THE INDEPENDENT BOOKSELLER'S Australian Independent Bookseller
MONTHLY HIGHLIGHTS OCTOBER
All the best books from your local independent bookstore Australian Independent Bookseller
FICTION
GOODWOOD
THE WONDER
Holly Throsby Paperback RRP $ 29.99
Emma Donaghue Paperback RRP $ 29.99
Goodwood is a small town where everyone knows everything about everyone. It’s a place where it’s impossible to keep a secret. People die in Goodwood, of course, but never like this. They don’t just disappear. Travel to Goodwood, a small community torn apart by dark rumours and mystery.
An eleven-yearold girl stops eating, but remains miraculously alive and well. A nurse, sent to investigate whether she is a fraud, meets a journalist hungry for a story. Pitting all the seductions of fundamentalism against sense and love, The Wonder is a searing examination of what nourishes us, body and soul.
THE BIRDMAN’S WIFE Melissa Ashley Hardback RRP $ 32.99 Artist Elizabeth Gould captured the sublime beauty of birds the world had never seen before but her legacy was eclipsed by her husband’s fame. The Birdman’s Wife gives voice to a passionate and restless spirit who comes into her own as an artist and adventurer, defying convention to discover Australia’s ‘curious ’birdlife.
NON-FICTION THE BOY BEHIND THE CURTAIN
WORKING CLASS BOY
Tim Winton Hardback RRP $ 45.00
Jimmy Barnes Hardback RRP $ 45.00
3rd October release, advance orders welcome
The remarkable true stories of The Boy Behind the Curtain reveal an intimate and rare view of Tim Winton’s imagination at work and play. By turns impassioned, funny, joyous, astonishing, this is Winton’s most personal book to date, an insight into the man who’s held us enthralled for three decades.
Working Class Boy is a powerful reflection on a traumatic and violent childhood, which fuelled the excess and recklessness that would define, but almost destroy, the rock’n’roll legend. This is the story of how James Swan became Jimmy Barnes. It is a memoir burning with the frustration and frenetic energy of teenage sex, drugs, violence and ambition for more than what you have.
PASSCHENDAELE: REQUIEM FOR DOOMED YOUTH Paul Ham Hardback RRP $ 45.00 3rd October release, advance orders welcome
Passchendaele tells the story of ordinary men in the grip of a political and military power struggle that determined their fate. It lays down a powerful challenge to the idea of war as an inevitable expression of the human will, and examines the culpability of governments and military commanders.
CHILDREN’S PIG THE ELF Aaron Blabey Hardback RRP $16.99 Everyone’s favourite Pug is here to spread some holiday cheer! From the multi-award-winning picturebook creator Aaron Blabey comes another fabulous story guaranteed to make you laugh out loud! An ideal readaloud, it is perfect for teaching children about manners and Christmas spirit. Age: 3+
ARTIE AND THE GRIME WAVE Richard Roxburgh Paperback RRP $16.99 12th October release, advance orders welcome
Artie and his best friend, Bumshoe, are solving a mystery but it’s a sticky situation and if Artie’s going to escape, he might need help from family, friends, a little old lady, a small dog and the Fartex 120Y. A riotously funny adventure from the multitalented Richard Roxburgh. Age: 8+
WE FOUND A HAT Jon Klassen Hardback RRP $ 24.99 Two turtles have found a hat. The hat looks good on both of them. But there are two turtles. And there is only one hat... Evoking hilarity and sympathy, the shifting eyes tell the tale in this perfectly paced story in three parts, highlighting Jon Klassen’s visual comedy, deceptive simplicity and deliciously deadpan humour. Age: 3+
BOOK OF THE MONTH THE GOOD PEOPLE Hannah Kent Paperback RRP $ 32.99 Ireland, 1825. Nóra Leahy has lost her daughter and her husband in the same year, and is now burdened with the care of her four-year-old grandson. The boy cannot walk, or speak, and Nora, mistrustful of the tongues of gossips, has kept the child hidden from those who might see in his deformity evidence of otherworldly interference. Alone, hedged in by rumour, Nora seeks out the only person in the valley who might be able to help. For although her neighbours are wary of her, it is said that old Nance Roche has the knowledge. That she consorts with Them, the Good People. And that only she can return those whom they have taken... ABOUT THE AUTHOR Hannah Kent is the cofounder of Australian literary journal Kill Your Darlings. In 2011, she won the inaugural Writing Australia Unpublished Manuscript Award for her debut novel, Burial Rites. Since its publication in 2013, Burial Rites has been translated into nearly thirty languages and has received numerous awards and nominations.
KIDS PICK HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS J.K. Rowling & Jim Kay (Illus) Hardback RRP $ 59.99 4th October release, advance orders welcome
Prepare to be spellbound by Jim Kay’s dazzling full-colour illustrations in this stunning new edition of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. With paint, pencil and pixels, awardwinning illustrator Jim Kay conjures the wizarding world as we have never seen it before. This inspired reimagining will captivate fans and new readers alike, as Harry and his friends, now in their second year at Hogwarts, seek out a legendary chamber and the secret that lies at its heart.