonist’s life, we get an inside look at the class system and privilege within the different facets of sex work. Between drugs, working in brothels, abusive queer relationships, and climate change, no topic is off topic in this gorgeous work of auto-fiction.

- Lexie

The Fatal Dance | Berndt Sellheim | $32.99 | Harper Collins

Danged Black Thing | Eugen Bacon | $29.99 | Transit Lounge

A secret London apothecary sells potions to women to use against the oppressive men in their lives. In the present-day, an aspiring historian stumbles upon a clue to the unsolved apothecary murders 200 years earlier. A novel of great suspense, unforgettable characters and searing insight.

Red Campbell’s luck has just taken a turn for the worse, but he’s got plans to become Sydney’s leading property agent. Funny and moving, profound and profane, both an intimate family drama and an incisive parable of capitalism and collapse, this is an anarchic, joy-filled and ribald read.

An extraordinary collection of stories about love and migration, gender and class, patriarchy and womanhood, from a remarkable and original voice. Traversing the West and Africa, they celebrate the author’s own hybridity with breathtaking sensuousness and lyricism.

The Last Woman in the World | Inga Simpson | $32.99 | Hachette

Scary Monsters | Michelle de Kretser | $32.99 | Allen and Unwin

A reclusive artist’s quiet life is interrupted when a mother carrying a sick baby knock at her door, running from “them” and claiming everyone else to be gone. Simpson’s connection to nature shines and her ability to create a post fire, post virus, new dystopia is creative and fearfully clever.

- Dean

De Kretser has experimented with form to execute a literary wonder!

Delving into the migrant experience to examine contemporary monsters: racism, misogyny and ageism. Lyle’s story of an aging mother refusing treatment is top-to-tailed by Lily’s story of teaching in France (you have to flip the book over).

- Dean

The Younger Wife | Sally Hepworth | $32.99 | Pan Macmillan Tully and Rachel are murderous when they discover their father has a new girlfriend, and the fact that Heather is half his age isn’t even the most shocking part. Heather knows she has an uphill battle to win then while carrying the burden of the secrets of her past. Suspenseful, smart and brimming with secrets.

Treasure and Dirt | Chris Hammer | $32.99 | Allen and Unwin In the desolate outback town of Finnigans Gap, police struggle to maintain law and order. Thieves pillage opal mines, religious fanatics recruit vulnerable young people and billionaires do as they please. Then an miner is found crucified and left to rot down his mine. A superb standalone thriller from the author of Scrublands.

The Airways | Jennifer Mills | $32.99 | Pan Macmillan This is the story of Yun. It’s the story of Adam. Two young people.

A familiar chase. But this is not a love story. It’s a story of revenge, transformation, survival. The Airways shifts between Sydney and Beijing, unsettling the boundaries of gender and power, consent and rage, self and other, and even life and death.

AUSTRALIAN FICTION

The Lost Apothecary | Sarah Penner | $39.99 | Affirm Press

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INTERNATIONAL FICTION

The Book of Form and Emptiness | Ruth Ozeki | $32.99 | Text Publishing After the tragic death of his father, young Benny starts to hear voices.

Inanimate objects start to talk: pencils cry out in anger, and teapots babble with distress. Seeking comfort in the public library, Benny makes a startling discovery. Ozeki weaves a heart wrenching yet uplifting narrative. It’s urgent, funny and wise.

- Stella

Build Your House Around My Body | Violet Kupersmith | $29.99 | Allen and Unwin Set in Saigon and the highlands of Vietnam, this dreamy magical realist tale is everything that I look for in a novel. Three women seek revenge on those who betray their hearts. Shape shifting into snakes, dogs, houses, they hunt and haunt, righting wrongdoing. I adored each of the three women Winnie, Binh, Old Ma but particularly loved the fortune tellers from The Saigon Spirit Eradication company. For fans of The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, you have found your next read and book love. Brilliant!

- Dean

Cloud Cuckoo Land | Anthony Doerr | $32.99 | Harper Collins An orphaned seamstress in 1453 Constantinople.

An impoverished kid seeking revenge in 2020 Idaho. And in the future, Konstance is the last hope for the human race.

Bound together by a single ancient text, these tales interweave to form a tapestry of solace and resilience.

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Harlem Shuffle | Colson Whitehead | $29.99 | Hachette Armed with humour, this is a heist story set in 1960s Harlem and a commentary on race and power.

Three stories unfold and tie together to deliver the cheeky and crooked hustler Ray Carney’s life. And you’re rooting for him! Whitehead’s gift of bringing historical periods to life has been perfectly executed here. - Dean

Crossroads | Jonathan Franzen | $32.99 | Harper Collins A tour de force of interwoven perspectives and sustained suspense, Crossroads is the story of a 1970s Midwestern family at a historical moment of moral crisis.

Franzen’s gift for melding small affairs with the bigger picture has never been more dazzlingly evident.

Bewilderment | Richard Powers | $32.99 | Penguin With soaring descriptions of the natural world, its tantalizing vision of life beyond, and its account of a father and son’s ferocious love, this is Powers’s most intimate and moving novel. At its heart lies the question: How can we tell our children the truth about this beautiful, imperiled planet?

The Books of Jacob | Olga Tokarczuk | $34.99 | Text Publishing In the mid-eighteenth century, a young Jew of mysterious origins arrives in Poland. In the decade to come, Frank reinvents himself again and again, converting to Islam and then Catholicism, and wreaking havoc on the conventional order. Narrated through the perspectives of his contemporaries, those who revere him, those who revile him, the friend who betrays him, the lone woman who sees him for what he is, The Books of Jacob captures a world on the cusp of precipitous change.

The Cat Who Saved Books | Sosuka Natsukawa | $19.99 | Pan Macmillan This ones for all the cat loving bookworms out there. As someone who typically gravitates towards books that don’t necessarily highlight all that is good in the word, this title was a much needed palate cleanse. A heartwarming story that chronicles the journey of a talking cat (yay) and high school student as they endeavour to save books that have been imprisoned, destroyed and unloved.

With underlying commentary on consumerism and greed as well as a healthy amount of fantasy, this novel is perfect for those who cherish their books and their value as art.

- Carolina

Colorful | Eto Mori | $27.99 | Penguin

An independent bookstore in Minneapolis is haunted for a year by the store’s most annoying customer, and Tookie lands a job at the store after years of incarceration. A proliferating and mysterious ghost story propels this rich, emotional and profound tale.

A soul not yet kicked out of the cycle of rebirth must recall the biggest mistake of his past life while in the body of fourteenyear-old Makoto, who has just committed suicide. A beloved classic in Japan and a groundbreaking tale of a spirit who gets a second chance.

The Lincoln Highway | Amor Towles | $32.99 | Random House This 1950s epic follows the journey of newly de-incarcerated 18 year old Emmet Watson and a gang of striking, spirited, and sometimes sinister characters as they travel the width of America in search of a new life. With propulsive, vibrant prose and unforgettable characters, this is a wonderfully bumpy ride.

- Darcy

My Monticello | Jocelyn Nicole Johnson | $29.99 | Random House My Monticello is a powerful story told over nineteen days, starting with a night of power outages, arson and gunfire. Attacks by white supremacists force a group of family and friends to shelter in an old plantation house. A topical and searing examination of systemic violence in the USA. - Leona

Bath Haus | P. J. Vernon | $27.99 | Random House Oliver Park, a recovering addict from Indiana, finally has everything he ever wanted: sobriety and a loving, wealthy partner in Nathan. Then he enters a gay bathhouse and barely escapes with his life.

A scintillating thriller with an emotional punch.

Magma | Thora Hjörleifsdóttir | $34.99 | Pan Macmillan Lilja is in love. He is older and beautiful, a Derrida quoting intellectual. He is also a serial cheater, gaslighter and narcissist. Lilja will do anything to hold on to him. Hjörleifsdóttir explores the darkest corners of relationships, capturing an ugly, hidden nature of love in poetic prose.

INTERNATIONAL FICTION

The Sentence | Louise Erdrich | $32.99 | Hachette

The Woman from Uruguay | Pedro Mairal | $29.99 | Bloomsbury Lucas Pereyra, an unemployed writer in a challenging marriage meets Magalí Guerra Zabala, a free spirit with her own relationship troubles.

An unforgettable story of two would-be lovers over the course of a single day.

The Prince of the Skies | Antonio Iturbe | $32.99 | Pan Macmillan All Antoine de Saint Exupéry wants to do is be a pilot. But flying is a dangerous dream and one that sets him at odds with his aristocratic background and the woman he loves.

A captivating historical novel based on the great life and mysterious death of the author of The Little Prince.

Where You Come From | Saša Stanišić | $29.99 | Penguin A novel about a village where few people remain, a country that no longer exists, a shattered family that is his own.

Blending autofiction, fable, and chooseyour-own-adventure, Stanišić explores a family’s escape during the conflict in Yugoslavia, and the years that followed as they built a life in Germany.

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SHORT STORIES / POETRY 6

Today a Woman Went Mad in the Supermarket | Hilma Wolitzer | $29.99 | Bloomsbury In this collection, Wolitzer invites us inside the private world of domestic bliss. From hasty weddings to meddlesome neighbours, Wolitzer captures the tensions, contradictions and unexpected detours of daily life with wit, candour and an acutely observant eye.

Everything, All at Once | Various | $32.99 | Ultimo Press A collection showcasing the best of Australian fiction and poetry by under 30s. With a wide range of contributors, including our very own bookseller Madeleine Gray, Everything All At Once encompasses the young Australian experience. A fresh, compelling and provocative compilation and a promising show of talent.

- Stella

I Hold a Wolf by the Ears | Laura Van Den Berg | $34.99 | Pan Macmillan A collection of short stories about women on the verge, trying to grasp what’s left of life. They are grieving, divorced, and hyperaware, vulnerable, and unhinged. With remarkable control and talent, van den Berg confronts misogyny, violence, and the impossible economics of America.

Afterparties | Anthony Veasna So | $29.99 | Allen and Unwin

Filthy Animals | Brandon Taylor | $19.99 | Allen and Unwin

Intimate, raw, honest, heartfelt... and at times slightly absurd, Afterparties is an artistic exploration of the experience of first generation Cambodian-Americans in California.

It explores intergenerational trauma, sexuality and the intricacies of race and was in equal parts breathtaking and heartbreaking.

- Carolina

Taylor’s compelling observations continue in this collection of exciting shorts which explore loneliness and solitude, burgeoning sexuality and social exclusion and race. Taylor’s linguistic precision balances dry humour with deeply felt emotion and creates fierce commentary in small dashes of perfection.

- Dean

How Decent Folk Behave | Maxine Beneba Clarke | $26.99 | Hachette A Black man is asphyxiated, the body of another Melbourne woman is found, the Earth is on fire, Notre Dame burns and the virus arrives. These poems speak of the world that is, and sing for a world that may one day be. A vibrant and thought-provoking collection from one of our most loved writers.

Killernova | Omar Musa | $34.99 | Penguin Omar Musa is outrageously talented and this book is very, very good. Bringing together poetry and woodcut art, it’s visually stunning and lyrically powerful, with language that ebbs and flows from the intimate to the global. Musa explores his heritage and delves deeply into the past, while creating a work that holds a mirror up to contemporary society.

- Tahlia

The Gift of Everything | Lang Leav | $34.99 | Hardie Grant Lang’s evocative words of love, loss, and self-empowerment have inspired millions across the globe to seek their own voice through the healing power of poetry. The Gift of Everything will thrill and delight existing fans as well as those yet to discover the enchanting world of Lang Leav.

No. 91/92 | Lauren Elkin | $22.99 | NewSouth Books In 2014, Elkin began keeping a diary of her bus commutes in the Notes app on her phone, using it to take in the world around her. No. 91/92 is a love letter to Paris and a meditation on how it has changed in the two decades she has lived there.

On Freedom | Maggie Nelson | $35.00 | Penguin A wandering meditation on freedom and the future of humanity. Divided into four lengthy essays, On Freedom regards the concept of freedom in different contexts – art, sex, drugs, and climate. This book is fascinating not only because it harnesses Nelson’s characteristic articulation to be by turns inspirational, astounding, and deeply depressing, but also because of the conversations it has sparked.

Nina Simone’s Gum | Warren Ellis | $39.99 | Allen and Unwin Deeply emotional and highly original. I had tears rolling down my cheeks at the conclusion of this exquisite piece of writing on the obsession and respect embedded in the care of a precious object; a piece of chewed gum left on a piano by Nina Simone. This is also Ellis’ inspiring memoir and it is touching and beautiful.

- Dean

- Leona

Burn the Witch, Vol. 1 | Tite Kubo | $29.99 | Simon and Schuster Behind the world you think you know lies a land of magic and fairy tales, but Reverse London isn’t the pretty picture that’s painted in kid’s books. A modern fantasy tale set in the wider world of Bleach.

The Most Important Comic Book on Earth | DK | $39.99 | Penguin The Most Important Comic Book On Earth is a global collaboration for planetary change, bringing together a diverse team of 300 leading environmentalists, artists, authors, actors, filmmakers, musicians, and more to present over 120 stories to save the world.

NOOK BOOKS / GRAPHIC NOVELS

Paradise | Kae Tempest | $22.99 | Pan Macmillan Philoctetes lives in a cave on a desolate island: the wartime hero is now a wounded outcast. Tempest expands the range of their work with a new version of Sophocles’ Philoctetes, giving this timeless story a wide new audience.

Far Sector | N.K. Jemisin | $44.99 | Random House The first murder in 500 years.

Twenty billion suspects. One hope. N.K. Jemisin makes her comic book debut with bestselling artist Jamal Campbell as they thrust you into a stunning sci-fi murder mystery on the other side of the universe!

The Secret to Superhuman Strength | Alison Bechdel | $35.00 | Random House Graphic memoirist Bechdel’s talent is highly accessible and absolutely brilliant!

This memoir delves into a subject that I admit isn’t my speciality - exercise, however, Bechdel’s graphic is a cultural history of exercise and an exploration of the idea of transcendence and the superstrength idea of morality.

- Dean

Lore Olympus, Vol. 1 | Rachel Smythe | $32.99 | Random House When Persephone’s roommate, Artemis, takes her to out, her entire life changes; she meets Hades, ruler of the Underworld. Scandalous gossip, wild parties, and forbidden love - witness what the gods do after dark in this contemporary reimagining of mythology.

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OUR BOOKS OF THE MONTH

FEBRUARY BOOK OF THE MONTH Born Into This | Adam Thompson | $29.99 | University of Queensland Press | Steph’s Review

Born Into This, the first short story collection by emerging Aboriginal (Pakana) writer Adam Thompson, is nothing short of brilliant! Each of the 16 stories are immediately immersive, drawing you into the Tasmanian setting that unifies them all, and the sharply written characters and compelling plots that make each unique. Thompson writes with incredible wit, instils emotion in every page and sheds light on issues of identity, racism, colonialism, belonging and heritage through a vast range of perspectives. Each story ends in a way which make you contemplate what happens next, ruminate over the issues being addressed and evaluate exactly what it is to live in modern Australia.

MARCH BOOK OF THE MONTH Klara and the Sun | Kazuo Ishiguro | $32.99 | Allen and Unwin | Dean’s Review What a fascinating read. When a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for literature starts thinking, it reaches the zone of thinking like no other. And now I can’t stop thinking about his clever speculative fiction. Far from the reaches of McEwan’s AI sex-bot romp (although I liked this one too) Ishiguro’s thoughts on AI in the landscape of a teenage friend takes to the depths of what it is to be human and to have heart. This is spectacular, thoughtprovoking and deeply philosophical writing set in a climate affected and technologically advanced future where the essence of life – the sun and the heart – rise through to the essence of this story. I’ll be thinking of this for days to come.

APRIL BOOK OF THE MONTH Hot Stew | Fiona Mozley | $22.99 | Hachette | Maddy’s Review Hot Stew is a sprawling Dickensian novel that delights in whipping out vibrant character portraits with the verve of an energetic char woman airing sheets from an upstairs window. Mozley’s narrative focuses on the unlikely intersection of a whole cast of diverse characters whose lives constitute the hustle and bustle and grit of contemporary Soho. There are homeless communities, there are old drunks, there are young businessmen, there are sex workers, there are gentrifiers, there are developers, there are those who resist. This is a novel about solidarity among the dispossessed; and about holding on to what is good about the old when the new threatens to paint over everything with its matte, rich gloss.

MAY BOOK OF THE MONTH Gunk Baby | Jamie Marina Lau | $32.99 | Hachette | Dean’s Review I’ve been hanging to read this for a long time and it did not disappoint. For days after, my mind has drifted back to this unusual read. With smart commentary on consumption, Lau has created a world that is not specifically Australian but global. Corporation versus small business, the cult-like appeal of online forums, Eastern influence on the West, tie into this story about Leen who opens an ear cleaning business in the Par Mar Topic Heights shopping centre and the new friends she encounters there. A fresh, new Australian voice who has dared to experiment successfully.

JUNE BOOK OF THE MONTH We Were Not Men | Campbell Mattinson | $32.99 | Harper Collins | Dean’s Review Absolutely beautiful! Twin brothers Jon and Eden are two halves who make a whole. They compete at swimming but as they grow up there are other things... a girl, Carmelina, and there is the fact that Jon saw more at the death scene of their parents. Deeply lyrical, gorgeous prose winds you under its spell. An emotional catapult that hits at your heart. For fans of Boy Swallows Universe; finally there is a literary achievement that deserves the comparison.

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The Mother Wound | Amani Haydar | $34.99 | Pan Macmillan | Emma’s Review The book follows the brutal death of Amani’s mother, Salwa Haydar, at the hands of her father and the terrible aftermath. In the months and years following her death, Haydar revisits what she knew of her parent’s relationship and comes to understand the emotional abuse and coercive control her mother lived with. She uncovers the flaws in the justice system for addressing domestic abuse, the policies that fail victims and their families, and the complexity and context behind every story of violence against women. The Mother Wound is an invaluable, generous contribution to current public conversations about coercive control and domestic violence in this country.

AUGUST BOOK OF THE MONTH Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead | Emily Austin | $28.99 | Allen and Unwin | Emma’s Review Gorgeously macabre, deadpan, nihilistic, quirky, and so, so funny: I loved this novel and absolutely ripped through it. It’s a book for lockdown if ever there was one: a story about high-level anxiety and existential dread that’s realistic, relatable and cathartic. A recently-fired bookseller, Gilda is twenty-something, queer, atheist, anxious and depressed. When she falls into a job at a Catholic church, she must obviously hide everything about her identity. She becomes obsessed with her predecessor’s death and the mysterious circumstances around it. This book portrays debilitating dread really well (obviously everybody’s mental health issues look different, but if you want to know what mine look like, just read this book!)

OUR BOOKS OF THE MONTH

JULY BOOK OF THE MONTH

SEPTEMBER BOOK OF THE MONTH Dear Senthuran | Akwaeke Emezi | $27.99 | Allen and Unwin | Dean’s Review As a huge fan of Freshwater and The Death of Vivek Oji, I was expecting huge things when reading a memoir by author Akwaeke Emezi, however this went beyond any expectation and my mind is blown by how dazzling an author can be. A ferocious memoir consisting of letters to friends and lovers who have supported Emezi ‘s journey as an Ogbanje writer. Dismantling ideas of family, religion, illness, queer politics, mental health and literary culture, this memoir will challenge and dazzle in equal parts. An awe-inspiring literary feat!

OCTOBER BOOK OF THE MONTH Permaforst | S J Norman | $29.99 | University of Queensland Press | Tahlia’s Review

Permafrost drew me in and unsettled me in equal measure. I could see parts of myself in the characters, and in the familiarity of the settings, as SJ Norman traces the outline of Australian cities, the expanse of Lake George on the road to Canberra, the experience of being young and queer, or an Australian abroad, or a bookseller in a small, secondhand bookstore. And then, just like that, the prose takes a dark turn and reality seems a less tangible thing. Gothic and haunting, many of these stories are plagued by a sense of loneliness, longing. Unnerved but intrigued, I finished this collection in a day.

NOVEMBER BOOK OF THE MONTH Devotion | Hannah Kent | $32.99 | Pan Macmillan | Dean’s Review This book is sublime! Kent’s writing sweeps you away, like a tide going out, immersing you in the depths of emotion where you are immediately caught, held and sink into another time and place. Kent’s use of language is exquisite to create part historical fiction and part queer story. Traveling from Germany to South Australia in the mid-nineteenth century, this is a love story between two Lutheran women Hanne and Thea. After reading the final pages, I felt another swell of emotion all over again. I’ve been waiting all year to read this and it was worth every minute.

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CRIME FICTION 10

Case Study | Graeme Macrae Burnet | $32.99 | Text Publishing

Reprieve | James Han Mattson | $29.99 | Bloomsbury

A game of cat-and-mouse between therapist and patient, between truth and deception, and between author and reader.

It is a novel seething with secrets and teasing questions and an enthralling depiction of 1960s society and radical psychiatry.

A chilling literary novel of social horror centered around a brutal killing that takes place in a haunted escape room and a provocative exploration of capitalism, hate politics, racial fetishism, and our obsession with fear as entertainment.

The Survivors | Alex Schulman | $32.99 | Hachette

A Question of Guilt | Jørn Lier Horst | $32.99 | Penguin

Three brothers return to the family cottage by the lake where, more than two decades earlier, a catastrophe changed the course of their lives. A tale of a family falling apart and a chronicle of a mind unravelling in the wake of a tragedy.

A killer caught. A 20-year murder sentence served. But did they arrest the wrong man? As Detective Wisting disappears into a dark past of secrets, and lies, his own life is threatened. Can he find the killer before it’s too late?

A heart-pounding novel.

The Hideout | Camilla Grebe | $29.99 | Allen and Unwin

A Haunting at Holkham | Anne Glenconner | $32.99 | Hachette

When teenage Samuel finds himself involved in a drug deal gone wrong, he must escape an infamous drug lord. Meanwhile, the bodies of young men have been washing ashore... is there a killer on the loose? An eerie psychological thriller.

The mysterious death of her grandfather, a WWII veteran, at Holkham Hall leads Lady Anne Coke to revisit the secrets of her youth. Set between World War II and the 1950s, this is a gripping novel of wartime secrets, intrigue and deceit.

Lemon | Kwon Yeo-Sun | $24.99 | Harper Collins This sensational literary thriller from Korea is a richly observed exploration of privilege, jealousy and trauma!

When a body is discovered not far from school, the case takes on the name “High School Beauty Murder” and unpopular student Han Manu becomes the prime suspect. Shifting between three perspectives creates taut psychological suspense. I was immediately engaged!

- Dean

Tank Water | Michael Burge | $29.99 | Midnight Sun Brandt didn’t look back when he left his rural hometown as a teenager. Now he has returned home for the first time in two decades because his cousin has been found dead under a bridge. An unexpected homophobic attack draws James into a hunt for the reasons why one farm boy in his family in every generation kills himself. A coming-ofage story and crime thriller with a large and gentle heart.

- Leona

The Stoning | Peter Papathanasiou | $29.99 | Transit Lounge A small outback town wakes to a savage murder and Detective George Manolis is despatched to his childhood hometown, where his family ran the local milk bar, to investigate. An atmospheric page-turner.

Wild Place | Christian White | $32.99 | Affirm Press In 1989, a teen goes missing from an idyllic Aussie suburb. As rumours of Satanic rituals swirl, teacher Tom Witter becomes convinced he holds the key to the disappearance. He learns that the only way out of the darkness is to walk deeper into it.

Even Greater Mistakes | Charlie Jane Anders | $21.99 | NewSouth Books Don’t you hate it when your boyfriend can see all possible futures? There is something for everyone in this fun collection of Sci-Fi short stories from Charlie Jane Anders. This collection is a cosmic gumbo of alien love, social commentary, gender discourse, post apocalypses and failing relationships.

- Darcy

A Marvellous Light | Freya Marske | $32.99 | Pan Macmillan Young baronet Robin Blyth thought he was taking up a minor governmental post. However, he’s actually been appointed parliamentary liaison to a secret magical society where his predecessor has disappeared. Cursed by mysterious attackers and plagued by visions, Robin will need the help of Edwin, his hostile counterpart to discover the truth behind the disappearance. Set in an Edwardian England full of magic, contracts, and conspiracies.

SCIENCE FICTION / FANTASY

Far Out | Paula Guran | $29.99 | Night Shade Science fiction and fantasy have long been spaces of radical reimagining, facilitating here the queering of our own world through the lens of other worlds. The writers in this anthology have created spaces wherein fantasy brings our realities into sharper relief.

A beautifully curated collection.

- Tahlia

The Every | Dave Eggers | $29.99 | Penguin

Termination Shock | Neal Stephenson | $34.99 | Harper Collins Be transported to a nearfuture world where the greenhouse effect has left the world in chaos.

Intricately imagined and richly plotted, Termination Shock is trademark Stephenson; a gripping and propulsive epic of the modern world.

Black Water Sister | Zen Cho | $32.99 | Pan Macmillan

Under the Whispering Door | TJ Klune | $32.99 | Pan Macmillan

As Jessamyn packs for Malaysia, she start hearing her Ah Ma’s voice in her head, compelling her to help the Black Water Sister, a local goddess offended by a businessman. Drawn into a world of gods, ghosts, and family secrets, Jess finds that making deals with spirits is a dangerous business.

When a reaper comes to collect Wallace from his own funeral, he refuses to abandon his unfulfilled life. When given one week to re-enter the world, Wallace sets about living a lifetime in just seven days. A contemporary fantasy about a ghost and the ferryman he falls in love with.

My Heart is a Chainsaw | Stephen Graham Jones | $21.99 | NewSouth Books My heart is this book! Jones made waves last summer with Only Good Indians, a personal favourite of mine. This year the horror has been amplified in terrifying brilliance. What may sit between a Shirley Jackson chiller and classic slasher cinema is written from an Indigenous perspective breathing fresh life and originality into the genre. Jade, a lonely slasher fan starts obsessing that Letha the new girl will be “the final girl” when a certain scary start rising in their small Lakeside town. This is a perfect late night read!

- Dean

When the world’s largest search engine / social media company merges with the planet’s dominant e-commerce site, it creates the richest and most dangerousand, oddly enough, most beloved-monopoly ever known: The Every.

Delaney Wells is an unlikely new hire and determined to take down the company from within. Studded with unforgettable characters and lacerating set-pieces, The Every blends satire and terror, while keeping the reader suspence.

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AUSTRALIAN BIOGRAPHY

Seeking Asylum | Asylum Seeker Resource Centre | $39.99 | Black Inc. In their own voices, accompanied by beautiful portrait photos, asylum seekers share how they came to be in Australia, and explore diverse aspects of their lives.

Love Stories | Trent Dalton | $32.99 | Harper Collins Dalton goes out into the world and asks a simple question: ‘Can you please tell me a love story?’ The result is an immensely warm, funny and moving book of stories, reflections and observations.

The Dancer | Evelyn Juers | $39.95 | Giramondo Juers portrays the life and background of pioneering Australian dancer Philippa Cullen, who died in tragic circumstances at the age of 25. An intimate portrait of an innovative young woman.

William Cooper | Bain Atwood | $34.99 | MUP

How We Love | Clementine Ford | $29.99 | Allen and Unwin

An important tribute to the work and life of an extraordinary Aboriginal activist. This carefully researched study sheds important new light on the long struggle to tell the truth about Australia’s black history.

An ode to love, in all its nuanced glory. Told through the lense of Clem’s own experiences, laced with hope, joy and heartbreak, this book is perfect for those who need a gentle reminder that there is solace and warmth to be found in the love we share. - Carolina

Caught in the Act | Courteney Act | $32.99 | Bloomsbury Growing up in early 2000s Australia, to say I didn’t see many drag queens would be an understatement.

Courtney Act was the first drag queen I ever had the pleasure of watching perform. She was groundbreaking.

Act’s non-stage name is Shane Malek – he grew up in the Brisbane suburbs, a long way from the bars of Oxford Street, and later, RuPaul’s catwalk. This is Jenek’s/Act’s memoir of growing up and into their true self.

- Maddy

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Home Truths | David Williamson | $49.99 | Harper Collins A powerful force in theatre since the 1970s, Williamson’s plays have uniquely explored the pulse of our Australianness.

This is his revealing and candid memoir.

Lawson | Grantlee Kieza | $39.99 | Harper Collins This biography reveals the extraordinary rise, fall and enduring legacy of controversial Australian figure Henry Lawson, the writer and poet who captured much of our colonial past in his works.

My Body Keeps Your Secrets | Lucia Osborne-Crowley | $29.99 | Allen and Unwin Osbourne-Crowley investigates the trauma experienced by women and non-binary people from rape through to eating disorders and how these experiences impact the memory on the body. Guided by a range of contemporary essayists and historic figures, Osbourne-Crowley wades through her own trauma to elegantly explore relationships with body, sex and biology.

- Dean

A Bloody Good Rant | Thomas Keneally | $39.99 | Allen & Unwin Following a lifetime observing Australia and its people, Keneally turns inwards to reflect on what has been important to him including; being a grandparent, our mistreatment of First Nations people and refugees and our climate denial.

Manifesto | Bernardine Evaristo | $32.99 | Penguin The powerful, urgent manifesto on never giving up from the author of Girl, Woman, Other. This is an intimate and inspirational account of how she became the first Black woman to win The Booker Prize, refusing to let anything stand in her way.

1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows | Ai Weiwei | $49.99 | Penguin One of the world’s most visionary artists tells his story, of family and homeland. Beginning with a childhood already in exile, as his father was deemed a rightist poet during the Cultural Revelation. Here, Ai Wei Wei explores the origins of his creativity.

This is an intimate portrait offering insight into twentieth century China and a captivating and emotionally moving memoir which will change you.

My Body | Emily Ratajkowski | $32.99 | Hachette Exploring body politics in a series of engrossing essays, Ratajkowski shines with strength and intelligence.

Investigating the complicated double bind of sexuality and power, a model navigates with her body amongst the ranks of objectification. These essays perform as memoir and activism through a feminist lens. They are fierce and bold from the hand of someone who knows themselves.

- Dean

Windswept and Interesting | Billy Connolly | $49.99 | Hachette Billy’s story in his own joyfully funny words, stuffed full of hard-earned wisdom and countless digressions on fishing, farting and dancing naked. A life-affirming story of a true comedy legend.

The Young H. G. Wells | Claire Tomalin | $45.00 | Penguin From an impoverished childhood to his determination to educate himself, to serious ill health, complicated marriages, and a love affair with socialism, this is the story of how H. G. Wells’ early life led to him becoming an influential Sci-Fi writer.

Free | Lea Ypi | $35.00 | Penguin Lea Ypi grew up in Albania an isolated countries and a place where communist ideals had officially replaced religion.

Then, in 1990, everything changed. An unforgettable coming of age story exploring the meaning of freedom.

BIOGRAPHY

A Farewell to Gabo and Mercedes | Rodrigo Garcia | $29.99 | Harper Collins Bittersweet and insightful, this memoir celebrates the formidable legacy of Rodrigo’s parents, offering an unprecedented look at the private family life of literary giant Gabriel García Márquez.

- Dean

Baggage | Alan Cumming | $29.99 | Allen and Unwin A joyous and poignant book about the world of professional acting, the messiness of life, particularly his years in Hollywood, and how every experience - good or bad shapes who you are, from the author of Not My Father’s Son.

Chronicles of a Cairo Bookseller | Nadia Wassef | $32.99 | Hachette The warm, fresh feminist story of opening a modern bookstore where there were none. This is a compelling recountsof Wassef’s troubles and triumphs as a founder and manager of indie bookstore Diwan.

Theroux the Keyhole | Louis Theorux | $34.99 | Macmillan Step inside Louis’ life like never before as he turns his critical eye on himself, his home, and family and tries to make sense of our weird and sometimes scary world. The perfect book for our uncertain times by the hilarious and relatable Louis Theroux.

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MUSIC

The Storyteller | Dave Grohl | $45.00 | Simon and Schuster

Whole Notes | Ed Ayres | $34.99 | Harper Collins

Dave has given us a series of extended vignettes on times and people who have deeply affected him, with his love of music shining brightest in tales of meeting his musical heroes. Always humble of his vast achievements this is a marvelously unconventional autobiography.

- James

Ayres is my weekend morning music guide on ABC Classic, and his Whole Notes is as much as a pleasure as his shows. Music has always been central to Ed’s life and he generously shares how its unique power has deeply moved his life and could similarly influence ours.

- James

The First 21 | Nikki Sixx | $32.99 | Hachette Rock-and-roll icon and three-time bestselling author Nikki Sixx tells his origin story: how Frank Feranna became Nikki Sixx, chronicling his fascinating journey from irrepressible Idaho farmboy to the man who formed the revolutionary rock group Motley Crue.

Nellie | Robert Wainwright | $32.99 | Allen and Unwin The tumultuous life of Australia’s most famous opera singer, Dame Nellie Melba, who overcame social expectations, misogyny and tall-poppy syndrome to take the world by storm.

Harlem Nights | Deirdre O’Connell | $34.99 | MUP The 1920s were a time of wonder and flux, when the world grew smaller, was turning faster - and, for some, skitter off balance. This is the untold story of race and power in Australia’s Jazz Age, influenced by African America and a powerful threat to White Australia.

Lightning Striking | Lenny Kaye | $34.99 | Hachette An epic and ear-opening history of rock n roll told through the micronarratives of twelve cities and their ‘scenes’, from Cleveland and Memphis to London, Los Angeles and Seattle.

The Lyrics | Paul McCartney | $155.00 | Penguin In this extraordinary book, with unparalleled candour, Paul McCartney recounts his life and art through the prism of 154 songs from all stages of his career - from his earliest boyhood compositions through the legendary decade of The Beatles, to Wings and his solo albums to the present. We learn intimately about the man, the creative process, the working out of melodies and the moments of inspiration.

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Writing in the Sand | Matt Garrick | $45.00 | Harper Collins

Long Players | Tom Gatti (Ed.) | $34.99 | Bloomsbury

Matt Garrick brings his excellence as an award-winning journalist and producer at ABC Darwin, to focus on the epic story of legendary band Yothu Yindi and ‘Treaty’, the song that gave voice to a movement. Funny, poetic, heartfelt and steeped in the sights, smells and unique rhythms of East Arnhem Land, Writing in the Sand is a must-read for anyone who cares about Australian music, and Aboriginal culture and recognition, all of which were brilliantly woven together by one of the most exciting bands of our time.

- Jimmy

In Long Players, fifty of our finest authors write about the albums that changed their lives, from Deborah Levy on Bowie to Daisy Johnson on Lizzo. Part meditation on the album form and part candid self-portrait, each of these essays reveals music’s power to transport the listener to a particular time and place.

Larrimah | Caroline Graham and Kylie Stevenson | $32.99 | Allen and Unwin A missing man, an eyeless croc and an outback town of 11 people who mostly hate each other, Larrimah is a love letter to a dying town of and a real life Aussie whodunnit.

Mission | Noel Pearson | $49.99 | Black Inc. This collection shows off some of the best works of one of Australia’s most important thinkers. Noel Pearson’s contribution to discourse on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander land rights has been nothing short of groundbreaking.

Here, there are essays and speeches, thoughts on political leaders and analyses of policy. A volume of inspiring anger, hope, and passion.

- Maddy

Into the Rip | Damien Cave | $32.99 | Simon and Schuster Into the Rip is partly the story of a New York family learning to live better in Sydney by living with the sea, and it is partly the story of how humans manage the idea of risk.

AUSTRALIAN STUDIES

Girt Nation | David Hunt | $34.99 | Black Inc. Hunt tramples the tall poppies of the past in charting Australia’s transformation –an epic tale of charlatans and costermongers, of bush bards and bushier beards, of workers and women who weren’t going to take it anymore.

Country | Bill Gammage and Bruce Pascoe | $21.99 | Thames and Hudson Gammage and Pascoe explore how Aboriginal people cultivated the land and highlight the consequences of ignoring this history and living in unsustainable ways. The third in the First Knowledges series.

Gum | Ashley Hay | $29.99 | NewSouth

Books that Made Us | Carl Reinecke | $34.99 | Harper Collins

Gum is a powerful and lyrical exploration of our transformative and still transforming eucalyptus trees. It’s a story of unique landscapes, curious people, and very big ideas that have shaped our country.

In a panoramic account of Australian fiction stretching from Marcus Clarke to Melissa Lucashenko, this is a new history of key authors and compelling books that have kept us reading and for over 200 years.

Australia and the Pacific | Ian Hoskins | $39.99 | NewSouth Books Australia’s deep past and its modern day are intrinsically linked to the Pacific. Hoskins expands his gaze to examine Australia’s relationship with the Pacific region, politically and historically.

Signs and Wonders | Delia Falconer | $32.99 | Simon and Schuster An exploration of how it feels to live as a reader, writer, lover of nature and mother in an era of ecological change.

These essays are beautifully observed, brilliantly argued and deeply felt.

Well Hello | Annabel Crabb and Leigh Sales | $39.99 | Penguin This book is like an expanded, written version of the Chat 10, Looks 3 podcast, where Sales and Crabb philosophize about television recommendations, how to make friends, and all manner of miscellaneous topics. Reading this is like getting coffee with an old friend.

It’s all extremely wholesome! - Maddy

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INDIGENOUS OUR BOOKS OF THELITERACY MONTH FOUNDATION BOOKS OF THE MONTH

FEBRUARY BOOK OF THE MONTH Born Into This | Adam Thompson | $29.99 | University of Queensland Press | Steph’s Review

Born Into This, the first short story collection by emerging Aboriginal (Pakana) writer Adam Thompson, is nothing short of brilliant! Each of the 16 stories are immediately immersive, drawing you into the Tasmanian setting that unifies them all, and the sharply written characters and compelling plots that make each unique. Thompson writes with incredible wit, instils emotion in every page and sheds light on issues of identity, racism, colonialism, belonging and heritage through a vast range of perspectives. Each story ends in a way which make you contemplate what happens next, ruminate over the issues being addressed and evaluate exactly what it is to live in modern Australia.

MARCH BOOK OF THE MONTH Dropbear | Evelyn Araluen | $24.99 | UQP | Tahlia’s Review One of the things I love most about poetry is its ability to inhabit complex spaces and illuminate truth. In this formidable debut, Evelyn Araluen satirises the tropes of Australian settler literature and reflects intimately on her own experiences growing up on Dharug country as a descendant of the Bundjalung nation. Shifting between poetry and verse essay, Araluen moves from biting critique of Australiana kitsch, to reverence for First Nations language and knowledge systems, to fury and grief for all that has been lost to the ongoing violence of settler colonialism. Provocative and unflinching. It took my breath away!

APRIL BOOK OF THE MONTH Homecoming | Elfie Shiosaki | $24.99 | Magabala Books | Leona’s Review Elfie Shiosaki’s debut offering is a powerful exploration of Country, culture, and kin.

Piecing together story fragments of generations of the Noongar women of her family, Homecoming is an elegant and extraordinary navigation of the changing landscapes of colonisation, protectionism, and assimilation. Shiosaki combines poetry, prose, and historical colonial archives to amplify First Nations stories, particularly those of Indigenous women, ultimately restoring agency in voices silenced by our brutal past. Beautifully articulated and utterly graceful – this work is special.

MAY BOOK OF THE MONTH Flock | Edited by Ellen van Neervan | $32.99 | UQP | Maddy’s Review This wide-ranging and captivating anthology showcases both the power of First Nations writing and the satisfaction of a good short story. Curated by award-winning author Ellen van Neerven, Flock roams the landscape of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander storytelling, bringing together voices from across the generations. Flock features stories from leading Aboriginal writers, such as Tony Birch, Melissa Lucashenko and Tara June Winch, as well as some incisive and compelling new voices.

JUNE BOOK OF THE MONTH

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Kunyi | Kunyi June Anne McInerney | $27.99 | Magabala Books | Tahlia’s Review What a special book from renowned Yankunytjatjara artist and storyteller, Kunyi June Anne McInerney. Kunyi shares with us 60+ years of her paintings in this richly illustrated memoir that details her time living at the Oodnadatta Children’s Home. Kunyi was taken from her family at the age of four. Each story is told with great simplicity and clarity, through the lens of a child’s eyes. Young readers are sure to also be captivated by the stunning, vibrant illustration.

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After Story | Larissa Behrendt | $29.99 | Random House | Angelita’s Review As our two protagonists, Jasmine – an Indigenous lawyer, and her mother Della, follow the paths of literary greats like Jane Austen, the Brontes and Virginia Woolf, they reflect on their own views and experiences. Central to the narrative is the disappearance of Jasmine’s sister, and a second disappearance in England. An utterly unique tale which perfectly marries English literature with contemporary Australian social justice issues and ways of story telling (and with a mystery for those of you who loved an engrossing plot like me). After Story is a true testament of the brilliance of Behrendt’s storytelling.

AUGUST BOOK OF THE MONTH Dark as Last Night | Tony Birch | $29.99 | UQP | Steph’s Review I adored Tony Birch’s short story collection The Promise, and his latest book reaffirms my belief that he is one of our greatest authors. Once again, these heartfelt, lyrical vignettes capture a diversity of voices and experiences; my favourite stories focusing in particular on the strength and determination of young people. Birch does well to balance dark and light, with mentions of Covid-19, Thelma Plum and Bowie also striking a balance between timeless storytelling and contemporary relevance. I loved alternating between Dark as Last Night and Birch’s latest poetry collection Whisper Songs.

SEPTEMBER BOOK OF THE MONTH Lies, Damned Lies | Claire G. Coleman | $32.99 | Ultimo Press | Dean’s Review I am always excited by Noogar author Claire G. Coleman’s fiction writing and look forward to the publication of each new title. Her latest book is non-fiction, delving into family history and the mission behind her evocative writing. A powerful account of the lies and truth of colonisation as a process and the devastating impact of colonisation on Aboriginal people. The reader is asked to use their senses and listen to an Aboriginal perspective. This is deeply personal, extremely powerful literary blend of personal and political writing on trauma and a must read for everyone!

OCTOBER BOOK OF THE MONTH The First Scientists | Corey Tutt | $29.99 | Hardie Grant | Dean’s Review Young Australian of the year in 2020 Corey Tutt has created this exciting children’s non-fiction book exploring scientific inventions and innovations from a First Nations perspective. Lavishly illustrated by the terrific Douglas Blak, this book will excite young scientific minds; nourishing a love of science and respect for Aboriginal Peoples’ knowledges. Tutt has consulted with Communities to provide local knowledge from the stars and the seasons to medicine which is exciting, accessible and respectful to Aboriginal Peoples’ histories, cultures and knowledges. I adore this book in every way!

OUR INDIGENOUS LITERACY FOUNDATION BOOKS OF THE MONTH

JULY BOOK OF THE MONTH

NOVEMBER BOOK OF THE MONTH Another Day in the Colony | Chelsea Watego | $29.99 | UQP | Emma’s Review Ground-breaking and deeply powerful, Another Day in the Colony is a phenomenal collection of essays by Dr. Chelsea Watego, a Munanjahli and South Sea Islander woman born and raised on Yuggera country and an Indigenist health humanities scholar, prolific writer and public intellectual. Many people will see themselves in this book, love it and underline it, share with their friends and family, be confronted and challenged by its power and truth-telling. Part memoir, part historical reclamation, part critical race analysis, Another Day in the Colony takes colonial narratives and exposes their lies. It is brilliant and one of the best things I’ve read all year.

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ESSAY

Mothers, Fathers and Others | Siri Hustvedt | $32.99 | Hachette

These Precious Days | Ann Patchett | $29.99 | Bloomsbury

A collection of essays examining feminist philosophy and the human experience through the prism of her own experience as a mother, grandmother, and author. She takes and progresses key ideas from her 2016 book, A Woman Looking at Men Looking at Women, and relates them to her own life.

- Stella

This collection of warm and thought provoking essays were written during lockdown and consider Patchett’s day to day processes, and include an essay on why she chose not to have children. You will feel warm on the inside as you discover the depth of this author’s life and musings.

- Dean

On Animals | Susan Orlean | $29.99 | Allen and Unwin Since the age of six, when Orlean wrote and illustrated a book called Herbert the Near-Sighted Pigeon, she’s been drawn to stories about how we live with animals, and how they abide by us. Now, she examines animal-human relationships through the compelling tales she has written over the course of her celebrated career. Equal parts delightful and profound, these stories celebrate the meaningful cross-species connections that grace our existence.

Doing Politics | Judith Brett | $34.99 | Pan Macmillan

No, You’re Not Entitled to Your Opinion | The Conversation | $29.99 | Scribe Publications Contained within this ten-year anniversary collection are the essays that put The Conversation on the map: contemporary slavery, how Jesus wasn’t white, how long sex usually lasts... These are timeless thought pieces.

Crimes Against Nature | Jeff Sparrow | $29.99 | Scribe Publications

Carnival of Snackery | David Sedaris | $34.99 | Hachette

Crimes Against Nature offers a new take on the most important issue of our times, presenting a polemic about global warming and the environmental crisis.

Sparrow argues that ordinary people have opposed the destruction of nature and provide an untapped constituency for climate action.

There’s no right way to keep a diary, but if there’s an entertaining way, David Sedaris seems to have mastered it. Picking up where Theft by Finding left us, A Carnival of Snackeries brings Sedaris’s wickedly funny, sometimes bizarre and often poignant diaries up to 2019, reflecting an changing political climate.

Murakami T | Haruki Murakami | $35.00 | Random House

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I’m so excited! Murakami fans (no surprise that I am a huge one) know his obsession for collecting vinyl and running; but he is also obsessed with collecting T-shirts Murakami has opened his closet to present a collection of his prized T-shirts with accompanying essays that shines some light on the reclusive author. This slim volume is an autobiographical reveal will have fans rallying to peer into their literary icon’s life in any which way they can.

- Dean

Doing Politics brings together the finest essays by the widely influential Judith Brett.

Since the 1980s, Brett has been helping to shape Australians’ conversations about politics, bringing a historian’s eye to contemporary issues and probing the psychology of our prime ministers. She has interrogated some our most complex issues: multiculturalism, rural Australia, the republic, mining and climate change. Her work is enquiring, accessible and wry.

Orwell’s Roses | Rebecca Solnit | $27.99 | Allen and Unwin Solnit made her name in the popular zeitgeist with Men Explain Things To Me. Here, Solnit is in entirely different territory; this book is about George Orwell, and his obsession with gardening, and traces how his botanical interests intersect with his political philosophies. 1984? More like ninety-eighty-flore. (Sorry). - Maddy

Wildland | Evan Osnos | $29.99 | Bloomsbury A prescient examination of seismic changes in American politics and culture, Osnos explores the attacks of September 11 in 2001 and the storming of the US Capitol to reveal how America lost the moral confidence to see itself as larger than the sum of its parts. A compelling read.

- Jimmy

Explain That | Felicity Lewis (Ed.) | $32.99 | Penguin Have you ever wondered if time travel is actually possible?

Or where the Australian accent came from? If you’re an inquisitive person who likes to understand how things came to be, this collection of thought-provoking explainers has got you covered.

Cop | Valentin Gendrot | $29.99 | Scribe Publications What happens behind the walls of a police station? In order to answer this question, undercover journalist Valentin Gendrot put his life on hold for two years, inflitrated the French police force and reveals a culture of racism and violence in which officers act with impunity.

Something Out of Place | Eimear McBride | $19.99 | Allen and Unwin In this essay, McBride asks are women still damned if we do, damned if we don’t? How can we give our daughters (and sons) the unbounded futures we want for them? A provocative, subservive and intimate work.

CULTURAL STUDIES

QAnon and On | Van Badham | $32.99 | Hardie Grant Guardian columnist Van Badham delves headfirst into the QAnon conspiracy theory, unpicking the why, how and who behind this dangerous and far-fetched internet cult, covering evrything from Gamergate to Pizzagate.

Wonderworks | Angus Fletcher | $39.99 | Allen and Unwin From ancient lyrics to nursery rhymes and fairy tales, from historic narratives to contemporary TV shows, Wonderworks walks us through the evolution of literature’s crucial blueprints, and offers us a new understanding of its power.

The Fran Lebowitz Reader | $45.00 | Hachette Lebowitz turns her trademark caustic wit to the vicissitudes of life - from children (‘rarely in the position to lend one a truly interesting sum of money’) to landlords (‘it is the solemn duty of every landlord to maintain an adequate supply of roaches’). A collection of acerbic, wisecracking and hilarious essays.

The New York Times Book Review | | $74.99 | Penguin From the longest-running, most influential book review in America, here is its best, funniest, strangest, and most memorable coverage over the past 125 years. With scores of stunning vintage photographs, readers will discover how literary tastes have shifted through the years.

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NON-FICTION Every Deep-Drawn Breath | Wes Ely | $35.00 | Scribe Publications

The Unseen Body | Jonathan Reisman | $34.99 | Hachette

About Time | David Rooney | $35.00 | Penguin

Flight of the Budgerigar | Penny Olsen | $49.99 | NewSouth Books

A doctor offers hope for patients, their families, and the future of medicine in this timely work about the little-known physical and emotional effects of ICU stays.

In this fascinating journey through the human body, Dr. Reisman weaves stories about our insides with a unique perspective on life, culture, and the natural world.

Rooney tells the story of timekeeping through 12 clocks. Discover how clocks have helped us navigate the world, build empires and taken us to the brink of destruction.

Taking the reader from the Dreaming to the colonial bird trade to today’s thriving wild flocks, this is the authoritative history of the budgerigar, illustrated in full colour.

Twelve Caesars | Mary Beard | $49.99 | Princeton University

The Book of Hope | Jane Goodall | $35.00 | Penguin

What does the face of power look like? From the bestselling author of SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome, the fascinating story of how images of Roman autocrats have influenced art, culture, and the representation of power for more than 2,000 years.

The world needs a manifesto of hope now more than ever.

Goodall draws on the wisdom of a lifetime dedicated to nature to teach us how to find strength in the face of the climate crisis, and explains why she still has hope for the natural world and for humanity.

The Ottomans | Marc David Baer | $34.99 | Hachette An entertaining and seriously compelling dive into the rise and fall of the Ottoman empire. Baer helps to dislodge centuries of Western fetishization and demonisation by highlighting the multiethnic, multilingual, and multireligious nature of the empire. Close attention is paid to the immense influence the Ottomans had on the development of modern Europe, and Baer also accounts for the Empire’s ultimate demise.

- Darcy

The Night Sky of the Southern Hemisphere | James Kavanagh | $14.99 | Woodslane

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This innovative, Glow-inthe-Dark pocket reference highlights prominent constellations and stars that are visible with the naked eye south of the equator.

Underwater Wild | Craig Foster and Ross Frylinck | $59.99 | Black Inc. A transformative journey into the underworld, this book will simultaneously captivate and calm fans of natural science and marine biology. Extraordinary micro-photography captures the brilliance and wonder of this amazing wild underwater world which takes time to truly explore.

- Dean

Being You | Anil Seth | $32.99 | Allen and Unwin Somewhere, somehow, inscribed in the brain is everything that makes you you. But how do we grasp what happens in the brain in relation to emotions and thoughts? Seth’s radical new theory of consciousness challenges our understanding of perception and reality.

The Shape of Sound | Fiona Murphy | $34.99 | Text Publishing I adored this book: a personal history and profound set of reflections on our social world. It’s tender, honest, poetic, and intellectually rigorous all at once. Murphy’s ability to blend everyday observation with critical theory and research on disability is a feat. This book punches well above its weight as a memoir – at once personal and political, humorous and serious. My copy is full of dog ears and scrawling. Almost every page sparked a thought, a question, or an emphatic ‘Mmm!’.

DEAN’S PICK The Dangers of Smoking in Bed | Mariana Enriquez | $27.99 | Allen and Unwin Now this is my kind of book! Short stories that are bold, chilling and with edge.

Argentinian author Enriquez constructs short stories that each stand alone. Time needs to be given to each piece. Delving into the macabre, curses, revenge, fetish, obsession with life and death, this book may unsettle some readers as it certainly crawls under your skin and leaves it’s effect. Lying in a hole between horror and magical realism, Enriquez crafts her stories from unassuming that leads to unsettling each story is a pleasure to read. I absolutely adored this.

OUR FAVOURITE BOOKS OF 2021

JIMMY’S PICK

Outlawed | Anna North | $32.99 | Hachette A Western? As a summer read? Groundbreaking. But honestly, Anna North has found a way to invigoratingly reinvent the (horse-drawn cart) wheel with this swashbuckling romp of a novel. It’s 1894 in the rural United States and accusations of witchcraft run rampant, especially for women who can’t have children. Ada, the protagonist, is counted among these suspicious women, especially as she works in the increasingly scrutinised profession of midwifery. Ada flees her small town to join a group of outlaws spearheaded by mysterious leader The Kid. A queer, feminist story like no other.

LEONA’S PICK

Detransition Baby | Torrey Peters | $29.99 | Allen and Unwin I loved this chaotic, nuanced, tender, snarky, hilarious novel.How it manages to be, at once, deeply scathing and deeply generous and compassionate is a kind of brilliance – and certainly testament to the talent of Peters. Detransition, Baby is about two trans women and a cisgender woman who consider the idea of starting a family together. One of these women, as the title reveals, has detransitioned. It’s about being queer, needing queerness, and co-opting queerness; about motherhood and family making; about a “lost generation” of white trans folk who lacked elders and stability in their community. Excellent and intoxicating, I was sad to reach the end of the book and leave the characters behind.

EMMA’S PICK Shoko’s Smile | Choi Eunyoung | $32.99 | Hachette I won’t lie- I originally bought this book because the cover was pretty and I was sick of hearing Steph talk about it. Instead, I had to force myself to only read one or two stories a night in order to drag the book out. Shoko’s Smile is a series of short stories all told from female protagonists, and stunningly captures the nature of friendships, relationships, and the complexity of family dynamics. We follow women as they travel to Nairobi and Russia navigating relationships in monasteries, and watching family friendships fall apart over arguments about the Vietnam War. This book is full of sharp, sparse prose that allows us to see the nuances of female and intergenerational relationships while discussing love, mental health, and what it means to succeed.

LEXIE’S PICK

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OUR FAVOURITE BOOKS OF 2021

STELLA’S PICK Fiebre Tropical | Juliana Delgado Lopera | $29.99 | NewSouth Books A fierce first novel from Colombian American writer Lopera sees 15 year old protagonist Francisca land head first into a alienating maelstrom as she’s uprooted from her home of Bogota, Colombia to Miami, Florida by her increasingly evangelical mother. Lopera’s electric, dramatic prose and the interspersed Spanish and Spanglish (have google translate at the ready) make for a unique and compelling narrative voice.

Throw in a lustful queer awakening, impending financial ruin and a whole load of humidity, and we have a stinking hot debut that’s funny, whip smart and poignant.

The Committed | Viet Thanh Nguyen | $32.99 | Hachette The story of The Sympathizer continues, with He/Himself arriving in Paris with his BloodBrother Bon, as refugees from Vietnam. Nguyen’s dark, razor-wire sense of humour guarantees that this was never going to be a warm’n’fuzzy refugees make good tale.

Our exiled duo soon find themselves as players in the local narcotics trade, via their legitimate jobs at The Worst Asian Restaurant In Paris…Throw in some shady hijinks involving His French/Vietnamese aunt and a bit of narco-gang warfare to spice up an already sizzling, absurdist satire and you’ve got a wild ride going.

JAMES’ PICK TAHLIA’S PICK No Document | Anwen Crawford | $26.95 | Giramondo I love and admire No Document because it does things I have not seen many other Australian authors doing. This book defies easy summarisation, but I will try anyway.

No Document is a poetic, book-length essay. At its heart, it is an elegy to a dear friend, and to the Sydney of their youth. It is zine-like, it makes use of the space on the page, pulling together the threads of grief, friendship, art, activism, division and solidarity, the treatment of animals, the violence of late capitalism. I know I will return to this book in the hope that it will reveal more of its structure and insights to me, as I also come of age in Sydney, only a decade or so on from the time Crawford is describing.

REEM’S PICK Coming of Age in the War on Terror | Randa Abdel-Fattah | $34.99 | NewSouth Books Award winning and academic author Randa Abdel-Fattah invites us to listen to the voice of a generation of Muslim and Non-Muslim Australians, who grew up knowing the war on terror as part of their world. What is Australia to them? Is it the same Australia older generations have grown up in? Abdel-Fattah shares their stories, experiences and thoughts, an insight that many of us may not have access to yet worth our time to know.

Thought provoking and beautifully written.

Insatiable | Daisy Buchanan | $32.99 | Hachette I picked up this book in the midst of a month-long reading slump, a drought rather uncharacteristic for me. Insatiable was the book I didn’t know I needed. Centred around a young woman, Violet, who is fundamentally fed up with her life, obsessively hyper focused on society’s unrealistic success trajectory, and above all feverishly longing, desiring, and lusting for more. The subject matter is by no means light, yet it’s combination with some hearty romance made it easy to digest and a quick read. ALSO... I know we’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover (let’s face it, we all do), but this one is perfection.

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CAROLINA’S PICK

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No One is Talking About This | Patricia Lockwood | $29.99 | Bloomsbury Patricia Lockwood writes about the unique insanity of Being Extremely Online with utterly unparalleled lucidity and lyricism. Can a dog be friends? This is the viral tweet which launches the career of a woman for whom the internet is everything; it is her livelihood, it is her entertainment, it is her comfort blanket. It is also slowly hollowing her out. It takes a call from her mother to break the spell - something is wrong with her sister’s baby. Cathartically heartbreaking and so incredibly funny, this is an incredibly moving account of Real connection, and of how tragedy and dependency show us that ‘There is still a real life to be lived’.’

MADDY’S PICK The Performance | Claire Thomas | $32.99 | Hachette Set during the apocalyptic smokiness of Australia’s 2019-2020 summer bushfires, with the entirety of the novel’s action taking place during a Melbourne theatre performance of Samuel Beckett’s Happy Days, The Performance is a claustrophobic and brilliant novel.

It tracks the theatre-going experience of three female protagonists from different generations and walks of life. As the play unfolds, we enter the minds of each of these women, and Thomas excels at tracing how each woman’s mind wanders and focuses in on the elements of the play that most resonate with her own life. This is am emotionally generous and intellectually serious book - but there are also passages of social commentary that made me laugh out loud.

OUR FAVOURITE BOOKS OF 2021

DARCY’S PICK

The Other Half of You | Michael Mohammed Ahmad | $32.99 | Hachette Michael Mohammed Ahmad’s latest novel, the third about the life of Bani Adam, was simultaneously familiar and eye opening, and I found as much comfort in its Western Sydney and Inner West settings as I did in its descriptions of meat and rice wrapped in some sort of vegetable. Ahmad tells the story of our protagonist finishing university and finding his place in The Tribe, a task proven difficult for a man who found his identity in The Lebs, but is yet to reconcile this with expectations from his family and community. He takes elements of the epistolary form and uses authorial intrusion to create the feeling that Bani is talking to his son whilst Ahmad is talking to his, making the novel all the more immersive.

STEPH’S PICK The Splendid and the Vile | Erik Larson | $24.99 | Harper Collins Larson’s new book tells the story of London facing the Nazi Blitz during World War Two and the defiance of Winston Churchill not to accept the majority view that England was lost – instead Churchill taught the British people “the art of being fearless.” A must read for admirers of Winston Churchill and his leadership. Drawing on once-secret intelligence reports and diaries, Larson takes readers from the shelled streets of London to Churchill’s own chambers, giving a vivid vision of true leadership.

TERRY’S PICK

A Year of Sundays | Belinda Jeffery | $45.00 | Simon and Schuster I LOVE Belinda Jeffery’s work, so I was super excited about A Year of Sundays. This gorgeous book is a compilation of recipes that have featured on her Sunday Instagram posts. Because Belinda generally shares only once a week, each post is a measured, thoughtful musing on food and life expressed in Belinda’s exceptionally kind and comforting way. And her recipes are always full of vibrant freshness … ahh, my mouth’s watering already. Simply lovely.

SYLVIA’S PICK

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COOKING Home | Stephanie Alexander | $59.99 | Pan Macmillan Stephanie Alexander, champion of seasonal produce, life teacher and lauded author is back with her new book Home. This splendid work features 200 recipes as well as 10 personal essays about her life in food. Recipes range from simple throw-together options to more complex fare.

- Sylvia

Taste | Stanley Tucci | $45.00 | Penguin From award-winning actor and food obsessive Stanley Tucci comes an intimate and irresistible memoir of life in and out of the kitchen.

Each morsel of this gastronomic journey through good times and bad, five-star meals and burnt dishes, is as heartfelt and delicious as the last.

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Cooking at Home | David Chang & Priya Krishna | $49.99 | Random House The founder of Momofuku cooks at home, and that means mostly ignoring recipes, using tools like the microwave, and taking inspiration from his mom to get a great dinner done fast. It’s all about how to think like a chef.

Med | Claudia Roden | $55.00 | Penguin Roden is credited with revolutionising Western attitudes to Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food. Over thirty years on from her first Mediterranean cookbook, Claudia shares the sunsoaked simplicity of the Mediterranean with new recipes for effortless, everyday cooking.

Death to Jar Sauce | Nat’s What I Reckon | $34.99 | Penguin Our favourite sweary, anti-jar-sauce warrior is back! To help champions keep levelling up their cooking skills and making ripper feeds from scratch at home, Nat has created this collection of 25 sh*t hot recipes that will get you out of a jam, alongside Nat’s trademark humour, a big dash of cheekiness and some genuinely handy culinary tips.

Everything I Love to Cook | Neil Perry | $59.99 | Murdoch Books

The Vegan Butcher | Zacchary Bird | $65.00 | Simon and Schuster

Home Made | Broadsheet | $49.99 | Pan Macmillan

Neil continues to inspire us to try new flavours, making simple food simply brilliant, and tirelessly supporting the producers who sustainably grow the food we love to eat. Now he revisits legendary dishes from his flagship restaurants and modern classics from his long-running column.

Eating vegan doesn’t mean missing out on the flavour, texture and diversity of food that meat eaters love. Armed with this book of 130 recipes, you’ll discover how to create the perfect plant-based meats – sure to sate the most dedicated carnivore.

A love letter to Melbourne food, featuring 80 diverse and cook-able recipes for home by the city’s best food innovators. With added context about why chefs do things the way they do, it’s a book that will teach people how to cook, not just follow a recipe.

Shelf Love | Ottolenghi Test Kitchen | $49.99 | Random House This is Ottolenghi, unplugged. The Ottolenghi Test Kitchen team takes you on a journey through your kitchen cupboards, creating inspired recipes using humble ingredients.

This book is all about feeding ourselves and our families with less stress and less fuss, but with all the ‘wow’ of an Ottolenghi meal.

Indian Cooking Class | Christine Mansfield | $59.99 | Simon and Schuster Much-loved Spice Queen Manfield’s latest offering is a colourful and inspiring step-by-step insight into to the secrets of cooking delicious Indian food at home.

Christine shows you that making your own curry pastes and balancing flavours can be easier than you think. Wonderful!

- Sylvia

Eating to Extinction | Dan Saladino | $43.99 | Penguin A captivating and urgent exploration of some of the world’s most endangered foods, Eating to Extinction is a thrilling journey through the history of humankind’s relationship with food, which reveals a world at a crisis point.

Saladino spans the globe to uncover the stories of these foods.

Under Coconut Skies | Yasmin Newman | $55.00 | Simon and Schuster Colourful and vibrant, Filipino food is the culmination of naturally salty, sour and sweet ingredients from the land, along with the heart-warming Filipino spirit of generosity and community, where food is always shared. Discover the food of the Philippines’ 7000 tropical islands.

A Cook’s Book | Nigel Slater | $55.00 | Harper Collins A Cook’s Book is the story of Nigel Slater’s life in the kitchen. From the first jam tart Nigel made with his mum standing on a chair trying to reach the Aga, through to what he is cooking now, this is the ultimate Nigel Slater collection brimming with over 200 recipes.

COOKING

True to the Land | Paul van Reyk | $49.99 | Reaktion Books Spanning 65,000 years, this book provides a history of food in Australia from its beginnings. It describes how food production in Australia is subject to the constraints of climate, water and soil, leading to centuries of unsustainable agricultural practices post-colonisation.

The Dessert Game | Reynold Poernomo | $36.99 | Allen and Unwin If you are a Master Chef tragic like me, or a fan of KOI dessert bar (or both), then you’ll know that Reynold makes simply spectacular desserts. And now you too can learn from the master!

Here, Reynold starts things off nice and easy with some basics that even mere mortals can handle. Then he revs it up!

Woo-ee!

- Sylvia

Tonight’s Dinner | Adam Liaw | $45.00 | Hardie Grant Fall in love with home cooking all over again! This essential recipe collection delivers nightly meal inspiration from Australia’s favourite cook, with a diverse list of 80 easy, delicious recipes. You’ll soon realise that a meal’s difficulty has no bearing on how good it tastes

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SELF DEVELOPMENT

The Luminous Solution | Charlotte Wood | $32.99 | Allen and Unwin Charlotte Wood returns with this reflection on creativity, resilience and inner life. These topics have emerged as crucial and inspiring, particularly in the context of the past 18 months. Wood shares the workings of her own mind and delivers her impressions of inspiration and hard work. - Leona

Ladies, We Need to Talk | Yumi Stynes & Claudine Ryan | $32.99 | Hardie Grant Stynes and Ryan cast an incisive eye over our most personal conversations, coaxing honesty out of places where shame and silence are encouraged and putting sex, mental health, relationships, and body image under the microscope.

- Stella

Get Untamed: The Journal | Glennon Doyle | $35.00 | Penguin This stunning hardcover journal is a bold, interactive guide to discovering and creating the truest, most beautiful lives, families and world we can imagine.

How to Keep Your Brain Young | Professor Kerryn Phelps | $34.99 | Pan Macmillan

You’re Doing It Wrong | Kaz Cooke | $34.99 | Penguin

Let Go | Hugh van Cuylenburg | $34.99 | Penguin

You’re Doing it Wrong is an outrageous tour through the centuries of bonkers and bad advice handed down and foisted upon women, told as only Kaz Cooke can – with humour and rage, intelligence and wit. Put the kettle on and settle in.

If ever there was a time for us to be resilient, it was when a deadly virus emerged. Hugh combines powerful insight with research and storytelling to show how it is possible to create authentic connections, cope better and rediscover joy.

Girl, Transcending | AJ Clementine | $32.99 | Murdoch Books

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This is an accessible and engaging release, bursting with visual energy. In Girl, Transcending, AJ weaves her experiences, advice, reflections and snippets of inspiration into a powerful tool to help us understand and celebrate what makes each of us unique, not only those in the LGBTQI+ community but anyone finding their way in the world. A powerful contribution to our collective bookshelves.

- Jimmy

Drawing on years of clinical experience and the research, How to Keep Your Brain Young is the ultimate guide for happy, healthy grey matter.

Preserve memory, harness neuroplasticity and restore brain function.

Tarot & Divination Cards | Laetitia Barbier | $60.00 | Thames and Hudson This gorgeous 400 page book presents a close look at 500 years of figurative card decks created or used for fortune telling, divinations, and oracle purposes. Explore one card at the time, their iconographic roots in the first visual history of tarot.

Atlas of the Heart | Brene Brown | $45.00 | Random House Brown takes us on a journey through 87 of the emotions and experiences that define what it means to be human.

As she maps the necessary skills and lays out an actionable framework for meaningful connection, she gives us the language and tools to access a universe of new choices and second chances.

Join River Cottage Australia host Paul West in his garden and kitchen as he shows you how to become that little bit more self-sufficient.

Homegrown will give you the confidence and know-how you’ll need to grow, cook and preserve your way through the year. It will inspire you to grow more of your own produce and cook more nourishing, simple meals to share with others.

The 100 Best Birdwatching Sites in Australia | Sue Taylor | $39.99 | Woodslane This book is about having fun birding. It contains 100 of the best birdwatching sites in all states, territories and islands of Australia.

For each site Taylor covers the type of habitat, which special species may be found there and when is the best time to visit.

Green Thumb | Craig Miller-Randle | $44.99 | Pan Macmillan Indoor ‘plantspert’ Miller-Randle takes you through the basics of helping indoor plants to thrive. Green Thumb is filled with advice that Craig has distilled in his 40+ years of experience. Whether it’s choosing the right pot, propagating, watering or getting rid of pests, this book has all the info you’ll need.

LIFESTYLE

Homegrown | Paul West | $44.99 | Pan Macmillan

Costa’s World | Costa Georgiadis | $45.00 | Harper Collins I love Costa. It’s been ten years since this bearded garden angel graced our screens and I, for one, am a huge fan.

Throughout lockdown, I have been throwing myself into my own garden, but continue to have no idea what I’m doing. Enter: the perfectly timed book. Costa guides us through gardening in urban environments, the basics of permaculture, the power of community, and much more. The perfect Christmas gift for the green-thumbed folks in your life. - Tahlia

The City Gardener | Richard Unsworth | $49.99 | Thames and Hudson The City Gardener demonstrates how inspired design can optimise the space we have, whether large or small, to create a plant paradise.

The book explores twenty private gardens created by Unsworth and his design practice, Garden Life.

Rationality | Steven Pinker | $35.00 | Penguin Pinker shows how we can enhance rationality in our lives and in the public sphere. Rationality is the perfect toolkit to seize our own fates through critical thinking, probability and more!

Ultimate Weekends: Australia | Emma Shaw | $29.99 | Hardie Grant Sometimes a quick weekend getaway is just what you need, and with so many diverse experiences in our own backyard, now is the perfect time to disconnect, refresh and discover Australia, one weekend at a time. Featuring over 60 destinations from every state and territory.

My Favourite Movies | David Stratton | $32.99 | Allen and Unwin Ah, memories of The Movie Show and David’s silver screen repartee with Margaret…David Stratton literally lives and breathes movies and this splendid book takes you into the worlds of his personal favourites. David combines reviews with behind the scenes tidbits and personal memories. Five stars, David…

- James

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GIFT

A Library of Misremembered Books | Marina Luz | $22.99 | Hardie Grant As a bookseller, I know the frustrating pain of not being able to recall the author or title of a book firsthand.

Luz shapes this struggle through the medium or her paintings, utilising the often interesting language we use to describe that which has been forgotten. This will put a smile on the faces of book lovers.

- Carolina

Get Well | Michael Leunig | $24.99 | Penguin Deceptively wise, heartbreakingly beautiful and just plain hilarious, Get Well is a robust selection from Michael Leunig’s work over the past four years – a time when, quite remarkably, all has not been well with the world.

Ghibliotheque | Jake Cunningham and Michael Leader | $39.99 | Allen and Unwin

Applique the Sew Quirky Way | Mandy Murray | $44.99 | David and Charles

Based on the Ghibliotheque podcast, which leafs through the library of films from the world’s greatest animation studio, this is a fully illustrated book that reviews each Studio Ghibli movie in turn.

Learn how to do quick and easy applique the Sew Quirky way for fun, sewn projects. This collection of designs for bright and bold machine applique patterns can be used to create bags, and quilts, and to embellish clothes.

The Joy of Photoshop | James Fridman | $24.99 | Allen and Unwin Fridman takes people’s requests to Photoshop their photos - to rid the pictures of a small detail - all too seriously, with hilarious results.

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Big Panda and Tiny Dragon | James Norbury | $29.99 | Penguin Norbury has been inspired

by Buddhist philosophy to create a stunning tale of two friends who travel through the seasons learning and sharing for each other. A perfect gift to uplift and inspire.

- Dean

Ideas to Save Your Life | Michael McGirr | $34.99 | Text Publishing McGirr shares his love for philosophy by taking us through the work of twenty distinguished thinkers from across the globe and history. Through their work and McGirr’s storytelling we get a profound and accessible introduction to key philosophical ideas and their relevance to everyday life.

- Reem

Wild Kilted Yoga | Finlay Wilson | $29.99 | Random House Viral Scottish yoga star Finlay Wilson is back with Wild Kilted Yoga. Get ready for more tartan, more dramatic scenery and more tips, sequences and tricks to make your yoga practice extra special.

My Friends Who Don’t Have Dogs | Anna Levin | $24.99 | Peribo In a tribute to Man’s Best Friend, Levin’s short poem is a homage to our pet dogs, each line illustrated with a moving photograph of someone’s mutt.

What Dogs Want | Mat Ward | $24.99 | Allen and Unwin I love this sweet and playful guide to loving your favourite furry friend. Mat Ward takes us inside the sometimes hard to understand minds of our pets and takes us on a path to being the best owners we can be. With a beautiful drawing style, this is a book for a broad range of ages and all dogs lovers!

- Jimmy

Banksy: Completed | Carol Diehl | $49.99 | Random House An in-depth look at Banksy’s controversial social commentary, political activism and conceptual art. This biography explores the mysteries of an artist who has simultaneously rattled the art world and attracted fans worldwide. Heavily illustrated with inciteful criticism. - Dean

Balgo: Creative Country | John Carty | $89.99 | UWAP A landmark publication in Aboriginal art, Australian history, and art historical scholarship. Balgo: Creating Country shows the birth of a painting movement in the context of thousands of years of cultural practice. It also tells another, the story of Balgo itself. A tiny community on the fringes of the desert.

Where They Purr | Paul Barbera | $65.00 | Thames and Hudson Cats can be notoriously aloof, yet they have a special knack for commanding a room. Through stunning photography, Barbera captures 28 enviable homes and the enigmatic qualities of our most contrary of domestic companions: the cat.

Wonderland | Annie Leibovitz | $125.00 | Hachette ‘Looking back at my work, I see that fashion has always been there,’ Annie Leibovitz observes in the preface to Wonderland. This is a surprising account of her encounters with fashion over five decades, including 350 extraordinary images (many of them previously unpublished).

A Life in Pattern | Anna Spiro | $90.00 | Thames and Hudson In this standout design monograph, Spiro shows how the very best interiors come from following your own path. From mood boards to fabric suggestions, furniture ideas to room layouts, A Life in Pattern includes more than 250 photographs from 20 different interior design projects.

Architecture at the Heart of the Home | Jan Henderson and Dianna Snape | $59.99 | Thames and Hudson A survey of outstanding Australian residences that explores the role architecture can play in defining the heart of the home. The projects in this book reveal extraordinary settings that fill the heart with joy and the soul with happiness.

The Art of Oz | Gabriel Gale (Illus.) and John Fricke Thomas | $80.00 | Hardie Grant In this must-have book for all fans of Oz big and small, Gale brings to vivid life all the creatures from L. Frank Baum’s beloved series, from the iconic characters in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz to many others that are visualised here for the first time.

ART & DESIGN

Birds | Tim Flach | $90.00 | Thames and Hudson Tim Flach showcases the subtleties and bold features of birds from around the world.

His expressive portraits convey a beauty and elegance in each bird he has photographed. You don’t have to appreciate birds to be captivated by this book, it’s stunning!

- Reem

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