This season's best books, selected by your favourite independent bookseller
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Fiction AMNESIA Peter Carey
Hamish Hamilton PB $32.99
When a destructive computer virus is unleashed and brings down the prison systems of Australia and America, the culprit is quickly identified: the gorgeous, brilliant and enigmatic Gaby Bailleux. Disgraced hack Felix Moore is enlisted by Gaby’s parents to write a hagiographical biography that will exonerate her (and thus save her from extradition and the US legal system). Loosely inspired by the Edward Snowden and WikiLeaks cases, Carey’s ambitious new novel tackles issues of national and international politics and media integrity with a wry, distinctly Australian humour. Amnesia is both tribute to and parody of Melbourne and Sydney’s supposedly sophisticated left-wing bourgeoisie. By turns a dark and genuinely frightening technological thriller, an elegiac paean to the golden era of Australian journalism and a sly social satire, it’s Carey at his peak.
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Canongate PB $29.99
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MUP PB $29.99
Political journalist and author Paul Daley has clearly drawn on his long career as a Canberra correspondent for inspiration when writing this political thriller, and many of its characters and events will resonate with observers of the murky mosh pit that is our national parliament. The story follows opposition leader Daniel Slattery, a former AFL footballer from the wrong side of the tracks, as he deals with a looming leadership challenge and plenty of ghosts from his past. Events unfold at a cracking pace and Daley’s love of the vernacular is put to good use – this is an extremely entertaining romp through the corridors of power.
Harper PB $29.99
Yes, that Emma. As part of the ‘Jane Austen Project’ – six contemporary writers each rewriting an Austen novel – Alexander McCall Smith has brought Austen’s clever but insensitive heroine into the 21st century. Emma is now a graduate in interior design; her father is still a hypochondriac but his wealth now comes from an obscure invention. Harriet is an airhead whose father is an anonymous sperm donor; Frank Churchill pretends to be gay to throw people off the scent of his affair with Jane. There’s tremendous fun to be had in comparing McCall Smith’s version with Austen’s original, but this comedy of modern manners is also a good read in itself.
Literary Award Winners AFTER DARKNESS
Christine Piper Allen & Unwin PB $27.99 This brave and profound meditation on identity, trauma, loss and courage was awarded this year’s Australian/Vogel’s Literary Award.
THE GOLDFINCH
Donna Tartt Abacus PB $19.99 This astonishing feat of storytelling was the winner of the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.
Inkerman & Blunt PB $28.99
ALL THE BIRDS, SINGING
Evie Wyld Vintage PB $19.99 The 2014 Miles Franklin Award went to this compelling narrative dealing with alienation, decline and redemption.
IN THE MORNING I’LL BE GONE
Adrian McKinty Profile PB $19.99 McKinty’s third Sean Duffy thriller won the Australian Crime Writers Association’s 2014 Ned Kelly Award for Best Crime Fiction.
Edited by a writer who specialises in the form, this impressive collection of short stories demonstrates breadth, depth and emotional insight. Australian Love Stories contains depictions of love in all its guises and variations, often imbued with a uniquely Australian aspect. There is unapologetic romance, carnality and eroticism, unrequited love, imaginary relationships, love violently expressed and emotionally repressed, platonic and familial love, the banality of routine, star-crossed tragedies, soul mates and insurmountable obstacles. Stories by established and respected authors – Tony Birch, Lisa Jacobson, Bruce Pascoe, Carmel Bird, Jon Bauer – sit comfortably alongside new and emerging literary voices.
CRUCIFIXION CREEK Barry Maitland
Text PB $29.99
EMMA Alexander McCall Smith
THE DINNER Herman Koch
Paul Lohman and his wife Claire are going out to dinner with Paul’s brother Serge, a charismatic and ambitious politician, and his wife Babette. And though Paul fears that the evening won’t be much fun, he has no idea just how difficult it’s going to be. And that’s because there is something that the two couples have to discuss; something about their teenage sons and the very bad thing they have been doing. Koch’s fascinating exploration of how far two sets of parents will go to save their children from the consequences of their actions has sold over a million copies in Europe since its initial publication in the Netherlands, and has been compared to both Lionel Shriver’s We Need to Talk about Kevin and Christos Tsiolkas’ The Slap.
In this new collection of 10 stories, the author of Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies once again employs her considerable gifts of characterisation, observation and intelligence. With settings ranging from Saudi Arabia to Greece to London, these stories reveal a great writer at the peak of her powers.
AUSTRALIAN LOVE STORIES Cate Kennedy (ed.)
CHALLENGE Paul Daley
THE BOOK OF STRANGE NEW THINGS Michel Faber
Imaginative, thoughtful and provocative, the first novel in over a decade from Michel Faber (The Crimson Petal and the White) is utterly absorbing. Faber delves into ideas of love, faith and hope through the story of Peter, a former homeless drug user turned Christian evangelist, and his wife Bea, the nurse who brought him to religion. Peter is chosen by a shadowy multinational to be a missionary on a distant planet, but his passion for his mission conflicts with his passion for Bea, left at home on Earth. Turning all possible clichés on their heads, Faber balances an unputdownable plot with characters you’ll care desperately about, ideas you’ll turn over in your head for weeks, and a perfect touch of poignancy.
THE ASSASSINATION OF MARGARET THATCHER Hilary Mantel
His Brock and Kolla series set in Britain has a devoted international following, and now – finally! – crime fiction author Barry Maitland has decided to set a book in his adopted homeland of Australia. The first in a planned trilogy featuring Sydney homicide detective Harry Belltree, Crucifixion Creek has a colourful cast of characters – bikie gangs, crooked moneylenders, corrupt politicians – and a compelling back story about the events that led to the death of Belltree’s parents and the loss of his wife’s sight. When he goes rogue to investigate these events and the murder of his brother-in-law Greg, things get very interesting…
FUNNY GIRL Nick Hornby
Viking PB $29.99
Hornby’s new novel is about work, popular culture, youth and old age, fame, class and collaboration. It offers a captivating portrait of youthful exuberance and creativity at a time when Britain itself was experiencing one of its most enduring creative bursts. Barbara Parker is Miss Blackpool of 1964, but she doesn’t want to be a beauty queen. She wants to make people laugh, like her heroine Lucille Ball. So Barbara takes herself off to London, where a chance meeting with an agent results in a new name and a successful audition for a new BBC comedy series. But the mess of real life will always intrude, and Barbara-now-Sophie is about to find out that nothing can stay good forever.
THE FORGOTTEN REBELS OF EUREKA
A GIRL IS A HALF-FORMED THING
THE NARROW ROAD TO THE DEEP NORTH
THE SEARCH WARRANT
Clare Wright Text PB $34.99 Wright’s retelling of one of Australia’s foundation legends was awarded the 2014 Stella Prize celebrating Australian women’s writing.
Richard Flanagan Vintage PB $19.99 This novel of the cruelty of war, tenuousness of life and impossibility of love won the 2014 Man Booker Prize.
Eimear McBride Text PB $22.99 McBride was awarded this year’s Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction for this extraordinary debut novel telling the story of a young woman’s relationship with her brother. Patrick Modiano Harvill PB $19.99 Modiano was awarded this year’s Nobel Prize in Literature, and this 2010 novel is a wonderful introduction to his writing.
Fiction
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GUTENBERG’S APPRENTICE Alix Christie
Headline PB $29.99
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In medieval Germany, Johann Gutenberg, an ambitious and single-minded inventor, has created a radical new method of creating books: the printing press. Peter Schoeffer is a young scribe making a living in Paris when he is called back to Germany in order to become the titular apprentice. It is through Schoeffer’s eyes that we watch the political and religious upheaval that unfolds in the wake of Gutenberg’s controversial decision to use his invention to make copies of the Bible. As this new technology teeters on a precipice, it risks being stifled by fear, ignorance and religious conservatism. Christie has produced a deeply researched and strikingly executed historical novel.
ISLAND OF A THOUSAND MIRRORS Nayomi Munaweera
Viking PB $29.99
LILA Marilynne Robinson
LET ME BE FRANK WITH YOU Richard Ford
Frank Bascombe, hero of Richard Ford’s masterful trio of novels portraying the life of an entire American generation (The Sportswriter, Independence Day, The Lay of the Land), is one of the most indelible characters in modern literature. Here, he is enjoying his retirement in a quiet suburb in Haddam, New Jersey, when Hurricane Sandy hits. While Frank’s house has been spared, the effects of the hurricane seep into his life. His duty is to listen to its victims and to reconcile, interpret and console a world undone by calamity. Ford delivers a moving, wondrous and extremely funny odyssey through modern America and a brilliantly nuanced meditation on ageing, grief and acceptance.
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Days after Sherlock Holmes and his arch-enemy Moriarty fall to their deaths at the Reichenbach Falls, Pinkerton agent Frederick Chase arrives in Europe from New York. The death of Moriarty has created a vacuum that has been swiftly filled by a fiendish new criminal mastermind. Ably assisted by Inspector Athelney Jones of Scotland Yard, a devoted student of Holmes’ methods of investigation and deduction, Chase must track down this shadowy figure, a man determined to engulf London in a tide of murder and menace. The author of the global bestseller The House of Silk (Orion PB $19.99) once again breathes life into the world created by Arthur Conan Doyle, weaving a thrilling tale with a twist.
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The black sheep of a wealthy 1930s grazier dynasty, gentleman artist Rowland Sinclair often takes matters into his own hands. And when the matter is murder, there tend to be consequences. A newly discovered gun casts light on a Sinclair family secret long kept, and Rowland is implicated. As a result, he and his artist friends end up on the family sheep station trying to find out exactly what happened 14 years ago. This is the fourth novel in Gentill’s Rowland Sinclair series, which is in many ways a NSW equivalent of Kerry Greenwood’s Melbourne-based Phryne Fisher series, and it’s full of historical detail, real-life characters (Robert Menzies makes an appearance in this one) and charm.
Jacobson’s Booker-shortlisted dystopian novel is not just a condemnation of contemporary society, as dystopian fiction so often is, but an exploration of the dynamics of hate. It is also a love story. Fifty years from now, people’s behaviour is regulated by forceful expectations and norms. The past is not to be revisited, apologies must be issued regularly, and the only acceptable way to refer to a barely acknowledged social cataclysm is as what happened, if it happened. Just what happened becomes increasingly clear to the reader, as Jacobson steers his lovers through their uncertainties and discoveries, and places them at the heart of one person’s attempt to bring society back into balance.
MERCILESS GODS Christos Tsiolkas
Allen & Unwin PB WAS $32.99 NOW $27.99
1. Which artist had a stutter as a child? A MURDER UNMENTIONED Sulari Gentill
Pantera PB $29.99
Jonathan Cape PB $32.99
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Robinson returns to the town of Gilead, the setting of her Pulitzer Prize–winning novel of the same name and its equally acclaimed follow-up volume Home, in this story about Lila, a homeless girl who has always lived on the fringes of society. After years of roaming the countryside and eking out an existence through farm labour, Lila becomes the wife of Gilead’s minister, John Ames, an elderly widower, and begins a new life while trying to make sense of her heartbreaking past. This is writing of the very highest order – a perfectly paced story featuring a page-turning plot, achingly human characters and luminous prose.
Virago PB $29.99
MORIARTY Anthony Horowitz
Orion PB $29.99
Reviewing this debut novel in the New York Times, Nadifa Mohamed describes its ‘beating heart’ as being ‘not so much its human characters but Sri Lanka itself’. Set in that teardrop-shaped island in the Indian Ocean, it follows the lives of two young women: Yasodhara, who lives a rich and privileged life with her Sinhala family in Colombo; and Saraswathi, a Tamil, who lives in the active war zone and dreams of becoming a teacher. Munaweera, a Sri Lankan–American, has written a powerful saga about growing up amid the horrors of civil war.
J Howard Jacobson
Merciless Gods is the first short story collection by the author of The Slap. While the form might be new to Tsiolkas, these 15 stories deal with themes that will be familiar to his many fans: class, family, sexuality and desire. In the title story, a group of friends gather in a Melbourne apartment for a dinner party. The night begins with champagne, fine food and ecstasy. After dinner they play a game that draws out unresolved tensions and reveals dark secrets. Tsiolkas closes the collection with a powerful triptych: ‘Porn 1’, ‘Porn 2’ and ‘Porn 3’ – three stories that show their protagonists’ lives intersecting with pornography in ways that will surprise.
NAVIGATIO Patrick Holland
This mystical novel seems to come from another world, but not necessarily from the past. Its subject is the 6th-century Irish monk St Brendan and the writing style is inspired by the old (including, one assumes, the thousand-year-old Navigatio Sancti Brendani) but is also thoroughly modern. The fractured narrative follows Brendan on his search for the Land of Infinite Promises, Transit Lounge HB Land of the Blessed, Paradise on Earth. He $29.95 and seven other men sail west, through magical islands, through dreams and spells, through different times. Brendan is visited by Satan and Death; he envisages Hell itself. Japanese calligraphic art by Junko Azukawa adds to the sense of mysticism and otherworldliness.
Highly Recommended THE BLAZING WORLD
THE BONE CLOCKS
THE BURNING ROOM
THE CHILDREN ACT
CLAIMANT
COLORLESS TSUKURU TAZAKI AND HIS YEARS OF PILGRIMAGE
DEATH FUGUE
DEMONS
Siri Hustvedt Sceptre PB $29.99 A devilishly playful, intellectually inspiring and emotionally involving new novel by the author of What I Loved (Sceptre PB $22.99).
Janette Turner Hospital HarperCollins PB $29.99 This compelling novel set in the French countryside, New York and Queensland deals with the fluid, shifting and ultimately elusive nature of identity.
David Mitchell Sceptre PB $29.99 The latest work by the author of Cloud Atlas (Sceptre PB $19.99) is a meditation on mortality and a chronicle of our time.
Haruki Murakami Harvill Secker HB $35 A mystery story about friendship from the author of the coming-of-age cult classic Norwegian Wood (Vintage PB $19.99).
Michael Connelly Allen & Unwin PB $32.99 Harry Bosch and his new partner tackle another cold case in what may be the detective’s last job before retirement.
Sheng Keyi Giramondo PB $29.95 Published for the first time in English, Death Fugue is the bold attempt by a prominent Chinese novelist to confront the legacy of protest and suppression that haunts her generation.
Ian McEwan Jonathan Cape HB $29.99 A High Court judge immersed in her work finds her world disrupted by a case involving Jehovah’s Witnesses and an adolescent boy.
Wayne Macauley Text PB $29.99 A novel about stories and secrets from one of Australia’s most exciting literary talents.
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Fiction NORA WEBSTER Colm Tóibín
Picador PB $29.99
This is a novel about grief and healing. Nora Webster is a middle-aged woman living in a small town in southeastern Ireland in the late 1960s and early 1970s, during The Troubles. Recently widowed, she has four children, little money and a lot of people wanting to help or advise her. But Nora is a fiercely independent, almost prickly, character who is emotionally guarded – she needs to heal at her own pace, and does so through a growing interest in music. Tóibín is a novelist who excels in the character study – especially when he writes about women – and this gently paced tale is full of nuance and pared-down yet evocative prose. Fans of his previous novel Brooklyn (Picador PB $22.99) won’t be disappointed.
THE PERIPHERAL William Gibson
Viking PB $29.99
From William Gibson, the originator of the term cyberspace, comes this multiple-future novel about Flynne Fisher, living in a rural near-future America where life is tough, and Wilf Netherton, living in London some 70 years later. The two are separated by years of cataclysm, but come together to pin a murder on its perpetrator. When Flynne and Wilf meet, they realise that their worlds were once each other’s respective past and future — until, with the slightest of interventions, their histories veered apart. Incorporating quantum mechanics, 3D printing and gaming, this is another dark and complex offering from the noir prophet of contemporary speculative fiction.
THE SLOW REGARD OF SILENT THINGS Patrick Rothfuss
Gollancz HB $27.99
Devoted fans of Rothfuss’s Kingkiller Chronicles series are anxiously awaiting the third and final book. If you are one of these, this novella may temporarily sate you, for it is set in the same world. It gives a new perspective on Auri, the diminutive woman who lives in the Underthing beneath the University of the Kingkiller world and can see beyond the surface of things, into subtle dangers and hidden names. We follow Auri through six days as she gleans objects, finds the right place for them and orders the spaces she inhabits. Rothfuss has eschewed a traditional story arc, playing masterfully with atmosphere and character instead.
BER DECEM SE RELEA
SOME LUCK Jane Smiley
Mantle PB $29.99
The Pulitzer Prize–winning author of A Thousand Acres returns with the first book in a planned trilogy that will span 100 years. Commencing in 1920, Some Luck covers 33 years of one American farming family’s fortunes, in 33 chapters. We follow Walter and Rosanna Langdon and their five children through the milestones and banalities of ordinary life, tracing their own and their country’s shifting fates. Smiley casts a keen eye over major turning points in American and international politics, from the Depression to WWII, the Cold War to the Red Scare. The Langdons are a family bound fiercely by their love and devotion to each other, and the often flawed and fallible characters are depicted with great warmth and compassion.
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SOUTH OF DARKNESS John Marsden
In his first novel for adults, John Marsden breathes new life into the convict tale. The book’s narrator and hero, Barnaby Fletch, recounts his early life in London and transportation to Australia, a remarkable story of adventure showing the human spirit’s capacity to overcome cruelty and hardship. Marsden does a wonderful job of painting an Australia as seen through the eyes of the first settlers (a koala ‘moves from branch to branch with the solemnity of a judge at the Old Bailey’) and Barnaby’s voice, embellished with illuminating detail, is utterly convincing. South of Darkness is sure to be a hit with lovers of home-grown historical fiction. And by the looks of it, this is just the first instalment…
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BER DECEM SE RELEA
THREE STORIES JM Coetzee
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Three Stories – ‘His Man and He’, written as Coetzee’s acceptance speech for the 2003 Nobel Prize in Literature; ‘A House in Spain’; and ‘Nietverloren’ – by the Australian-based writer who was the first to win the Booker Prize twice (for Life & Times of Michael K in 1983 and for Disgrace ).
THAT GLIMPSE OF TRUTH David Miller (ed.)
HarperCollins HB WAS $39.99 NOW $34.99
Any anthology is a ‘weird, wonky thing’, acknowledges the man who has chosen the ‘100 of the finest short stories ever written’ that appear in this example of the genre. Note the ‘of’: literary agent and writer David Miller knows his selection is subjective rather than definitive. So let’s take that as a given and enjoy what’s here: starting with the Bible’s Book of Jonah, and going forward in time through centuries until we reach the current day. There are plenty of treasures by writers from around the world that deliver what Joseph Conrad called ‘that glimpse of truth for which you have forgotten to ask’.
Text HB $19.99
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Bantam PB WAS $32.99 NOW $27.99
On his way home from school, the young narrator of The Strange Library finds himself wondering how taxes were collected in the Ottoman Empire. He pops into the local library to see if it has a book on the subject. This is his first mistake. Led to a special ‘reading room’ by a strange old man, he finds himself imprisoned with only a sheep man (who makes excellent donuts) and a girl (who can talk with her hands) for company. His mother will be worrying why he hasn’t returned in time for dinner and the old man seems to have an appetite for eating small boy’s brains. How will he escape? A fully illustrated and wonderfully creepy tale that is sure to delight Murakami fans.
TIME AND TIME AGAIN Ben Elton
Wars, global warming, rabid consumption. How have we got ourselves into this mess? Ben Elton has never been afraid of tackling the big issues and in Time and Time Again he takes them all on at once, imagining the possibility of someone going back in time to put the 20th century back on course. Ex-army man, professional adventurer and grieving widower Hugh Stanton is that someone. Going back 111 years to prevent the Great War through a loop discovered by Isaac Newton, Stanton’s adventures in 1914 go beyond the usual time-travel japes. Elton is known best for his comedic works, but this novel has a more serious tone. Fortunately, it’s no less engaging for that.
2. Who takes ‘anti-sartorial’ photographs?
TO NAME THOSE LOST Rohan Wilson
Many are lost in this hard but beautiful novel, set in the near-lawless Tasmania of 1874, and reprising a character from the author’s Vogel award-winning debut The Roving Party (Allen & Unwin PB $19.99). The first to die is the mother of 12-year-old William Toosey, who writes to his itinerant father entreating him to return home. Thomas, who feels his love for his son is Allen & Unwin PB the only thing making him ‘whole in God’s $29.99 eyes’, heeds the call, but with dreadful consequences for many. Wilson brilliantly evokes a Launceston racked by violence and hardship, and a Tasmania scarred by the Black War. He explores the deep connections between people, whether forged deliberately or by happenstance.
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THE STRANGE LIBRARY Haruki Murakami
WOLF IN WHITE VAN John Darnielle
WINDOW GODS Sally Morrison
Hardie Grant PB $29.95
Isobel is an artist struggling to engage with her subject matter while responsibilities tug her in all directions. When a lawsuit brought by her half-sister and her husband’s cancer diagnosis collide, Isobel is thrown from one crisis to the next. Then her son disappears in Afghanistan and she sets off to find him. On her journey she finds courage through friendship and comes home strengthened and empowered. Sally Morrison’s new novel is about family, inheritance and change – about making sense of life in the absence of a single authority, or any of the old gods. Full of astute observations about life, death and everything in between, it’s a wry, funny and intelligent look at modern life.
Scribe PB $27.99
Isolated by a disfiguring injury since the age of 17, Sean Phillips crafts imaginary worlds for strangers to play in. From his small apartment in southern California, he orchestrates fantastic adventures where possibilities, both dark and bright, open in the boundaries between the real and the imagined. Lance and Carrie are high school students from Florida, and are explorers of The Trace, one of Sean’s role-playing games. But when they take their play into the real world, disaster strikes, and Sean is called on to account for it. In the process, he is pulled back through time, tracing back towards the moment of his own selfinflicted departure from the world in which most people live. Darnielle’s ambitious debut novel is fast-paced, beautifully written and unexpectedly moving.
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AFTERLIFF John Lloyd & Jon Canter
Television producer John Lloyd (Not the Nine O’Clock News, Spitting Image, Blackadder, QI) and novelist Jon Canter (Seeds of Greatness, Worth) are obsessed with writing and sourcing hundreds of definitions of things there should be words for, and have now compiled them in this volume. Always funny, often profound and entirely unique, this is the essential book for anyone who finds there aren’t enough words to describe what happens in everyday life.
UNSW Press HB WAS $69.95 NOW $24.95
THE BEST 100 POEMS OF GWEN HARWOOD
AUSTRALIAN POETRY SINCE 1788 Geoffrey Lehmann & Robert Gray (eds.)
BETWEEN US: WOMEN OF LETTERS Michaela McGuire & Marieke Hardy
THE BEST 100 POEMS OF DOROTHY PORTER
Dorothy Porter Black Inc HB WAS $24.99 NOW $14.95 Two beautifully produced poetry collections highlighting the work of important Australian poets: Gwen Harwood, whose poems are characterised by a twinkling irreverence and a sly wit; and the late Dorothy Porter, renowned for her passionate, punchy poetry and her verse novels.
Writing a letter can be an act of confession or celebration, while receiving one can bring joy, insight and vivid memories. Ambassadors for correspondence Marieke Hardy and Michaela McGuire have lured some of the country’s major cultural figures to the literary afternoons of Women of Letters to write and read missives of all kinds. Contributors to this, their third published volume of letters, include novelist Hannah Kent, actor Rhys Muldoon and cartoonist First Dog on the Moon.
Viking PB $29.99
POETRY NOTEBOOK 2006–2014 Clive James L SPECIA PRICE
Macquarie Dictionary HB WAS $129.95 NOW $69.95
MACQUARIE DICTIONARY: FIFTH EDITION Since it was first published in 1981, the reputation of Australia’s national dictionary has gone from strength to strength and it is now nationally and internationally regarded as the standard reference on Australian English. The Macquarie lovingly embraces new words and is trustworthy and loyal to the Australian vernacular. Compiled by an editorial team based at the University of Sydney, this fifth edition not only includes words and senses peculiar to Australian English, it also includes those common to the entire English-speaking world.
Picador HB $32.99
It’s clear that poetry makes Clive James happy. For when choosing a dedication for this book – perhaps his last – he opted for Shakespeare: ‘How oft when men are at the point of death / Have they been merry! / Which their keepers call / A lightning before death…’ (Romeo and Juliet ). This wonderfully written notebook is the product of over 50 years of writing, reading, translating and thinking about poetry, and is filled with his ruminations about the form. James nominates his five favourite poetry books, offers close and careful readings of individual poems, and sums up with the following observation about the vitality of language: ‘Better to think back on all the poems you have ever loved, and to realize what they have in common: the life you soon must lose.’
Highly Recommended DRONES & PHANTOMS Jennifer Maiden Giramondo PB $24 The latest volume of poetry from the author of the prizewinning Liquid Nitrogen.
EUPHORIA
Lily King Picador PB $29.99 Inspired by events in the life of revolutionary anthropologist Margaret Mead, King’s latest novel is an enthralling story of passion, possession, exploration and sacrifice.
FREE GIFT
THE AITCH FACTOR: ADVENTURES IN AUSTRALIAN ENGLISH
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THE BEST AUSTRALIAN ESSAYS 2014 Robert Manne (ed.) Black Inc PB $29.99
THE BEST AUSTRALIAN POEMS 2014 Geoff Page (ed.) Black Inc PB $24.99
This beautifully presented anthology brings together a comprehensive collection of poets from over two centuries of Australian literary history. Arranged chronologically and by poet, there is an admirable diversity among the selections, which ably reflect both the luminaries and the unsung heroes of Australia’s poetic traditions – from beautifully elegiac translations of Aboriginal song poems to the elder statesmen of Australian poetry, and from the classic bush poets to the mercurial talents of the current generation of young poets. Lehmann and Gray’s accompanying commentary is accessible but erudite, perfectly contextualising the poems.
BER DECEM SE RELEA
Gwen Harwood Black Inc HB $24.99
5 THE BEST AUSTRALIAN STORIES 2014 Amanda Lohrey (ed.) Black Inc PB $29.99 These annual anthologies showcase the local literary scene and are essential purchases for readers who want to keep up to date with what both well-established names and up-and-coming stars are up to. This year Essays includes pieces from commentators including JM Coetzee, Helen Garner, Nicolas Rothwell, Guy Rundle, Don Watson and Tim Winton; Poems includes contributions from Robert Adamson, Jordie Albiston, Robert Gray, David Malouf, Les Murray and Clive James, among many others; and Stories features work by writers including Anna Krien, Julienne van Loon, Kirsten Tranter and David Brooks. Free gift with any purchase of Essays, Poems or Stories : The Words That Made Australia (Robert Manne & Chris Feik Black Inc PB $29.99).
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Canongate HB WAS $59.99 NOW $49.99
LISTS OF NOTE Shaun Usher
In his follow-up to the bestselling Letters of Note (Canongate HB $49.99), Shaun Usher, sole custodian of the popular blogs listsofnote.com and lettersofnote.com, turns his hand to lists. Having trawled the world’s archives, he has put together a rich visual anthology that stretches from ancient times to the present day. From a to-do list of Leonardo da Vinci’s to Charles Darwin on the pros and cons of marriage or Julia Child’s list of possible titles for what would later become an American cooking bible, Lists of Note is constantly surprising and utterly engrossing.
THE SENSE OF STYLE Steven Pinker
Allen Lane PB $29.99
Does writing well matter in this age of instant communication? In The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person’s Guide to Writing in the 21st Century, Harvard University professor of psychology Steven Pinker argues that style does still matter: in communicating effectively, in enhancing the spread of ideas, in earning a reader’s trust and, not least, in adding beauty to the world. Drawing on the latest research in linguistics and cognitive science, Pinker offers advice on how to master the challenges of writing in the 21st century and shows that good style is part of what it means to be human.
WHERE I’M READING FROM
THE WRITING LIFE: BOOK 2
Susan Butler Macmillan HB $24.99 The editor of the Macquarie Dictionary chronicles her unique adventures with the wonderfully malleable but strangely resilient beast known as the English language.
Tim Parks Harvill Secker HB WAS $34.99 NOW $29.99 Subtitled ‘The Changing World of Books’, this collection of lively and provocative essays discusses what readers want from books and how to look at the literature we encounter in a new light.
AN EVENT IN AUTUMN
THE FEW
LOST FOR WORDS
Henning Mankell Harvill Secker HB $27.99 A never-before-published Kurt Wallander novella in which the Swedish detective discovers a skeleton in the garden of his new house.
Nadia Dalbuono Scribe PB $29.99 Detective Leone Scamarcio is the son of a former leading Mafioso but he’s turned his back on the family business and joined the Rome police force, where he’s investigating a murder.
David Malouf Knopf HB $29.99 Malouf reads and examines the work of writers who have challenged, inspired and entertained us for generations, including Christina Stead, Patrick White, Proust, Shakespeare and Charlotte Brontë.
Edward St Aubyn Picador HB $34.99 St Aubyn’s latest novel is set in London’s literary world and was awarded this year’s Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse prize for comic fiction.
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John Murray PB WAS $32.99 NOW $27.99
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Biography & Memoir ABDUCTING A GENERAL: THE KREIPE OPERATION AND SOE IN CRETE Patrick Leigh Fermor
Those familiar with Pressburger and Powell’s 1957 movie Ill Met by Moonlight will recognise the scenario in this wartime memoir by Patrick Leigh Fermor, author of such travel writing classics as A Time of Gifts (John Murray PB $24.99). Fermor received a DSO for his part in the 1944 kidnapping of a German general, and this posthumously published account of that operation ripples with energy and derringdo. Set against the background of Cretan resistance and German reprisals, the book recounts nail-biting forays in disguise into German-held territory. Extracts from intelligence-gathering reports convey the risks and tragedies of his wartime experiences, and a guide allows modern-day visitors to re-create the abduction route.
ACUTE MISFORTUNE: THE LIFE AND DEATH OF ADAM CULLEN Erik Jensen
Black Inc HB $32.99
Simon & Schuster PB WAS $35 NOW $29.99
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HarperCollins HB WAS $49.99 NOW $44.99
Constable & Robinson PB $29.99
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In the summer of 1998, Walter Kirn set out on a fateful errand: to deliver a crippled hunting dog from an animal shelter in Montana to the New York apartment of one Clark Rockefeller, a secretive young banker and art collector. Thus began a 15-year relationship that drew Kirn deep into the fun-house world of an outlandish, eccentric son of privilege who would one day be shockingly unmasked as a brazen serial impostor and brutal double-murderer. Blood Will Out is a one-of-a-kind story of an innocent man duped by a real-life Mr Ripley, taking us on a bizarre and haunting journey from the private clubrooms of Manhattan to the courtrooms and prisons of Los Angeles.
Picador HB WAS $55 NOW $49.99
Text HB $49.99
Dame Maggie Scott, the much-loved doyen of Australian dance, has pirouetted her way through the dance world since the 1940s, when she performed with the famed Ballet Rambert. From her early life and convent schooling in South Africa, Scott’s journey led her to war-torn Europe and London during the blitz, and eventually to her arrival on Australian shores for the first time in 1947. Dance writer Michelle Potter’s marvellous biography coincides with the 50-year anniversary of Dame Maggie’s founding of the Australian Ballet School and includes a foreword by one of her star pupils, Graeme Murphy.
This double biography of artists Rex Battarbee and Albert Namatjira – one white Australian from Warrnambool in Victoria, the other Aboriginal, of the Arrernte people, from the Hermannsburg Mission west of Alice Springs – tells a fascinating yarn. Edmond makes extensive use of Battarbee’s diaries to throw new light on Namatjira’s life, and to bring Battarbee, who has been largely ignored by historians, back into focus. He portrays the personal and social difficulties the two men faced, while at the same time illuminating large cultural themes – the traditions and legacies of the Arrernte, the influence of the Lutheran church, and the development of anthropology and the evolution of Australian art.
A BONE OF FACT David Walsh
This memoir is as unconventional and idiosyncratic as you’d expect from the enigma who gave us Hobart’s Museum of New and Old Art (Mona), and who has now added author to his self-inventoried pretensions of ‘art, science, maths, smartarse, penis, narcissist’. Peppered with footnoted asides, and richly and eccentrically illustrated, A Bone of Fact zigzags from family reminiscences to forthright musings on … well, a bit of everything, from literature to sex, collecting to atheism, with perhaps the longest chapter devoted to wives and girlfriends. Most pertinently, Walsh reveals the mix of luck and mathematical odds behind his gambling success, discusses Mona’s difficult birth and gives some clues as to his future plans.
THE DARK ART Edward Follis & Douglas Century
DAME MAGGIE SCOTT: A LIFE IN DANCE Michelle Potter
CHARLES BEAN Ross Coulthart
CEW Bean’s wartime reports and photographs mythologised the Australian soldier and helped spawn the notion that the Anzacs achieved something nation-defining on the shores of Gallipoli and the battlefields of Western Europe. In his quest to get the truth, Bean often faced death beside the Diggers in the trenches of Gallipoli and the Western Front – and saw more combat than many. But did Bean tell Australia the whole story of what he knew? In this new biography, Ross Coulthart (The Lost Diggers) explores the man behind the legend.
Giramondo PB $29.95
BLOOD WILL OUT Walter Kirn
BILL: THE LIFE OF WILLIAM DOBELL Scott Bevan
In postwar Australia, William Dobell was a household name. But the most famous artist in the land was a broken man. His Archibald Prize–winning portrait of Joshua Smith was the subject of a sensational legal case, challenging not only Dobell’s right to the prize, but the very idea of art itself. Dobell won the legal battle but lost his health, his confidence and his interest in art. But then, in the small town of Wangi Wangi just north of Sydney, he found community and friendship, and rediscovered the passion to paint. Scott Bevan has interviewed many of Dobell’s Wangi friends to put together a fascinating and fond portrait of the artist.
This is a memoir, not a biography – one that is bound to elicit a strong reaction from every reader. Jensen, now the editor of The Saturday Paper, knew the late Sydney artist Adam Cullen well (he lived in Cullen’s house, drank with him and was even shot by him) and he has written a thoughtful profile of this self-mythologising, self-destructive and ultimately tragic character. One of the many memorable Cullen quotes in the book – ‘As soon as you’re born, you’re busy dying, and I am dying. I suppose I’ve just been smashing my head against the wall of existence for just a little bit long’ – sums up his life perfectly: grandiloquent language masking a terrible emptiness. Jensen gets to the truth of this sad character, lamenting his squandered talent and lost life.
BATTARBEE AND NAMATJIRA Martin Edmond
Scribe PB $32.99
Edward Follis worked as an undercover agent with the US Drug Enforcement Administration, where he mastered the dark art of skilfully eliciting incriminating statements over the course of a 27-year career. One of the driving forces behind the agency’s radical shift from a limited local focus to a global arena, he forged covert relationships with men who were not only international drug traffickers, but – in some cases – operatives for Al Qaeda, Hezbollah, Hamas and the Mexican cartels. Spanning five continents and filled with harrowing stories about ruthless drug lords and terrorist networks, Follis’s memoir is as fast paced and exciting as any thriller.
Highly Recommended THE FIGHTS OF MY LIFE
Greg Combet MUP PB $32.99 The former union leader and federal parliamentarian tells his personal story and argues that the Labor Party and trade unions must democratise to engage the next generation of activists.
LEONARD COHEN: EVERYBODY KNOWS
Harvey Kubernik Omnibus HB $34.99 This illustrated celebration of the life, music and poetry of Leonard Cohen features new interviews with Cohen’s band, producers and collaborators.
INTERNAL MEDICINE: A DOCTOR’S STORIES
IT’S NOT YOU, GEOGRAPHY, IT’S ME
JEAN GALBRAITH: WRITER IN A VALLEY
OPTIMISM
NICK DRAKE: REMEMBERED FOR A WHILE
SHY: A MEMOIR
Terrence Holt Black Inc PB $27.99 All the fears, joys and brutalities of a junior doctor’s work, in nine vivid stories.
Bob Brown Hardie Grant HB $39.95 Reflections on a life of action by the much-admired environmental activist and former parliamentary leader of the Australian Greens.
Kristy Chambers UQP PB $24.95 Joined by the most unreliable travel companion of them all – her mental health – the author of Get Well Soon! (UQP PB $24.95) heads overseas in the pursuit of happiness.
Cally Callomon & Gabrielle Drake John Murray HB $75 The authorised companion to the music of Nick Drake (1948–74), with contributions from his friends, critics, adherents, family and the artist himself.
Meredith Fletcher Monash University Publishing PB $39.95 The compelling story of Jean Galbraith (1906–99), one of Australia’s most influential botanists and writers on nature, plants and gardens.
Sian Prior Text PB $32.99 Broadcaster and performer Sian Prior writes about her battle with shyness and her research into the science of social anxiety.
Biography & Memoir EICHMANN BEFORE JERUSALEM Bettina Stangneth
Scribe PB $45
This reassessment of the life of Adolf Eichmann reveals his activities and notoriety amongst a global network of National Socialists following the collapse of the Third Reich. Smuggled out of Europe after the collapse of Germany, Eichmann lived a peaceful life in Argentina for years before his capture by the Mossad. At his 1960 trial in Jerusalem he portrayed himself as an overworked bureaucrat following orders – ‘a small cog in Adolf Hitler’s extermination machine’. How was this carefully crafted obfuscation possible? How did a principal architect of the Final Solution manage to disappear? And how had he occupied himself in hiding? Stangneth draws upon an astounding trove of newly discovered documentation to answer these and other questions.
A FIG AT THE GATE Kate Llewellyn
Following the joyful crafting of her gardens in the Blue Mountains (The Waterlily) and north of Wollongong (Playing with Water), poet and nature writer Kate Llewellyn writes about creating her new garden near the sea in Adelaide, where she plants olives, plums, limes and blood oranges, and learns how to keep poultry. Delight and enrichment come with the learning of new skills, being close Allen & Unwin PB to family and old friends, and rediscovering $29.99 old recipes. In A Fig at the Gate, Kate shares the beauties and frailties of the human condition and shows us what the gifts of ageing can bring.
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IN THE COMPANY OF COWARDS Michael Mori
Viking PB $29.99
Post 9/11, the US government held several hundred prisoners in Guantanamo Bay – a location pretty well free of US constitutional and international law protections – and set up an illegal military commission to try prisoners supposedly responsible for the attacks. Military lawyer Michael Mori was a defence counsel for that commission and spent four years on one case – that of Australian David Hicks. In the Company of Cowards, Mori pulls no punches in the accusations he levels against both the US and Australian governments for the handling of Hicks’ case. It’s a brilliant and timely study of governments and their accountability in times of war.
HarperCollins HB WAS $59.99 NOW $49.99
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Monash University Press PB $29.95
Emma Ayres HarperCollins PB $29.99 This memoir follows the ABC Classic FM presenter as she makes her way from England to Hong Kong accompanied by Vita, her steadfast bicycle, and Aurelia, her violin.
A DUCK IS WATCHING ME
Bernie Hobbs National Library of Australia PB $19.99 Featuring the common, the obscure and the downright bizarre, this light-hearted collection of phobias is sure to provoke conversation.
Affirm PB $29.99
JOHN OLSEN Darleen Bungey
Arthur Boyd’s biographer has turned her attention to another celebrated Australian painter, delivering a book that strips away the veneer of showmanship and fame to show the substance of an artist driven by a need to depict his country’s landscape in a totally new way. Given access to his uncensored diaries and drawing on years of extensive interviews with both Olsen and those who have known him best, Bungey explores his passionate life and follows his navigation through the friendships, rivalries and politics of the Australian art world. Her story of how a shy, stuttering boy from Newcastle came to be an acclaimed beret-wearing writer, painter and bon vivant makes for a fascinating read.
Michael Joseph HB $45
After a recap for readers unfamiliar with his two previous memoirs – Moab is My Washpot (the first 20 years) and The Fry Chronicles (the 1980s) – Stephen Fry’s third autobiographical volume picks up where Chronicles left off, spanning 1986 to 1993. What follows is a wayward journey into the mildly bipolar brain and truly hectic social life of one of Britain’s living treasures. The mix of autobiographical narrative and extracts from Fry’s ludicrously busy 1993 diary describes a dizzying sequence of nights and days on the tiles, rubbing shoulders and coke spoons with the glitterati in the cool Britannia years of the 1990s.
PRO HART: LIFE AND LEGACY
Gavin Fry Pro Hart Art Sales HB $59.95 A lavishly illustrated book profiling the man, his life and his art.
FOREIGN SOIL
Maxine Beneba Clarke Hachette PB $24.99 An award-winning collection of stories about the disenfranchised, the lost, the downtrodden and the mistreated by a Melbourne-based writer.
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HarperCollins HB $49.99
XOUM PB $24.99
THE MOST OF NORA EPHRON
Nora Ephron Doubleday PB WAS $35 NOW $29.99 An anthology of funny and acute writing by the late, great Nora Ephron, the creator of When Harry Met Sally and author of Heartburn.
GAME DAY
Physically abused by her adoptive father from the age of four, raped by him four years later and then sold by him to other men for sex, Carrie Bailee’s Canadian childhood was almost unimaginably horrific. After escaping to Australia (‘the furthest place I could possibly get to’) aged 20, she was assisted by a number of Australian women and encouraged to apply for refugee status in order to stay in this country. So began her ultimately successful battle to be granted asylum in Australia. Bailee is now an ambassador for the St Kilda Gatehouse Young Women’s Project (www. stkildagatehouse.org.au), and 25% of the profits from sales of this title are being donated to that organisation.
KERRY STOKES: THE BOY FROM NOWHERE Andrew Rule
BER DECEM SE A E L E R
MORE FOOL ME Stephen Fry
Highly Recommended CADENCE
FLYING ON BROKEN WINGS Carrie Bailee
3. Where do Bronte pistachios come from?
MAESTRO JOHN MONASH: AUSTRALIA’S GREATEST CITIZEN GENERAL Tim Fischer
Who was the most innovative general of WWI? For Tim Fischer, former diplomat, politician and Australian Army officer, the answer has to be ‘Maestro’ John Monash, a man who, for all the recognition he received in his lifetime and after, has arguably not been given his proper due. Here, Fischer asks why Monash, Australian Army Corps Commander, was never given a postwar promotion to Field Marshal as international precedent would have suggested. Fischer blames the omission on the Australian prime minister of the time, Billy Hughes, within a wider context of establishment suspicion towards this son of a German Jewish migrant.
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Miriam Sved Picador PB $29.99 Sport-obsessed Melbourne is an evocative setting for this debut novel about a football club, its players and its fans.
Crime reporter, columnist and author of the Underbelly series, Andrew Rule has written about many singular characters in his day, so it’s not surprising that he was drawn to write about one of the country’s most fascinating power players, Kerry Stokes. A media and property magnate, art collector and philanthropist, Stokes’ rags-to-riches life is almost Dickensian in the retelling (‘Oliver Twist with great self-expectations’). Stokes stared down poverty, ignorance and the stigma of his illegitimate birth to achieve great wealth and fulfilment, and his story is all the more fascinating because he has spent most of his life guarding it, making Rule’s achievement in getting his cooperation on this biography (an advantage that Margaret Simons didn’t have for her 2013 Kerry Stokes: Self-Made Man) all the more impressive.
MRS MORT’S MADNESS Suzanne Falkiner
A 1920s Sydney scandal involving adultery, insanity and murder – perfect fodder for a true crime book. After extensive research, Suzanne Falkiner has brought to life the story of Dorothy Mort, wife, mother of two and aspiring actress, who shot her lover Claude Tozer dead with a pistol before shooting herself and draping herself on his body. Falkiner uses some fictional techniques to re-create events, but then faithfully follows the course of the trial in which Mrs Mort was declared insane. Was she mad? Mrs Mort’s Madness offers some new perspectives on what might have led to this dreadful event.
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THINKING ABOUT IT ONLY MAKES IT WORSE
David Mitchell Faber PB WAS $29.99 NOW $24.99 The QI and Would I Lie to You? panellist ponders the absurdities of modern life in this hilarious collection of rants and raves.
GOLDEN AGE
Joan London Vintage PB $32.99 Set in 1950s Perth, this novel by the author of Gilgamesh and The Good Parents is a story of resilience, the enduring nature of love and the fragility of life.
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Knopf Australia HB WAS $49.99 NOW $39.99
Biography & Memoir MY STORY Julia Gillard
In this lengthy but focused memoir, Julia Gillard expressly invites us to judge the three years and three days of her primeministership. It’s a defence of sorts, but a generally candid and disarming one. The first section, ‘How I Did It’, covers the personal and the political – everything from the importance of resilience to the murky intrigues of leadership challenges, election campaigns and pragmatic alliances. The second part, ‘Why I Did It’, argues for her policy positions but still offers frequent glimpses into her personal experience. Are we getting the ‘real’ Julia here? Quite often, it feels like we just might be.
NOT THAT KIND OF GIRL Lena Dunham
HarperCollins HB $29.99
PENELOPE FITZGERALD: A LIFE Hermione Lee
Vintage PB $19.99
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Allen & Unwin PB WAS $32.99 NOW $27.99
Hermione Lee is no novice when it comes to literary biography, having written acclaimed biographies of Virginia Woolf, Edith Wharton, Elizabeth Bowen, Willa Cather and Philip Roth. Turning her attention to the English writer Penelope Fitzgerald (1916–2000), author of Offshore, The Blue Flower and seven other novels, Lee shows how Fitzgerald’s early writing drew on her personal life – a sinking houseboat on the Thames in the 1960s; the BBC in wartime; a failing bookshop in Suffolk; an eccentric stage-school – whereas her later works focused on historical worlds. Born in a bishop’s palace (her grandfather was the Bishop of Lincoln), Fitzgerald led a colourful and unorthodox life, was first published aged 60 and became famous at 80. Hers is a fascinating story.
PRIVATE BILL: IN LOVE AND WAR Barrie Cassidy
MUP PB $29.99
The political journalist and host of ABC’s Insiders programme tells the story of how his parents prevailed over the adversities of war to live an ordinary, happy life. During WWII, Cassidy’s father Bill survived more than four years as a prisoner of war and his mother Myra also became a prisoner of sorts, left to care for their young daughter and to keep a devastating secret. Eventually, 50 years after the war, the secret was exposed and Bill and Myra were tested once again. Cassidy’s love and respect for his parents is clear, and this testament to them makes for a heartwarming summer read.
WHAT DAYS ARE FOR Robert Dessaix
WALKING FREE Munjed Al Muderis
When ordered to disfigure draft dodgers and deserters for Saddam Hussein’s military police, surgical resident Munjed Al Muderis realised he must flee the country of his birth. What followed was an extraordinary journey to Australia. After placing his life in the hands of people smugglers, he overcame the harrowing reality of Curtin Detention Centre and through hard work and unwavering determination went on to become one of Australia’s most respected orthopedic surgeons. Walking Free is a poignant reminder of the types of situations that refugees and asylum seekers are forced to flee, and of how hard it can be to establish a new life in other, more fortunate, countries.
The creator, producer and star of HBO’s Girls has written a collection of frank and funny personal essays that is reminiscent of Nora Ephron, Tina Fey and David Sedaris. Dunham writes about falling in love, feeling alone and having to constantly prove herself to male colleagues twice her age. ‘I’m already predicting my future shame at thinking I had anything to offer you,’ Dunham writes. ‘But if I can take what I’ve learned and make one menial job easier for you, or prevent you from having the kind of sex where you feel you must keep your sneakers on in case you want to run away during the act, then every misstep of mine will have been worthwhile.’
Knopf HB $29.99
Finding himself in ‘death’s anteroom’ after a heart attack cuts him down, Robert Dessaix comes across a line in a Philip Larkin poem that asks ‘What are days for?’ In this collection of musings Dessaix thinks about possible answers, looking back on his past days and contemplating how to live those yet to come. This is no illness memoir – the physical details of his illness and hospitalisation are barely mentioned. Instead the writing follows his swerving train of thought as he shifts in and out of consciousness. He writes about the purpose and pleasure of travel, the space between belief and non-belief in religion and spirituality, and the many types of love and intimacy.
PEACEMONGERS Barry Hill
UQP HB $45
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In his first major prose work in 10 years, poet and author Barry Hill has produced a fascinating work that is part memoir, part biography and part philosophical essay. Hill has spent that 10 years travelling through India, Japan and Thailand, tracking India’s greatest artist and intellectual, Rabindranath Tagore. The book recounts that intellectual pilgrimage alongside an account of Tagore’s life and teachings, a subject that’s clearly one of deep fascination for the author. It is an intensely personal meditation on today’s fractured and complex world, constantly re-circling to themes of war and peace, compassion and enlightenment. Full of poetic description and intellectual musings, this is a vivid insight into the mind of an Australian literary heavyweight.
4. What’s an aristologist?
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Random House PB WAS $35 NOW $29.99
SO, ANYWAY… John Cleese
Here, the gangly Python tells of his early adventures and ponders his past self in a brutally honest fashion. Cleese offers his thoughts on what makes a good comedian, debates the relative merits of cricket and water-skiing, and takes plenty of other detours off-topic, but at the core of this memoir is the story of his life up to Python (there’s presumably going to be a follow-up volume). We read of his parents’ endlessly peripatetic home life, his mother’s mentalhealth issues, his school days, his two-year stint as a teacher, his time at Cambridge University and the start of his comedy career. Often dark, sometimes funny, So, Anyway… is an unexpected offering from this comic genius.
YES PLEASE Amy Poehler
Macmillan HB $32.99
Part memoir, part self-help tract and part gag-fest, Yes Please is collection of stories, thoughts, ideas, haikus and words-to-live-by from actress, writer and comedian Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation, Blades of Glory). Poehler riffs on sex, love, family, friendship and plastic surgery, providing plenty of jokes and sage advice (the useful kind, not the annoying kind you didn’t ask for).
Highly Recommended GOLDEN BOYS
I REFUSE
LIFE OR DEATH
LOST AND FOUND
THE LOVE AFFAIRS OF NATHANIEL P.
THE LOVE SONG OF MISS QUEENIE HENNESSY
THE MINIATURIST
ONLY THE ANIMALS
Sonya Hartnett Hamish Hamilton PB $29.99 Focusing on two families in an outer suburb of Melbourne, Hartnett delivers an unsettling novel about adult foibles seen through the eyes of children.
Adelle Waldman Windmill PB $19.99 This sardonic novel about the Brooklyn literati and their liaisons has tagged debut author Adelle Waldman as one to watch.
Per Petterson Harvill Secker PB $32.99 A poignant novel about friendship and family members from the author of the critically acclaimed Out Stealing Horses (Vintage PB $19.99).
Rachel Joyce Doubleday PB $32.99 A story about finding joy in unexpected places and at times we least expect from the author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry.
Michael Robotham Little, Brown PB $29.99 Taking a break from his Joe O’Loughlin series, Robotham delivers a gripping stand-alone psychological thriller set in America.
Jessie Burton Picador PB $29.99 Set in 1686 Amsterdam, Jessie Burton’s debut novel has an intriguing premise and a magic realist execution.
Brooke Davis Hachette PB $26.99 A whimsical and assured novel about loss, death, love and trust from a new Western Australian talent.
Ceridwen Dovey Hamish Hamilton PB $29.99 This series of interlinked stories by a new Australian talent gives an animal’seye view of humans at our brutal, violent worst and our creative, imaginative best. Simply extraordinary.
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Picador PB WAS $29.99 NOW $14.95
History THE ANCIENT PATHS Graham Robb
Graham Robb (Parisians, The Discovery of France) is known for delving into France’s past to unearth intriguing nuggets of history and create rich portraits of the Gallic people and landscape. In The Ancient Paths he ventures back in time to train his keen eye on the Celts, a people derided as uncouth simpletons by their Roman conquerors. In fact, they had a sophisticated and intimate knowledge of their surroundings and the celestial bodies that loomed overhead. Robb brings his multifarious skills to bear in illuminating the little-known domain of Celtic science, all in characteristically erudite and engaging prose.
BER DECEM SE RELEA
NewSouth PB $34.99
THE BUSH Don Watson
Hamish Hamilton HB $45
The vast majority of Australians live in cities on the coast, but most would probably agree that our nation’s character was forged – and in some ways still resides – in the bush. In this marvellous study – part history, part memoir, part travelogue – Don Watson investigates and ruminates on the Australian bush, that territory comprising what he characterises as the ‘womb and inspiration of the national character’. A country boy himself, Watson travels across the country and through history to spin a gloriously crafted yarn about flora, fauna, fire and flood, raising issues of landuse and landcare, and evoking wonderful characters now largely relegated to myth: swagmen and axemen, soldier settlers and shepherds.
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Bodley Head PB $35
Author and former NSW politician Andrew Tink takes on the monumental challenge of compiling a history of 20th-century Australia in his latest book. Sweeping across the century, Tink gives a remarkable account of Australia’s political and economic growth and its cultural and sporting successes. Never dwelling on any one subject for too long, he incorporates a broad and diverse array of subject matter, but pays particular attention to key events including Gallipoli, the Kokoda March, the Great Depression and Mabo. Tink’s writing is accessible, entertaining and easy to follow, and will be appreciated by anyone interested in how a young nation matured and found itself where it is today.
When the Roman Empire retreated, northern Europe was a barbarian outpost at the very edge of civilisation. One thousand years later, it was the heart of global empires and the home of science, art, enlightenment and money. In this history, Pye argues that we owe this transformation to the tides and storms of the North Sea. He writes about the spread of money and how it paved the way for science; about how plague terrorised even the rich and transformed daily life for the poor; and how, when climate changed and coastlines shifted, people adapted and towns flourished. Packed with stories and revelations, The Edge of the World is an epic and eminently readable drama.
HarperCollins HB WAS $45 NOW $39.99
Bestselling maritime biographer Rob Mundle (Cook) is back on the ocean waves with this story of the 18th-century convoy of 11 ships that left England on 13 May 1787 for the ‘lands beyond the seas’. Aboard were seafarers, convicts, marines – some 1300 in all – who had been consigned to the opposite side of the world to establish a penal colony and a nation. The fleet stopped at Tenerife, Rio de Janeiro and Cape Town before sailing across the notorious and challenging Southern Ocean, bound for Botany Bay. Somehow, all 11 ships arrived safely between 18 and 20 January 1788. Mundle investigates and recounts what happened during 252 days at sea and in the eventual arrival in this rollicking history.
Highly Recommended AMBON
Roger Maynard Hachette PB $35 The story of Gull Force, a unit of 1150 Australian soldiers sent to defend the Indonesian island of Ambon during WWII and subsequently incarcerated and tortured by the Japanese.
MEDIEVAL PEOPLE
Michael Prestwich Thames & Hudson HB $49.99 Lavishly illustrated and handsomely presented, this book recounts the life stories of 70 individuals across Europe and the Middle East between the 9th and 15th centuries.
Allen & Unwin HB WAS $49.99 NOW $39.99
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William Heinemann Australia HB WAS $49.99 NOW $19.95
THE FIRST FLEET Rob Mundle
FIELDS OF BLOOD Karen Armstrong
In her 25th book, Karen Armstrong, a former nun who is now one of the world’s leading commentators on religious affairs, debunks the most persistent myth of our time: that religion has been the cause of all major wars in history. A celebration of the ancient religious ideas and movements that have promoted peace and reconciliation across millennia of civilisation, Fields of Blood takes the reader on a journey from prehistoric times to the present and finishes with an important and confronting question: With the arrival of the modern secular state, has humanity’s destructive potential begun to spiral out of control?
AUSTRALIA 1900–2001: A NARRATIVE HISTORY Andrew Tink
THE EDGE OF THE WORLD Michael Pye
Viking HB $49.99
AUSTRALIAN HISTORY IN 7 QUESTIONS
John Hirst Black Inc. PB $24.99 Ever wondered whether our convict origins have affected the national character? Or why we’re not a republic? Hirst discusses these and five other questions that go to the heart of Australia’s history.
THE MENZIES ERA
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John Howard HarperCollins HB $59.99 One of his successors profiles Australia’s longest-serving prime minister and assesses his impact on Australian life, history and politics.
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Allen Lane HB WAS $49.99 NOW $44.99
AUSTRALIANS: VOLUME 3 Thomas Keneally
There are plenty of histories of Australia, but few are as exuberant as Tom Keneally’s ongoing multi-book project. In this third volume, subtitled ‘Flappers to Vietnam’, Keneally once again focuses on the lives and deeds of our countrymen and women, both known and unknown, to illuminate the historical record. His engaging story-based narrative covers the parallel growths of consumerism and the Communist party, the furtive shenanigans of secret right wing armies, the Great Depression, WWII, the inexorable spread of the suburbs under Menzies, the nuclear threat and the growth of multiculturalism. Zooming through the century, it leaves the reader both energised and eagerly awaiting the next volume.
EUREKA: THE UNFINISHED REVOLUTION Peter FitzSimons In 1854, Victorian miners fought a deadly battle under the flag of the Southern Cross at the Eureka Stockade. Though brief and doomed to fail, the battle is legend in the Australian national mythology – Henry Lawson wrote poems about it, its symbolic flag is still raised, and most historians concur with Mark Twain’s description of it as ‘a strike for liberty’. FitzSimons investigates whether Eureka was indeed a fledgling nation’s first attempt to assert its independence under colonial rule, or whether it was merely an instance of rabble-rousing by unruly miners determined not to pay their taxes.
GERMANY: THE MEMORIES OF A NATION Neil MacGregor
For the past 140 years, Germany has been the central power in continental Europe. And 25 years ago, a new German state came into being. How much do we really understand this new Germany, and how do its people now understand themselves? While acknowledging that no coherent, over-arching narrative of Germany’s history can be constructed due to its fragmented and unstable geography and history, Neil MacGregor argues that the country has a large number of shared memories. Examining some of these is the purpose of this unusual and thought-provoking book.
AUSTRALIA ON HORSEBACK
THE BLACK WAR
WARNING: THE STORY OF CYCLONE TRACY
GUIDE TO TROUBLED BIRDS
Cameron Forbes Macmillan HB WAS $44.99 NOW $39.99 Forbes uses the motif of the horse to tell the wider Australian story of settlement, exploration, dispossession and warfare.
Sophie Cunningham Text PB $32.99 Eyewitness accounts of those who lived through the devastation of Christmas Day 1974 as told to novelist Sophie Cunningham.
Nicholas Clements UQP PB $34.95 This history of contact between Britons and Aborigines in Tasmania from 1825 to 1831 recounts the story of the battles that left close to 200 Britons and 1000 Aborigines dead.
The Mincing Mockingbird Penguin HB $19.99 A hilarious compendium of tales of murder, assault, mental breakdowns, obesity, drug abuse and infidelity within the bird community.
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NewSouth HB $49.99
HORSES IN AUSTRALIA: AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY Nicolas Brasch This beautifully illustrated book celebrates the horse in Australia. From Cobb & Co to Black Caviar, from the Walers of WWI to ‘The Man from Snowy River’, it showcases historical and contemporary images of the horse through stunning photographs and paintings.
HOW WE GOT TO NOW Steven Johnson
Particular PB $32.99
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Simon & Schuster HB WAS $39.99 NOW $34.99
THE INNOVATORS Walter Isaacson
Steve Jobs’ biographer now delivers the story of the people who created the computer and the internet. Starting with some fascinating questions – What talents allowed certain inventors and entrepreneurs to turn their disruptive ideas into realities? What led to their creative leaps? Why did some succeed and others fail? – Isaacson profiles well-known digital innovators including Alan Turing, John von Neumann, Robert Noyce, Bill Gates, Steve Wozniak, Steve Jobs, Tim Berners-Lee and Larry Page, alongside some that many of us won’t have heard of (did you know that Lord Byron’s daughter Ada Lovelace pioneered computer programming in the 1840s?). The answers give a fascinating insight into how innovative minds work and what makes innovators so creative.
Vintage PB $34.99
LAST WOMAN HANGED Caroline Overington
HarperCollins HB WAS $39.99 NOW $34.99
Fig Tree HB $39.99
AN INCONVENIENT GENOCIDE Geoffrey Robertson
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Last Woman Hanged is the story of Louisa Collins, a glamorous, promiscuous mother of six who was found guilty of murdering her husband on the evidence of her 11-year-old daughter. Louisa would become the last woman to be hanged in New South Wales, and a cast of colourful characters surrounded her – the inept hangman, her neglected offspring, the early suffragettes who campaigned on her behalf. Best known for her social dramas and realist psychological novels, writer Caroline Overington has here turned her attention to history, exploring the moral and social ramifications of Louisa’s case, and unravelling the flawed testimony and forensic evidence that sealed her fate.
In his latest book, bestselling author Steven Johnson (Where Good Ideas Come From, The Innovator’s Cookbook) focuses on six innovations that helped create the modern world. Johnson traces the stories and history behind the innovations and their initiators, as well as the unexpected consequences that ensued during their development. A celebration of small ideas and the people who tinker away at them, it’s an intriguing, thought-provoking and wonderfully written introduction to colourful characters who contributed in no small part to the modern world without receiving the kudos they deserved.
IN MONTMARTRE Sue Roe
Most Australians know that 25 April 2015 will mark the centenary of the ANZAC landings at Gallipoli. But how many know that on the day before, Armenians throughout the world will commemorate the centenary of the murder of 1.5 million – over half – of their people at the hands of the Ottoman Turkish government? Turkey continues to deny that this ever happened, but 20 other national parliaments have voted to recognise the genocide. In his latest book, Geoffrey Robertson QC proves beyond reasonable doubt that the horrific events of 1915 – witnessed and documented by Australian POWs – did indeed constitute a crime against humanity, and argues that this should be recognised by governments including those of Turkey, the US, the UK and Australia.
IT HAPPENED IN A HOLDEN Paddy O’Reilly (ed.)
The Holden rolled into our lives in 1948 and has been firmly rooted in the Australian psyche ever since. The FJ, the EH, the Torana, the Kingswood, the panel van, the Affirm HB $29.99 Monaro, the ute – each car is like a tuning fork for eras of Australian family, city and bush life. Almost every Australian has a Holden story, and this book is packed with tales from all walks of Australian life. Contributors include Bruce Beresford, Cate Kennedy, Father Bob Maguire, Kerry Greenwood, Shane Jacobson, Bev Brock, John Romeril, Anna Krien, Anson Cameron, Christine Nixon, Frankie J Holden, Emily Harms, Peter Corris and many more.
THE MAKING OF AUSTRALIA David Hill
William Heinemann PB $34.99
In his latest book, David Hill (The Gold Rush, The Great Race) traces the story of our nation from its European beginnings to Federation, recounting the stories of key figures who helped build it into the thriving nation it is today. These include William Wentworth, the son of a convict who secured Australia’s first elected parliament; Henry Parkes, the grand old man of politics who started the fraught process of Federation; and Edmund Barton, who formed the first Australian government. They and characters including Arthur Phillip, William Bligh and Lachlan Macquarie provide fascinating fodder for Hill, who delivers another engagingly written, supremely accessible historical narrative.
Popular belief has it that the major revolution in 20th-century art took place in the 1920s to the accompaniment of the Charleston, mint juleps, black jazz and Josephine Baker’s shimmy. But Sue Roe, author of the bestselling biography The Private Lives of the Impressionists, argues that the real revolution occurred in the cafes and cabarets of Montmartre between 1900 and 1910. It was then, she says, that a ‘heady sense of interconnectedness’ between avant-garde artists, writers, musicians and dancers led to truly revolutionary change. Roe is an excellent writer, and her vivid descriptions of major players including painters Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Georges Braque and Amedeo Modigliani; art dealer Ambroise Vollard; writer and collector Gertrude Stein; and couturier Paul Poiret really bring this bohemian decade to life.
NAPOLEON THE GREAT Andrew Roberts
Allen Lane HB $59.99
Napoleon Bonaparte lived a truly extraordinary life. In the space of just 20 years he transformed France and Europe. After seizing power in a coup d’état, he ended the corruption and incompetence into which the Revolution had descended. In a series of dazzling battles he reinvented the art of warfare; in peace, he completely remade the laws of France, modernised her systems of education and administration, and presided over a flourishing of the beautiful ‘Empire style’ in the arts. In this 992-page biography, Andrew Roberts, the author of two acclaimed histories of the Battle of Waterloo, conveys Napoleon’s tremendous energy, both physical and intellectual, and the attractiveness of his personality, even to his enemies.
Highly Recommended THE PAYING GUESTS
PERFIDIA
THE PLACE AT WHITTON
THE PROMISE
THE ROSIE EFFECT
THE SILKWORM
THE SNOW KIMONO
SPRINGTIME
Sarah Waters Little, Brown PB $32.99 In her latest novel, Waters (The Night Watch) turns her attention to 1920s London and the story of a lodging house in Camberwell.
Graeme Simsion Text PB $29.99 Don and Rosie are back to charm us all in the highly anticipated and equally hilarious sequel to the The Rosie Project (Text PB $29.99).
James Ellroy William Heinemann PB $32.99 Set in Los Angeles during WWII, the first volume of Ellroy’s ‘Second L.A. Quartet’ follows the investigation of the hellish murder of a Japanese family.
Robert Galbraith Sphere PB $32.99 Private detective and exsquaddie Cormoran Strike is employed to find a missing author in this follow-up to The Cuckoo’s Calling (Sphere PB $19.99).
Tom Keneally Knopf Australia HB $29.99 Keneally’s first novel was a psychological mystery set in a seminary. This special 50th-anniversary edition includes a new author’s note about the novel and his 50-year writing career.
Mark Henshaw Text PB $29.99 This intricate psychological thriller set in Paris and Japan is an unforgettable meditation on love and loss, on memory and its deceptions, and on the ties that bind us to others.
Tony Birch UQP PB $22.95 A volume of 12 powerful short stories by the author of the much-admired Blood (UQP PB $22.95).
Michelle de Kretser Allen & Unwin HB $14.99 De Kretser’s most recent work is a beguiling ghost story set in Sydney.
History
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THE NASHOS’ WAR Mark Dapin
Viking HB $39.99
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NewSouth HB WAS $49.99 NOW $14.95
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MUP PB WAS $34.99 NOW $14.95
Drawing on the accounts of over 150 former national servicemen (nashos), Dapin tells the story of the Australians who were drafted into national service during the Vietnam War. More than 60,000 young men were conscripted into the army over a seven-year period from 1965, and many of these were sent to Vietnam to fight – and die – in bloody battles including Long Tan. The Nashos’ War tells a nuanced story of national service and Australia’s role in the Vietnam War, providing a sobering and fascinating historical account.
Hardie Grant HB WAS $35 NOW $29.99
A SAVAGE HISTORY John Newton
Revered for their intellect, feared for their size and hunted for oil, food and sport, whales occupy a unique place in our psyche and in the natural world. Illustrated with vintage photographs and artworks, this book charts the history of human–whale interactions in the Pacific and Southern oceans. Newton traces the fate of whales from the proliferation of whaling in the 18th century and resulting endangered status of many species, to the present day when, despite being protected, whales are still vulnerable to so-called ‘scientific whaling’ expeditions conducted by Japanese fleets. The future of these magnificent creatures is perilous, but the increased popularity of whale watching and widespread population growth are heartening.
THE PRESIDENT’S DESK Shaun Micallef
Get ready to re-enter the brilliantly surreal and effortlessly fertile mind of Shaun Micallef! American history will never be the same after this fun-filled ride, a mix of fact and fiction tracing the alt-history of the famous desk that stands in Washington’s Oval Office. Built from the timbers of the doomed barque Resolute on the orders of Queen Victoria, the desk bears witness to a succession of presidential mishaps, from President Hayes to Presidents Bush, with cameos from a stellar cast including Wyatt Earp, Adolf Hitler, Elvis Presley and John Howard. A handy Errata hints at what’s true and what’s not.
THE SECRETS OF THE ANZACS Raden Dunbar
Scribe PB $29.99
SUNDAY’S GARDEN: GROWING HEIDE Lesley Harding & Kendrah Morgan
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When Sunday and John Reed purchased Heide in 1934, it was a neglected former dairy farm. After 50 years of their stewardship, it boasted an architecturally significant house designed in the 1960s by McGlashan Everist, a park densely forested with exotic and native flora, and a stunningly beautiful cottage-style kitchen garden. The Reeds moulded Heide into a personal Eden, connecting art with nature and creating a nourishing environment for the artists they championed – Sidney Nolan, Albert Tucker, Joy Hester, Charles Blackman and Mirka Mora among them. Sunday’s Garden explores the growing of Heide, and in doing so puts the Heide garden into the literature surrounding this extraordinary artistic meeting place.
Here is a truly astonishing statistic: during WWI, about 60,000 soldiers in the Australian Imperial Force were treated for venereal diseases – almost the same number of diggers who were killed during the war. At first, the army didn’t want to acknowledge the existence of this secret scourge, but medical officers couldn’t afford to be puritanical. They tried to prevent the diseases, as well as cure them with toxic drugs in army VD hospitals in Egypt, Europe and Australia. Eventually, the top brass had to face facts, and prophylactics were distributed to the troops. In The Secrets of the Anzacs: The Untold Story of Venereal Disease in the Australian Army, 1914–1919 historian Raden Dunbar reveals all these secrets, and more.
UPSIDE DOWN WORLD
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William Heinemann HB WAS $49.95 NOW $19.95
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SANDAKAN Paul Ham
After the fall of Singapore in February 1942, the Japanese transferred 2500 British and Australian prisoners to a jungle camp some eight miles inland of Sandakan, on the east coast of North Borneo. In this harrowing history, Paul Ham (Vietnam: The Australian War) recounts how these prisoners were broken, beaten, worked to death, thrown into bamboo cages on the slightest pretext, starved and subjected to tortures so ingenious and hideous that none survived the onslaught with their minds intact. He also writes of the 250-mile death march from Sandakan that only six of the 1000plus prisoners survived.
5. Who was born in a bishop’s palace?
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Wakefield HB WAS $39.95 NOW $14.95
SOUTH BY NORTHWEST Granville Allen Mawer
This account of the search for the South Magnetic Pole tells the riveting story of the race between rival nations – the British, French and Americans – to claim Antarctica. Maritime historian Mawer, the author of Ahab’s Trade: The Saga of South Seas Whaling, starts with the expeditions of the 1830s and 1840s and goes on to cover the later Shackleton and Mawson expeditions, along the way making some interesting points about the blurred line between scientific exploration and nationalistic rivalry.
Penny Olsen PB National Library of Australia WAS $39.95 NOW $14.95
FIRST FLEET ARTIST
Linda Groom HB National Library of Australia WAS $49.95 NOW $16.95 Two lavishly illustrated books published by the National Library of Australia and offered at bargain prices! In Upside Down World, research scientist and natural history writer Penny Olsen looks at Australia’s curious fauna through the eyes of northern Europeans of the 18th and 19th centuries, who viewed Australia’s fauna with ridicule and fascination. In First Fleet Artist, Linda Groom, the NLA’s Curator of Pictures, showcases the Dulce Collection of First Fleet art – a cache of watercolour paintings of birds, plants, landscapes and maps by the young naval officer George Raper.
THE WHO, THE WHAT, AND THE WHEN Julia Rothman
Chronicle HB $34.95
These snapshots of 65 ‘sidekicks of history’ were written by 65 historians and illustrated by 65 artists. They showcase the people whose often unacknowledged support promoted or enabled the achievements of men and women who went on to win fame, glory or notoriety. There are plenty of teachers, coaches and mentors, but also muses, colleagues and assistants. This handsome hardback offers a new perspective on the chosen 65 through delightfully told stories about their sometimes forgotten relationships.
Highly Recommended ST KILDA BLUES
Geoffrey McGeachin Viking PB $29.99 Detective Sergeant Charlie Berlin investigates the disappearance of a teenage girl in the third instalment of this award-winning series set in Melbourne in the 1960s.
US
David Nicholls Hodder & Stoughton PB $29.99 A bittersweet novel about love and family from the author of the bestselling One Day (Hodder & Stoughton PB $19.99).
STONER: A NOVEL
John Williams Vintage Classics PB $19.99 Novelist Ian McEwan describes this recently re-released 1965 American novel as a ‘marvellous discovery for everyone who loves literature’.
THE VALLEY OF AMAZEMENT
Amy Tan HarperCollins PB $19.99 More about family secrets, the legacy of trauma and the profound connections between mothers and daughters by the author of The Joy Luck Club.
10:04
Ben Lerner Granta PB $27.99 A dazzling and utterly original novel about making art, love and children during the twilight of an empire.
WE ARE NOT OURSELVES
Matthew Thomas HarperCollins PB $29.99 Set in 20th-century America, this ambitious novel follows three generations of an Irish-American family.
THE TRUTH ABOUT THE HARRY QUEBERT AFFAIR
Joel Dicker Maclehose PB $32.99 Swiss writer Joel Dicker hit the jackpot with this thriller about a blocked writer and suspected killer, which has sold over two million copies in Europe alone.
WHAT CAME BEFORE
Anna George Viking PB $29.99 Melbourne-based Anna George has written a literary thriller full of twists that is being described by some critics as an Australian Gone Girl.
12 Politics, Philosophy & Cultural Studies THE ART OF BELONGING Hugh Mackay
Macmillan PB $32.99
BER DECEM SE RELEA
Zac Ebrahim Simon & Schuster PB
PENGUIN POCKET CLASSICS
Penguin Classics HB $16.99 EACH
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Penguin PB WAS $29.99 NOW $12.95
These handsome hardback editions of classic works were designed by acclaimed graphic designer Coralie Bickford-Smith and make great Christmas gifts.
Text HB WAS $32.95 NOW $13.95
THE GOOD MAN JESUS AND THE SCOUNDREL CHRIST Philip Pullman
In this ingenious and spellbinding retelling of the life of Jesus, Philip Pullman, author of the mesmerising His Dark Materials trilogy, reimagines the most influential story ever told. Charged with mystery, compassion and great power, The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ is subversive, thoughtprovoking and deeply moving, showing just why the charismatic figure has captured the hearts and minds of so many for so long, and asking questions that continue to resonate long after the book is finished.
$16.99 TED is a nonprofit organisation devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks of 18 minutes or less. These two titles are the first in a series of TED books that pick up where the talks leave off. In The Terrorist’s Son, Zac Ebrahim, the son of one of the masterminds behind the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Centre, dispels the myth that terrorism is a foregone conclusion for people trained to hate. And in The Art of Stillness, acclaimed travel writer Pico Iyer posits that in this age of constant movement and connectedness, staying in one place – and locating everything we need for peace and happiness there – is a greater necessity than ever before.
Scribe PB $29.99
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Scribe HB WAS $39.95 NOW $15.95
JEALOUSY Peter Toohey
Penguin HB $39.99
In this personal ode to the necessity of change and the pull of the midlife crisis, Deary, a psychotherapist, tackles the eternal conundrum of what it means to be a person and how best to do so. The first book in Deary’s ‘How to Live’ trilogy, How We Are combines elements of philosophy, cultural studies, anthropology and self-help, and is by turns reminiscent of Alain de Botton’s search for meaning; Montaigne’s optimism; Oliver Sacks’ interrogation of extremes and patterns; and Hugh Mackay’s social analyses. Deary’s primary concern, however, is with the way our desire for routine and our need for change rule our behaviour, and how we can work with these tendencies to create a better life.
Yale University Press HB $39.95
Highly Recommended THE ART OF ASKING
Amanda Palmer Hachette PB $29.99 Musician and crowdsourcer extraordinaire Amanda Palmer expands upon her popular TED talk about accepting the kindness and generosity of strangers.
DIARY OF A FOREIGN MINISTER
Bob Carr NewSouth HB $49.99 An intimate glimpse into the day-to-day work of an Australian foreign minister, as recorded in Carr’s personal diary between March 2012 and October 2013.
Based on the bestselling annual Best Australian Political Cartoons series, this book features over 400 of the finest political cartoons that appeared in the Australian media between 2003 and 2012, providing a vivid collective account of a particularly fractious decade. Dirt Files interprets the key political moments and themes that played out over that decade – war, globalisation, climate change, the rise of China, changes in the Australian economy, the history wars, the apology to Aborigines and the treatment of asylum-seekers – providing an insightful and ever-witty reflection on Australian history and identity.
DAVID AND GOLIATH Malcolm Gladwell
Gladwell, known to us through his articles in the New Yorker and his bestselling book Outliers: The Story of Success, here deploys a wealth of fascinating data and information to present a controversial argument – that society underestimates how much freedom there can be in what looks like a disadvantage. Take dyslexia, for example. Gladwell argues that the skills that people with dyslexia nurture to compensate for their condition often lead to a life of extraordinary accomplishment. In fact, he cites a study from the City University in London that shows that around a third of all successful entrepreneurs are dyslexic. A fascinating read.
Yes, it’s the annual treat of a year in politics as observed by Australia’s funniest and most perceptive political cartoonists. Contributors include Dean Alston, Peter Broelman, Warren Brown, Pat Campbell, Andrew Dyson, John Farmer, First Dog On the Moon, Matt Golding, Fiona Katauskas, Mark Knight, Jon Kudelka, Bill Leak, Alan Moir, Peter Nicholson, Vince O’Farrell, Ward O’Neill, Bruce Petty, David Pope, David Rowe, John Spooner, Ron Tandberg, Andrew Weldon, Cathy Wilcox and Paul Zanetti.
DIRT FILES Russ Radcliffe (ed.)
HOW TO LIVE 1: HOW WE ARE Vincent Deary
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BEST AUSTRALIAN POLITICAL CARTOONS 2014 Russ Radcliffe (ed.)
Pico Iyer Simon & Schuster PB $16.99
THE TERRORIST’S SON
Balanced, well argued and a pleasure to read, Hugh Mackay’s latest work of social analysis asks and answers one of life’s big questions: How can we live well as part of a community? To explore this issue, he has invented a representative Australian suburb and peopled it with inhabitants who will have you nodding in recognition. Mackay argues that humans are caught between their need for interdependence and independence, and shows how we need to balance both. He proves the benefit of community to individuals and society, and shows the different ways community can function.
The Art of War Sun-Tzu Beyond Good & Evil Friedrich Nietzsche Civilization and Its Discontents Sigmund Freud The Communist Manifesto Karl Marx & Friedrich Engels Essays and Aphorisms Arthur Schopenhauer Meditations Marcus Aurelius The Prince Niccolò Machiavelli A Room of One’s Own Virginia Woolf
THE ART OF STILLNESS
We’ve always admired the title of Peter Toohey’s previous book (Boredom: A Lively History), and are similarly amused by his latest release, which features a particularly bilious shade of green on its cover. Inside, Toohey argues that jealousy is much more than the destructive emotion it is commonly assumed to be, helping as much as it harms. Examining the meaning, history and value of jealousy, he places the emotion at the core of modern culture, creativity and civilisation. His eclectic approach weaves together psychology, art and literature, neuroscience, anthropology and a host of other disciplines to offer fresh and intriguing contemporary perspectives on violence, the family, the workplace, animal behaviour and psychopathology.
BER DECEM SE RELEA
BLOOD & GUTS: DISPATCHES FROM THE WHALE WARS
THE CLIMB
DANGEROUS ALLIES
THE FICTIONAL WOMEN
INSIDE THE HAWKE– KEATING GOVERNMENT
THE LIFE OF I
Sam Vincent Black Inc. PB $29.99 A fresh, funny and intelligent look at how Australia has become the most vocal anti-whaling nation on Earth.
Tara Moss HarperCollins PB $29.99 Crime fiction writer, exinternational fashion model and feminist Tara Moss blends memoir and social analysis to examine common fictions about women.
Geraldine Doogue Text PB $32.99 Candid conversations with 14 Australian powerful women who are leading the way in fields as wideranging as business, politics, religion, education and the armed forces.
Gareth Evans MUP HB $49.99 Written in the mid-1980s but only recently published, Evans’ Cabinet diary is perceptive, sharp and unvarnished in its judgments.
Malcolm Fraser with Cain Roberts MUP PB $34.99 The former PM examines Australia’s history of strategic dependence in defence and foreign policy – first on Britain and then on the US – and questions the continuation of this policy.
Anne Manne MUP PB $32.99 This compelling account of the rise of narcissism in individuals and society focuses on the pursuit of fame and wealth.
Politics, Philosophy & Cultural Studies 13 THE ORGANIZED MIND Daniel J Levitin
Viking PB $32.99
Every day we are bombarded with new facts, figures, stories, theories and demands on our attention. We expect our brains to process ever-higher volumes of data, but all this information can lead to overload and trigger absent-mindedness, poor decisionmaking, lowered efficiency and even a suppressed capacity for creative thought. In The Organized Mind, neuroscientist Daniel J Levitin investigates and explains exactly how we got to this point and offers an alternative: easing your mental burden by storing information in the physical world instead. Case studies cover smarter decision-making, improving memory and attention, and identifying what information is and is not important.
A SHORT HISTORY OF STUPID Bernard Keane & Helen Razer
In this serious blend of old philosophical ideas and modern insufferable realities, Crikey writers Helen Razer and Bernard Keane delve freely into the history of Western thought to explain the development of a modern society where opinions reign Allen & Unwin PB supreme and facts don’t matter. They give a fascinating account of how seemingly $29.99 inane ideas such as climate change denialism and multitrillion-dollar efforts to reduce Iraqi life expectancy can thrive in an advanced society like our own, writing with the authority and energised style of two seasoned journalists. Humour, wit and cynicism are all frequently deployed in this dose of sense and reality that is enough to make your head spin. FREE
GIFT
Black Inc. PB $29.99
THE WHITLAM MOB Mungo MacCallum
Gough Whitlam’s recent death has triggered many fond reminiscences about his time in government, so this latest work by leftleaning political journalist and commentator Mungo MacCallum is particularly timely. His vastly entertaining book captures the spirit of a nation-changing time, delivering a vivid, sometimes barbed and ultimately nostalgic portrayal of the Whitlam Government’s key figures – from Gough and Margaret to Lionel Murphy, Bill Hayden and Jim Cairns – as well as ‘the other mob’ in opposition: Billy McMahon, John Gorton, Malcolm Fraser and many more. Free gift: Receive a copy of The Mad Marathon: The Story of the 2013 Election (Black Inc. PB $29.99) with every purchase of The Whitlam Mob.
POLITICAL ORDER AND POLITICAL DECAY Francis Fukuyama
Here, author and neoconservative thought pioneer Francis Fukuyama gives an engaging and thorough dissection of what makes a state. A follow-up to 2011’s The Origins of Political Order (Profile PB $24.99), this book begins with the French Revolution and charts the rise of the modern state and the evolution of political institutions. Profile HB $49.99 Fukuyama details the attributes that lead to a successful state and the attributes that cause dysfunction. He concludes by looking at the role of political decay and the future of the United States. The breadth of Fukuyama’s political instincts is vast and arguably unrivalled, and his latest work is compulsory reading for anybody seeking to further understand the political scaffolding underlying the world in which we live.
BER DECEM SE RELEA
Scribe HB $45
Allen & Unwin HB $32.99
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Allen Lane PB $29.99
THE WIFE DROUGHT Annabel Crabb
Annabel Crabb wants a wife. And frankly, we think that she deserves one. The writer, political commentator and presenter of Kitchen Cabinet has a lot to say about the challenges of juggling work and family for both women and men, and the need for change. We’d all like a ‘wife’ to keep everything on the home front functioning smoothly, but is this a reasonable aspiration? And if it is, what’s stopping males from staying at home, and females from heading off to work? The Wife Drought is a perfect example that serious subject matter need not be presented in a dry or ponderous manner; it’s extremely funny, refreshingly nononsense and undeniably thought-provoking.
Wonder Woman is the most popular female superhero of all time. Created by William Moulton Marston in 1941, she has lasted longer than every comic hero except Superman and Batman. When researching this fascinating book, Jill Lepore uncovered an astonishing trove of documents, including Marston’s never-before-seen private papers showing that as a Harvard undergraduate he was influenced by early suffragists and feminists including Emmeline Pankhurst. Marston went on to marry, take as his mistress the niece of feminist and birth control activist Margaret Sanger, invent the lie detector (yes, really) and spill many secrets about his unorthodox lifestyle on the pages of the Wonder Woman comics.
THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING Naomi Klein
SIX CAPITALS Jane Gleeson-White
Can accountants save the world by moving the focus of corporations away from profit maximisation and towards becoming accountable for their impact on the natural and social environments? Six Capitals emphasises the need for governments, corporations and society at large to acknowledge that nature is a key component of economics and business, yet is one that is often neglected. Rather than dwell on an apocalyptic future engulfed by the crises we face, Gleeson-White, author of Double Entry (Allen & Unwin PB $24.99), explores a fascinating range of ways that society must change to save itself, and reimagines the capitalist landscape moving into the 21st century and beyond.
THE SECRET HISTORY OF WONDER WOMAN Jill Lepore
Klein’s previous books No Logo and The Shock Doctrine contributed to considerable social change, so she knows a lot about the topic. In This Changes Everything, she argues for the biggest change of all – a move away from capitalism. Debunking the ‘let the markets sort it out’ approach that has been popular with the majority of politicians, Klein tells us that we simply can’t save the planet under current neo-liberal global capitalism. In fact, she adds, capitalist interests have deliberately undermined any attempts to control climate change. Her solution? Mass movements are needed if we will be able to achieve change in the very short time we have left.
WOMEN IN DARK TIMES Jacqueline Rose
Bloomsbury HB $39.99
This articulate, passionate and rigorous new book is a demanding but rewarding examination of the necessity of contradiction in women’s lives. Through a series of case studies, Rose charts the incendiary highs and devastating lows of some of the past century’s most remarkable women, and reveals how various societies and cultures have sought to silence them. Her focus moves from revolutionary socialist Rosa Luxemburg and iconic and objectified emblem of femininity Marilyn Monroe, to women who have been the target of honour killings, and contemporary female artists whose work demonstrates a unique perspective and engagement with the world.
Highly Recommended THE MANDARIN CODE
Steve Lewis & Chris Uhlmann HarperCollins PB $29.99 Soon to be a major TV series, this darkly satirical political thriller is a follow-up to the popular The Marmalade Files (HarperCollins PB $29.99).
THE RISE AND FALL OF AUSTRALIA
Nick Bryant Bantam PB $34.99 BBC correspondent Nick Bryant offers an outsider’s take on the great paradox of modern-day Australian life: our country is getting richer, but our politics are more impoverished.
THE NEWS: A USER’S MANUAL
QUARTERLY ESSAY 56
REVOLUTION
THIS HOUSE OF GRIEF
TRIUMPH AND DEMISE
WHEN THE NIGHT COMES
Alain de Botton Penguin HB $29.99 Popular philosopher and author de Botton analyses 25 archetypal news stories in this guide to assessing the impact the news has on our lives.
Helen Garner Text PB $32.99 Garner’s unputdownable account of the trial of Robert Farquharson, charged with the 2005 drowning murders of his three young sons.
Guy Rundle Black Inc. PB $19.99 The incisive and entertaining Crikey and Saturday Paper contributor examines the career of Clive Palmer, the wildcard of current Australian politics.
Paul Kelly MUP PB $34.99 A newly revised edition of Kelly’s inside account of the hopes, achievements and bitter failures of the federal Labor Government from 2007 to 2013.
Russell Brand Century PB $35 Comedian and author Russell Brand lacerates the straw men and paper tigers of our conformist times, then presents his vision for a fairer, sexier society.
Favel Parrett Hachette PB $27.99 Set in Tasmania, this evocative story by the author of Past the Shallows (Hachette PB $19.99) is about the power that fear and kindness have to change lives.
14 Science & Nature ANIMAL MADNESS Laurel Braitman
Scribe PB $29.99
Anyone who’s had a pet knows that animals can be just as affected by emotional stress and mental illness as we humans are. For science historian Laurel Braitman, the knowledge came first-hand: her dog suffered from, amongst other things, debilitating separation anxiety. This realisation led Braitman on a three-year study of emotionally disturbed animals and the people who care for them. Through a series of case studies, Animal Madness looks at a variety of mental disorders afflicting zoo animals and pets, and describes the dedication of the professionals who attempt to cure them. Like Oliver Sacks, Braitman has a great gift for storytelling, backed up with convincing research to support her theories and observations.
BEING MORTAL Atul Gawande
Profile PB $27.99
XOUM PB $29.99
LATIN FOR BIRDWATCHERS Roger Lederer & Carol Burr
Allen & Unwin HB $35
Twitchers rejoice! This wonderful reference book consists of an encyclopaedic list of thousands of Latinate names of differing bird species, including pronunciation guides, origins and definitions. Interspersed throughout are detailed profiles of different bird genera and short, informative biographies of historical birders both famous and obscure. Sections exploring different bird themes (‘Feathers’; ‘Migration’; ‘The colour of birds’) reveal the correlations between birds’ physical attributes and behaviours, and their scientific names. Beautifully illustrated in full colour with realistic, finely drawn images of the different species, this is a stylish, informative and lovingly produced guide to birds and their history.
NewSouth PB $29.99
Princeton PB $49.95
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It’s not too difficult to identify a bird by its size, shape and distinguishing features, and you’d be surprised just how much fun it can be. With 714 species covered, and more than 1100 colour photographs, Birds of Australia is the ultimate field guide for identifying our Australian feathered friends. The excellent and invaluable introductory section covers bird habitats across the country, highlighting the diverse range of habitats the Australian landscape has to offer and where you’re likely to find them. Organised by species, the photographic field guide helps you identify the various birdlife and the comprehensive information for each species includes location, size, habitat, plumage and voice.
Black Inc PB $29.99
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MATESHIP WITH BIRDS AH Chisholm
Published more than 90 years ago, AH Chisholm’s classic work is still fresh and inspirational. His account of the secret lives of birds – their seasonal doings and their complex relationships – reflects his patient and detailed observations, as well as his deep enjoyment of the Australian bush and all its inhabitants. This reissued edition, with a new foreword by Sean Dooley (The Big Twitch), will allow a whole new generation of birders to enjoy his charming and often humorous prose and appreciate his prescient warnings about the danger that ‘the moving finger of Civilisation’ posed to birdlife.
A sense of awe and wonder at science’s achievements and discoveries is always to the fore in this annual anthology. And the essays are always a reminder not just of the importance of communicating those discoveries and achievements to the rest of us, but of the elegance, strength and clarity with which they can be communicated. This year, essays explore what makes us human, show the miracles and deficits of modern medicine, take us to the far reaches of the universe and even try to define time. Most particularly, there’s a strong emphasis on environmental writing.
THE INVISIBLE HISTORY OF THE HUMAN RACE Christine Kenneally
BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA: A PHOTOGRAPHIC GUIDE Ian Campbell, Sam Woods & Nick Leseberg
BIG BOOK OF NUMBERS Adam Spencer
For many of us, maths was something bad we were forced to suffer at school. Not so for Adam Spencer. A numbers nut all his life, the broadcaster and comedian has been on a mission to popularise the equation and promulgate the wonders of Pi. His Big Book of Numbers is an all-guns-blazing round trip from numbers one to 100, with a cornucopia of mathematical facts, anecdotes, puzzles and cultural references crammed in for good measure. Spencer’s unbridled enthusiasm for numbers is an eye-opener for those of us who may previously had mistaken Calculus for a new laneway bar. It’s also an excellent learning resource for its primary audience, the secondary-school student.
To say that this book will change your life is a little too dramatic, but it may well change the way you approach the end of it. As surgeon Atul Gawande points out, old age and extended treatments for illness are relatively new in human history and remain rare in developing countries, and we are still struggling to work out how to deal with this new version of mortality. Gawande sets out clear arguments as to what works: less medicalisation of the end of life; more focus on wellbeing; and a guided approach to care that is neither too paternalistic nor relies too much on patients making choices they are not equipped to make.
BEST AUSTRALIAN SCIENCE WRITING 2014 Ashley Hay (ed.)
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Melbourne-based journalist and author Christine Kenneally’s skilfully researched and beautifully written study of ancestry and DNA investigates how the sum of what we are is as much a result of our social history as it is written in our genes. Eugenics and its misuse in Nazi Germany, Neanderthal DNA, genealogy, environment, history, biology, genetics, socioeconomics and culture are explored and woven together into a fascinating account of who we are, how we got here and where we might be going. Chapters covering such diverse topics as Tasmanian convict history, Mormon genealogy and DNA testing methodology highlight Kenneally’s skill as both a brilliant researcher and storyteller.
UNDER THE MICROSCOPE Earl Owen
To say that Professor Earl Owen is a high achiever understates the case to an almost comical degree. Owen was one of the earliest, most inventive and enterprising pioneers of microsurgery; he designed instruments and microscopes for his operations; he did the first finger replacement on a child (for which he was sacked from the Sydney Children’s Hospital, even though it was a successful operation); he co-led the team that completed the first successful hand transplant; he trained the team that completed the first double-hand transplant; and he was the first surgeon to be able to reverse vasectomies and complete fallopian tube ligatures. This is his extraordinary story.
Highly Recommended FORENSICS
Val McDermid Profile PB $32.99 The author of the bestselling Tony Hill novels puts aside crime fiction to concentrate on fact, uncovering the secrets of forensic medicine from the crime scene to the courtroom.
SAPIENS
Yuval Noah Harari Harvill Secker PB $35 Drawing on biology, anthropology, palaeontology and economics, Yuval explores how history has shaped human societies, the animals and plants around us, and even our personalities.
1-MINUTE GARDENER
Fabian Capomolla & Mat Pember Plum PB $45 The Little Veggie Patch Co duo offer 70 step-by-step guides to edible gardening essentials, from preparing and caring for your patch through to harvesting the rewards.
THINGS TO MAKE AND DO IN THE FOURTH DIMENSION Matt Parker Particular PB $29.99 A journey through narcissistic numbers, optimal dating algorithms, at least two different kinds of infinity and much more with stand-up comedian and mathematician, Matt Parker.
HOW I RESCUED MY BRAIN
MY AGE OF ANXIETY
WHAT IF?…SERIOUS SCIENTIFIC ANSWERS TO ABSURD QUESTIONS
WHERE SONG BEGAN
David Roland Scribe PB $29.99 An account of how, after suffering a stroke that left him with a brain injury, forensic psychologist David Roland set about rewiring his brain.
Randall Munroe Hachette PB $27.99 Science’s most absurd yet intriguing questions, answered by the creator of every science geek’s favourite website, xkcd.com.
Scott Stossel Windmill PB $19.99 A learned, empathetic and often humorous insight into the biological, cultural and environmental factors that contribute to anxiety.
Tim Low Viking PB $32.99 An eye-opening book about the unique nature of Australian birds, and their role in ecology and global evolution.
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Food & Drink ADAM’S BIG POT: EASY MEALS FOR YOUR FAMILY Adam Liaw
Everyone loves one-pot wonders, so Adam Liaw’s latest project is bound to be a winner. It’s pan-Asian comfort food for families, with quick takes on the classics – mapo tofu, mulligatawny soup, Thai beef salad – and plenty of simple meals that are sure to vie for kitchen stalwart status, such as an umami-charged pork and eggplant stir fry, and ‘big pan oyakodon’, a 20-minute Japanese chicken and egg dish. His backto-basics approach is perfect for budgetconscious, time-poor families – there are lots of mince- and chicken-based meals – and it’s authentic without requiring a search for obscure ingredients. The recipe for ‘army stew’ sums it up – a Korean post-war dish with two-minute noodles and frankfurts, it’s easy to cook and could just prove a firm family favourite.
A FOOD LOVER’S PILGRIMAGE TO FRANCE Dee Nolan
Lantern HB $79.99
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In this companion to her first book, A Food Lover’s Pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela (Lantern PB $49.99), Dee Nolan takes the ancient pilgrim’s route from central France. Starting in a Burgundy vineyard, she follows the trail through placenames that will resonate with foodies and oenophiles: Beane, Bresse, Lyon. Along the way she talks with vignerons, chefs (big ones: Bocuse, Troisgros, Bras), farmers and fromagers. The book is built from stories of these personal encounters, snippets of fascinating pilgrimage history and beautiful photographs capturing the quiet magic of French rural life. The result is part travel guide, part cookbook, part lavish coffeetable book, part historical tome – and complete fantasy fodder for Francophiles and gourmands alike.
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GREEN KITCHEN TRAVELS David Frenkiel & Luise Vindahl
Food and travel are best friends, and experiencing them at the same time is one of the great joys in life. Authors and food bloggers David Frenkiel and Luise Vindahl set off on a round-the-world adventure with their seven-month-old daughter Elsa, which became the inspiration for Green Kitchen Travels, a globetrotting cookbook that can’t stay put in one country from one recipe to the next. Following a food philosophy that is healthy, natural and green, the recipes are all vegetarian and most are glutenfree. With over 90 recipes, excellent travel photography by Frenkiel and inspirational food and travel anecdotes throughout, this is a book that whets the appetite for both travel and food.
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Catching the still-surging wave of enthusiasm for Mexican food is this ‘definitive bible’ of the cuisine. With over 600 recipes, we go far beyond the standard taco/enchilada/tamale menu and into much more adventurous regions. If you’ve travelled in Mexico you may know what you’re cooking when you cook a tlacoyo or a pozole – if not, some pre-prep Googling may be in order. But this book is nothing if not authentic, with plenty of recipes for grasshoppers and cactus paddles – even worms make an appearance! On higher rotation will be the chapter on sauces – from simple jalapeño to bone marrow and ancho chile, there’s a salsa in here to enliven every kitchen repertoire.
NEW FEAST Greg & Lucy Malouf
Can Greg Malouf be setting up in competition with Yotam Ottolenghi? Malouf and his writing partner Lucy have produced many wonderful Middle Eastern cookbooks, but they’ve never before dedicated an entire title to vegetarian cooking. Now, with the release of New Feast: Modern Middle Eastern Vegetarian, they have distilled their love of traditional Middle Eastern flavour combinations and their belief in the importance of colour and texture into a fabulous testament to their personal decisions to eat more veg and less meat. Of course, the Middle Eastern diet traditionally relies heavily on vegetables, fruit, herbs, pulses and grains, so there are plenty of traditional dishes that have been reworked here, giving them a modern, delicious and decidedly Malouf touch.
This is a limited-edition facsimile of Australia’s first cookbook, in which Tasmanian member of parliament, grazier, newspaper publisher and ‘aristologist’ (student of the art of fine dining) Edward Abbott sought to educate 1860s readers on the foods, rituals and manners of dining. It’s unlikely to lure you straight into the kitchen, as recipes have scant instructions and there’s no glossy food styling (perhaps wise, because we doubt that even the most talented food stylist could make ‘Slippery Bob’, a dish of kangaroo-brain fritters ‘requiring a good appetite and excellent digestion’, look palatable). Instead, the differences created by time make the original a compelling read. It is slipcased with a newly assembled companion volume including essays and interpretative recipes.
HOME Karen Martini
Ever wondered what’s on the table at chez Martini? While her Sunday Life column and three previous books might have given you an inkling, in this book Martini lifts the lid on her own go-to recipes. There’s an emphasis on quick and simple, with her trademark fresh, sparkling flavours in lively combinations – baked chicken with spiced rice, cranberries and dill sounds delicious, as do lamb shanks braised with beer, honey and oregano. With two young daughters to feed, the lengthy sweets section with its girly raspberry sherbet marshmallows is no surprise – but the deluxe macadamia brownie cake is decidedly adult. This book’s for you if you want to be able to ‘just throw something together’ at home without stinting on style or flavour.
MOVIDA SOLERA Frank Camorra & Richard Cornish
MEXICO: THE COOKBOOK Margarita Carrillo Arronte
MY BARCELONA KITCHEN Sophie Ruggles
Inspired by what she sees, eats, cooks and experiences living in the heart of Barcelona, Australian-born cook and food writer Sophie Ruggles brings her new Spanish home to life in this colourful collection of recipes, stories and images. Sharing her quirky insights and recipes for delicious dishes such as Catalan fishermen’s stew, melt-in-the-mouth baked caramel custard and the irresistible tapas treat of bomba de bacalao (deep-fried cod croquettes), she delivers a hefty dose of Catalan charm and plenty of advice about Spanish cooking.
Slightly zany and fully committed to good food, Maeve O’Meara has put her stamp on the national cuisine courtesy of her wonderful Food Safari series on SBS and her three previous Food Safari cookbooks: Food Safari, Italian Food Safari and French Food Safari. Her latest book features nearly 300 recipes from 34 national cuisines, allowing readers to take a global culinary adventure in their own kitchens.
THE ENGLISH & AUSTRALIAN COOKERY BOOK Edward Abbott
6. Who described Eureka Stockade as ‘a strike for liberty’?
THE LEBANESE KITCHEN Salma Hage
Salma Hage is unlikely to have much time for fusion, foam or foraging fads. Born in Lebanon’s Qadisha Mountains in 1942, she immigrated to England in 1967 and started a long career as a chef, cooking British food for a large catering company. At home, though, she stayed faithful to her culinary roots, continuing to cook the Lebanese food that she grew up with – mezes made with fresh vegetables and spices, herb-adorned salads, grilled meats and fish, aromatic stews and pilafs, and the decadently sweet and utterly delectable sweets that Lebanon is known for. This book is her tribute to the cuisine often described as the best in the Middle East, a 500-recipe labour of love offering a fantastic overview for novice and experienced chefs alike.
COMPLETE FOOD SAFARI Maeve O’Meara
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The Movida juggernaut rumbles on with this love-letter-in-recipes to Andalucia, Spain’s sun-drenched, historically complex and vibrantly colourful southern region. This is a land of jamon and jerez, with hundreds of miles of coastline providing a bounty of seafood for hearty fishermanstyle stews. There’s a rich peasant cooking tradition, heavy on vegies and finding inventive ways with stale bread, and the book boasts a great collection of cold gazpacho-style soups. The romance of Andalucia’s Moorish past is captured in gorgeous photographs, and it’s fortunate that the recipes are complemented by a mini-guide for what to see and eat in featured cities including Granada and Seville – after devouring this book, you’re sure to consider booking a flight.
NOTES FROM MY KITCHEN TABLE Gwyneth Paltrow
Actress Gwyneth Paltrow believes that cooking and eating together are the key ingredients of a happy home, and often discusses this in her popular lifestyle blog goop.com. Now, she has written a cookbook that is full of fresh, healthy and practical recipes that can be cooked by pretty well anyone. There are plenty of comfort choices here – roast chicken, macaroni cheese, fish tacos – and her decision to include vegetarian and vegan alternatives for some of the meatier recipes is sensible. Full of lavish photographs featuring Gwyneth, her family and friends, Notes from My Kitchen Table will delight her fans and maybe even impress her detractors.
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PLENTY MORE Yotam Ottolenghi
Eight years ago, celebrity chef and restaurateur Yotam Ottolenghi started writing a weekly vegetarian recipe for the Guardian newspaper. His initial fear of running out of ideas was quickly replaced by a fascination for and love of vegetables and vegetarian dishes. There’s always a touch of the exotic in Ottolenghi’s dishes, where spices play a central role, but it’s safe to say that in Plenty More he has compiled a dazzling, inventive and sublime collection of vegetarian recipes that are well within the reach of most home cooks. Chapters are broken down into cooking styles – roasted, grilled, steamed, fried etc – and each recipe is accompanied by a full-page illustration.
THE REAL FOOD OF CHINA Leanne Kitchen & Antony Suvalko
Hardie Grant HB $69.95
SICILY Sicily’s position away from the mainland, its blend of Arabic and Mediterranean influences and its sun-drenched climate have led to the evolution of one of Italy’s most distinct and exciting cuisines. Each chapter of this book examines one of the island’s provinces, with fascinating narrative texts examining key produce and ingredients (pasta made with locally caught sardines in Palermo, veal scallopine with marsala in Trapani, gelato made with Bronte pistachios in Catania) alongside classic recipes and plenty of colour photographs, including one of every dish featured. This is food that is without frills but that is bursting with flavour – a perfect combination for home.
Jacqui Small HB $39.99
Murdoch HB $75
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SUZY SPOON’S VEGETARIAN KITCHEN Suzy Spoon
Plum PB $39.99
THINKING DRINKERS Ben McFarland & Tom Sandham
With the boom in craft beer, artisan cocktails and natural wine, alcohol is more enjoyable, more complex and more legitimate a subject for serious study than ever before – and this book is a delightful place to start. From a straight, well-lit road through beer, wine and all the major spirits, we stumble through a series of back alleys (‘distinguished drinker’ profiles, boozy minutiae [should you drink whisky with water?], classic cocktail recipes), following a rollicking but never frivolous path – there’s serious educational intent in the book’s ‘10 things you need to know’ and in its recommendations for each booze genre.
When cookbook authors say that they’re not including stir-fry recipes in their book because excellent results are difficult to achieve on a low-horsepower home stove, you know they’re really invested in the quality of your output. It’s a comforting feeling. The recipes here are simple without being simplistic, relying on easy techniques and accessible ingredients. They’ll inspire you to try things that have previously been firmly in the restaurantonly basket – tea-smoked duck, Sichuan dumplings – and they open the lid on surprising regional dishes such as rice with lamb, carrot, cumin and raisins from Xinjiang. It’s easy to see this publication becoming a kitchen cornerstone.
SEPIA Martin Benn
Hailed as Australia’s first ‘vegetarian butcher’, Suzy Spoon runs a successful meat-free store in Sydney that specialises in veggie sausages, burgers, vegan schnitzels and take-home meals. In this book, Suzy has created a fantastic go-to resource for vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike, where meat alternatives such as tempeh, seitan and tofu are given a new lease on life and where traditional vego offerings (soups, pies and tarts) star on the meat-free menu. With suggestions for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks, Vegetarian Kitchen is a fully illustrated feast throughout.
Murdoch PB WAS $45 NOW $39.99
Lantern HB $49.99
SWEET ENVY Alistair Wise & Teena Kearney-Wise
Hobart-based husband-and-wife team Alistair Wise and Teena Kearney-Wise have worked in some of the most prestigious pastry kitchens and restaurants in the world. This compilation of over 100 of their recipes for pastries (sweet and savoury), tarts, biscuits, doughnuts, cupcakes, celebration cakes and ice cream demystifies the art of the pastry chef and brings it into the domestic orbit, leading us to prophesise that Sweet Envy will find a permanent berth on your shelf of favourite cookbooks, right next to Nigella’s How to Be a Domestic Goddess (and frankly, compliments don’t come much better than that).
THE WHOLE PANTRY Belle Gibson
WHAT KATIE ATE: AT THE WEEKEND Katie Quinn Davies
Katie Quinn Davies was just another food photographer with a blog until her first book What Katie Ate became a raging success. This follow-up volume is similarly beautiful to look at and rewarding to cook from – the recipes feature rustic, flavour-packed dishes to eat in front of an open fire or serve at a dinner party. Things get prettier and more aspirational for dessert, with an upsidedown plum chiffon cake and a spectacular gluten-free lemon and coconut cake being two of many to-die-for choices. Destined to be adorned with ‘cook me!’ post-it notes on almost every page, Katie’s weekend project is a real winner.
Sydney-based chef Martin Benn creates dishes with a deep connection to Japanese cuisine and flavours, and a focus on texture and contrast. This book is named after his award-winning restaurant and takes the reader on a culinary journey through 60 of his exciting creations. Based around four degustation menus, the book highlights the technical mastery and sheer beauty of Benn’s cooking and is sure to inspire the adventurous home cook. Interspersed among the menus are narrative features exploring the workings of his restaurant, and the stories of its staff and clientele.
Lantern PB $35
Diagnosed with terminal brain cancer in 2009 at the age of 20, and told she had only months to live, Belle Gibson gave up conventional medicine treatment and set about trying to heal herself. Five years after the diagnosis Belle is now a mother and the author of a health, wellness and lifestyle app that won Apple’s app of the year award in 2013 and that inspired this book project. The Whole Pantry focuses on plant-based recipes that are free of gluten and refined sugars. The opening chapters focus on superfoods, detoxing, avoiding pesticides and embracing natural remedies, and are followed by 80 healthy and nutritious recipes covering breakfasts, mains, salads, snacks, drinks and sweets.
Highly Recommended COMMUNITY
Hetty McKinnon Plum PB $34.99 McKinnon’s simple, sustainable and healthy recipes feature fresh, seasonal produce and inject colour, life and flair into that most modest of everyday meals: the salad.
PHILLIPPA’S HOME BAKING
Phillippa Grogan Penguin HB $49.99 Stephanie Alexander says of this book by the Melbourne-based baker: ‘I am sure that this book will become a classic in many kitchens’. Enough said.
FAMILY FOOD
Pete Evans Plum PB $39.99 Adherents of the paleo style of eating (sustainable foodstuffs and no grains, refined sugar or dairy) will love this compilation of quick and satisfying recipes.
YOU ARE HERE
Chris Hadfield Macmillan HB $44.99 A planetary photo tour – surprising, playful, thought provoking and visually delightful – by the author of the bestselling An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth (Macmillan PB $32.99).
MANGIA! MANGIA! GATHERINGS
Angela Villella & Teresa Oates Lantern HB $39.99 Another celebration of home-style southern Italian food from the exuberant authors of Mangia! Mangia! (Lantern HB $39.99). Features over 100 recipes.
THE ZONE OF INTEREST
Martin Amis Jonathan Cape PB $32.99 Amis sets his latest novel in Auschwitz, delivering a bleak and powerful work that some critics are describing as his best book since the extraordinary London Fields (Vintage PB $19.95).
NEVER TRUST A SKINNY ITALIAN CHEF
Massimo Bottura Phaidon HB $79.95 With this summer’s best book title and the incredible pedigree of Michelinstarred chef Massimo Bottura behind it, this book is bound to be a favourite with all serious foodies.
EVERYTHING I NEED TO KNOW I LEARNED FROM A LITTLE GOLDEN BOOK EVERYTHING I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT CHRISTMAS I LEARNED FROM A LITTLE GOLDEN BOOK
Diane E Muldrow Golden Books HB $14.99 each These humorous guides to life for grownups make perfect Kris Kringle gifts for baby-boomer office colleagues, who are sure to fondly remember the originals.
Gardening
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AUSTRALIAN GARDEN RESCUE Mary Horsfall
CSIRO PB $39.95
Is your garden suffering from lack of attention, damaged from weather events or plagued by pest attacks? If the answer is yes, Mary Horsfall’s illustrated guide to restoring damaged gardens will be a godsend, offering practical environmentally friendly solutions, helpful tips and preventative tactics to minimise future harm. Horsfall explores how our harsh climate can impact gardens, and offers advice on how to deal with problems and pests including possums, snails, caterpillars, fungal problems and weeds.
CONNECTED Phillip Johnson
Murdoch HB $59.99
HEIRLOOM VEGETABLES Simon Rickard
THE GARDENER’S GARDEN Phaidon
Phaidon HB $95
A global guide to some of the best and most famous gardens in the world may be territory that has been covered in hardback before, but The Gardener’s Garden is probably as good as the genre gets. Meticulously researched by a team of landscapers, designers and horticulturists, the book features a stunning selection of public and private gardens from around the world, including blockbusters such as Claude Monet’s Giverny. The size of a flagstone, with a boldly flower-embossed orange cloth cover and full-colour plates throughout, it is sure to inspire you to get the wellies on, oil up the secateurs and get to work on your own masterpiece.
When designing landscapes, Phillip Johnson, the Australian winner of Best in Show at the 2013 Chelsea Flower and Garden Show, concentrates on connecting with nature in a sustainable way. This book profiles 19 of his projects, showing his commitment to integrated sustainable water management and the creation of thriving habitats for indigenous plants and animals, as well as highlighting his talent for the thoughtful connection of landscape to home. Accompanied by colour photographs, garden plans and practical water flow diagrams, these landscapes are the perfect pairing of sustainability and beauty, and are sure to inspire the home gardener.
Lantern HB $49.99
Concerned that food production is being increasingly controlled by multinational corporations more interested in profit than flavour, many people who care about their food are starting to grow their own vegetables. And when they do, heirloom varieties, with their wonderfully diverse flavours, shapes and colours, are a popular choice. In this lively, passionate and at times political introduction to the world of heirloom vegetables, Simon Rickard, former head gardener at the Diggers Club, describes the history of many of his favourite varieties, encourages you to get growing yourself, and explains why he believes edible gardening is so important to the future of the planet.
Travel LONELY PLANET’S BEST IN TRAVEL 2015 THE BEST PLACE TO BE TODAY
ONLY IN NEW YORK Lily Brett
Hamish Hamilton HB $29.99
Lily Brett has loved New York for half a century, and lived there for a quarter of one. In this collection of short pieces of evocative prose, she writes about the fine details of life in that iconic city, sometimes revealing deeper truths, sometimes providing a thoughtful reflection. But New York is just one of the characters. Its inhabitants are vividly portrayed, including Brett herself, as well as her husband and father. And the Holocaust is another oftenpresent character, due to its lasting impact on her parents, and therefore on Brett’s own life. But this is frequently a joyful book, as she makes fun of New York’s more idiosyncratic residents and shows her great capacity for love.
COUNTRY GARDENS, COUNTRY HOSPITALITY Holly Kerr Forsyth
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It’s a well-worn trope of travel literature: Westerner gives up the rat race for exotic locales and the search for an eternal truth. On this quest, Aaron Smith opens up a fascinating, little-known world – a South American tradition of natural psychedelics and native spiritualism. Between glimpses of favela life in Rio, Aaron travels to some hair-raising nooks of the continent as he goes deeper into the visions and revelations provided by ceremonial drinking of the psychedelic ayahuasca. Along the way there’s a lot of vomit, a lot of mystical imagery, and a lot of drug philosophy. If you’re a fan of the pioneers in this world – Castaneda, Burroughs, Huxley – you’re sure to dig Smith’s version of the trip.
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WYCHWOOD Karen Hall & Peter Cooper
The garden at Wychwood, a property at the foot of the Great Western Tiers in northern Tasmania, combines Scandinavian design sensibilities with temperate-climate countrygarden charm and has been described as the most beautiful garden in Australia. This book details the 22-year-old garden’s evolution from bare paddock to a landscape featuring a labyrinth, espaliered fruit trees, naturalistic planted beds and curved, clipped lawns. Hall gives the reader insight into the techniques and secrets that make the design of this garden so successful, and Cooper’s stunning photographs capture how it transforms with the changing seasons.
AN INNOCENT ABROAD Don George (ed.)
Lonely Planet HB $26.99
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Gardening writer and photographer Holly Kerr Forsyth travels through the Australian countryside to reveal the landscapes that she loves – the soaring mountains, the stunning coastline, the wide plains – and visit 27 gardens of note. Some are newly established, others have evolved over generations – all are beautiful. At each stop, Kerr is treated to a home-cooked meal (recipes are included) at which the stories behind the gardens are recounted.
7. Who partied with the glitterati in the 1990s?
CHASING EL DORADO – A SOUTH AMERICAN ADVENTURE Aaron Smith
Lonely Planet PB $24.99
Lonely Planet PB $29.99 Here are two ways to approach the travel year ahead. In its annual Best in Travel overview, the self-confessed travel geeks at Lonely Planet present their selection of the top 10 countries, regions and cities to visit in 2015. Entries include Gallipoli, where the centenary of the WWI battle will be marked, and Washington DC, where a new museum of African American History and Culture is due to open. In The Best Place to be Today, the same crew zeroes in on where to be each day for the best travel experience in the world. The reason might be seasonal (catching the autumn colours in Hokkaido) or event-related (partying at Burning Man in Nevada) – every entry is a reminder of how diverse and incredible our world is.
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This diverse collection of short stories brings together reminiscences from some beloved writers to paint a picture of how travel changes the traveller. The theme is broad, a catch-all for travel rites of passage, misadventures, lessons learned and connections made. Dave Eggers in the backroom of a Bangkok brothel/nightclub, Pico Iyer in escapades across South America, Richard Ford as he travels into Moroccan hashish country, John Berendt when he makes a friend in Venice, Simon Winchester trapped by fjord-freezing storms in Greenland – all of them discover how innocence can be a catalyst for discovery, connection and transformation while on the road.
THE WORLD Lonely Planet PB $39.99
PROVENCE AND THE CÔTE D’AZUR Janelle McCulloch
McCulloch’s lavishly illustrated guide to Provence and the Côte d’Azur is guaranteed to kick-start travel plans. It’s also sure to trigger fond reminiscences from those fortunate enough to have already visited. Photographs celebrate the picture-perfect landscapes, villages, towns and beach resorts that make this southern part of France one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations, and McCulloch also includes a ‘directory of inspiring places’ at the back of the book listing her favourite hotels, museums, galleries, shops and markets.
THE WORLD’S GREAT WONDERS Lonely Planet PB WAS $34.99 NOW $29.95
If anyone can do it, Lonely Planet can. Yes, the trusted travel publisher has taken on the challenge of covering the entire world in one guide, and has delivered the goods in the form of this 1000-page brick of a book. From Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, LP delivers a travel-slanted overview of every country on earth – the top experiences, when to go, what to eat and how to get around. The World’s Great Wonders is a different beast – a pictorial profiling 50 of the world’s most extraordinary natural and manmade wonders. Both make great gifts for the travel nerds in your life.
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THE ART BOOK Following the successful format (and maintaining an equally keen price point) of the original 1994 edition, this updated edition of Phaidon’s bestselling reference work offers an A–Z guide to 600 great artists from medieval to modern times. Each artist is represented by a fullpage colour plate of a definitive work, accompanied by explanatory information about the image and its creator. Glossaries of artistic movements and technical terms are also included.
ART IN NATURE David Rennie
Exisle HB $55
8. Who originated the term ‘cyberspace’?
BIG ART SMALL ART Tristan Manco
AUSTRALIAN NOTEBOOKS Betty Churcher
MUP PB $44.99
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National Library of Australia HB WAS $24.95 NOW $11.95
The former director of the National Gallery of Australia here revisits some of her favourite artworks in the collections of Australian galleries, sketching and writing about each piece. Featuring major works by Australian artists including John Olsen, Arthur Boyd and Sidney Nolan, as well as masterpieces by Pablo Picasso, Paul Cézanne, Henri Matisse and Giambattista Tiepolo, Churcher draws out the particular charm and context of each piece, recounting its history and pondering its impact.
FRANK HURLEY’S ANTARCTICA Helen Ennis
Photographer Frank Hurley was a member of six expeditions to the Antarctic region, the most famous being the Mawson (1911 to early 1913) and Shackleton (1914 to 1917) expeditions, which are the subject of this book. Photographic historian Helen Ennis has compiled a selection of Hurley’s images showing the breathtaking and majestic backdrop of the Antarctic and documenting the unbelievably desperate living conditions the men had to endure. Excerpts from Hurley’s expedition diaries are also included.
Thames & Hudson HB $60
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STRANGE COUNTRY Patrick McCaughey
Why has Australia, an island continent with a small population, produced such original and powerful art? And why is that art so little known beyond our shores? In Strange Country: Why Australian Painting Matters, McCaughey, art historian and former director of the National Gallery of Victoria, ponders the paradoxical neglect of Australian art abroad, explores the ways in which our island continent has made such a distinctive and powerful contribution to art despite our relatively small population, and explains the progression and development of a uniquely Australian style of painting.
This fascinating book by author and art director Tristan Manco explores the work of artists who operate at opposite ends of the scale spectrum. Drawing on the very large installation works of artists such as Nikolay Polissky to intricately detailed pieces by Liliana Porter and others, Manco brings these two disparate approaches together in a well-researched and beautifully illustrated study of the way in which scale both disorientates and captivates the viewer’s imagination.
Miegunyah HB WAS $175 NOW $129.95
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HOLY FOOL Michael Leunig
‘Unconsciously I have been painting the holy fool with its places and its companions for many years,’ says the beloved cartoonist in his introduction to Holy Fool. This figure is the inner child, the natureloving free spirit, the bold and playful artist – simple, pure and ignorant of taboos (and very happy in the company of ducks). There’s lots of wisdom and joy in this big gorgeous book that’s filled with over 240 glossy, full-colour images of Leunig’s paintings, sculptures and other artworks.
PHOTOGRAPHY: THE DEFINITIVE VISUAL HISTORY Tom Ang
100 PAINTERS OF TOMORROW Kurt Beers
Four thousand entrants from 30 countries took part in a project to find the 100 most exciting up-and-coming artists working today – a tough choice for a panel that included painter Cecily Brown, curator Yuko Hasegawa and art critic Barry Schwabsky. The result showcases a hugely diverse collection of artists working in a variety of styles, from abstraction and minimalism to mixed-media and installation. Each artist is represented with examples of their work and brief text that includes an overview of their approach and style, a biographical snapshot and direct quotes.
Winner of the 2013 Australian Geographic ANZANG Nature Photographer of the Year competition and the subject of a recent episode of the ABC’s Australian Story, David Rennie is known for his striking bird photography, and particularly for his photographs of the birdlife of the Mandurah wetlands south of Perth. This handsome book includes over 100 colour bird and landscape photographs attesting to the beauty of this environmentally sensitive landscape, and presenting a powerful argument for conserving our wilderness areas and protecting our wildlife.
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Tracing the history of photography from its origins in the 1800s to the global phenomenon of digital photography, photographer Tom Ang presents a collection of iconic photos and tells the stories of how they came into being. He also records key events in the history of the medium, discusses technological developments such as the first black-and-white photography and contemporary street photography, and profiles 50 of the most famous photographers of the past 200 years. Perfect for happy-snappers and professionals alike.
Granta PB $32.99
The resplendent cover of Sasha Grishin’s new history of Australian art (a detail from Emily Kame Kngwarreye’s 1993 painting Yam Awely[e]) is a good indicator of the riches to be found inside. Published under Melbourne University Press’ prestigious Miegunyah imprint, this 572-page, fully illustrated reference work is divided into four sections – Terra Nullius; The Art of Colonial Australia; Nationalism, Federation and the Question of Modernism; and Postmodernism and Postcolonial Australia – and is sure to prove an invaluable resource for those studying Australian art or working in the field.
DOGS IN AUSTRALIAN ART Steven Miller
This overview of Australian art through the lens of dog painting (paintings of, not paintings by!) is both quirky and fascinating. Over 80 breeds are featured, each with a dedicated two-page spread featuring a full-colour reproduction of an artwork and explanatory text. These include William Strutt’s Irish Setter in Dogs with Flowers and Game (c1850), Tom Roberts’ beautiful portrait of a young girl and her Irish wolfhound (c 1887), Rupert Bunny’s Miss Bunny and Her Terrier (1902–05) and Rosslynd Piggott’s Italian greyhound in Dark Sun (1993).
THE MAKING OF MONA Adrian Franklin
Viking HB $59.99
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Described as part ringmaster and part clown, private collector David Walsh has turned the art world on its head with his iconoclastic approach to museum curatorship. Here, design expert and sociology professor Adrian Franklin reveals there was serendipity in the way Walsh’s Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) came together, both physically via Nonda Katsalidis’ architecture and conceptually, as initial ideas were seeded without a fully formed concept of the museum’s final design or philosophy. He does a good job unravelling what makes a visit to MONA such a transformative, cathartic experience.
SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS JB Kaufman
Published in association with the Walt Disney Family Foundation, this catalogue of stills and never-before-seen art from the classic 1937 animated film features over 200 original concepts, sketches, background painting and production cels, as well as deleted scenes and alternate character concepts. Film historian JB Kaufman walks us through the film scene by scene, revelling in the gorgeous art and recounting plenty of stories about the film’s production along the way.
THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY ART BOOK David Trigg & Eliza Williams
33 ARTISTS IN 3 ACTS Sarah Thornton
Thornton, chief writer on contemporary art for the Economist, presents three interlinked but distinct ‘acts’ – Politics, Kinship and Craft – within which she compares and contrasts answers from 33 practitioners to the simple but profound question ‘What is an artist?’ Big names – Jeff Koons, Ai Weiwei, Cindy Sherman, Damien Hirst, Marina Abramović and 28 others – engage in frank and fascinating discussions about everything from work practices, self doubt/ assurance and collaboration to bank balances, sex, politics and celebrity.
AUSTRALIAN ART: A HISTORY Sasha Grishin
Phaidon HB $49.95
The authors of this book make a confident claim on its front cover – that they have identified the best contemporary art made since 2000. Whether they have or not is, of course, up for debate, but it’s true to say that they have given the task their very best shot, profiling close to 300 artists from over 50 countries working in a wide range of media. Each of the artists is given a dedicated page including a colour reproduction of a major work, a description of that work and a concise artistic biography.
Style & Design THE DRESS Megan Hess
Hardie Grant HB $29.95
Ranging from the classic elegance of Ms Hepburn’s black shift to the outrageous artistry of Lady Gaga’s meat gown, The Dress relives the marvellous and unforgettable dresses of fashion: think Liz Hurley’s safety-pin ensemble, Princess Di’s meringue-like wedding gown or that unforgettable white halter sported by Marilyn in The Seven Year Itch. Megan Hess’s illustrations celebrate a collection of frocks that take readers on a decadent romp through fashion history, from the haute to the hot.
FLORAL CONTEMPORARY: THE RENAISSANCE OF FLOWER DESIGN Olivier Dupon
Thames & Hudson HB $90
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HAPPY Amanda Talbot
In her latest book, the Sydney-based author of the lifestyle-changing Rethink: The Way You Live (Murdoch HB $69.99) focuses on how architecture and interior design at their best can make us safer and healthier, as well as more efficient, enlightened and productive. Her global survey showcases the work of designers who are creating joyous living spaces that play to our emotions by using carefully chosen colours, textures, quality of materials and finishes. With thoughtful text and photographs galore, it’s a book that is sure to make readers feel very happy indeed.
ROOM: INSIDE CONTEMPORARY INTERIORS Nacho Alegre et al Phaidon HB $95
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For this book, 10 leading design critics, practitioners and curators each chose 10 exciting interior design projects that have been completed in the past five years. Curators include Tony Chambers, editor-inchief of Wallpaper* magazine; restaurateur Alan Yau (Wagamama); and fashion photographer and creative director, Nacho Alegre. Projects are drawn from Japan, Italy, the UK, Denmark, the USA, Brazil, France and many other countries, providing a lavishly photographed up-to-the-minute overview of cutting-edge interior design.
VINTAGE FASHION COMPLETE Nicky Albrechtsen
Style is eternal, as lovers of vintage fashion well know. Those who eschew the fashion fad and embrace the op shop will fall head over designer heels for this showcase of the fashions of the 20th century. Minis and maxis, cocktail gowns and caftans, sunglasses and stiletto heels – they all feature amongst the 1000-plus colour photographs that make this such an essential reference for fashion aficionados. Includes invaluable practical tips on how to build a collection, and how to date, clean and care for vintage clothing.
F is for flower arrangement, fashionable, fabulous…and Floral Contemporary. This sumptuously produced book profiles 38 of the finest florists working worldwide today, accompanied by hundreds of fullcolour photographs of their inspirational arrangements and decorations. Through the work of these exceptional designers, we see ideas for flowers for every occasion, whether public – decorations for weddings, arrangements for banquets, installations for shops and hotels, accessories for fashion shows, exhibits for art events – or private, in the form of special displays for the home.
HOME STYLE BY CITY Ida Magntorn
Chronicle HB $29.95
Exploring the design aesthetic and ambience of some of the world’s most stylish cities (Copenhagen, Los Angeles, New York, London and Paris), Ida Magntorn delivers inspiring photographs and snippets of colourful history that bring each locale to light. Also included are insider information on local flea markets, simple interior design projects that evoke the look of particular cities, and lists of city-specific music, films and books.
THE FOREVER HOUSE: TIME-HONOURED AUSTRALIAN HOMES Cameron Bruhn & Katelin Butler (ed.) Thames & Hudson HB $70
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NEW YORK IN STYLE Janelle McCulloch
NEW PARIS STYLE Danielle Miller
Take a peek into the private dwellings of the most exciting creative talents in Paris – individuals from the music, fashion, design, film and art worlds. The 27 properties photographed exclusively for this book are loosely arranged by their location across the city’s most-fashionable arrondissements – from the elevated bohemianism of the Left Bank to the trendy Marais and the edgier Belleville and 13th – and reflect the cosmopolitan melting pot that influences Paris’s distinctive design trends.
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Victory Books PB $39.99
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Join writer and photographer Janelle McCulloch as she reveals New York’s hidden treasures and introduces travellers to the city’s most beautiful and memorable design, style and fashion destinations. Taking readers on a journey through NYC’s distinctive neighbourhoods, McCulloch introduces us to little-known markets and vintage stores; artisan jewellers, bespoke clothing and bargain-basement designerwear; secret gardens and sumptuous interiors; literary haunts and quirky museums. Her insider recommendations are accompanied by maps, photographs and tips on choosing the very best hotels, restaurants and bars – making this an indispensable travelling and planning tool.
Phaidon PB $45
Australia’s queen of DIY brings her eye for quirky-cute to this selection of gorgeous home-craft activities. This lavishly illustrated guide is bright, cheerful and accessible. Inspired by Orpin’s interest in ‘the spaces where we make and do creative things’, the book is divided into four categories: Textiles, Paper, Wood and Found. Orpin is dedicated to using recycled materials and found objects, but her creations never skimp on style, colour or quality. You don’t need to be a creative whiz to make your own glittery paper brooches, rainbow socks or papier-mâché taxidermy.
Is it a book or a piece of conceptual art? This fascinating collection of ‘anti-sartorial’ photographs of street life by Dutch conceptual artist/street photographer Hans Eijkelboom was created on the streets of cities including Amsterdam, New York, Paris and Shanghai over a period of more than 20 years, providing a cumulative and endlessly fascinating portrait of our time. Those interested in photography, fashion and contemporary culture are sure to love this engrossing and unusual book.
SUPERHOUSE Karen McCartney
Lantern HB $79.99
What’s a superhouse? Design critic Karen McCartney describes it as a home with an exterior and interior that are seamlessly executed and one that is, above all else, awe-inspiring. This book profiles 19 such houses, including both international examples and projects by Australian architects Wood Marsh, John Wardle, Paul Morgan and Virginia Kerridge. Richard Powers’ stunning photographs take centre stage, accompanied by thoughtful essays about each project.
WOMEN IN CLOTHES Sheila Heti, Heidi Julavits & Leanne Shapton (ed.)
VIVIENNE WESTWOOD Ian Kelly & Vivienne Westwood
Fashion designer, environmental activist, co-creator of punk, global brand and ‘older woman’ (her husband Andreas Kronthaler is half her age) – Vivienne Westwood is a fascinating character who fully deserves the accolade of icon so often bestowed upon her. This biography, written with her full cooperation, traces Dame V’s extraordinary life and is particularly strong on the punk years, with a frank account of her toxic relationship with Malcolm McLaren.
MAKE & DO Beci Orpin
PEOPLE OF THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY Hans Eijkelboom
STYLE IS ETERNAL Nicole Jenkins
Do you have plenty of clothes, yet seem never to be able to find the right outfit? Never fear – this book is chock-full of tips from fashion buyer and stylist Nicole Jenkins on how you can integrate fashion basics, classics and trends into a flexible, sensible and chic signature look. Jenkins includes plenty of advice about purchasing essential additions to your wardrobe without breaking the bank, using accessories to create new outfits, making the most of your body shape and looking after your clothes.
The editors of this handsome title share an interest in the way architects shape the way we live and the way a house, through occupation, becomes a home. Curating a selection of 23 Australian homes from the 1950s, ’60s, ’70s and ’80s, they have put together a photographic record of the evolution of Australian residential architecture and a celebration of its greatest practitioners. Many well-known architectural names are represented – Robin Boyd, Harry Seidler, Roy Grounds, Philip Cox, Glenn Murcutt to name only a few – and each decade is introduced by a prominent practitioner working at that time.
Particular PB $39.99
Part collective memoir, part field study, Women in Clothes incorporates contributions (interviews, essays, photographs and illustrations) from 642 women of all nationalities – famous, anonymous, married, single, young and old – about clothing, and how the garments we wear define and shape us. It embraces the complexity of women’s style decisions, revealing the sometimes funny, sometimes strange, always telling impulses that influence our daily ritual of getting dressed.
20 Gift ADAM GILCHRIST Adam Gilchrist
Affirm Press HB $59.99
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Hachette HB $39.99
The subtitle (‘The Man. The Cricketer. The Legend’) says it all. This lavishly illustrated autobiography of ‘Gilly’ features personal photographs, stories and precious keepsakes from his private life and illustrious career. Peppered with anecdotes, reflections and jibes from friends, family and many of the biggest names in Australian and world cricket, this is the ultimate collection for sporting enthusiasts.
CHICKENS Ernest Goh
Photographer Ernest Goh has a proven track record for capturing difficult subjects up close. In The Fish Book, his experience taught him that regardless of species, each individual fish he photographed had a different character with its own peculiar expressions. In Chickens, he focuses his lens on a particular breed of chicken known as the Ayam Serama, considered to be the smallest in the world. Pampered and preened, these ornamental chooks pose, strut and pout their way through the pages of this full-colour portraiture collection like seasoned catwalk professionals.
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THE BEATLES LYRICS Hunter Davies
In this collectable volume, Hunter Davies, author of the only authorised biography of The Beatles, has compiled over 100 handwritten manuscripts and versions of Beatles lyrics in their original form. Sourced from museums and private collections around the globe, many are being seen for the first time, providing an extraordinary insight into the musical genius behind history’s most revered pop group. The songs appear chronologically, allowing Davies to tell the story of the band’s development through their music.
BIKE MECHANIC Rohan Dubash, Guy Andrews & Taz Darling
Bloomsbury HB $59.99
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THE FRENCH DOG Rachael McKenna
Hardie Grant HB WAS $29.95 NOW $13.95
When commercial animal photographer Rachael McKenna embarked on a new life in France, it was inevitable that she would turn her lens to capturing the world of the Gallic canine. The French Dog includes atmospheric images of the countryside and buildings of France, along with plenty of très cute chiens.
AN ILLUSTRATED BOOK OF BAD ARGUMENTS Ali Almossawi
Scribe HB $24.99
JUKURRPA CALENDAR & DIARIES Produced by the Institute for Aboriginal Development in Alice Springs, a not-for-profit Aboriginal community–controlled organisation, these diaries and calendar feature quality colour reproductions of contemporary Central Australian Aboriginal art.
INFOGRAPHIC GUIDE TO CYCLING
BLM Sport HB $29.99
Mixing cycling facts with expert bike tech advice, this book features a graphic overview of the world of the bicycle and its riders. Illustrations cover cycling greats and kings of the road, the major tours and track cycling stars, and also offer seasonal cycling tips, bike maintenance info and insights into the darker side of cycling – doping.
Lantern HB $39.99
UQP HB $24.95
Virgin PB $35
Editor Kylie Johnson has curated a collection of classic and rare ‘quotes of wisdom and wonder’ that is sure to be a popular gift this Christmas. Covering love, loss, family, friendship and the whimsy of life, the quotes offer both inspiration and solace.
SURF CRAFT Richard Kenvin
MIT Press HB $47.95
Q
Surfboards were once made of wood and shaped by hand, objects of both cultural and recreational significance. Today, most boards are mass-produced with fibreglass and a stew of petrochemicals, moving (or floating) billboards for athletes and their brands that emphasise the commercial rather than the cultural. Surf Craft maps this evolution, examining surfboard design and craft with 150 colour images and an insightful text.
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Tuttle Box set $16.99
9. Who pioneered computer programming in the 1840s?
Hardie Grant HB $39.95
Published as the SBS soccer icon bid farewell to the broadcast booth after decades of commentating on the ‘Beautiful Game’, this book draws upon his many years of watching, critiquing and reporting on soccer, and shares his greatest moments. Murray discusses the history of the game, its supreme players, World Cup highlights, important games and the spread of the sport around the world.
ULTIMATE ORIGAMI FOR BEGINNERS Michael G La Fosse & Richard L Alexander
This is the perfect kit for those who’ve always wanted to try origami, but haven’t known how to proceed. It answers common questions – What are the rules? What papers work best? Do I need any special tools? – and offers an array of projects and papers to get the novice started. These projects span several popular categories of design: traditional favourites, multi-piece flowers, clever paper airplanes, and cute and cuddly animals.
THE WORLD OF POSTSECRET Frank Warren
THE WORLD (GAME) ACCORDING TO LES MURRAY Les Murray
THE VIRGIN WAY Richard Branson
Subtitled ‘How to Listen, Learn, Laugh and Lead’, this business title sees the celebrity business leader with the shock of blond hair and outrageous sense of humour distilling and sharing his secrets of leadership and success. Featuring anecdotes from his own business dealings, as well as his observations of many others who have inspired him – politicians, business leaders, explorers, scientists and philanthropists – Branson reflects on the qualities he feels are essential for success in today’s world.
Next time you read (or stumble into) an irrational online debate, this guide to old-school logic (really old-school, à la Aristotle) is sure to come in handy. Almossawi offers cogent explanations of the straw man fallacy, the slippery slope argument, the ad hominem attack and other common attempts at reasoning that fall short – accompanied by a beautifully drawn menagerie of animals who commit every logical faux pas. It’s a great geek-chic Christmas gift for anyone in the habit of holding opinions. And isn’t that all of us?
MELANCHOLY AND BRIGHT Kylie Johnson (ed.)
IAD Press PB diary $22.95 HB diary $29.95 calendar $24.95
SHED Simon Griffiths
This photographic homage to the sacred spaces of the Australian shed is the latest photographic essay from the creator of Shack (Lantern HB $39.99). Corrugated iron and rusted tin roofs abound; eclectic artists’ studios rub shoulders with tool-sheds and abandoned farming storage spaces. From a disused stables erected in the colonial era to a converted outdoor dunny and the shabby chic of a dedicated ‘party shed’, the diversity and variety of these Australian outbuildings are on show in all their scruffy beauty. Griffiths also describes the characters and stories behind the sheds, and his oftenhilarious encounters with the sheds’ owners.
Bike mechanics have hard and thankless jobs far away from the glamour of the podium. This behind-the-scenes book shows what professional road bike mechanics have to do to keep their riders fast and, more importantly, safe. The authors have followed several key professional teams over the past few years, amassing a collection of wonderful images and experiences of life on the circuit about the roadies of the bicycle world. They also disclose tricks of the trade about bike building and set-up, complete with interviews, techniques and secrets from professional mechanics.
William Morrow HB $39.99
Founded in 2005, PostSecret is an American community art project in which people mail their secrets anonymously on a homemade postcard. The oftenillustrated secrets are then posted on the www.postsecret.com website and featured in exhibitions – now they’ve made it into printed form. No restrictions are made on the content of the secrets; only that they must be completely truthful and must never have been spoken before. To date, over 150,000 have been received.
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AFTERWORLDS Scott Westerfeld
Penguin PB $19.99
Afterworlds’ plot centres around American teen, Darcy Patel. There are two storylines: one follows Darcy as she postpones university to pursue her writing ambitions in New York and discovers that the publishing business is crueller than she expected; the second follows Lizzie, the main character in Darcy’s novel, as she is thrown headfirst into the world of ghosts and the afterworld. Westerfeld, author of the much-loved Leviathan Trilogy, tackles issues of love, sexuality, family and friendship in this intriguing YA novel about new experiences and how they can change you for the better or worse. 14+
THE ARRIVAL Shaun Tan
Hachette PB $19.99
HarperCollins PB $19.99
BELZHAR Meg Wolitzer
Simon & Schuster PB $16.99
THE CLEO STORIES: THE NECKLACE AND THE PRESENT Libby Gleeson & Freya Blackwood (illus.)
Allen & Unwin HB $16.99
Libby Gleeson’s words and Freya Blackwood’s illustrations perfectly complement each other in these two gentle stories about situations that will be instantly recognisable to young readers. Together the pair capture the fine details of Cleo’s world: her individual dress sense, her creative endeavours, her believable parents, relatives and friends. In the first story, Cleo is desperately jealous of her friends’ shiny necklaces. In the second, she can’t think of the perfect present for her mum. In both, she independently comes up with a solution to the problem using her imagination. 5+
Abrams HB $24.99
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Dorling Kindersley HB $29.99
Walker HB WAS $24.95 NOW $12.95
Dorling Kindersley HB $29.99
Filled with visual tricks that have colours merging and images swirling, this fabulous book will delight children of every age. Open it to make the front cover image expand and shrink; use the 3D glasses to come face-to-face with a shark; find camouflaged animals; test for colour blindness. There are clear explanations of the how and why of each illusion. This is one of those books kids will share with their friends, delighting in the amazing illusions. 6+
By popping out pieces of card from this book and inserting them into slots and holes, aspiring artists aged 5+ will be able to build a sculpture more than two metres long. They can also experiment by adding other materials to their creations. An interactive delight.
Pan Australia PB $12.99 diary $12.99
Puffin PB $19.99
YouTube phenomenon Zoe Sugg, aka Zoella, has more than 6.2 million subscribers to her fashion and beauty channel, many of whom are sure to be reading her debut novel this summer. The story sounds familiar: under the alias GirlOnline, Penny blogs about school dramas, boys, her family and her panic attacks. When things go from bad to worse, her family whisks her away to New York, where she meets gorgeous, guitarstrumming Noah. But Noah has a secret too, one that could ruin Penny’s cover – and her closest friendship – forever. 13+
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MADAME CHAPEAU Andrea Beaty & David Roberts (illus.)
HANSEL AND GRETEL Neil Gaiman & Lorenzo Mattotti (illus.)
Bloomsbury HB $19.99
If you haven’t bought your child The 52-Storey Treehouse yet YOU ARE THE WORST PARENT IN THE WORLD and you’d better get onto it! Luckily, this year there’s a diary to match the book, so you can make up for your failings by purchasing both. The usual hilarious scenarios from the peerless imaginations of Griffiths and Denton erupt from the pages in words and pictures. Other great gift ideas: 13-Storey Treehouse Trivia Cards (Pan Macmillan $9.99) and 13-Storey T-Shirt and Book Pack ($19.99). 7+
GIRL ONLINE Zoe Sugg
Phaidon HB $39.95
Gaiman (The Graveyard Book) reworks the Brothers Grimm story about two children, a breadcrumb trail, a cannibalistic witch and a gingerbread house. Accompanied by haunting monochrome illustrations by Italian comics/graphic novel artist Lorenzo Mattotti, Gaiman’s version was described by Maria Russo in a New York Times review as being written with a ‘devastating spareness’ that tempers the Grimms’ trademark horror with ‘some small possibility of brightness’. A challenging and strangely uplifting tale for children aged 6+.
What kid doesn’t want to be a magician, wowing audiences and impressing their friends with their secret knowledge? This visual guide takes that ambition seriously. In addition to 20 tricks demystified with step-by-step visuals, there are explanations of the different types of magic tricks (vanishing, levitation and teleportation, for example), advice on stagecraft (from the need for patter to different kinds of misdirection) and a brief history (from the Egyptians, through Houdini, to Copperfield). There’s a good balance between giving readers practical advice, and leaving enough mystery to keep them intrigued. 8+
THE 52-STOREY TREEHOUSE THE 52-STOREY TREEHOUSE DIARY 2015 Andy Griffiths & Terry Denton (illus.)
THE GIANT GAME OF SCULPTURE Hervé Tullet
GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE DINOSAURS Mo Willems
Once upon a time, there were three hungry dinosaurs: Papa Dinosaur, Mama Dinosaur and…a Dinosaur who happened to be visiting from Norway (huh?). One day, purely on a whim, they decided to tidy up the house, make their beds up all cosy and comfortable, prepare delicious hot chocolate puddings of varying temperatures and see if they could trap a succulent, poorly supervised little girl. This entertaining retelling of the classic fairy tale will delight children aged 3+.
A group of emotionally fragile, highly intelligent teenagers gather at a therapeutic boarding school where they are mysteriously picked for ‘Special Topics in English’. Here, they are tasked with studying Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar and with keeping a journal. Each time the teens write in their diaries they are transported to a miraculous other world called Belzhar, a world where they are no longer haunted by their trauma and grief – and where each begins to tell their own story. Wolitzer has written a surprising tale about first love, deep sorrow and the power of acceptance. 13+
COLOUR ILLUSIONS
FULL SPEED AHEAD! HOW FAST THINGS GO Cruschiform
A human is one of the slowest things in this book, which takes the form of a stylised catalogue that divides things according to how fast they go, one speed per page. We start at a leisurely 0.3km/h with a seahorse and a Galapagos tortoise, and end with a shooting star at over 100,000km/h. In between are plenty of surprises. The bold graphic design effectively communicates the fascinating content. 6+
Thames & Hudson PB $24.95
There are plenty of activity books about, but this one is a cut above the rest. A fresh take on the formula, it has a particular emphasis on drawing challenges. Every page is illustrated by a different artist from the Jacky Winter Group, each with his or her own style, and each equally talented. The Australia that leaps off the page goes beyond the clichés. Sure, there are kangaroos and the Opera House, but there is also Melbourne’s graffiti-clad Hosier Lane, and a Martian message to decode at the Parkes Observatory. 6+
CHILDREN’S BOOK OF MAGIC
AWFUL AUNTIE David Walliams
The hilarious new novel from the author of Ratburger is a page-turning, rollicking romp of a read, sparkling with Walliams’ most eccentric characters yet. Largerthan-life, tiddlywinks-obsessed Awful Aunt Alberta is on a mission to cheat young Lady Stella Saxby out of her inheritance. But Stella, helped by mischievous and irrepressible Soot, the cockney ghost of a chimney sweep, is determined to fight back. And sometimes a special friend, however different, is all you need to win through. 8+
Tan’s gorgeous, evocative tale of loss, isolation and belonging is now available in a petite softcover edition. This wordless illustrated tale follows Tan’s migrant protagonist as he flees the dark dangers of his homeland to seek safety in a new country, a theme that is ever-more relevant in light of contemporary Australian politics. Tan is a truly unique artist and a gifted storyteller; his muted tones and fantastical imagery are elegiac but whimsical. Nothing short of a modern classic. 7+
AROUND AUSTRALIA WITH JACKY WINTER
Abrams HB $19.99
What a delight! This rhyming picture book about the world’s finest hatmaker, Madame Chapeau, and her eventful birthday will delight boys, girls and the adults who read it to them. The subtext is about generosity, goodwill and how transformative friendship can be, and the colourful illustrations have a distinctively French je ne sais quoi. Full marks must go to Beaty for her choice of restaurant for Madame Chapeau’s birthday dinner – we want to dine at Chez SnootyPatoot, too! 3+
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Walker Books HB WAS $27.95 NOW $12.95
HOW DO YOU FEEL? Anthony Browne
In this picture book, UK Children’s Laureate Anthony Browne uses the character of a cute young chimp to help very young children explore 14 emotions (hungry, full, sad, happy, curious, surprised etc). The story has minimal text, instead relying on illustrations to help toddlers understand how they feel. It’s a perfect tool to initiate discussions at home. 1+
IN MY HEART Jo Witek
Abrams HB $19.99
Such gorgeous illustrations! And so irresistibly tactile with its cut-out hearts getting smaller from front cover to back page. But what makes In My Heart truly special are its poetic yet recognisable descriptions of feelings. Originally published in French and now released in this English edition, the book’s colourful, delicate illustrations reflect the nuances captured in the text and convey a sense of fun and great sensitivity. Sure to be a fantastic starting point for many important conversations between parents and children about emotions. 3+
THE ICICLE ILLUMINARIUM NJ Gemmell
Random House PB $16.99
L SPECIA PRICE
National Library of Australia HB WAS $19.95 NOW $10.95
I WISH I HAD A PET Maggie Rudy
Beach Lane HB $18.99
Small-scale children will adore the small-scale Mouseland, an oh-so-sweet imaginary world created by crafter extraordinaire Maggie Rudy. Rudy constructs extraordinarily lifelike mice and casts them in detailed scenes that are then photographed for her books. In this title, she directly addresses her reader: ‘Do you wish sometimes that you had a pet?’ The mice, of course, stand for children, and Rudy asks them to think about what pet might be right for them and reminds them of a pet’s need for care. The beauty here is in the crafted detail. 2+
Lonely Planet HB $29.99
Viking HB $26.99
Allen & Unwin HB $24.99
Incy Wincy Spider climbs up the water spout…and a hovering, bothering sticky fly lands on a delicious cupcake…and a chirruping, fat cicada sings in the sun. After all, Incy isn’t the only creepy-crawly who deserves a rhyme. This pull-the-tabs and lift-the-flaps book is full of Australia’s least-fluffy creatures, with all the detailed illustrations taken from books in the National Library of Australia’s collection. A fact per insect adds to the interest – did you know that caterpillars breathe through tiny holes in their side? 2+
Q
Australia’s best-known children’s book illustrator has chosen the lush jungle surrounding Angkor Wat as the setting for his latest masterful rendering of the wild animals he so revels in. Tiger, Gibbon, Water Buffalo and Gecko all wish they could be king, so wise old Elephant sets them a task – and in that task lies a lesson. All four animals have their strengths and all have their weaknesses in this fable-like tale. The rich illustrative style shines, especially the glorious setting and the expressive faces of Base’s animal characters. 4+
Hachette PB $14.99
Adventure on the high seas, strange foreign lands, a plucky but humble young boy and his brave girl companion – this first book in a new fantasy series has all the ingredients of a hit for middle readers. Quinn has been chosen as a mapmaker on one of three voyages his country’s king has commanded in an effort to keep up with a neighbouring kingdom’s knowledge of the world. But if the world is flat, won’t they fall off the edge into the jaws of a dragon? 9+
ONCE UPON AN ALPHABET Oliver Jeffers
HarperCollins HB $29.99
Don’t expect the usual ‘A is for Apple’ formula in Oliver Jeffers’ alphabet book. Instead, the internationally renowned illustrator (Lost and Found, The Incredible Book Eating Boy) brings his inimitable style to 26 micro-stories of about 50 words each, one for each letter of the alphabet. The stories can be poignant, philosophical, absurd or surreal, and sometimes all of these at once. Ferdinand finds a hole that goes on forever, Jemima likes her door made of jelly, and an owl and an octopus travel the ocean searching for problems to solve. 4+
Kids with vivid imaginations will love this story about Amanda, half of one of the most intriguing duos in children’s literature. The other half is Rudger, Amanda’s imaginary friend, who is in danger of disappearing when Amanda is knocked unconscious. With help from other Imaginaries, Rudger tries to save both himself from oblivion and Amanda from the deeply weird and scary Mr Bunting. Emily Gravett’s illustrative style is the perfect partner to the text: both are imaginative, engrossing and sometimes more than a little bit creepy. 9+
10. Who invented the lie detector?
ITSY BITSY TEENIE WEENIE YELLOW POLKA-DOT BIKINI Paul Vance, Lee Pockriss & Kerry Argent (illus.)
Scholastic Book & CD set $19.99
Children will love singing along to this much-loved song while reading about a hippo taking a hilarious trip to the beach. Performed by award-winning actress and Play School favourite Deborah Mailman, this 1960s classic is set to become a new Australian summertime anthem. Kerry Argent’s gorgeous illustrations dance off the page! 2+
LAURINDA Alice Pung
Black Inc PB $19.99
THE MAPMAKER CHRONICLES: RACE TO THE END OF THE WORLD AL Tait
NONI THE PONY GOES TO THE BEACH Alison Lester
The friendly and funny Noni is already a favourite with many wee ones, and her second outing will confirm that status. A frolic on the beach sees the cute pony and her friends Dave the Dog, Coco the Cat and the ladies next door (four very sweet cows) enjoying the beach to the fullest – building sandcastles, paddling, diving and snoozing. A brief moment of uncertainty is soon resolved when Noni rescues the stranded Dave. A delightful showcase for Alison Lester’s gift of evoking joy and movement through rhymes and illustrations. 1+
INCY WINCY SPIDER Susan Hall
Bloomsbury HB $19.99
THE LAST KING OF ANGKOR WAT Graeme Base
THE LONELY PLANET AMAZING WORLD ATLAS Arranged by continent, and then by region, this atlas is less about maps and more about fun facts. There’s a serious introduction to atlas-y topics such as climate, cartography and continental drift, and then a highly visual feast of assorted snippets about people, landmarks and celebrities. A quiz at the end rounds out the variety. Lonely Planet’s kids imprint defines its mission as ‘Bringing the World to Life’, something this atlas certainly delivers. A companion app provides further facts as well as tests and games. 8+
This unashamedly unlikely tale is the second in Gemmell’s series about the Caddy children, wild Australian boys and girls who wound up in London at the end of WWII in The Kensington Reptilarium (Random House PB $16.99). Now, with Dad recovering from his wartime ordeals, they must again rely on their own resources on their mission to find the mother they thought dead. The story features a kidnapping, a brave dog, two new friends and the Icicle Illuminarium itself (a decaying house in the freezing North), and is told in extravagantly rich language. One for confident readers aged 10+.
THE IMAGINARY AF Harrold & Emily Gravett (illus.)
Laurinda is an exclusive school for girls in Melbourne. At its secret core is the Cabinet, a trio of girls who wield power over their classmates – and also over some of their teachers. Entering this world of wealth and secrets is Lucy Lam, a scholarship girl with sharp eyes and a shaky sense of self. Pung, author of the much-loved Unpolished Gem, addresses issues of class in this un-putdownable tale of Lucy’s struggle to stay true to herself as she finds her way in a new world of privilege and opportunity. 12+
NONA & ME Clare Atkins
Black Inc PB $19.99
L SPECIA E C I R P
Walker Books HB WAS $24.95 NOW $12.95
After Rosie sees her best childhood friend Nona for the first time in 10 years, she feels caught between two worlds, two loyalties. She is trying to impress her high-school friends and boyfriend, who, like Rosie, are Näpaki (non-Aboriginal kids), but Nona is Rosie’s Yolnu yapa (sister). Switching between 2007 and 1997, Nona and Me takes us into Yirrkala in the Northern Territory during the Howard Government’s Intervention. At the same time it is a beautifully evocative example of the coming-of-age trajectory that is the defining feature of YA fiction. 14+
ONE GORILLA Anthony Browne
One gorilla, two orang-utans and three chimpanzees. Illustrator Anthony Browne explores the family of primates and helps little ones learn to count from one to 10 in this colourful picture book. The detailed depictions of monkeys and apes help make numbers memorable, and also convey an important message about protecting our environment. 2+
Kids
23
SAM AND DAVE DIG A HOLE Mac Barnett & Jon Klassen
Walker Books HB $24.95
Sam and Dave are on a mission to find something spectacular, so they decide to dig a hole. And they find …nothing. But oddly enough, their day turns out to be spectacular regardless. This humorous look at the pleasures of outdoor play and its often surprising rewards is perfect for reading aloud, and the gorgeous illustrations by the winner of this year’s prestigious Kate Greenaway Medal will please every age. 3+
THE SLEEPER AND THE SPINDLE Neil Gaiman & Chris Riddell (illus.)
Bloomsbury HB $19.99
STATE OF GRACE Hilary Badger
Hardie Grant PB $19.95
L SPECIA E C I R P
Walker Books HB WAS $24.95 NOW $12.95
Wren and her friends live free from shame or responsibility in an exotic garden paradise. With no memory of anything but the present, their days are occupied by unconditional devotion to their creator, the munificent Dot, and the desire to throw dance parties, hook up, and enjoy other ‘dotly’ (good) activities. But things are changing, and something decidedly undotly is afoot in Wren’s idyllic world. Unwelcome memories are surfacing, and there’s a gorgeous and mysterious boy to contend with. Lord of the Flies meets Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies series in this fast-paced, sinister dystopian tale. 13+
ANIMALIUM: WELCOME TO THE MUSEUM
A thrillingly reimagined working of the Snow White story crossed with Sleeping Beauty, Gaiman and Riddell’s latest offering is sure to hold readers spellbound from start to finish. Reprising the dark humour and strong characters that made their multi-award-winning The Graveyard Book so memorable, this new story features illustrations enhanced with gold metallic ink and is a true work of art. 7+
Katie Scott & Katie Broom
The Five Mile Press HB $39.95
Resembling a volume from a 19thcentury library, this ‘virtual museum’ of a book features stunning illustrations and plenty of fascinating facts about more than 200 animal specimens. 8+
CLARIEL
Garth Nix
TEA AND SUGAR CHRISTMAS Jane Jolly & Robert Ingpen (illus.)
National Library of Australia HB $24.99
Viking HB $24.99
Allen & Unwin PB $22.99
This epic fantasy adventure is a prequel to Nix’s hugely popular Old Kingdom series, and features a powerful female heroine. 12+
Imagine a world where there’s no supermarket or local shop. Where provisions arrive once a week on a train, and where if you run out of tea and sugar there’s nothing to be done but wait for the next delivery. We join Kathleen as she waits in the outback for the Christmas train. Will Father Christmas be on it? This charming picture book illustrated by the celebrated Robert Ingpen tells the story of the provisions train that crossed the Nullarbor once a week for 78 years between 1918 and 1996, servicing all of the settlements along the route. 5+
TIM AND ED Ursula Dubosarsky & Andrew Joyner
THAT IS NOT A GOOD IDEA! Mo Williams
Award-winning author Mo Williams (Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, Knuffle Bunny) tells the story of a hungry fox (the villain), a plump goose (the ingenue) and a chorus of chickens who are trying to warn one of them that getting together with the other really isn’t a good idea. Modelled after a silent movie, the story is both suspenseful and hilarious, and little ones will love repeating the title catchphrase during bedtime readings. 2+
Highly Recommended
There is riotous fun to be had in this rhyming picture book from the crack team of Ursula Dubosarsky and Andrew Joyner. Twins Tim and Ed are wondering why there are two of them and only one of Dad. Why do they look the same? What will happen if one of them goes away for a night? And while all this is swirling round their heads, they’re falling into ponds, pedalling round the Hills Hoist, pulling faces and learning about independence. 3+
DEAR ZOO
Rod Campbell
Book & toy gift set $24.99
This classic lift-the-flap book, a favourite with toddlers since it was first published in 1982, is now available in a beautiful gift set accompanied by a soft and cuddly lion toy. 1+ BER DECEM SE A E L E R
EGG AND SPOON
Gregory Maguire
CWP HB $24.95
The latest fantasy novel from the author of the bestselling Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West tells the story of Elena Rudina, a poor Russian girl in Tsarist Russia. 12+
VIOLET INK
Rebecca Westcott
TRUE OR FALSE?
THE BRILLIANT WORLD OF TOM GATES Liz Pichon
When the first title in this series was released, middle readers everywhere rejoiced. Now it and six other titles about Tom, his school, his annoying teachers and his schoolmates have been packaged Scholastic 7-book set together in this slipcased set. Like the $79.99 Wimpy Kids books, these are fabulous titles for reluctant or challenged readers, with loads of illustrations and laughs to aid in accessibility. 9+
Dorling Kindersley HB $24.99
Like TV’s Mythbusters, this book uses a mix of fun and fact when analysing popularly held beliefs about the world. With around 80 myths about everything from the human body to the universe debunked or confirmed, there are too many highlights to list here. There are plenty of extras too, including a challenging quiz question on each page. It’s less hands-on than Mythbusters (thank goodness!), but is sure to result in long stretches of quiet punctuated by a regular ‘wow-did-youknow…’ from the absorbed reader. 10+
Puffin PB $14.99
Izzy has always got on really well with her older sister Alex. But then Alex gets a new boyfriend, and everything starts to change. A thoughtful novel about sisterly ties from the author of the much-loved Dandelion Clocks (Puffin. PB. $14.99). 11+
WHERE IS THE GREEN SHEEP? Mem Fox & Judy Horacek
Viking Gift set $24.99
WITHERING-BY-SEA Judith Rossell
HarperCollins HB $19.99
Like any good fictional Victorian orphan, Stella Montgomery lives with three coldhearted invalid aunts – Aunts Deliverance, Condolence and Temperance – who believe that children should be seen and not heard. So Stella has no-one to turn to when she discovers a dangerous secret and encounters dark magic. Instead, she must rely on her own resourcefulness and some new friends to save her skin and prevent an old evil coming into the world after she thwarts the evil magician Professor Starke. Old-fashioned black-and-white illustrations add to the atmosphere. 9+
YOU CALL THAT ART?! David A Carter & James Diaz
Abrams HB $29.99
This book refuses to talk down to its readers, trusting them to have the smarts and interest to understand the succinct and informative history of sculpture that fills the first pages. It goes on to introduce ten sculptors and their works, before turning from the theoretical to the practical. Sturdy die-cut pieces and instructions to make six sculptures are included in the book – as well as encouragement to freestyle with those pieces and self-made and found elements. It’s all about rethinking how art can be made and what it can be. 8+
This special 10th-anniversary gift set includes a board book and puzzle blocks that will be a huge hit with toddlers. 1+
THE WHISPERING SKULL Jonathan Stroud
Doubleday PB $22.99
The second book in the exciting series following the adventures of Lucy and George, the team behind London-based psychic detection agency, Lockwood & Co. 9+
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RIVERBEND BOOKS & CAFE 193 Oxford Street Bulimba QLD 4171 Tel: (07) 3899 8555 Fax: (07) 3395 7777 Email: info@riverbendbooks.com.au Web: www.riverbendbooks.com.au Open: Sun–Wed: 7am–6pm Thu–Sat: 7am–8pm Cafe: 7am–4pm daily
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Would you like yout loved ones, friends or colleagues to think you’re fabulous not just at Christmas but every month of the year? Each month we will send our carefully selected Book of the Month to the person you nominate. Contact us for more details: info@riverbendbooks.com.au or 07 3899 8555
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Please note: All details were correct at the time of printing. However, prices of imported items may change without notice due to the volatility of international exchange rates.
We offer free gift wrapping, but ask customers to consider making a gold coin donation to the Indigenous Literacy Foundation for every book wrapped.
Guarantee: If, on inspection, you’re not happy with a book selected through this guide, you can return it (in saleable condition) within 14 days of purchase and we’ll exchange it for another book of equivalent value or for a book voucher – the choice is yours.
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YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A LIBRARY OF BOOKS! To win a selection of books featured in this catalogue (total value approximately $6000): • pay close attention as you read the reviews in this guide • answer the questions scattered throughout the guide • fill in the form below with your answers • attach the form to a receipt from the purchase of an item from this guide (NB: your purchase must be from our shop) • return to our shop by THURSDAY 5 FEBRUARY 2015 I’d like to enter the competition. My answers are: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Entries must be received by 5pm on Thursday 5 February 2015. The prize will be drawn at Gleebooks, 49 Glebe Point Road, Glebe NSW, at 5pm on Friday 13 February 2015. To be eligible to enter, you must purchase an item from this catalogue at a participating shop, attach the receipt to your completed entry form and return it to a participating shop. The winners will be notified by post and announced in The Australian newspaper on Wednesday 18 February 2015. The prize is not transferable and may not be exchanged for cash. Titles are selected for the prize at the discretion of the promoter. Employees of participating bookshops are not permitted to enter the competition. Promoter: Gleebooks, 49 Glebe Point Road, Glebe NSW 2037. Tel: (02) 9660 2333. NSW Permit No. LTPS/14/08051.
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PROJECT MANAGER: VIRGINIA MAXWELL. REVIEWS: JANET AUSTIN, JANINE EBERLE, DEXTER GILLMAN, MAX HANDSAKER, LORIEN KAYE, DAVID MCCLYMONT, VIRGINIA MAXWELL, JOE RUBBO & VERONICA SULLIVAN. EDITING: VIRGINIA MAXWELL. PROOFREADING: JANET AUSTIN. COVER ILLUSTRATION: OSLO DAVIS. DESIGN: MARY CALLAHAN. PRINTING: HANNANPRINT VICTORIA.