EASTER READING GUIDE 2019 BETTER READ THAN DEAD | 265 KING ST NEWTOWN NSW 2042
FICTION
A Universe of Sufficient Size | Miriam Sved | $32.99 | Pan Macmillan | Sylvia’s Pick Eastern Suburbs, 2007: Illy, after burying her violent father, begins to unravel as she reads a diary her elderly Hungarian mother leaves for her to discover. This intriguing novel switches between prewar Hungary in 1938 and modern-day Australia as it tells the story of a group of Hungarian intellectuals, two being talented female mathematicians, and the effect the rise of Hitler has on them and their future.
Mouthful of Birds | Samanta Schweblin | $29.99 | Bloomsbury | Dean’s Pick An eerie collection of short stories woven from loose ends that are otherworldly, unsettling and completely brilliant. Argentinian author Schweblin embraces the darkest corners of magical realism where each character must contend with the unexpected. In the namesake story (and my personal favourite) a father must contend with his child turning into a bird.
Queenie | Candice Carty-Williams | $29.99 | Hachette | Emma C’s Pick Funny, smart, astute, electric — I loved this novel! Queenie is disguised as chick-lit but don’t discount it for a minute. It is so much more! Queenie Jenkins is a young woman whose family immigrated to London from Jamaica. When she and her white boyfriend Tom decide to “go on a break”, she packs her possessions and gives Tom “some space” — here, she enters a vulnerable and liminal place where anything could happen. Queenie is fabulous, very easy to love and feel connected to, and has made me feel compelled to do better and to stand up for all women.
The Forest of Wool and Steel | Natsu Miyashita | $24.99 | Random House | Alisha’s Pick This is an exquisite, lyrical novel by bestselling Japanese author Natsu Miyashita. Its title pays tribute to the delicate and intricate materials that are housed inside the body of a piano — wool and steel — and the way that they look and sound like a musical forest. This reads as a love song to the piano, as the protagonist finds his calling as a piano tuner. A rewarding read.
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The Parade | Dave Eggers | $35 | Penguin | Lillian’s Pick Two men, only identified by numbers, are sent to an unnamed country which is only just emerging from a decade of civil war. They are contracted to help build a highway connecting the two divided halves of the state but their radically different personalities force them to confront the consequences of their presence and role in a foreign nation’s struggle for peace. A suspenseful, absurdist and very refreshing read!
Machines Like Me | Ian McEwan | $32.99 | Random House | Kate’s Pick Set in an alternate version of 1980s London, McEwan drip-feeds us history — some true to our reality, while some events have completely changed the trajectory of modern society. When a limited number of Adams and Eves (the first humanoid AI inventions) become available to purchase, our narrator Charlie splurges his inheritance on an Adam. He’s at a loose end, and hopeful the machine will draw his attractive upstairs neighbour, Miranda, closer. A story of love, jealousy, and revenge ensues – in classic McEwan style.
The Snakes | Sadie Jones | $32.99 | Random House | Dean’s Pick A gripping and wonderfully complex family drama examining the corrupting influence of money and power. In the face of tragedy, a wealthy family’s secrets are exposed. This story is unexpected — it twists with menace and keeps you engaged with its multi-layered (and at times horrific) characters and thought-provoking depth. Tense and terrific!
The Heavens | Sandra Newman | $29.99 | Allen and Unwin | Virginia’s Pick This is an astonishing novel of unsettling beauty, warmth and fluidity. Set at once in ‘real’ Manhattan in the year 2000, though with a green political party in power, and Shakespearean England, the novel focuses on the relationship of Kate and Ben who meet at a party. That’s pretty much where anything conventional ends. Peopled with fascinating characters and asking difficult questions, this novel is the most creative illumination of unconsciousness and possibilities of individual power and lives I have read.
A captivating and thoughtful crime novella which interrogates ongoing racism and guilt in contemporary Australia. No One begins in Redfern, when a man feels a thud against his car and doesn’t stop. There’s blood and a dent on his car but when he returns to the scene, the road is empty. Beautiful craftsmanship by John Hughes.
The Van Apfel Girls are Gone | Felicity McLean | $ 32.99 | HarperCollins | John’s Pick We were blessed to launch Felicity McLean’s superb and captivating debut novel (her ghost-writing past having put her in good stead). A mysterious, gothic and blackly humorous interweaving of memory and childhood trauma, with Tikka, the marvellous child narrator, struggling with doubt and the lingering unanswered questions about the Van Apfel girls’ disappearance. It’s Jasper Jones meets Picnic at Hanging Rock. Perfect for book clubs.
Eight Lives | Susan Hurley | $29.99 | Affirm Press | John’s Pick
River of Salt | Dave Warner | $29.99 | Fremantle Press | Alisha’s Pick
A cultured and gripping thriller that keeps you on edge till the very last. Based on a real life drug trial that ended in catastrophe, Eight Lives explores the mystifying death of David Tran, a former refugee and so-called ‘Golden Boy’ of Australian immunology who had discovered a drug that could change medicine. The story is told by David’s friends, family and colleagues, but all have different motivations and none of them have all the facts. A classy and highly addictive read.
The Shining Wall is a gritty dystopian novel that explores what it takes to survive in an elitist, fractured world. Ferguson delves into what it means to be a woman, a sister and a friend in a society that is crumbling around you (sound familiar?) which is divided literally, by a wall. A fiercely feminist book that weaves power, love and survival in a post-apocalyptic universe.
Gingerbread | Helen Oyeyemi | $29.99 | Pan Macmillan | Olivia’s Pick While Gingerbread takes its inspiration from many familiar fairy-tales (have you ever before realised just how many of them feature gingerbread, and what that might mean?), Oyeyemi skillfully twists her new novel into a masterpiece of unsettling excellence that gestures towards its roots through allegory and magic realism. Embrace Oyeyemi’s wit and hyperreality and be rewarded with a wonderfully written, transporting novel about a mother and daughter and their family legacy.
If Tim Winton and Nicholas Pileggi had a love child, this book would be it. From the winner of the Ned Kelly award for Best Fiction comes River of Salt, an original and intriguing Aussie crime book that captures both the essence of coastal life and the thrill of a classic murder mystery. Warner has written another nail-biting novel and pulled off the impressive feat of turning a criminal from Philadelphia into an allround likeable Aussie bloke.
The Migration | Helen Marshall | $19.99 | NewSouth Books | Kate’s Pick Storms and flooding are worsening around the world and a previously unknown immune disorder is spreading amongst children. When Sophie’s little sister is diagnosed, their mother moves the family to Oxford to live with her historical epidemiologist sister, who is working to unravel the mystery of this illness. The Migration is at once an unsettling and immersive dark fantasy and an incredibly moving portrait of sisterhood.
The Handmaid’s Tale: The Graphic Novel | Margaret Atwood | $49.99 | Random House | Emma C’s Pick Praise be! Atwood’s modern classic is given a vivid and powerful new life as a graphic novel with the help of artist Renée Nault. Whether you’ve never read the book or you’re a long-time Atwood fan, this adaption is enthralling. Nault’s style enriches the story and adds to the haunting, foreboding atmosphere Atwood so incredibly describes. The illustrations are chillingly good. Potent reading!
SCI-FI/FANTASY/GRAPHIC NOVELS
The Shining Wall | Melissa Ferguson | $29.99 | NewSouth Books | Olivia’s Pick
CRIME FICTION
No One | John Hughes | $24.99 | NewSouth Books | Emma C’s Pick
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NON-FICTION Growing Up African in Australia | Edited by Maxine Beneba Clarke | $29.99 | Black Inc | Emma’s Pick The power of the anthology to gather and highlight the hidden stories of marginalised groups is fully realised here. The dazzling diversity of African regional identity — from South Africa to the Sudan — is explored by the book’s many contributors including Faustina Agolley, Carly Findlay and Khalid Warsame. Growing Up African in Australia is urgent storytelling for our times.
City of Trees | Sophie Cunningham | $24.99 | Text Publishing | Deserae’s Pick
Dr Space Junk vs The Universe | Alice Gorman | $29.99 | NewSouth | Lucy’s Pick
The Colonial Fantasy | Sarah Maddison | $34.99 | Allen & Unwin | Emma C’s Pick
Cunningham shows her mastery of nuance and arresting detail in this collection as she focuses on questions of life and death in the context of global warming. Reminiscent of Rebecca Solnit’s luscious and political environmental writing, she artfully interweaves memoir and travel writing. The essays consider vast geographical and emotional terrain, from forests, Icelandic glaciers, and cityscapes, to her personal experiences of death.
Dr Space Junk wildly and inventively reforms the notion that archaeology is solely to do with ancient history as she explores the history of space age innovation and examines the long-lasting fascination we’ve had with space through the discarded debris we’ve left behind. A fascinating read for the average space junkie, as she reveals that space is not as empty (physically or culturally) as we may think.
Maddison – celebrated author, academic and director of Get Up! – calls for a radical restructure of the relationship between black and white Australia in The Colonial Fantasy. Maddison makes a convincing case for constitutionally recognised clan-based treaties; treaties aimed to ensure that First Nations people reclaim genuine sovereignty. This book is a groundbreaking analysis of Indigenous affairs. Crucial reading for all Australians!
Serving the Servant: Remembering Kurt Cobain | Danny Goldberg| $32.99 | Hachette | Alisha’s Pick Kurt Cobain was the frontman of Nirvana, the unashamedly angsty, tormented, gritty punk rock band of the ‘90s that became both a musical and cultural icon for an entire generation. Danny Goldberg was Nirvana’s manager from 1990 to 1994, at the height of their fame, and this book is a powerful reflection on Cobain’s music and life. From his marriage to Courtney Love to his struggles with addiction, Cobain’s life is treated in this book with praise, respect, and honest scrutiny. Well worth the read.
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Walking: One Step At A Time | Erling Kagge | $24.99 | Penguin | Virginia’s Pick A practised walker, Kaage has walked to both the North and South Poles and the summit of Everest. This book is not a guide or instruction manual, but a collection of observations and ideas gleaned from his experiences. It is a lyrical essay on walking, journeying and distance, speed and exploration. “The thing is, the world remains unexplored because the world is changing all the time but also because there’s always a new way to see everything”. Like his book on silence, Walking is a quiet inspiration.
The Little Girl on the Ice Floe: A Memoir | Adelaide Bon | $35.00 | Hachette | Lucy H’s Pick
StressLess: Proven Methods to Reduce Stress, Manage Anxiety and Lift Your Mood | Matthew Johnstone | $29.99 | Pan Macmillan | Virginia’s Pick
A harrowing account of Bon’s sexual assault at age nine and a courageous exploration of the aftermath of trauma which presents us with the often unseen details of being a survivor. When Bon has the opportunity
In StressLess, Matthew Johnstone and clinical psychologist Dr. Michael Player and use their own experiences to help recognise stress and share their techniques to manage symptoms. This practical guide teaches recognition of damaging
to confront the man who abused her, she offers a glaring insight into the woefully unprepared legal system which lets down so many abuse victims. Whilst this book is difficult to read and utterly heartbreaking, it is a powerfully important testimony that needs to be read.
thought patterns, how to change stressful actions, and relaxation methods. Relax using breathing, stretching, meditation and mindfulness. Illustrated, easy to follow and based on the latest medical science, this is a toolkit for healthier living.
with
KATE FORSYTH The Cotswolds, England 16 - 24 June 2019 Join internationally bestselling author Kate Forsyth for a week in beautiful Stratford-uponAvon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare, at a writing retreat designed to help you re-discover your creativity and joy in writing.
RUSSIAN CLASSICS
BETTER READ LITERARY TOURS
CREATIVE WRITING IN THE COTSWOLDS
with
ROSAMUND BARTLETT Moscow - St. Petersburg, Russia 6 - 17 September 2019 From Moscow to St Petersburg, join us as we explore the home of literary masters such as Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Chekhov, Nabokov and Pushkin. Rosamund Bartlett, a biographer and translator of Tolstoy and Chekhov, and the co-author of ‘Literary Russia: A Guide,’ is perfectly placed to walk alongside you as you retrace the footsteps of these famous authors and immerse yourself within the legendary settings of their world-renowned novels.
MEMOIR WRITING IN PARIS with
PATTI MILLER Paris, France 16 - 31 October 2019 Memoir Writing in Paris 2019 is not a tour... it is a journey of renewal and discovery for those who want to experience Paris not as tourists but from the inside, writing and living in this fascinating city.
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BETTER READ KIDS
Write a short creative piece in any format — fiction, non-fiction, poetry, comics — of around 800 words which engages with the theme Heroes and Villains. The competition is open to children aged 8-14. The winners will be published in the next Better Read Kids Anthology of Writing. Prizes will be awarded at a special launch event in June, including a $100 Better Read Than Dead voucher for first place and a $50 voucher for the runner up. Email entries to kids@betterread.com.au by April 26 with the subject line ‘Kids Writing Competition’ Heroes and villains: whose side are you on?
The Deadly 7 | Garth Jennings | $14.99 | Pan Macmillan | Hester’s Pick After his sister goes missing, eleven-year-old Nelson finds himself living with his uncle, an eccentric plumber who works at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. In an ancient crypt Nelson stumbles across a strange invention which extracts the so-called “seven deadly sins” from his soul, turning them into living, breathing monsters that follow him around everywhere. In a twist of fate, Nelson realises that these ugly, smelly, and embarrassing monsters are just the companions he needs for his global search for his sister. Ages 9+
Our Castle By the Sea | Lucy Strange | $16.99 | Chicken House | Kate’s Pick
Secret Runners of New York | Matthew Reilly | $16.99 | Pan Macmillan | Hester’s Pick
Pet has grown up in a lighthouse on an English clifftop with her family, and her life so far has been filled with storms, secret tunnels and enchanting stories of sea monsters. Now Pet is 12 years old, England is at war, and her half German mother has been accused of espionage. Pet feels it is up to her to clear her mother’s name and reveal the true spy in their midst... This is a gripping wartime adventure guaranteed to thrill fans of The War That Saved My Life, as well as anyone who — like me — has always dreamt of living in a lighthouse. Ages 10+
In this dystopian thriller, the line between rich and poor is the line between life and death. Skye and her twin brother Red move to New York City, where there are rumours of a global apocalypse growing. This doesn’t stop the young elite from partying, but everything changes when Skye joins an exclusive gang called ‘The Secret Runners of New York’. This group has access to a secret portal to the future, and what Skye finds there is horrifying. Ages 12+
Join our kids specialist Olivia for a series of action-packed workshops these April school holidays! Our programme has been inspired by the Better Read Kids Creative Writing Competition theme Heroes & Villains, and the workshops have been specially designed to get your kids writing, drawing and playing. Book online at www.betterreadevents.com/kids-events Ages 8-10: Wednesday April 17, 10:00am-11:30am — $20 Ages 11+: Wednesday April 17, 1:30pm-4:30pm — $30 Ages 6-8: Thursday April 18, 1:30pm-4:30pm — $15
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A gorgeously illustrated picture book from award-winning Agee, The Wall in the Middle of the Book is a timely and powerful reminder of the dangers of putting up walls to keep others out. Indeed, you never know what dangers are lurking on your own side of the wall! Fun and quirky, this book is a light-hearted encouragement not to judge others based on their appearance or where they are from. Ages 3+
PERFECT FOR
AGES 3-5
BETTER READ KIDS
The Wall in the Middle of the Book | Jon Agee | $16.99 | Scholastic | Lucy H’s Pick
Story Time with Olivia
Every Thursday morning at 10am
Super Sidekicks 1: No Adults Allowed | Gavin Aung Than | $9.99 | Puffin | Olivia’s Pick
Ultimate Animal Counting Book | Jennifer Cossins | $29.99 | Hachette | Sylvia’s Pick
Being a sidekick isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be, so a bunch of sidekicks form a team and decide to become full-time heroes! But before they do, they need to prove their worth to the adults… A fun, out-of-this-world debut novel (and the first in a new series!) that will have kids aged 6+ hooting with laughter and dreaming about what they could do with superpowers.
This is not your average counting book! The gorgeous illustrations go from one of the biggest animals on earth — the blue whale — to 100 of the smallest, fairy flies, with a near-complete menagerie in between. Delightful, colourful and informative, this large-format treasury is sure to entrance children and adults alike. My favourite is the plant hopper (there are 97 of those to count…). Ages 2+
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EVENTS
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SOLD OUT: Sunday Crafternoon with Sophie Hansen | A Basket by the Door Julie Keys with Pip Smith | The Artist’s Portrait Ben Elton with Simon Marnie | Identity Crisis Stephen Davis | Truthteller SOLD OUT: High Tea with Natasha Lester | The French Photographer Tony Cavanaugh with Catherine du Peloux MenagÊ | Blood River Celebration of Robert Harris | The Gang of One: Selected Poems
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The books featured in the Better Read Than Dead Easter Reading Guide have all be hand-selected and reviewed by our Better Read Than Dead and Better Read Kids booksellers. Prices and information are correct at time of print. The front cover illustration has been created by Sally Ann Conwell. It is reproduced here with her permission. For more of her artwork, visit www. sallyannconwell.com
