Better Read Than Dead Summer Reading Guide 2019-2020

SUMMER READING GUIDE

2019-2020

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

AUSTRALIAN FICTION

Damascus | Christos Tsiolkas | $32.99 | Allen & Unwin This may not be the kind of novel you’d expect from Christos Tsiolkas if you’ve read The Slap and Barracuda, but it is no less replete with the themes significant to him as a writer. In a stunning and epic historical masterpiece, Tsiolkas explores the life of St. Paul and the world of the Roman empire following the death of Jesus. You can’t help but be struck by the figure of Paul and his faith, which is never unwavering but always accompanied by an underlying doubt. Tsiolkas offers a picture of a time which in many ways is different to ours but in many ways is also uncomfortably familiar. All of a sudden it doesn’t feel like we are so far distant from crucifixions and death by lion when we still uphold imaginary borders, ostracise “Strangers” and allow politics to divide us from our most human sensibilities. A fantastic read.

— Lucy H.

Red Can Origami | Madelaine Dickie | $29.99 | Fremantle Press Red Can Origami, the second novel by Australian author Madelaine Dickie, tells a familiar story that hits close to home for many; an international company clashing with locals. Dickie takes the difficult, unwieldy subject matter and skilfully brings it down to a personal level. We see the events through the eyes of Ava, a young reporter working in the northern Australian town of Gubinge. When a Japanese uranium mining company pleads the economic benefits of mining native land, it tears the community in half. From the neon streets of Tokyo to the fishing holes of northern Australia, we follow Ava as she pursues the story. A wonderful contemporary fiction novel from a talented author. I look forward to what Dickie has for us next.

— Sanjo

Maybe the Horse Will Talk | Elliot Perlman | $32.99 | Penguin Random House Witty and wordy, Perlman’s social commentary on toxic workplace culture is on point. In a humorous swipe at today’s society Perlman presents us with Stephen Maserov, a flailing second-year lawyer who takes on his firm Freely Savage’s deep-seated culture of sexual harassment and exposes it to rescue his own desperately dwindling home life. Enjoyable in the smart choice of language and one to gobble up as the pages fly by, this contemporary tale features a range of familiar urban characters committed to jobs they don’t even like. Perlman’s stroke of genius is his ability to describe the psychology of these characters trapped in a day-to-day work life where the safe spot is buying yourself a little more time. Funny, smart and deeply satisfying, this contemporary, urban shake-down really hits the spot.

— Dean

New Australian Fiction 2019 | Ed. Rebecca Starford | $24.95 | Kill Your Darlings I love short stories. Like a picture book, there is such an art to drawing your reader into a world, and making them feel something with only a limited amount of space. Kill Your Darlings’ publication, New Australian Fiction 2019 certainly doesn’t disappoint in that department. Featuring some of Australia’s most exciting contemporary voices, this collection shows the rich range of diversity in Australian letters, and touches on all areas of contemporary life, society and politics.

Ranging from eerie speculative stories to frightful tales about the consequences of toxic masculinity, this collection is a compelling showcase of Australian talent.

— Lucy H.

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Act of Grace | Anna Krien | $32.99 | Black Inc. I’m a big fan of Krien’s non-fiction, particularly Night Games. Act of Grace is her debut novel, ten years in the making. Krien has skilfully crafted a fluid narrative voice which slips from one perspective to the next, from Australia to Iraq, from the past to the present. We are quickly immersed into the lives of her characters—we are members of their families, participants in their conversations, at the mercy of their decisions. With this narrative Krien explores the terror and trauma of war, the violent ebb and flow of domestic violence, the resilience of immigrants. It is brutal and at times hard to read, but ultimately this novel is startlingly electric and crucially thought-provoking.

— Kate

AUSTRALIAN FICTION

The Drover’s Wife | Leah Purcell | $32.99 | Penguin Random House I can still recall the electrifying thrill of watching Leah Purcell’s radical reimagining of Henry Lawson’s The Drover’s Wife at the Belvoir in 2016: in that extraordinary play, colonial tropes and archaic stereotypes were given a long-overdue post-colonial and feminist rewrite, disrupting and disturbing a literary canon which has long excluded and violently denigrated Indigenous and female perspectives. Further carving out a space for those who have been historically marginalised, Purcell’s subversive and award-winning ‘Australian Western’ has been turned into a keenly intelligent and deeply-felt novel that expands on the themes and characters so masterfully explored in the theatre. Interrogating the ongoing intersections of gendered violence and settler-colonialism with strength and clarity, this is one of my most anticipated books of the summer.

— Zak

Being Black ‘n Chicken & Chips | Matt Okine | $29.99 | Hachette This book made me laugh and cry, often on the same page.

Loosely based on Okine’s own childhood, it follows 12-year-old Mike, amateur athlete and class clown, as his life comes crashing down. His childish naivety paired with his inquisitiveness keeps the book light even when dealing with dark themes. Okine weaves in plenty of Australian pop-cultural references that give the setting a familiar feel and brings authenticity to the tale. I would recommend it for fans of Boy Swallows Universe and Tim Winton.

— Angelita

Silver | Chris Hammer | $32.99 | Allen & Unwin

Cilka’s Journey | Heather Morris | $32.99 | Echo

Hammer’s knack for depicting Australia so well continues in the second instalment of journalist Martin Scarsden’s investigation into his home town of Port Silver.

Like in a lot of small coastal towns, development is booming, money is pouring in and where there is silver there can be trouble. The mystery of who has murdered Martin’s childhood friend weaves past red herrings and through extended turns as the famed journalist presents his findings to solve the crime faster than the police. A meaty summer read that will satisfy every crime lover.

In The Tattooist of Auschwitz we briefly met Cilka Klein, the administration assistant who befriended Gita. This is the story of 16-year-old Cilka’s time spent in Auschwitz-Berkenau and Vorkuta, a Siberian gulag.

Lale’s time in Auschwitz was heartbreaking, but imagine a woman’s plight in these concentration camps.

It’s powerfully captured here with Cilka, whose strength is her greatest asset. Evoking extreme emotion, Cilka’s Journey will leave you in tears yet ultimately feeling uplifted by one woman’s ability to survive against the greatest of odds.

— Dean

— Dean

The Bee and the Orange Tree | Melissa Ashley | $35 | Affirm Press Ashley, bestselling author of The Birdman’s Wife, brings to light another little-known figure in history, writer Baroness Marie Catherine D’Aulnoy, inventor of the modern fairytale. In 1699 the women of Paris sit on a knife-edge between freedom and subjugation. When Marie’s innocent friend is arrested for attempted murder, she’s sent to the guillotine as a warning to all ‘wayward’ women. This is an evocative and lush drama focusing on the secret lives of women in a time when nothing could be taken for granted.

— Sylvia

The Weekend | Charlotte Wood | $29.99 | Allen & Unwin The Weekend tells the story of three 70-something women who head away for the Christmas break to clear out their friend’s house after her tragic passing. But don’t go thinking this book is sentimental or soppy. Rather, it’s a wry, funny, touching and witty portrayal of friendship, growing old together and the lies we tell ourselves and others. Wood has done such justice to her characters — Wendy, Jude and Adele are too real — it almost felt a shame to leave them behind after I’d finished the book.

— Lucy H. I devoured this tale of female friendship in a single day, but I suspect I’ll be thinking about it for years to come. How often do we get to see women over a certain age portrayed in all their complex glory, let alone witness the layered, weathered relationships they share with one another? Wood is, as we all know by now, an absolutely brilliant writer. The Weekend is at once sharp and tender, and a total pleasure to read.

— Kate

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INTERNATIONAL FICTION

The Water Dancer | Ta-Nehisi Coates | $32.99 | Penguin Random House Lyrical, haunting, beautiful; Ta-Nehisi Coates tackles one of America’s darkest periods with elegance and inventiveness. Coates is one of the US’s most incisive intellectual thinkers about race, and in this, his first work of fiction, he unpacks the lasting, damaging effects of slavery. Laced with elegant, gorgeously evocative descriptions of a vanished world and steeped in its own vivid vocabulary, The Water Dancer is a powerful lament against the enduring trauma of families torn apart in the name of slavery. With this book, Coates has taken on the mantle of such writers as Toni Morrison, Colson Whitehead and Octavia Butler.

— Sarah I have very high expectations for The Water Dancer and can’t wait to get my hands on it. One of the most exciting writers of today, Ta-Nehisi Coates combines his astute racial and social analysis with the kind of vivid storytelling and imaginative prose I have no reason to expect from him—as a debut fiction writer—but do. If the rumours are true, this is the best book of 2019!

— Emma Co.

The Divers’ Game | Jesse Ball | $24.99 | Text This is a novel that increases in power and resonance like a reversed echo. It seems more fitting to call Ball’s work an assemblage rather than a novel because of the way it seems to function in my mind’s eye. The form is four separate, though connected parts written in a style that is so open, spacious and poetic, that it contrasts wholly to the vicious allegory presented.

Characters are vicious, power systems are unquestioned, and morality is entirely disconnected from itself and shamelessly selfserving. This novel is tremendous, grasping towards what it is to be alive right now.

— Virginia

Before the Coffee Gets Cold | Toshikazu Kawaguchi | $18.99 | Picador

The World That We Knew | Alice Hoffman | $32.99 | Simon & Schuster

Olive, Again | Elizabeth Strout | $29.99 | Penguin Random House

My absolute favourite genre to read, this serves everything that I adore about magical realism; a meditative approach to writing, a gentle slip from the very real and a detailed quirk of character that warms your heart. In the back table of a basement café sits a lady reading, she is a ghost.

Once a day she rises from her seat and if you take this seat you can travel to the past but only while the coffee you are served stays warm. At first this story appears quite simple but upon later pondering the many layers reveal a much deeper spellbinding tale.

— Dean

Hoffman employs her unique brand of magical realism and signature lyricism to express the agony of the Holocaust in this moving story of love, loss and resilience in the face of immense tragedy. At the heart of the novel is Ava, a mythical golem of Jewish folklore, who has been created by a mother desperate to grant protection to her teenage daughter during the darkest days of the Nazi regime.

This is a book about the power of love, and the challenges redeeming or retaining humanity under the most horrific circumstances.

— Sarah

Strout’s prose is exquisite, gentle and calm, inviting us once more into the mind of Olive Kitteredge and into the lives of the people in Crosby, Maine, even as those lives are consumed with grief and loneliness and dread and guilt. Her composure makes the occasional emotional gut punch all the more impactful.

Here Olive is in her 70s and 80s, and as she grows older she is relentlessly confronted with her own mortality. Strout’s observations are sharp and refreshingly brazen. I am thrilled that I was able to spend more time in Olive’s company. — Kate

The Topeka School | Ben Lerner | $29.99 | Granta Shifting perspectives, fragmented time periods The Topeka School offers a fresh take on the family saga.

Adam’s parents Jonathan and Jane are psychiatrists each with their own hidden secret. This gives the reader additional knowledge about their social responses surrounding a devastating situation that arises at a seniors party. Adam is popular, one of the cool kids (who also suffers from anxiety). When loner Darren Eberheart (one of his father’s patient’s) is brought into the cool gang it has disastrous effects. Riveting, intelligent, and compelling commentary on toxic masculinity, this is a must-read for the summer.

— Dean

“RIVETING, INTELLIGENT...COMPELLING COMMENTARY ON TOXIC MASCULINITY.”

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The End of the Ocean | Maja Lunde | $32.99 | Simon & Schuster

Jamaican writer Forbes is incredible in this haunting, unforgettable Caribbean epic which follows Moshe, a man born with skin not fully developed. Neither black nor white, Moshe is bluish, with veins visible beneath his translucent skin.

The narrator, Arrienne, strives to protect Moshe from the social consequences of his strange appearance, as they navigate the legacy of colonialism in Jamaica, from post-Independence to a world of Brexit and Donald Trump.

Hypnotic, compelling and like nothing you’ve read before.

— Emma Co.

A novel timelier than ever given the current climate crisis, Lunde provides a meditation on the sheer power and importance of the ocean, our intrinsic fascination with it and our horrifying ability to destroy it. Lunde masterfully crafts a storyline which oscillates between 2017 and 2041 and follows three passionate individuals.

Fundamentally, this book is a beacon of hope, as it reveals the capability that humankind may have to rewrite the course of our future.

INTERNATIONAL FICTION

A Tall History of Sugar | Curdella Forbes | $29.99 | Allen & Unwin

— Katherine

Grand Union | Zadie Smith | $32.99 | Penguin Random House Ever since I read White Teeth I’ve been absolutely enamoured with Zadie Smith and her ability to explore complex themes in nuanced ways, so I was super excited for the release of her first short story collection, Grand Union. And I was blown away. Grand Union covers so many different themes, styles and genres—it is an impressive and intelligent collection that is both emotionally and intellectually engaging. I particularly loved ‘The Lazy River’ and ‘Kelso Deconstructed’. There are so many layers of meta across this collection which I adored because not only does it set me off an almost detective-like tangent to discover meaning, it also makes me feel like all of those hours I’ve spent with my head in books has paid off (see Mum!). Honestly, one of my favourite reads of 2019.

— Lucy H.

Akin | Emma Donoghue | $29.99 | Picador A novel of an unlikely friendship or kinship drawn from traumatic circumstances, Donoghue has crafted the impossible. The protagonist, Noah, a recently retired chemistry professor regards life as known, orderly and essentially complete. He plans to visit his birthplace in Nice for the last time when he is contacted by a social worker that has found he is the only living relative available to care for his surly 11-year-old great-nephew. The boy’s father is dead and mother incarcerated. What follows is a tense comedy of errors, a frustrating learning curve on both sides of the relationship that ultimately points to the possibility of connection and formation of new bonds against all expectations.

— Virginia

Fly Already: Stories | Etgar Keret | $27.99 | Scribe

The Confession | Jessie Burton | $29.99 | Picador

In his subversive and captivating new collection, Keret breaks the boundaries of short fiction to create a collection that is truly unique in its presentation and enthralling for the reader. As his stories range from a father protecting his son to the connection of two unlikely people on the beach, they all seamlessly combine to create a reflection on a shared human experience in a way that is unique to Keret himself.

Moving between 1980 and 2017, I was amazed by the authenticity of Burton’s protagonists and their worlds. From the very first page we’re introduced to this complex cast of characters in a way that makes them so incredibly real, human and familiar. The story flows with a steady pace as it ruminates on marriage, family, and the often disappointing nature of everyday life, all the while maintaining a sardonically self-aware voice. I would recommend this one for fans of Donna Tartt and Joan Didion.

— Angelita

— Lucy V.

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GRAPHIC NOVELS

Bad Gateway | Simon Hanselmann | $46.95 | John Wiley

The Way of the Househusband, Vol. 1 | Kousuke Oono | $18.99 | Viz

Rusty Brown | Chris Ware | $52.99 | Penguin Random House

From the bestselling series about two perpetually stoned freeloader roommates comes a new comic exploring sex, drugs, and which lines you’re able to cross before you lose yourself entirely, with Megg and Mogg forced to reflect on the psychological toll that their years of self-medication and determined indifference has inflicted. This graphic novel will be a treat for any Hanselmann fan.

Unique, completely hilarious with stone-cold comic delivery and episodic storytelling, this is one all manga fans will love. The ‘Immortal Dragon’ was a yakuza great, but he has left it behind to become a househusband.

The drawings are well-constructed with cool background details that add a whole new layer of amusement. This cosy yakuza comedy is fresh and fun to share with friends. I can’t wait for the second instalment! — Dean

I’ve been waiting 16 years for this astounding graphic novel to appear—that’s how long it’s taken Ware to create his masterpiece. It was well worth the wait! Presenting everything that is wonderful about graphic novels; the interactive nature (and Ware takes this to another level completely) and dynamic graphics, which weave a clever story that speaks worlds—literally worlds—about the experience of life.

— Dean

— Ayesha

NEW IN THE NOOK — LIMITED STOCK AVAILABLE In the Dream House | Carmen Maria Machado | $50 | Graywolf Press In this formidable, ferocious, and groundbreaking memoir, Machado turns her extraordinary talents towards the story of her own life, and in the process begins to form an archive where, shamefully, there is none. Writing with nuance, bravery, rigour, and determination about abuse in queer relationships and the cultural assumptions which keep the voices of victims unheard and delegitimised, Machado has crafted a modern masterpiece that carves out a space for the stories that so desperately need telling within our communities. — Zak

Disgraceland | Jake Brennan | $55.99 | Grand Central Publishing If you’re unfamiliar with Disgraceland, consider this a dual recommendation for the podcast as well as the book! In each episode Brennan tells the story of a different musician involved in a crime, either as a perpetrator or victim. The music world—its alcohol, drugs, sex, violence— is ripe to be matched with true crime.

Stylistically unique, the book’s eleven stories are bookended by Elvis and each chapter directly picks up with the beginning of the next one, and it is as deeply engrossing as the podcast.

— Kate

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Little Weirds | Jenny Slate | $32.99 | Hachette When I first learned that comedian/actor Jenny Slate was publishing a book, I was keen. More recently I’ve learned that it is a bonkers and impossible to categorise collection, a mystifying mish-mash of personal essays, poetry and fiction, and I am now the keenest of beans. I can’t say I would have this reaction if this was produced by anyone else’s brain, but it makes perfect sense for Slate. If you too love her nutty, tender, excitable humour, make sure you lay your hands on this gem of a book.

— Kate

Bluets | Maggie Nelson | $38.99 | Wave Books Here I am, heaping impossible praise on an impossible book, a decade after its release.

Nelson understands human frailties and limitations. Even so, she works through it, the pain of it, towards something far greater than herself, something that refuses easy definition. This is indeed a brave book, but it is also a profoundly generous one. It is, in the words of Simone Weil, a kind of light: the exquisite joy of Bluets is that it carries this light within it, illuminating everything it touches.

— Zak

The Supernova Era | Cixin Liu | $32.99 | HarperCollins

Lewis is a renowned Australian fantasy author and she won the 2018 Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy Novel for The Witch Who Courted Death. Now The Wailing Woman – set within her paranormal universe’s version of Sydney – takes a hard look into what it means to find your voice, and how to use it. With commentary on today’s society woven through the story of a teenage banshee, this is a book that promises to speak to young women everywhere.

Chinese author Liu takes the concept of William Golding’s Lord of the Flies and blows it to a global scale. When a supernova blankets Earth in radiation that is deadly to anyone over the age of 13, adults have only one year to teach adolescents how to govern our societies. What is too young a mind anyway? Will children be able to better the world? Supernova Era is the latest book by Liu to be translated into English. Not one to miss for fans of thought-experiment science-fiction.

— Ayesha

— Sanjo

Warrior of the Altaii | Robert Jordan | $32.99 | Pan Macmillan

After the Flood | Kassandra Montag | $32.99 | HarperCollins

In a 2003 interview with SFRevu, Jordan said of Warriors of the Altaii, ‘You will never see it, or know anything about it. I have not destroyed the manuscript, because it has powerful juju... but in my will I have provisions to have that manuscript burned.’ Now, 40 years after the manuscript was first purchased, Tor is finally ready to publish Jordan’s first novel for his legion of fans. Are they committing sacrilege? Or was the epic-fantasy titan just colourfully masking insecurities about his efforts as a novice writer? I’m very excited to find out!

— Sanjo

Climate fiction has never been more relevant or pertinent as it is right now. After the Flood takes place roughly 100 years in the future, after most of the world’s land has been drowned in rising ocean waters due to catastrophic global warming. A stubbornly independent young mother, Myra, must risk everything to find the daughter stolen from her years before.

A compelling and intrepid tale, After the Flood combines the poignant, moving story of a mother’s love, grief and will for survival with all the action and adventure of Kevin Costner’s Waterworld.

— Sarah

SCIENCE-FICTION/FANTASY

The Wailing Woman | Maria Lewis | $32.99 | Hachette

Imaginary Friend | Stephen Chbosky | $32.99 | Hachette In the darkest hours of night while turning those pages at a swift pace, Imaginary Friend truly terrified me! Beginning in comfortable, familiar horror genre territory with a small town, four young boys, a single mum, and an interested sheriff, what happens from this point on is Chbosky’s very own, scary creation. Worlds away from his debut novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower, yet he has similarly created characters you adore and want to protect. This is a perfect stay-cation read for anyone who loves a good fright.

— Dean

“A PERFECT STAY-CATION READ FOR ANYONE WHO LOVES A GOOD FRIGHT.”

The Grace Year | Kim Liggett | $32.99 | Penguin Random House Tierney James is one of the most strong-willed characters I have ever come across in a work of fiction. This is all the more impressive considering that she has been raised in the oppressive confines of the county, a dystopian village with extremely patriarchal values. Adolescent girls are believed to possess a dangerous power and so, for the safety of the men, they must spend their sixteenth year in the wilderness expelling every last trace of this magic. None of them have been prepared for this year–the Grace Year–for talk of it is forbidden. What awaits Tierney and her peers is a harrowing experience as they spiral into the madness of herd mentality. For in a sexist world, the most damaging thing women can do is turn on each other. This is a gritty tale of survival which will remind you of the importance of unity when faced with injustice.

— Angelita

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CRIME FICTION

Peace | Garry Disher | $29.99 | Text If you’re looking for this year’s The Dry, look no further. Disher, winner of the Ned Kelly Lifetime Achievement Award, is the Godfather of Aussie rural noir. But he’s not just a writer of great crime fiction; he’s a writer of great fiction, full stop. His soulful depiction of landscape and small town life made me think of Kent Haruf, and there’s no higher praise than that. Peace starts innocuously, with Constable Hirsch, an honourable but imperfect copper, investigating a misdemeanour, but it changes gears with a shocking crime on a remote farm that will have you turning the pages long into the night. Gold standard.

— John

“DISHER...IS THE GODFATHER OF AUSSIE RURAL NOIR.”

The Lying Room | Nicci French | $29.99 | Simon & Schuster

The Wife and the Widow | Christian White | $32.99 | Affirm Press

A tense standalone domestic thriller will keep fans of the genre in the dizzying dark until the very end. Our protagonist Neve is the one her family and friends rely on. But being everything for everyone has worn her down and prompted her to start an affair with her married boss.

Then he’s murdered, and she makes a series of gobsmacking decisions which deeply entangle her in the criminal investigation.

Neve finds herself being boxed ever more tightly into a corner and I was feeling the heat right up until the surprising conclusion.

White’s second thriller follows two women who each find themselves in situations where they must question the secret lives of their husbands. As with his debut The Nowhere Child, White’s screenwriting experience shines with sharp dialogue and a pacy plot which will have you tearing through the pages. And the setting is just as characterful, a fictional island in the Bass Strait off the coast of Victoria in the dead of winter— the chill and the gloom of the island is the perfect antidote to stinking hot summer days.

— Kate

Dead Man Switch | Tara Moss | $32.99 | HarperCollins Slink through the back streets of post-war Sydney! The beginning takes us to the infamous Olympia milk bar in its hey-day. Billie Walker, a chic yet formidable PI, takes on a missing person’s case that leads into the dangerous heart of Sydney’s underbelly. Trying to fill her fathers’ shoes and save his detective agency, Billie and her assistant Samuel pull out all the stops to solve this case. Dashing and daring, this first book in a new series is a hoot for anyone who likes local history or a rollicking good mystery.

— Dean

— Kate

Unbelievable | T. Christian Miller & Ken Armstrong | $19.99 | Penguin Random House I recently raced through the whole Netflix limited series Unbelievable. I found the series gripping, heart-wrenching and revealing. At its conclusion, I found myself wanting to read the work of literary true crime on which it is based. The story’s telling by journalists Miller and Armstrong began with the 2015 Pulitzer Prize-winning news article “An Unbelievable Story of Rape,” which was later expanded into a book. The book, like the series, follows two stories. In the first, we follow 18-year-old Marie in Washington. In 2008, Marie was charged with making a false rape allegation after she recanted her original statements to police. In the second, we follow two female detectives in Colorado who discover they are each independently investigating the same serial rapist. The two threads reveal how a sex crime victim’s credibility is distressingly tenuous, and so dependent on sensitive, diligent investigators. Readers who appreciated Michelle McNamara’s I’ll Be Gone In the Dark will be similarly compelled by this story, and by Miller and Armstrong’s compassionate journalism.

— Kate

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You Don’t Know Me | Sara Foster | $32.99 | Simon & Schuster Is it possible to move on from someone you never got to say goodbye to? When Noah sees Alice his first thought is she looks exactly like someone he’d rather forget, but he soon realises Alice is nothing like his old high school crush. As their hearts entwine so do their secrets, and soon they realise their love for each other might not be able to keep them together. A twisty saga full of love, fear, and betrayal, this gut-wrenching novel builds up a world around you only for it to come crumbling down. You won’t be able to put it down.

— Ayesha

`

with Olivia O'Flynn

www.talkingwordspodcast.com @talkingwordspodcast The authors have been writing them, we’ve been reading them and now, let’s talk about them.

Hello!

My name is Olivia O’Flynn. I come from a background of performance; theatre, film and television (not to mention the thousands of Ned Kelly re-enactments I forced my parents to watch as a child.) Yet my passion has always been literature. Words are my favourite thing. They’re toys to play with, weapons to wield and have the ability to whisk me away for hours at a time.

TALKING WORDS PODCAST

presents

When the opportunity arose to create a podcast with the veritable literary icon that is Better Read Than Dead, I leapt at it. This was the perfect way to blend my skill set as a performer with my love of books.

It’s, dare I say, almost a selfish endeavour; I get to ask people who I have admired for years about their careers and their relationship with reading and writing. All the while doing the thing I love most: Talking Words.

Over the first season I interview six brilliant, innovative authors about their lives and careers. From living in a quasi-Buddhist cult to attending high school surrounded by barbed wire, from fighting law reforms to incorporating pattern thinking into our everyday, this season has something for everybody. We champion the creative process and celebrate storytelling in all its unrefined glory. I cannot wait to share with you all of the insightful, breathtaking and humorous interviews I had the pleasure of hosting.

Join me on the 23rd of October where you’ll find me doing my favourite thing, Talking Words.

Olivia Featuring:

MICHAEL MOHAMMED AHMAD MEGAN DALEY BRI LEE WALTER MASON PATTI MILLER TYSON YUNKAPORTA

New episodes every Wednesday.

Subscribe now from wherever you get your podcasts!

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2019 BOOKS OF THE MONTH

FEBRUARY BOOK OF THE MONTH How to Write An Autobiographical Novel | Alexander Chee | $22.99 | Bloomsbury | Essays Few books have stayed with me in 2019 as much as this luminous, extraordinary collection of autobiographical essays. Even now, nine months after its release, I feel as if whole paragraphs have embedded themselves into my psyche, the distillations of a life’s worth of wisdom. Invoking the modern masters of the form while remaining true to his own superb idiom, Chee interrogates the substance of his life—the life of an activist, a lover, a son, a gay man, a Korean-American, and a writer–with clarity, insight, and generosity. Each essay in isolation would be enough to warrant the recommendation, such is their strength; together, however, they realise a portrait of striking, often startling beauty. By turns rapturous, heartbreaking, and deeply moving, Chee’s latest is a triumph of art and heart.

— Zak

MARCH BOOK OF THE MONTH The Rip | Mark Brandi | $29.99 | Hachette | Australian Fiction The Rip slowly and masterfully hooks you, where you constantly feel that something dreadful is operating in the background. A gritty urban crime executed with literary finesse.

— Dean Get caught in a rip at the beach and before you know it you’re in a fight for your life. Brandi made his name in the gripping, prize-winning novel Wimmera. Here he perfectly captures the desperation of two people seeking a way out of living rough, the limited choices they have, and the life-altering pitfalls of making poor decisions. Drawn into a seedy flat-share, the undertow of drug dependence inexorably drags them into troubled waters. Urban crime at its compelling and devastating best. A great book club choice too.

— John

APRIL BOOK OF THE MONTH Lanny | Max Porter | $27.99 | Faber | International Fiction Beautiful, lyrical, astonishing; Lanny is my Book of the Year for its pure artistry and inventiveness. Behind the picturesque hedgerows and manicured gardens of rural British life lies a dark, fecund underbelly—a seething cacophony of family secrets, nosy neighbours and the violence of nature. In Lanny we encounter the enchantment and close-mindedness of village life, a child so whimsical he borders on magical, and presiding over all is the folkloric Dead Papa Toothwort. This is a book you experience rather than read.

— Sarah Lanny is just perfect. Beautiful. Contained. A book with just enough originality, poetry and heart that it raises the bar on contemporary writing. Books don’t get much better than this.

— Dean

MAY BOOK OF THE MONTH A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World | C.A. Fletcher | $22.99 | Hachette | International Fiction I’m not sure if Fletcher was trying to warm my heart or break it, but he did both. This is a story about love, loyalty, bravery and betrayal. Seen though the eyes of young Griz, followed closely by a canine companion named Jip, we experience their journey together across a strange yet beautiful post-apocalyptic world to find Jess, Griz’s other beloved dog, stolen by a stranger. Griz’s blunt honesty and raw depiction of the few people met in this lonely dystopian world is an eye-opening insight into the good and bad sides of human nature. The clever narrative Fletcher has used puts you right there with Griz, searching for Jess, finding out what it means to be human and coming to grips with how other people may have once expressed their own humanity in the world left behind.

— Sanjo

JUNE BOOK OF THE MONTH The Nancys | R.W.R. McDonald | $29.99 | Allen & Unwin | Crime Fiction McDonald has given Nancy Drew a camp and fabulous makeover! Set in New Zealand, this small town murder mystery is not what you’d expect; modern and rollicking fun (while also having moments of sweet tenderness). Before reading it I honestly didn’t think this was my kind of book, but from the first page in I was utterly charmed by its fresh take on the genre and the gorgeous cast of characters found inside.

— Lucy H. I love me a nutty murder mystery romp and I could not put this book down. This is a gleeful crime fiction debut with a satisfying balance of campy warmth and murderous darkness, and tonnes of sassy dialogue, perfect for fans of authors like Lisa Lutz.

— Kate

10

The Yield | Tara June Winch | $32.99 | Penguin Random House | Indigenous Australian Fiction So, so beautiful – and like nothing I’ve ever read. There are passages of sublime prose; sentences that shook me and took me new places; and parts that made me bawl for everything that’s been and being lost, stolen and damaged for First Nations people in Australia. The Yield follows the story of August who, after spending years overseas, returns to find her ancestors’ land – her family’s home – being repossessed by a mining company. The words of her grandfather, Albert Gondiwindi, weave through August’s story. Albert’s dictionary is a masterpiece and some of the most moving prose I’ve read. The Yield is my favourite Australian book this year – and it might be yours, too! — Emma Co.

AUGUST BOOK OF THE MONTH The Pillars | Peter Polites | $32.99 | Hachette | Australian Fiction The Pillars is Polites in cracking form. Familiar themes from his debut novel, Down The Hume – the perspective of a young, gay man of Greek descent in Western Sydney — have been given a broader canvas and mixed with the hotly topical issue of fast-buck, shoddy building standards and their possible disastrous consequences… Family dynamics, cultural perceptions, prejudices and moral relativism colour the story, as does Polites’ personal strain of dark humour. But, what gives this great new Australian novel its greatest life force is its author’s intimate knowledge of Western Sydney and its inhabitants, and the artfulness with which he chisels them into the page…

— James

2019 BOOKS OF THE MONTH

JULY BOOK OF THE MONTH

SEPTEMBER BOOK OF THE MONTH Sand Talk | Tyson Yunkaporta | $32.99 | Text | Indigenous Australian Non-Fiction This book is a thing of incredible beauty, wisdom and resistance. It shows how invaluable Indigenous symbols, stories and perspectives are against our contemporary hellscape. It’s not often that I read something and want, so urgently, to commit its contents to heart and memory. Yunkaporta’s Sand Talk is a book unlike any other: meditative and instructive, philosophical and practical, immense and unpretentious. Sand Talk is a powerhouse–and an incredibly generous gift to Australia. It’s one I’m sure the country doesn’t deserve. I can’t recall a book about the future of humanity this positive, energising and reparative. Yunkaporta’s book is not only the best book of 2019, but it’s also the one that might change your life. A revelation.

— Emma Co.

OCTOBER BOOK OF THE MONTH There Was Still Love | Favel Parrett | $29.99 | Hachette | Australian Fiction There Was Still Love is freighted with a great many wonderful trademark Parrett attributes: devotion, tenderness, emotion, soul, charm, and, yes, love. Perhaps its greatest attribute, as well as hers, is grace. A pared back focus that cuts through to the essential, and elevates this story to a whole new level. It’s a contemplation of all that life and love is; a quiet and masterly benediction.

— John

This book had me feeling emotions I’ve never felt before. Tender and so gorgeously written, this is the story of two sisters split apart by war, told primarily through the eyes of their grandchildren Mala Liska and Ludek. In touching scenes switching back and forth both geographically and temporally, this book explores the difficult experiences inherent in both being left behind, and in making an escape.

— Lucy H.

NOVEMBER BOOK OF THE MONTH The Starless Sea | Erin Morgenstern | $32.99 | Penguin Random House | International Fiction What a liquid, languid, pleasurable wander through the powerful imagination of a peerless writer.

The Starless Sea is an utterly original contemporary fantasy perfect for all who love books and reading. Zachary Rawlins discovers an old book in his university library; disturbingly, one tale details a moment from his childhood.

As he attempts to find an explanation for this impossibility, he enters a vivid world that leads him to an ancient underground library, a man named Dorian and a woman named Mirabel. And many cats. This is an epic ode to love and story and I just didn’t want it to end; I shed a tear when it did because there was no more of this wonderment to read. Stunning.

— Sylvia

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BIOGRAPHY

Acid for the Children | Flea | $32.99 | Hachette What a cover, it really says it all!! I’ve been waiting for this biography of the Red Hot Chilli Pepper’s bassist for well over a year and my excitement has bubbled over. To read such a frank, no holds barred account of one of the most unique musicians living today, it has been well worth the wait. From his rocky childhood to his escape at 14, living on the street in LA with fellow band member Anthony Kiedis to the highs and high-tops of fame. Dare I say it, this bio gives Scar Tissue a run for its money. Flea is a total character from start to end. If you love the shoot-em-up music bios, then this has it all.

For Gen Xers who remember.

— Dean

“THIS BIO GIVES SCAR TISSUE A RUN FOR ITS MONEY.”

Gotta Get Theroux This | Louis Theroux | $32.99 | Pan Macmillan

Your Own Kind of Girl | Clare Bowditch | $29.99 | Allen & Unwin

This is a candid look into the life and career of one of the most well-known investigative journalists of all time. Theroux muses on how a gawky, socially awkward boarding student became an internationally acclaimed TV personality, and how his bohemian London upbringing encouraged his lifelong interest in the weird and the wacky. Filled with hilariously cringe-worthy photos of family, friends, antics, and of course, Louis himself throughout different stages of his life, this is an essential read for any fan.

At age 21, Bowditch promised herself she would one day write her story. Twenty-one years later, Bowditch has published “the story of the stories we tell ourselves, and what happens when we believe them.” In these stories tragedy, grief, rage and despair forge a path to love, acceptance, courage and vulnerability. Bowditch’s writing is lyrical yet straight-shooting, and filled with good humour.

Her memoir is eloquent and absorbing, similar in style to Jimmy Barnes’ Working Class Boy, and a searing companion to Bri Lee’s Beauty.

— Kate

— Angelita

Will | Will Self | $35 | Penguin Random House

Dear Girls | Ali Wong | $29.99 | Penguin Random House

The great William Burroughs’ path to being an author is the example Self follows through his teenage years. This memoir by one of my favourite linguistic gymnasts is the culmination of influences starring in his fictional body of work. The Oxfordeducated, world-travelled, onagain-off-again junkie writes his memoir in similar buzzing prose as his fiction; with repeated sounds and phrases, drizzled in dictionary-dipped language and rollicking good times through despicable characters.

This is pure Will Self in every way and if you are a fan of the author it’s a frenetic read.

— Dean

I get so excited when a favourite comedian announces a foray into publishing, and anticipation is high for this debut collection from Ali Wong, who you may know/love from her Netflix specials Baby Cobra and Hard Knock Wife and fun rom-com Always Be My Maybe. These letters are addressed to her two young daughters, but that doesn’t mean she’s going to sugarcoat the content or her language and I know I’m going to deeply appreciate every scrap of candid life advice shrouded in comedy gold she has to offer.

Yellow Notebook: Diaries Vol. 1 1978-1986 | Helen Garner | $29.99 | Text It would be very difficult to hide something from Helen Garner. This thought struck me early on as I considered the first volume of her diaries from the years 1978-1987. Garner’s voice is instantly recognisable but Yellow Notebook brings her into clearer view. We see her process, observations, frustrations, neuroses as she creates stories that catapulted her into the public spotlight. This collection is on par with Didion’s iconic The White Album and its assessment of the turbulent summer of 1968.

— Emma Cr. I​ loved Yellow Notebook, not just for the literary value in the apt and utterly poetic observations Garner makes of the world around her, but also as an important historical document of the life of a writer in Australia in the ‘80s. In true Garner fashion, her diary explores complex themes of love, heartbreak, resilience and questions of what is fair in love and fiction, through short parcels of text that pack a powerful punch. While Yellow Notebook is by no means a traditional diary (is anything about Garner traditional?), her diaries only cement her reputation as an astute writer with an impressive and lyrical storytelling prowess.

— Lucy H.

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— Kate

Unfollow | Megan Phelps-Roper | $32.99 | Hachette

Roach is one of Australia’s greatest singer songwriters, storytellers and activists. His 1990 debut album Charcoal Lane made him the voice of the Stolen Generation. Only a few years old when he was forcibly removed from his family, Roach overcame tremendous odds to reconnect to his people and Country. His music and his story should be known to all Australians. Tell Me Why is a stunning account of resilience and strength of spirit – and one of the most anticipated biographies this year.

Unfollow details Phelps-Roper’s experience growing up within the Westboro Baptist Church, famous for extreme homophobia, anti-Semitism and being documented by Louis Theroux as ‘The Most Hated Family in America.’ This powerful literary memoir gives insight into her journey through religious fanaticism and ultimately the adversity she experienced in leaving it all behind. Essential reading or those who love Educated by Tara Westover and tales of personal reinvention.

— Emma Co.

BIOGRAPHY

Tell Me Why | Archie Roach | $49.99 | Simon & Schuster

— Deserae

Olive Cotton: A Life In Photography | Helen Ennis | $49.99 | HarperCollins Perhaps most famous for her photograph, ‘tea cup ballet 1935’, this biography of Olive Cotton is a comprehensive look at the life experiences one of Australia’s most prominent modernist photographers. In the 1930s, Olive Cotton produced bold work prolifically, then in the mid-1940s Olive divorced Max Dupain, leaving Sydney to live with her second husband, Ross McInerney. Raising their two kids in a canvas tent on a farm near Cowra, Olive quietly continued her photography. A Sydney exhibition in 1985 shot her back to fame, followed by a major retrospective at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. This book contains letters and personal photos of a courageous, remarkable person, as well as discussion and analysis of her work.

— Virginia

Face It | Debbie Harry | $45 | HarperCollins Debbie Harry is an undeniable icon. As frontwoman of Blondie, her sound and style defined the post-punk New Wave movement and influenced the future of rock. With her characteristically wry and brazen sense of humour and effervescent charm, Debbie writes about her life before, during and after Blondie’s hey-day. Far from being an account of unmitigated success and living the high life, instead Debbie gives a candid view of the hard work, tough breaks and occasional tragedies on the road to stardom. For fans of Patti Smith’s Just Kids, you’ll also love the references to the halcyon creative days of NYC in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s.

— Sarah

“WITH HER CHARACTERISTICALLY WRY AND BRAZEN SENSE OF HUMOUR...”

A Month in Siena | Hisham Matar | $24.99 | Penguin Random House

Penny Wong | Margaret Simons | $34.99 | Black Inc.

An ode to great art and the powerful, sometimes baffling connection we have with a particular masterpiece.

The Sienese masters captured the imagination of Matar, the Libyan-born author whose fiction and non-fiction works dazzle with their exploration of isolation and exile. As Matar works to understand the mission of Siena and its artists, he is thrown backwards by the city’s own stories of rivalry, destruction and rebirth. In fact, these stories are not worlds apart from his own.

— Emma Cr.

Wong’s story is insightful and compelling. Although she is (easily) the country’s most beloved politician, Wong remains guarded in her private life. While the author admits Wong initially objected to the biography being written, this should not dissuade you from learning more about Wong’s family history, political beliefs and social convictions. While I did not always agree with the author’s methodology, her subject was always generous and benevolent. She will remind you there is hope for Australia.

— Emma Co.

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AUSTRALIAN NON-FICTION

Inner Worlds, Outer Spaces | Ceridwen Dovey | $34.99 | Penguin Random House Dovey is well-known on the Australian literary scene for her novels but she is also a talented essayist, and this is the first published collection of her non-fiction work. Dovey notes that her favourite thing to do now is “eavesdrop on the working lives of others,” and here she has gathered profiles of people with somewhat unusual professions, who have forged these career paths because of a deep and all-consuming passion for their work. In four parts— titled earthly, outer, inner, and other—Dovey introduces us to a space lawyer, two bibliotherapists and a master perfumer. We also gain a deeper insight into the professional motivations of familiar public figures like Ian Thorpe and Liane Moriarty. This is an energising collection—a fascinating read that also serves as inspiration to, if you can, do what you truly love.

— Kate

Nikulinsky Unfolded: Xanthorrhoea | Philippa Nikulinsky | $35 | Fremantle Press A stunning, illustrative concertina artwork that summons the spirit of a mindful wander through the Great Victoria Desert as it folds out. The regeneration process of the iconic grass tree (Xanthorrhoea) is expressed through time from the unburnt beauty of the leaves to the stark bushfire stripped sand dunes. This beautiful gift book is part a work of mindfulness and part armchair travel, as well as a dreamy work of art from one of Australia’s most dazzling and internationally-respected illustrators. This is a gift of beauty, peace, and quiet contemplation.

— Dean

The Innocent Reader: Reflections on Reading and Writing | Debra Adelaide | $29.99 | Picador Debra Adelaide was my favourite teacher at uni. I always admired her clarity and it was a total pleasure to spend time in her company again via this collection of autobiographical essays on reading and writing. Her essays on reading are tender and stirring. Those on the practice of writing are refreshingly candid, while those on the teaching of writing are humorously acerbic. I dog-eared several pages and returned to transcribe the many quotes, sentences and paragraphs that sparked something in me. This is a lovely summer treat for booklovers.

— Kate I found myself dog-earing so much of this book (naughty, I know) not only because as a booklover I recognised so much of myself in its pages but also for the fascinating insights into the mind of a writer and the publishing world in Australia. Adelaide’s short essays chart her personal experiences of reading and writing and how they have intersected throughout her career.

Highly relatable whilst also being revelatory, this book is essential for any diehard readers and budding writers, if only to feel the warmth and nostalgia embedded in the stories of books that have changed our lives.

— Lucy H.

Life: Selected Writings | Tim Flannery | $39.99 | Text

The Saturday Portraits | Maxine Beneba Clarke | $34.99 | Hachette

Flannery has led a remarkably varied and exciting life–he’s a mammologist, palaeontologist, environmentalist, conservationist, activist, explorer and scientist. He has discovered more than 30 mammal species, has served on climate action committees worldwide, and has had a dinosaur named after him. He also cautioned against the drastic effects of global warming, but the world failed to heed his warnings.

Fuelled by curiosity and adventure, this collection brings together almost thirty years of essays, speeches and writing on a diverse range of topics from one of Australia’s keenest scientific minds.

This series of biographical portraits

by Maxine Beneba Clarke, the phenomenal author of The Hate Race and Foreign Soil, is sure to be fantastic.

In The Saturday Portraits, Maxine meets Tony Abbott during his prime ministership, spends precisely nine minutes with Hugh Jackman, eats “slut!” cupcakes with feminist Karen Pickering, trolls a local racist fried chicken eatery, shares a stage with Roxane Gay, drinks green tea with Ai Weiwei, and exchanges emails with President Obama. Your next favourite essay collection!

— Sarah

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— Emma Co.

Beauty is the first in a new personal essay series from Lee, the author of Eggshell Skull. Lee interrogates beauty as an ethical ideal in society and she does so eloquently and with formidable vulnerability. She shares her own history of disordered eating, particularly in the lead up to the publication of Eggshell Skull. The need she felt to present the most perfect version of herself to the public is, I believe, going to resonate with so many readers. Although there will be some who have managed to avoid internalising patriarchal expectations of how a person should look (and all kudos to you magical beings), there are many more who fight this mental battle every day. By telling her own story, Lee reminds us to be vigilant about how we physically judge ourselves and others. We have to be conscious of how we talk about our bodies, of the language we use, because women have been taught to hate their bodies from day one and self-loathing is a distraction we simply do not need. In essence, Beauty is a short, sharp read and a vital conversation-starter.

— Kate

The Lost Boys | Paul Byrnes | $45 | Affirm Press Respected SMH journalist Byrnes has meticulously researched a fascinating history of the underage Australian soldiers who fought from 1914-1918. These soldiers lied about their age and gender and forged documents to fight on the other side of the world. The portraits of forty of these soldiers are haunting.

Youth beams out from under uniforms which appear almost costume-like on these children.

These daring stories will appeal to anyone with an interest in this unique slice of Australian military history.

—Dean

Nothing New: A History of Second-Hand | Robyn Annear | $29.99 | Text

Love Is Strong As Death | Paul Kelly | $39.99 | Penguin Random House

Finding the Heart of the Nation | Thomas Mayor | $39.99 | Hardie Grant

This fascinating history is at once a history of secondhand economy and a social commentary, and as compelling as a novel. It evokes various eras and makes you feel as if you are wearing a costume of the time— or a wooden leg. You never know what you’ll find! Annear takes us from the street markets to pawnshops and op shops, from necessity to trend. Did you know that even food used to be traded second-hand? This epic story is not to be missed.

Paul ‘Who’s-Gonna-Make-TheGravy’ Kelly is one of Australia’s preeminent musicians, and our most famous sing-along guy.

He is also a huge poetry lover.

Here he has curated poems he loves—poems that have moved, challenged and inspired him across his career and life.

He pulls together classic and contemporary poetry that speak to love and death and all the other mess too. It’s like Paul Kelly DJ-ing poetry, and you’re gonna want to get on this dance floor, so to speak.

— Deserae

Finding the Heart of the Nation tracks Thomas Mayor’s journey across the continent to interview Indigenous Australians on their hopes for the Uluru Statement.

Rooted in the past but always forward-looking, Mayor’s eye for human stories is undeniable.

This is an affirmation of the enormous potential of the Uluru statement to shape a fairer Australia, and a compact but mighty read, as the historical memory embedded within these pages will stun you.

— Fabienne

AUSTRALIAN NON-FICTION

Beauty | Bri Lee | $19.99 | Allen & Unwin

— Emma Cr.

Cosmic Chronicles: A User’s Guide to the Universe | Fred Watson | $32.99 | NewSouth Books Australian astronomer Fred Watson offers an exciting peek at our universe. This is a fascinating and respectful approach to science writing; respect is paid to Indigenous cultures and to the forgotten heroes history left behind. Watson brings astroscience into the everyday and makes it accessible. “Take a peek at the moon through your binoculars,” Watson encourages, and so I did. What’s out there becomes immediately present and it’s Watson’s expert view and ability to tell luminous stories to explain the complexity of our universe that has me jumping for joy and singing his praise. I can’t recommend this book enough; for any popular science enthusiasts and astro-lovers of all ages, this book is a mind-bending treat.

— Dean

“WATSON BRINGS ASTROSCIENCE INTO THE EVERYDAY AND MAKES IT ACCESSIBLE.”

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INTERNATIONAL NON-FICTION

The Witches Are Coming | Lindy West | $29.99 | Allen & Unwin I love Lindy West. I read her memoir/feminist manifesto Shrill in 2016 and only recently binged the whole first season of its TV adaptation in one night — both are powerful and moving and joyful, and have established West as a bold, necessary and hilarious writer. If you’re not on the West train yet I strongly urge you to hop aboard, especially as we are now being treated with a new collection of 18 essays! They range from the very serious (abortion rights, gender equality, social injustice) to the very fun (comedy, pop culture) and the very moving (grief, family, home) and I cannot wait to delve back into her writing and her particular point of view.

— Kate

“IF YOU’RE NOT ON THE WEST TRAIN YET I STRONGLY URGE YOU TO HOP ABOARD.”

The Man in the Red Coat | Julian Barnes | $39.99 | Penguin Random House

Incidental Inventions | Elena Ferrante | $29.99 | NewSouth Books

Make It Scream, Make It Burn | Leslie Jamison | $32.99 | Granta

Morning Glory On the Vine | Joni Mitchell | $49.99 | Allen & Unwin

Barnes returns to what may be his favourites—portraiture, some Flaubert and Sarah Bernhardt—and really illuminates the decadent post-Dreyfus affair period in France, through the life of his central character, Samuel Pozzi, breakthrough gynaecologist and all-round socialite and charmer. You should see his moustache... Barnes recreates and reveals both London and Paris in the dandyfilled Belle Epoque in a way that feels light, fascinating and concise, though clearly the work of deep research. Immaculate.

Irresistible, intimate, inspiring; Incidental Inventions is an illustrated collection of Ferrante’s year-long column with the Guardian. Ferrante, the bestselling author of Neapolitan quartet, discusses various topics: religion, climate change, animosity among women, laughter, pregnancy and childbirth, sexuality. They are the seeds of potential novels; they are her musings on the world.

The collection is the perfect gift for women who read and offers insight into one of the greatest (and most private) living authors.

Jamison’s hit debut The Empathy Exams has been a Better Read staff pick since 2015. Now she’s back with a new collection of essays which are just as eloquent and searching. The title is lightly amusing to me, as Jamison is not a writer whose emotion screams off the page. She is contained, always watching, and ready to share what she learns. We can see this more clearly in her titling of the three sections: Longing, Looking and Dwelling. This is another stirring collection from a very impressive writer.

Joni Mitchell has created the kind of music that you drink in; her melodies are smooth and nourishing. Morning Glory on the Vine spills forth lyrics, poems and illustrations Mitchell created in 1971, the year her iconic album Blue hit the top of the charts.

This collection offers an intimate window into a year of success and upheaval. What happens when an artist breaks through?

What is gained or lost along the way? Morning Glory on the Vine sits in close company with Patti Smith’s new memoir The Year of the Monkey.

— Virginia

— Emma Co.

— Kate

— Emma Cr.

How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy | Jenny Odell | $29.99 | Black Inc. “To pay attention, this is our endless and proper work,” wrote Mary Oliver. Far more than lofty advice, American visual artist Odell has created a complex examination and evaluation of how and why we can resist the capitalist fear/ shame-based drama and value systems, and recreate meaning, connection and fulfilment. More than resisting it encourages creating by means of recovering our attention practice to our selves and our environments. Odell’s research is both extensively personal and drawn from a wide collection of artists, scientists and philosophers like John Cage, Donna Haraway, Thoreau and Robin Wall Kimmerer. Notions of deep listening, wilding and interconnectedness are not new but a prescient reminder of how we can be. Odell’s beautifully dense work allows the music of the world to be present again. Rereading always.

— Virginia

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The Body | Bill Bryson | $49.99 | Penguin Random House

When passions surrounding our climate are seemingly at an all time high, Dry has come along to share the story of the scientists who have spent the last 200 years unravelling the mysteries of our seas, glaciers and atmosphere in this thoroughly accessible book. Beautifully and lyrically written, and equal parts insightful, scientific and surprisingly adventurous, Dry’s book is a must read for any hoping to better understand our global climate.

A fresh non-fiction release from Bill Bryson—need I say more? I’ll go on anyway; as a shameful addict of Web MD and regular patient of Doctor Google; The Body exploded my view of what it means to be healthy. From the smallest of cells to clanking bones, the symmetry of our bodies deserves a moment of quiet reflection. Bryson has set himself a mammoth task of research here and he surely delivers. The Body is a quintessential gift for, well, everybody!

—Sanjo

— Emma Cr.

INTERNATIONAL NON-FICTION

Waters Of the World | Sarah Dry | $35 | Scribe

Eat Joy | Ed. Natalie Eve Garrett | $34.99 | NewSouth Books Humans hold deep and complex relationships to the food they eat, relationships inflected with diverse social, cultural, and personal histories. Eat Joy, an exhilarating and ingenious pairing of personal essays and delicious recipes by some of the guiding lights of contemporary literature, uses food as the catalyst for stirring and poignant reflections on love, heartbreak, community, and the heady complexities of the human condition. Boasting contributions from the likes of Alexander Chee, Carmen Maria Machado, and Anthony Doerr, this is nourishing ‘soul food’ for bibliophiles and casual readers alike.

— Zak

Coventry | Rachel Cusk | $32.99 | Faber Having won widespread critical acclaim for her shimmering, masterful Outline trilogy, Cusk returns with yet another tour de force of contemporary literature: her first collection of personal essays. The literary trademarks that have made Cusk a household name are front and centre in this exquisite volume: a keen observational eye, razor-sharp intelligence, gently self-deprecating humour, and an extraordinary sense of pathos. So, too, are her choice themes and concerns: cruelty and honesty, passivity and change, marriage, motherhood, and the difficulties of cultivating a liveable life. While providing an extraordinary showcase of Cusk’s supple, inquisitive, and agile mind, these essays serve a dual purpose: they cement her reputation as one of our greatest living writers. Essential reading for Cuskians and the uninitiated alike.

— Zak

Venus & Aphrodite | Bettany Hughes | $29.99 | Hachette

‘Til Wrong Feels Right | Iggy Pop | $49.99 | Penguin Random House

For those enchanted by the enigmatic powers of the goddess Venus, this is the perfect summer read! Hughes expertly traverses across worlds of ancient art, myth, archaeology, and philosophy, demonstrating that Venus is far more complex than she is perceived, more layered than just the romantic, sensual figure humankind has been enamoured with for centuries. This fabulous read reveals essential truths of human desire and its sheer power to transform us and our behaviour.

— Katherine

Compiling notes, pictures and stories into a single memoir, ‘Til Wrong Feels Right lifts the curtain on the fascinating life of Iggy Pop and all that goes into his music. Having worked with music legends such as David Bowie, Debbie Harry and Jarvis Cocker, Iggy Pop’s career has been long and successful and it is truly a pleasure to be given the opportunity to gain, however small, an insight into the world of the Godfather of Punk.

— Lucy V.

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BETTER READ TOURS

VIETNAM

COTSWOLDS

“I couldn’t recommend this writers retreat more. It really did feel bespoke - we got to see things that would not be on the itinerary of any other tour. The spiritual aspects of this tour were not what drew me to book, but I found learning about Buddhist principles and meditative techniques were absolutely invaluable to my writing practice.”

- Gisele Hosteau

“I have been to many writing workshops over the past few years, but Kate's workshops surpassed any I have previously attended. I learnt so much from Kate and that knowledge has given me a new impetus to finish the novel I started some years ago. I would highly recommend this retreat to any aspiring writer. The Shakespeare Hotel in Stratford-upon-Avon was the perfect setting and the afternoon tours were first class.”

- Barbara Hunt

27 Mar - 5 Apr 2020

30 Aug - 7 Sep 2020

Stretch your creative boundaries and energise your writing practise on this 10-day writers retreat through the lush tropical heart of the Mekong Delta in Vietnam. Your mentor, Walter Mason, world-renowned travel writer and life-long student of Buddhism, will share his local and cultural knowledge, and will guide you in writing workshops that combine meditative principles with writing techniques.

Most writing workshops can teach you the basics of plotting and form, but how many help you to rediscover your creativity and joy in writing? Join internationally bestselling author Kate Forsyth for a week in Stratford-upon-Avon, where you’ll receive expert advice on creative writing and research, all while immersed in the historical setting of The Cotswolds.

PARIS

RUSSIA

“The time I spent writing in Paris has truly changed my life. My goal to become a published author is no longer a pipe dream. Having the space to live and breathe writing all day, everyday allowed my creativity to flow and my writing to reach levels that I didn’t even think was possible.

My confidence grew under the guidance of Patti Miller and alongside a trusted group of like-minded individuals that I know will be lifelong friends. Wandering the streets of Paris and exploring its rich literacy history gave me answers to questions that I couldn’t have found anywhere else.”

- Reece Georgas

15-29 October 2020 Develop your writing technique, forge new friendships and renew your creativity in this intensive memoir writing retreat in Paris led by one of Australia’s most successful and experienced memoirists, Patti Miller.

With an individual constulation and daily writing workshops consultations you can devote time and attention to your writing project, while immersed in one of the most creatively inspiring cities in the world.

www.betterreadtours.com

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"The Better Read Tour was an amazing, insightful excursion into Russian culture and history, experienced through the lens of Russian literature.

Having a small group allowed for a smooth, bespoke experience that really catered to our individual interests and questions. From the Kremlin to Gorky Park, the Hermitage Museum to Dostoyeksky's apartment - it was amazing to read great Russian writers while exploring their locales in real life. Rosamund Bartlett was exceptional. Her knowledge of Russian language and literature and her reputation within Russia for her work on Chekhov and Tolstoy on several occasions opened doors that would otherwise likely have been inaccessible. I've come back with a new found appreciation for Russian writing, and am presently engrossed in Nabakov's rich, elegant autobiography - Speak, Memory."

- Arul Baskaran

We are now taking registrations of interest for 2021 contact us today!

tours@betterread.com.au

@betterreadtours

ART & DESIGN

Yayoi Kusama: All About My Love | Yayoi Kusama | $49.99 | Thames & Hudson Last year Japan’s most renowned contemporary artist Yayoi Kusama held a retrospective in her home town of Matsumoto. This exquisite book is the catalogue produced to accompany the exhibition, the most comprehensive collection of her work to date. Innovative and avant-garde, Kusama is an iconic figure, her dot paintings and sculptures are recognised instantly and her boundless creativity has captivated people the world over. Experience the wow factor of Kusama’s work in this special Japanese-bound edition which is the next best thing to attending her sell-out exhibition in Japan. Prepare to be amazed!

— Dean

Step Into Paradise | Jenny Kee & Linda Jackson | $80 | Thames & Hudson

Cabin Porn: Inside | Zack Klein | $49.99 | Penguin Random House

The Art of Looking Up | Catherine McCormack | $50 | Allen & Unwin

Boy, am I excited by the release of this fabulous volume! Timed to coincide with their retrospective at the Powerhouse, this incredible comprehensive and visually stunning analysis of the 40+ year collaboration of designers Jenny Kee and Linda Jackson is an absolute must for anyone interested in fashion, textiles and Australian design history. Their completely original, highly colourful and deeply Australia-influenced aesthetic remains a ground breaking expression of creativity and identity, and continues to inspire and delight emerging designers today. Stunning!

If, like me, you have a cabin fetish, this is the book for you! Cabin Porn: Inside comes from the same folk who brought us the indispensable Cabin Porn, which became an international sensation by tapping into the growing desire for a simpler life without forgoing style and comfort. This stunning follow-up, featuring sublime photography and stunning interior design – all while championing a smaller environmental footprint – is the perfect inspiration for your next quiet place. It also features the interior of a spectacular cabin on our very own Bruny Island, which is reason enough to indulge your secret cabin fixation.

This gorgeous book, complete with four eight-page fold-out sections, looks at 40 artistically and architecturally significant ceilings from around the world. The Vatican Palace in Rome, the Louvre in Paris, the Museum of the Revolution in Cuba and the Topkapi Palace in Turkey are but four of the stunning locations featured. Religion, power, politics and culture inform each masterpiece in some way, making this a thoughtprovoking as well as beautiful analysis of the role art and design have to play in our world’s cultural history.

— Sylvia

—Sylvia

— John

Individual | Jessica Bellef | $49.99 | Murdoch Books Home means different things to different people, but to me it has always represented a safe, peaceful haven where I can be comfortable and truly myself. Ever since I’ve had a home of my own (even if it is a rental), I’ve been proud to present it to family and friends as an extension of my self. Jessica Bellef really gets this, and Individual showcases Australian homes which resist current design trends and instead brilliantly reflect their owners. I particularly appreciate her noting that our homes are as in flux as our lives are — our needs and desires change, and our homes can change with us. This is a soulful, wholehearted approach to interior design and decor and it’s a supremely beautiful book to boot.

— Kate

19

LIFESTYLE

How to Save the World for Free | Natalie Fee | 24.99 | Thames & Hudson There’s a lot of talk these days about the peril our planet is in and it’s not surprising to find that many of us are stricken with the urge to save it. The thought that follows that urge is, ‘How?’ And it’s also not surprising that you might not have an answer to that, or even a guess. How to Save the World For Free by Natalie Fee helps put us on the path to finding that answer and brings the problems down to a personal level that gives you a much needed sense of control. It’s a thoughtful and, very importantly, practical book filled with suggestions on how to live a more environmentally friendly life and covers a broad variety of subjects from food and leisure to travel and sex. It’s well written, upbeat and fun, and allows you to take what you need without bashing you over the head with doom, gloom and doctrine.

— Sanjo

Green: Plants for Small Spaces, Indoors and Out | Jason Chongue | $32.99 | Hardie Grant As the revival of the humble houseplant has ramped up, so has the publication of books about houseplant care. And as my personal interest saw my plant collection grow from three plants to 50+, my collection of books increased — though at a mercifully slower rate. Jason Chongue’s Plant Society remains one of my firm favourites for its blend of verdant photography, local Australian content and SUPER practical advice — you know a book is serving you well in this day and age when you realise you’re relying on it more than Google. Chongue’s new book Green focuses on small spaces which makes my thumb glow green with excitement, as all of my plants are crammed into a small one-bedroom apartment and I will take all the help I can get to keep them alive (and looking damn good). The scope is also broadened to outdoor plants, making it absolutely perfect for those lucky people who love houseplants but also have a balcony or a wee courtyard to greenify.

— Kate

The Edible Garden Cookbook & Growing Guide | Paul West | $39.99 | Plum Paul West has created an all-in-one guide that makes it truly easy to go from the garden all the way to the kitchen! With expert advice ranging from composting to veggie gardening and chicken keeping, sitting alongside fresh family recipes—pea and feta fritters with labneh, yum!—The Edible Garden is a must have for anyone aspiring to create sustainable meals and generally lead a more sustainable lifestyle.

West also focuses on the importance of community, offering inspiring group activity suggestions like brewing your own beer with your buds and hosting a pickling party.

Count this as my RSVP. — Kate

Slow Travel | Penny Watson | $50 | Hardie Grant There’s a difference between travel and journeying. That difference is Time. And it’s well beyond time to ditch the rat race and begin a journey on your own terms. Slow Travel is a beautifully produced treasure trove of inspiration that indulges your secret wanderlust. Get off the beaten track and discover your inner self, nurture that creative side, reconnect with Mother Nature, or really experience another culture. This is travel as physical or philosophical endeavour, not some whistle-stop Instagram tour where you don’t even know why you’re taking the photo. Think wellness escapes, digital detoxing, and ‘slo-tels’. Take the journey!

— John

20

COOKING

Bake Australia Great | Katherine Sabbath | $39.99 | Murdoch Books

The Atlas Cookbook | Charlie Carrington | $39.99 | Hardie Grant

From the Oven To the Table | Diana Henry | $39.99 | Hachette

With over 500,000 Instagram followers, a successful business based on cake and a rocking personal style, Katherine Sabbath has become a true cake legend. And it’s easy to see why – she expresses her fabulous style and creativity through the most splendid cakes ev-a. Here she offers a selection of cakes to make Australia proud, including Sydney Opera House Pav, Dame Edna Koala, The Big Pineapple, Iced Vovo Trifle and Redback Spider Cupcakes. This is what good cake is all about: fun, colour, flavour, and lots of buttercream.

Charlie Carrington, chef and owner of Melbourne’s Atlas Dining, draws inspiration from world food in this colourful cookbook featuring easy and delicious recipes from over 20 countries. The recipes are divided by regions, with each celebrating a season of the year: think the earthy flavours of the Middle East for Autumn, the bright clean freshness of Asia for Spring, the heat and spice of South America for Summer, and the comfort food of European for Winter. Si, evet, oui, hai and an emphatic yes please!

Brilliant and award-winning food writer Diana Henry’s favourite way to cook is to throw everything into a roasting tin, pop it in the oven and let the heat transform the ingredients into golden, burnished meals. Most of the easy-going recipes in this wonderfully varied collection are cooked in one dish. From quick after-work suppers to feasts for friends, the dishes are vibrant and modern and focus on grains, pulses and vegetables as much as meat and fish. Think Chicken with Miso, Roast Indian-spiced Vegetables, and Roast Stone Fruit with Almond and Orange...

— Sylvia

— Sylvia

— Sylvia

The Two Good Cook Book | Various | $39.99 | Simon & Schuster The Two Good Co. began life as a local cook out for the less fortunate and has grown to feed thousands of people. Now when you buy their organic meals, you donate a meal to a woman in a safe house too. And that’s just one of the great things this company does. Here, well-known chefs contribute fresh and tasty recipes, and four of Australia’s top authors, including Charlotte Wood and Markus Zusak, contribute words on the power of food. Amazing work, amazing book.

— Sylvia

I Can Cook Vegan | Isa Chandra Moskowitz | $45 | Thames & Hudson Fire up the skillet and get your TVP ready — the queen of plant-based cooking has returned! Isa, the author of the cultclassic and critically-lauded Veganomicon, has spent nearly a decade refining and reinventing the flavours, techniques, and brilliant advice that made her a household name for vegans worldwide. More than a compendium of delicious and achievable recipes (looking at you, Lentil Walnut Bolognese — get in my tum!), this is a masterclass in making good global citizenship completely irresistible. Bring on the culinary revolution!

— Zak

“THE QUEEN OF PLANT-BASED COOKING HAS RETURNED!”

21

MIND, BODY, SPIRIT

Indistractable | Nir Eyal with Julie Li | $29.99 | Bloomsbury

Dorodango | Bruce Gardner | $24.99 | Thames & Hudson

For Small Creatures Such As We | Sasha Sagan | $29.99 | Murdoch Books

Thanks to smart phones and social media and everyone being ‘plugged in,’ the global panic over our dwindling attention spans has never been higher. (Look I don’t have stats on that, but it sure feels true.) Enter, Indistractable!

Behavioural designer Nir Eyal deep dives into the hidden psychology of distraction in modern day life and teaches us how to make decisions and actually follow through. This book is packed with tips and tricks to help us all live our lives with intention, and focus on the important stuff.

— Deserae

Dorodango is the Japanese art of making mudballs, an artefact of simplicity and perfection. It is a mindfulness technique where you roll the earth by hand to create a perfect sphere then polish it until it gleams.

This meditative technique is known to induce flow, re-centre your inner calm and reinstate happiness and is being adopted by people of all ages. Learn this simple art, adapted from a traditional playground game, and discover your inner flow through this peaceful earthy activity.

— Dean

From the daughter of renowned scientist and astronomer Carl Sagan comes a new read, an amalgamation between guidebook, social history and memoir, which grapples with the concept that the marvels of the earth require no faith to be believed. Sagan reveals her take on the meaning of life, constructing explanations from the far reaching cosmos and her personal life, her family and her relationships. A perfect read for those who search for the small bits of magic in the universe.

— Katherine

Cosmological Koans: A Journey to the Heart of Physics | Anthony Aguirre | $45 | Allen Lane For the uninitiated, as I was, a koan is a paradoxical anecdote or riddle without a solution, used in Zen Buddhism to demonstrate the inadequacy of logical reasoning and provoke enlightenment. Cosmology, on the other hand, is concerned with the scientific study of the large scale properties of the universe as a whole. Aguirre has engaged with fascinating riddles from all over the world throughout history, and addressed them with the use of classical physicists, like Galileo in Venice, to physicists in quantum mechanics. What results is a fascinating discussion of existence in time, space, movement and behaviours. A mind-exploding book.

— Virginia

The AstroTwins’ 2020 Horoscope | Ophira & Tali Edut | $65 | Peribo The AstroTwins are well-known astrologers to the stars (stars as in celebrities, not as in giant flaming balls of gas–that would be weird). Whether you’re an obsessive-compulsive Virgo, cut-throat Capricorn, impatient Aries, misbegotten Ophiuchus, or a flawless Libra utterly devoid of any negative personality traits whatsoever, the AstroTwins are here to tell you what the stars have in store for you in 2020 (stars as in giant flaming balls of gas, not as in celebrities–that would be weird). Should I date a Scorpio? (Good gracious, no–you know what they’re like) Which planet is making me angry? (Earth, probably) Am I compatible with Libras? (Of course! Libras are the universe’s most perfect beings! Everyone loves a Libra!)

— Sarah

A Short Philosophy of Birds | Philippe J. Dubois & Elise Rousseau | $24.99 | Penguin Random House If this book were a bird it would be an owl, perhaps a boobook owl–wise and utterly gorgeous! Having spent a lifetime watching birds, Dubois and Rousseau, a French philosopher and ornithologist duo, draw out twenty-two lessons birds can teach us about how to live, and the wisdom of the natural world. Discover why the robin is braver than the eagle, and what the arctic tern can teach us about the joy of travel. Grow some wings and gain a fresh perspective on how to live a fuller life in this thought-provoking gem.

— John

22

There are good books, great books and masterpieces. And then there’s another category altogether, the gifts, the type which, if you were forced to choose just one thing to read for the rest of your life, you would say I choose this. With a daring exploration of form, precise and lyrical imagery, the poignant sexual blossoming of a young Asian-American queer in the cracked American dream, and a masterful depiction of what it means to love—this is a book to celebrate. It contains multitudes. As deep, moving, dreamlike, distressing, hypnotic, and gorgeous as an Ocean. An Ocean Vuong, to be precise. I choose this.

— John

Breaking Badly | Georgie Dent | $29.99 | Affirm Press | Australian Biography In our age, it feels like an equitable work-life balance is a thing of the past. Exhausted and over-stimulated, we feel life is moving at break-neck speed. Georgie Dent knows this feeling. As a student, she leapt from state to state, university to corporate life, late night to early morning in a whirlwind. At age 24, on the precipice of her legal career, things begin to unravel; daily tasks are physically exhausting, the prospect of going into work triggers an avalanche of anxiety and panic. It is time to slow down–a prospect as equally terrifying as a nervous breakdown. Breaking Badly is Dent’s story but I saw myself and my own anxieties reflected on the page. The term ‘self-care’ is comforting but often vague; Dent details her mental health journey, calling on cognitive therapy, meditation and mindfulness in the process. An essential read for those of us who want to get back into our body.

— Emma Cr.

There, There | Tommy Orange | $19.99 | Penguin Random House | International Fiction

OUR FAVOURITE BOOKS OF 2019

On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous | Ocean Vuong | $29.99 | Penguin Random House | International Fiction

My book of the year comes from the tender, courageous heart of Tommy Orange. Taking its title from Gertrude Stein’s line, ‘There is no there, there,’ Orange narrates peoples, place, tradition, and meaning with fervour. Urban Indians were that generation born in the city. We’ve been moving for a long time, but the land moves with you like memory... The land is everywhere or nowhere. There, There is a lyric, layered work told with the voices of twelve different native characters. Meet Tony Loneman, a Cheyenne MF Doom fan with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, which he calls “The Drome”, Opal Viola Victoria Bear Shield, veteran of the 1969 Occupation of Alcatraz, postal worker and rape victim, Jacquie Red feather, ten days sober. Characters collide cataclysmically at the Oakland pow wow. A vast work of sublime truth.

— Virginia

How It Feels To Float | Helena Fox | $17.99 | Pan Macmillan | Australian Young Adult Fiction How It Feels To Float is an extraordinary, searing tale about grief and growing up. Set in Wollongong, Biz’s life is going just fine, just like a teenager’s should… until suddenly, it’s not. Helena Fox has written a modern masterpiece that weaves fragility with strength, despair with hope and dives into the complexity of mental health and family relationships. This book took my breath away. It had me reading through squinted eyes when it resembled my own life a little too accurately, and had me cheering at the small triumphs in life we sometimes (often) overlook. Heartbreaking, delicate and brimming with hope, this novel is going to be hailed as an Australian YA favourite for years to come, and this is the reason why it’s my favourite book of 2019. Even if you’re not a young adult anymore, don’t be afraid to pick up this book. It’s a stunner.

— Olivia

Lot | Bryan Washington | $29.99 | Allen & Unwin | International Fiction Earlier in 2019, Bryan Washington became my new literary crush. At the Sydney Writers’ Festival, Washington compared his work to Haruki Murakami. Although both authors are worlds apart in setting and tone, what they do share is a surrealist element to their short stories; a splendid slant towards magical realism. Washington read a couple of his shorts; with their breezy rhythm and soul-stirring subject, they really struck a chord. I read Lot immediately and it was good, it was really good, and I was 100% sold. Since then I have read Lot a couple of times over. I adore this magical realist, queer, coming-of-age story—it is the bee’s knees!!! The absolute best!!!

And I’m always so grateful to discover a new author who takes me on an unexpected ride.

— Dean

23

OUR FAVOURITE BOOKS OF 2019

Jack Charles: Born-again Blakfella | Jack Charles with Namila Benson | $34.99 | Penguin Random House | Australian Biography Jack Charles exposes all in his memoir Jack Charles: Born-again Blakfella. From life in an abusive boy’s home to life on the streets, he tells the story of reclaiming his Aboriginal identity and becoming a world-renowned actor.

He has been many things in his life—performer, cat burglar, addict, activist, Elder—and has committed just about as many crimes as good deeds. This is a heart-warming tale of rebirth and defying the odds that life throws at you. It has firmly cemented my belief that Jack Charles is one of the most important Australians alive today.

— Angelita

The Need | Helen Phillips | $29.99 | Penguin Random House | International Fiction An extraordinary read from an incredibly exciting writer, The Need sinks into the churning mix of love and grief that accompanies motherhood. We meet our protagonist Molly at the start of a week of juggling solo parenting with work. She is huddled in a dark corner of her bedroom, clutching her children to her chest and listening for the intruder she believes is in their lounge room. Her path inextricably twines with that of the intruder, as her family life brutally collides with her professional life—she is a paleobotanist working on a most unusual site, which has attracted the curious and the fanatic. Molly finds herself lost in the melee, scrabbling to retain control. Phillips skillfully employs elements of the thriller, speculative and literary fiction genres, and grapples with existential questions in a way that I–a reader who is typically averse to philosophical literature– find fascinating and digestible. It’s been a high quality reading year, but The Need left me reeling.

— Kate

Beauty | Bri Lee | $19.99 | Allen & Unwin | Australian Non-Fiction It is fair to say that Bri Lee’s second book does not disappoint. Beauty provides a startling insight into the societal pressures placed on women in Western society to attain unrealistic standards of beauty, as Lee confesses her darkest struggles around body image during her rising fame. Despite the undeniable strides the feminist movement has made to dissolve patriarchal forces, the book is a meditation on the manner in which women remain shackled by their own crushing lack of self-worth. In a time where eating disorders are more rampant than ever, yet dismissed for being superficial, the subject matter of this book is timely to say the least! Lee’s skills as a storyteller are undeniable, and I often found myself having to stop reading to sit with her extraordinarily vulnerable yet revelatory prose. This raw,and honest recount reveals how truly self-destructive we can be in our attempts to reach unattainable, unrealistic standards of beauty.

— Katherine

Mary Ventura and the Ninth Kingdom | Sylvia Plath | $7.99 | Faber | International Fiction Reading a previously unpublished work by one of the highest regarded authors of the last century is an exciting experience. Written in 1952, Mary Ventura and the Ninth Kingdom is one of Plath’s earliest works and definitely one of her most interesting and experimental, with her signature dark and lyrical writing playing a prominent role. While Mary Ventura is not Plath’s most well-known work, written well before the release of her poetry and The Bell Jar, it is fascinating to gain some insight into her trajectory as a writer and to understand the impact of her early stories on her later works. Plath’s self-proclaimed “vague symbolic tale” is an exceptionally disturbing read.

— Lucy V.

Making Friends with Alice Dyson | Poppy Nwosu | $24.95 | Wakefield Press | Australian Young Adult Fiction Alice Dyson does everything right. She’s the perfect student, the perfect daughter, and the perfect friend. And then she danced with Teddy Taualai. Making Friends with Alice Dyson tackles how hard navigating family issues, true friendship struggles, and first love really is as a young adult. Funny, sweet, and so very true this book will capture your heart and have you thinking about it for weeks and months afterwards.

— Ayesha

24

Queenie begins in an STD clinic, her satirical commentary giving it a Bridget Jones’ Diary-esque feel. Queenie must navigate her increasingly complicated world; her break-up forcing her to come to terms with her past trauma which has controlled her life and the changing urban landscape of London putting her face-to-face with racial issues and prejudice. Queenie navigates gender, race and mental health issues in a way which is both hilariously funny and devastating. Queenie takes us on a journey of self-acceptance and shows that the most important relationship in life is the one we have with ourselves, all without feeling like any other story of its kind.

— Hester

Olive, Again | Elizabeth Strout | $29.99 | Penguin Random House | International Fiction I loved Olive Kitteridge and so was super excited to read this companion but also stand-alone title and I was not disappointed. Olive is blunt, sometimes to the astonishment of those around her... and the reader, who can’t help but quietly love her. She is navigating later life, including a second husband, an estranged son, loss, loneliness, triumphs and heartbreaks and as she does so Strout shows us something so important about community, family and life. A very satisfying read, after which I had to immediately re-read Olive Kitteridge— always a good sign!

— Kay

Three Women | Lisa Taddeo | $32.99 | Bloomsbury | International Non-Fiction

OUR FAVOURITE BOOKS OF 2019

Queenie | Candice Carty-Williams | $29.99 | Hachette | International Fiction

Really great books have this remarkable ability to accurately describe exactly how you feel about something before you even know that’s how you feel. Three Women is one of those books. Like one intimate therapy session, Lisa Taddeo brings us right into the lives of three women, and unashamedly bares all–exposing their fears, their desires, their shame–and it feels so transgressive, so brave, and so unlike any other book about women I’ve ever read because it hit so close to home. Beautifully-written, nuanced and subtle, it will open your eyes to how society really handles female desire. I would recommend this book to everyone.

— Lucy H.

Three Women | Lisa Taddeo | $32.99 | Bloomsbury | International Non-Fiction I found this book confronting, but it started some much-needed conversations with myself and with other women—I couldn’t help but bring my questions and anger to a dinner party after reading a new chapter…

Through the personal and intimate stories of three women, this book reveals the various reasons women are oppressed and abused in relationships. Yet at no moment does the author point the finger and accuse. She relates with no sentimentality how society, men and even ourselves are the perpetrators of these abuses. A cross between cultural study and therapy, this book is an essential read for those who refuse to conform to the female status quo. This is a standout of 2019 for me for how fascinating I’ve found, and still find, other reader’s responses—it is such a thought-provoking book, there is no end to the discussions you can have about it, and this is what makes it so interesting.

— Fabienne

Summer Giveaway Loved reading about our favourite books of the year? Now we want to hear from you!

We’re giving away a book stack every fortnight over summer to our lucky readers who let us know their favourite book of 2019!

To be in the running, simply post a photo to Instagram of your favourite book of the year, along with your review, and be sure to tag @betterreadbookshop and #brtdbookoftheyear!

Entries close January 31st and winners will be contacted via Instagram message. Good luck!

25

GIFT IDEAS Bowie’s Books | John O’Connell | $34.99 | Bloomsbury

‘Twas the Nightshift Before Christmas | Adam Kay | $19.99 | Picador

Have you ever wondered what inspired one of the greatest musicians that ever lived? Three years before his death Bowie created a list of the 100 books that influenced him the most.

In 100 short essays O’Connell captures the essence and importance of each of these works as well as their impact on Bowie’s art and life. Ranging from Madame Bovary to The Illiad each book is resonant in Bowie’s life and work and O’Connell captures an insightful and deeply personal view into the unique world of Bowie himself!

Kay’s This is Going to Hurt was the breakout biography of 2018 as it satirised the harsh realities of a junior doctor working in Britain’s cruelly underfunded NHS. He returns just in time for the Christmas season with the next instalment of his diaries.

The tinsel-strewn hallways and waiting rooms of the hospital are the setting for this comedy of medical errors. Kay’s field notes of treating those defeated by the Christmas spirit will make you laugh but most importantly, give thanks to the men and women who lose their holidays to ensure we can enjoy ours.

— Lucy V.

Why You Should Read Children’s Books Even Though You Are So Old and Wise | Katherine Rundell | $12.99 | Bloomsbury Sometimes without realising, we hold prejudice against certain genres. There are types of books that we consider to be novels and others are more just stories. In this essay one of our favourite children’s authors, Katherine Rundell talks about the power of children’s literature. She eloquently explains the unique way they can capture your imagination, your joy, and your zest for life. This is the perfect little gift for educators, booklovers and the young at heart.

—Ayesha

488 Rules For Life: An Antidote to Stupidity | Kitty Flanagan | $29.99 | Allen & Unwin I was fortunate enough to see Kitty Flanagan present this book earlier this year. Explaining why she believes popcorn should be banned from cinemas and her view on toilet paper etiquette made me laugh so hard that I cried. With her inyour-face opinions on just about everything, her 488 rules are the funniest things you will read all year. You may or may not agree with her hilarious point of view but one thing is certain—you’ll feel a whole lot better after reading this. It reminded me of how important it is to laugh.

— Emma Cr.

— Dean

Strange Planet | Nathan Pyle | $19.99 | Hachette I’m a huge fan of this Instagram sensation so it goes without saying that I was eagerly awaiting the hard copy of Pyle’s delightfully hilarious comic. Its brilliance is in its simplicity. The visual feast is limited to four colours (pink, blue, purple and green) perfecting the balance between sweet and funny. Featuring the lifecycle of an alien where familiarity screams in an unfamiliar alien world.

Warning: this is pure addiction. Once you start reading (and laughing) you won’t stop!

— Dean

Hundred: What You Learn in A Lifetime | Heike Faller & Valeria Vidali | $39.99 | Penguin Random House The perfect gift book for a child to give to their grandparents, or grandparents to give to their grandchildren, this is a wonderful, timeless account on what you learn (and unlearn) over a lifetime. Each age is celebrated, offering the changes in perception over the course of one’s life. Italian artist Vidali adds magic to each page with his sumptuous illustrations balancing space and movement in a simple, wonderful expression of colour. I adore each and every one of these pictures. German author Faller created her unique book by asking those she met, what did you learn about life? The simplicity and beauty gives me goosebumps. I think this is the most perfect gift to give—for all occasions.

— Dean

26

KIDS GIFT IDEAS

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Giant Plush Toy

We ALL love Eric Carle’s modern kids classic The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Now you can enrich story time by taking your very own caterpillar home with you! Just be warned—he’s very big, and he’s still very hungry!

$75

Very limited stock available!

Reserve your caterpillar by phoning 02 9557 8700.

Jon Klassen’s Hat Box | Jon Klassen | $64.99 | Walker Books | Ages 4+ When my nephew was born, I wanted to give him something special to keep forever. And of course that something special had to be bookish! So I gifted him Jon Klassen’s inimitable Hat Trilogy—I Want My Hat Back, This is Not My Hat, and We Found A Hat— in hardcover. I love how Klassen’s work—his deadpan humour, concise narratives, and striking minimalist illustrations—gives readers of all ages the opportunity, and the space, to take what they can from it. The Hat Trilogy is wickedly funny, clever and endearing. It may not suit everyone’s tastes (wonders never cease) but if you’re looking for a unique gift for a child that will continue to be cherished into adulthood, then this lovely slipcase set should do the trick!

— Kate

The Crayons’ Christmas | Drew Daywalt & Oliver Jeffers | $27.99 | HarperCollins | Ages 3+ The wait for the next Crayons book is over! And this may just be the perfect kids book for the festive season.

Coming from Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers it is, of course, hilarious. It’s also super interactive–readers join in the fun as Duncan, the Crayons and their families celebrate the festive season. There are folded letters to pull from their envelopes and read, games, press-out ornaments, a poster, and even a pop-up Christmas tree! It’s the perfect gift for fans of The Day the Crayons Quit and The Day the Crayons Came Home. Like me, the Crayons know the best presents are the ones you give. Just be sure to give the gift of Crayons!

— John

Heads and Tails: Underwater — Match-It Cards | John Canty | $16.99 | Simon & Schuster | Ages 3+ You can only see my tail… What animal am I? Toddlers can practice their memory skills by matching each tail to each corresponding body in this fun interactive game from awardwinning author and illustrator John Canty. Using vibrant watercolour illustrations, the images encourage youngsters to go on a journey of discovery by guessing animals based on visual clues. The boxed set includes 30 stunningly illustrated cards and an instruction sheet.

— Kay

Swing Slow, Sloth & Roly Poly Panda Cloth Books | Surya Sajnani | $19.99 each | Allen & Unwin | Ages 0+ These Wee Gallery cloth books are my favourite recommendation for anyone looking for a gift for a new baby. They saw my nephew through his first 18 months! He loved the plush pages and the crinkly noise they make when you turn them, and my sister-in-law loved that they’re machine washable. These two new books in the range sweetly introduce us to Sloth, Panda and their animal friends. The bold lines and repeating patterns are specifically designed to stimulate visual development in young infants, and Sajnani’s graphic illustrations are so striking and charming, they make for a present that is at once gorgeous and practical.

— Kate

27

BOARD BOOKS & PICTURE BOOKS

Just Because | Mac Barnett & Isabelle Arsenault | $24.99 | Walker Books | Ages 3+ I was an anxious child and a bad sleeper. I tormented my parents for years! So I can strongly relate to the little girl in this story, being put to bed by her father and delaying his departure with relentless, increasingly random questions. Why is the ocean blue? What happened to the dinosaurs? Why do we have to sleep? Her dad’s answers aren’t exactly what you’d expect, but with the incredible Mac Barnett penning the tale we shouldn’t be surprised! The poeticism and whimsy of his responses are exquisitely—and I mean EXQUISITELY—depicted by Isabelle Arsenault’s illustrations. Just Because is a breathtaking, thought-provoking work of art that doubles as the perfect bedtime story.

— Kate

Animals | Chihiro Takeuchi | $19.99 | Simon & Schuster | Ages 1+ This striking board book by renowned Japanese cut-paper artist Chihiro Takeuchi is gorgeous! Turn each boldly coloured peekthrough page to reveal a busy array of stylised animals from the different continents of the world. Can you find one lion in Africa? Three toucans in South America? Five cockatoos in Oceania? An absolute delight for young and old, I love this just as much as Takeuchi’s previous board book, Colours.

— Mandy

All of the Factors of Why I Love Tractors | Davina Bell & Jenny Lovlie | $24.99 | Hardie Grant Egmont | Ages 3+

Summer Time | Antonia Pesenti & Hilary Bell | $24.99 | NewSouth Books | Ages 2+ Thoughtful and charming with splashes of humour, the creators of Alphabetical Sydney reminisce on a child’s experience of the summer holidays—from wrinkly swimming fingers to mozzie bites, strawberry taking last place in the Neapolitan ice-cream scoop to the fan’s rotation lag, each captured moment is such a delight. The collages teeming with rhymes are exquisite and will capture the imagination of both children and adults.

This is not just a detailed account of why young Frank loves tractors. It is also a gorgeous tribute to childhood (and potentially lifelong) obsessions. Frank and his mum take a trip to the library and Frank knows exactly which book he wants to take home—one on tractors that he already knows by heart. When his mum despairs, he reassures her, “I like books–that’s what matters. Not what they’re about.” Us booksellers agree!

— Kate

— Dean

I See, I See | R. Henderson | $19.99 | Allen & Unwin | Ages 3+ It’s a question of perspective, like in all stories: what we see is not necessarily what someone else sees. Henderson is one of those great children’s authors who gets your kids engaged in the physical and mental activity of the reading of a book. This is an interactive and fun picture book, specially made to share with someone sitting directly across from you. I See, I See can also take you beyond the first throw of visual effect; it sparks thoughts about life. What we see—and what we think, and what we feel—is sometimes only one side of the coin.

— Fabienne

The Fate of Fausto | Oliver Jeffers | $29.99 | HarperCollins | Ages 4+ This is another Jeffers masterpiece. A modern-day fable, this is a timely story about a man who sets out to own the world only to meet his comeuppance. The gorgeously retro, painterly style is both a product of Jeffers’ approach as well as the tools he sought out in the production of this book, including a 200-year-old lithography press in Paris. Combined with the smaller format, the unique printing process has produced a book more reminiscent of the classic storybooks from the 1920s and ‘30s. A must-read for kids and adults alike!

— John

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This beautifully illustrated book will spark young readers’ imaginations and evoke wonderment in all animallovers. Matt Chun takes us on an exploration of Australia’s oceans, showcasing our most fascinating sea creatures, from the great white shark to the tiny soldier crab. Chun’s unique portrayal of our natural world is carefully curated to inform and entrance readers of all ages, engaging them in Australia’s unique marine wildlife and creating lifelong nature enthusiasts.

— Hester

KIDS NON-FICTION & ACTIVITY

Australian Sea Life | Matt Chun | $29.99 | Hardie Grant Egmont | Ages 3+

Wild Girl | Helen Skelton & Liz Kay | $24.99 | Walker Books | Ages 9+ Calling wild girls everywhere! This inspirational guide to getting outdoors and having incredible adventures is for you. With six stories from TV presenter Helen Skelton of her daring adventures across some of the world’s most extreme wildernesses—from kayaking the Amazon to cycling to the South Pole—this book is all about embracing your fears and finding the positives in the toughest situations. Alongside these inspirational tales are ideas for where readers can find their own wild adventures closer to home.

— Kay

Dr Karl’s Random Road Trip Though Science | Dr Karl Kruszelnicki | $35 | HarperCollins | Ages 8+ If you thought Dr Karl would have run out of ideas by the time he got to write his 45th book, think again! He has stepped it up to a whole new level is this random road trip through science. There are plenty of mind-bending and thought-provoking facts unearthed in this fantastic book, including how humanity nearly got wiped out by a huge asteroid on Halloween 2015. Best of all, though, is the augmented reality videos that you can call up using an app downloaded to your device. Point your phone to specific hot-spots throughout the book and up pops Dr Karl in a video to explain the concepts on that page in more detail. It’s geektopia!

— John

Let’s Get Gardening: Australian Eco-Gardening Projects for Children | Dorling Kindersley | $24.99 | Penguin Random House | Ages 5+ This is the trifecta—a book that gets kids engaged with nature while teaching them about conservation, recycling and sustainability and all the ways in which they can help the environment, WHILE keeping them happy and entertained. And it contains only Australian content. Dream come true! Its three chapters focus on kitchen gardening, wildlife gardening and recycled gardening, and there are activities suitable for all spaces, from sprawling gardens to city windowsills. I’m so looking forward to when my niece and nephew are old enough to learn how to care for plants and respect our natural environment, and I’m thrilled that books like this are being published to help us teach them!

— Kate

Greek Myths and Mazes | Jan Bajtlik | $29.99 | Walker Books | Ages 5+

Incredible Jobs You’ve (Probably) Never Heard Of | Natalie Labarre | $24.99 | Nosy Crow | Ages 5+

As you work your way through this huge and wonderfully illustrated book you’ll find a legendary labyrinth of Ancient Greece on each page.

Solve the puzzles, but as you go learn about the myths and stories that have captured readers for thousands of years. From an Ancient Greek theatre to the Trojan horse and the Minotaur, this beautiful book is packed full of history and mythology. An intricate new collection from the creators of Maps, this will keep you busy for ages.

Do you know what you want to do when you grow up? Why not work as a babysitter... for sloths? Or become a masseuse... for cows? Explore all different types of jobs—those that are literally way underground, and those that are glamorous or mysterious.

This book pairs fabulous illustrations with easy to read and engaging information on the most out-there jobs in the world, making this a great choice for children who love interesting, unusual facts.

— Kay

— Hester

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BEGINNER & PRIMARY FICTION

Madame Badobedah | Sophie Dahl & Lauren O’Hara | $26.99 | Walker Books | Ages 5+ Dahl’s children’s debut was one of my most anticipated books of the year, and it proved to be my favourite. Mabel lives in a hotel by the sea and is a self-proclaimed adventurer. When a mysterious old lady moves into the hotel, Mabel simply must know her story. We follow the pair through three seperate stories as they meet, wonder and learn about one another, and slowly but surely become close friends.

Its picture book format with enrapturing illustrations on almost every one of its 56 pages make this substantial story ideal for reading aloud to one another and for emerging readers to enjoy on their own—kind of like Roald Dahl’s picture books, but that’s the only family comparison I’ll make because here Sophie Dahl has proved she’s a masterful children’s writer with a wit and style all her own.

— Kate

Wild Honey from the Moon | Kenneth Kraegel | $24.99 | Walker Books | Ages 6+ Poor little Hugo, his feet were hot, his head was cold and he just slept and slept. When Mother Shrew learns that the only cure is a teaspoon of wild honey from the moon, she kisses Hugo goodbye, locks the door and sets off on a perilous journey—tricking her mortal enemy the Great Horned Owl into flying her to the moon and finally finding her way to the Garden of the Queen Bee. This beautifully illustrated story of a mother’s love and determination is an absolute charmer for kids aged 6-8.

— Mandy

Funny Bones | Eds. Jol & Kate Temple & Oliver Phommavanh | $24.99 | Allen & Unwin | Ages 7+ Inside this treasure trove you will find over 100 stories from some of Australia’s most loved authors; Andy Griffiths, Zoe Foster-Blake, Matt Cosgrove and Davina Bell to name but a few! It’s packed with so many jokes and funny stories, your stomach will hurt after reading it. Funny Bones is a must-have book for kids who like to laugh. And while it will make you chuckle, giggle and guffaw, seriously all royalties go to the international aid charity, War Child Australia.

— Olivia

The Fowl Twins | Eoin Colfer | $19.99 | HarperCollins | Ages 7+

Invisible In a Bright Light | Sally Gardner | $16.99 | HarperCollins | Ages 10+

The hilarious first book in a blockbusting new series introduces readers to the younger twin brothers of Artemis Fowl. The Fowl Twins will have you laughing as we return to the world of fairies, magic and criminal masterminds, and some of the much-loved characters of the original series. It seems criminal genius runs in the family so get ready to be delighted by the usual witty, action-packed ride you have come to expect of the Fowl world. A treat for fans and a total delight to read.

Mystery, fairytale and old-time sailor’s superstitions are all rolled into one in this enchanting tale of two sisters who must outsmart “the man in the emerald green suit” to save everyone they love.

When Celeste wakes up in a costume basket from what she hopes is just a bad dream, she must navigate the world of the Royal Theatre to win the game of The Reckoning—with help from her sister and the friends she meets along the way, of course! A richly imaginative and enthralling read, this novel is perfect for advanced young readers.

— Lucy H.

— Kay

LumberJanes: Unicorn Power | Mariko Tamaki & Brooklyn Allen | $13.99 | Thames & Hudson | Ages 8+ One of my favourite graphic novels has become a fiction series for kids and the successful adaptation feels authentically LumberJanes to me. This series is a fun adventure for hardcore lady-types with the excellent addition of a non-binary character! In the first book, five scouts embark on a supernatural adventure where they find cloud people and a unicorn along the way. With slower pacing at the start, the story really amps up in the second half of the book and is well worth the read. Cheeky, adventurous fun for readers looking for diverse action-adventure! Plus the second book in the series, LumberJanes: The Moon is Up is being released at the same time, so you don’t have to wait for the next instalment! — Dean

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Frank Li is torn between his Korean heritage and his Californian environment, between his parents’ racist ideals and his white girlfriend Brit and African-American best friend– whom his parents have essentially forbidden him to see. And he knows their threats are serious. When his friend Joy is in a similar situation, they realise the best way to ensure that they can date outside their race without fear is to pretend to date each other. With beautiful twists and harsh realities it’s no wonder this gorgeous book is soon to be turned into a film.

— Ayesha

YOUNG ADULT

Frankly In Love | David Yoon | $17.99 | Penguin Random House | Ages 14+

Reverie | Ryan La Sala | $17.99 | NewSouth Books | Ages 14+ In a small town in Connecticut, fantasies have become so powerful they are escaping the dreamer’s mind and taking over everything and everyone in their path. Only “The Others” have the power to unravel these reveries, and Kane is their leader.

It’s just that he doesn’t quite remember this, as a mysterious car accident has left him with amnesia. What does he remember? That he’s friendless, the only gay kid in his school, desperate to find the place he belongs. With a drag queen sorceress villain and queer heroes and heroines, Reverie is a flamboyant and refreshing take on the fantasy genre.

— Kate

SLAY | Brittney Morris | $17.99 | Hachette | Ages 15+ 17-year-old Kiera is one of the few black students at her high school. She constantly fends off questions from her white friends about black culture. At home, she retreats into a world of her own creation: the multi-player game SLAY, inspired by black culture for players of colour. There she doesn’t have to explain herself to anyone. But then she is accused of racism… This is an absolute knockout of a book, with a strong political element and powerful female protagonist. And I loved Kiera’s online world. Unputdownable!

— Sylvia

Beverly, Right Here | Kate DiCamillo | $19.99 | Walker Books | Ages 14+

Monstrous Affections | Eds. Kelly Link & Gavin J. Grant | $16.99 | Walker Books | Ages 12+

I love DiCamillo’s work—she’s just such a great writer. This is a touching, funny and fearless conclusion to the sequence of novels for older teens about the beloved Three Rancheros.

Beverly has run away from home plenty of times, but that was when she was just a kid. Determined to make it on her own, she leaves and finds a job and a place to live and tries to forget about her past. This is a standalone novel so it’s not necessary to have read the other two titles (Louisiana’s Way Home and Raymie Nightingale) although I expect you’ll want to.

Once we reach the age of 13 we are too old to believe in monsters. The shadow in the corner in the room is just a chair and the whisper in the walls is probably a possum. But it’s at this point that we also discover monsters. Tell me, what do you define as a monster? Do you think there are real monsters out there? Have you ever felt close to being a monster yourself? Some of the most wellknown YA authors delve into the ins and outs of all the demons there are and take us along for the journey, one story at a time.

— Kay

— Ayesha

Embers of Memory: A Throne of Glass Game | Sarah J. Maas & Kuro | $39.99 | Bloomsbury | Ages 14+ A lavishly illustrated two-player co-operative card game for older teens set during the events of Kingdom of Ash, the epic climax to Sarah J. Maas’ Throne of Glass series. Working together over the course of multiple games, players must delve into the memories of the young queen and help her face her inner demons before she is overwhelmed. Be warned, each challenge you face is more complex than the last, testing the bond between you and your partner to its limit. The game includes 97 oversized cards and a rule book.

— Kay

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EVENTS Looking for a unique gift? How about tickets to a literary event!

Saturday Nov. 2

Michelle Law, Hani Abdile & Hadley with David Stavanger & Anne-

Marie Te Whiu | Solid Air: Australian and New Zealand Spoken Word

Saturday Nov. 2

Clare Bowditch with Yumi Stynes | Your Own Kind of Girl

Tuesday Nov. 5

Tony Jones with Anna Funder | In Darkness Visible

Wednesday Nov. 6

Paul Byrnes with Paul Daley | The Lost Boys

Thursday Nov. 7

Garry Disher with Caroline Overington | Peace

Sunday Nov. 10

Newtown Festival: Dr Karl Kruszelnicki with Fred Watson, Jess Hill with

Stephanie Wood, Sweatshop Women with Winnie Dunn & Phoebe

Grainer, and Subbed In Author Panel

Plus Kids Story Time with Matt Cosgrove & the Gruffalo

Tuesday Nov. 12

Archie Roach with Daniel Browning | Tell Me Why

Thursday Nov. 14

Bri Lee | Beauty

Sunday Nov. 17

Paul Sharrad | Thomas Keneally’s Career and the Literary Machine

Saturday Nov. 23

John Newton | Cooking with the Oldest Foods on Earth

Monday Nov. 25

Emma Viskic with Catherine du Peloux Menage | Tell Me Why

Find our full programme at www.betterreadevents.com The Road Less Travelled: Better Read Than Dead Writing Anthology 2019 | Eds. Zachary Moore-Boyle & Lillian Specker | $19.99 | Better Read Publishing

X The Better Read Than Dead Book Stack Enamel Pin is available in store now for just $12! It makes a great little gift.

This collection (exclusive to Better Read) features work from 25 authors around Australia who entered our 2019 writing competition! Add this to your holiday reading stack and celebrate the extraordinary talent of our emerging local authors.

Summer Trading Hours Sunday - Thursday Friday - Saturday

Free ing tgif wrapp

always available in store.

9:30am-9:00pm 9:30am-10:00pm

Holiday Trading Hours December 2 - 12

9:00am-10:00pm

Christmas Eve

9:00am-6:00pm

December 13 - 14

9:00am-11:00pm

Christmas Day

Closed

December 15 - 19

9:00am-10:00pm

Boxing Day

9:30am-9:00pm

December 20-21

9:00am-11:00pm

New Years Eve

9:30am-5:30pm

December 22-23

9:00am-10:00pm

New Years Day

12:00pm-8:00pm

The books featured in the Better Read Than Dead Summer Reading Guide have all been hand-selected and reviewed by our Better Read Than Dead and Better Read Kids booksellers. Prices, publication information, event dates and event details are correct at time of print.

Cover illustration by Sally Ann Conwell. Reading Guide designed by Kate Adams. Printed by Trojan Print.