June 2015 Reading Guide

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June Reading Guide 2 0 15 bet terread.com.au

Welcome to our Better Read Than Dead June Reading Guide!

“I wonder what it would be like to live in a world where it was always June.”

- L.M. Montgomery, Anne of the Island Dear Anne was of course talking about the early months of the Northern Hemisphere’s summer, but we’re going to take a bit of creative license with this quote. For us here in Sydney, June’s days are short and the nights long, the air is crisp and daydreams largely consist of crawling under a doona. This means we must work hard to insulate our store’s walls by lining the shelves with June new releases!

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So if the winter chill bites you as you walk down King Street, duck into our shop and enjoy the warming embrace of books (and maybe even our booksellers). Attend a High Tea and cradle a cup of hot tea in the company of book-lovers. Do the same with a red wine at one of our author talks. You may find that you’ll never want June to end if you take this approach.

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FICTION All our content for each category is linked directly. All you have to do is click on a tab!

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BETTER READ EVENTS

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Fiction Book of the Month

Gin’s Pick

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Mislaid | Nell Zink | $27.99 | HarperCollins

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I read Nell Zink’s second novel, Mislaid, with the obsession usually reserved for a filthy crush. It is not your typical American family story, and this is not for the easily offended.

Zink’s wit is dry and merciless. Set in Virginia USA in 1966 in ‘the swamp of discontent,’ smart and maybe-lesbian student Peggy marries her maybe-gay Professor Lee and they have two kids. That semblance of family is as close to conventional as this unique and marvellous story gets.

“It is not your typical American family story, and this is not for the easily offended.”

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Fiction The Gracekeepers | Kirsty Logan | $32.99 | Random House Inspired in part by Scottish myths and fairytales, The Gracekeepers tells a modern story of an irreparably changed world. Rising water levels have swallowed the soil and survivors cluster on islands and boats, where loneliness has become a way of life. Callanish has exiled herself to a life of tending watery graves as penance for a long-ago mistake that still haunts her, whilst North works as a performer in a floating circus. With similar themes to Margaret Atwood’s works and Emily St John Mandel’s Station Eleven, this is a lyrical and moving debut novel that is sure to envelop readers.

“...with similar themes to Margaret Atwood...and Emily St John Mandel...”

At the dawn of war in Great Britain, the rambling country estate of Alberberen Hall is shadowed by suspicion and paranoia. Delphine Venner, a thirteen-year-old whose gullible mother and unstable father have been taken in by the Hall’s elite society, is determined to uncover the secrets which shroud the estate. Exploring the house, Delphine discovers a secret network of passages and finds a world more dark and threatening than she ever imagined. A dark and dangerously unputdownable novel, The Honours invites you into a thrilling and fantastical world akin to those of Philip Pullman and Neil Gaiman.

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The Honours | Tim Clare | $27.99 | Allen & Unwin

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Fiction Dietland | Sarai Walker | $29.99 | Penguin Meet Plum Kettle, your new favourite antihero. Plum believes that her weight is preventing her from engaging with the world.

She waits and hides. She saves for weight loss surgery and anonymously writes as a teen advice columnist. Then Plum becomes involved with a nonconformist underground group.

Meanwhile, a feminist guerrilla group emerges who commit crimes against misogynists. This is a genre-bending novel with brilliant edge, suspense and humour.

“...a genre-bending novel with brilliant edge, suspense and humour.”

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Girl at War | Sara Novic | $29.99 | Hachette

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With generosity, intelligence and sheer storytelling talent, Novic’s first novel confronts the enduring impact of war and the bonds of country and friendship. Ten-year-old Ana Juric is a carefree tomboy who runs the streets of Croatia’s capital.

But when civil war breaks out across Yugoslavia– when soccer games and school lessons are supplanted by sniper fire and air raid drills–a daring escape plan to America becomes Ana’s only chance for survival. This riveting war saga and coming-of-age tale is sure to satisfy readers of Donna Tartt, Anthony Doerr and Anne Enright.

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Graphic Novels “I like the absurdity of this fantastical cast dealing with the utter mundane...”

SuperMutant Magic Academy | Jillian Tamaki | $29.99 | Pan MacMillan

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New York Times illustrator Jillian Tamaki’s web comic collection is finally here, thanks to Drawn & Quarterly. Although the title makes it sound a little bit like the Harry Potter stories, Tamaki wants us all to know that she’s “not interested in castles or wizarding class or fantastical monsters…only, like, disappointing food, or being ignored by your friend, or trying to make sense of your own body. I liked the absurdity of this fantastical cast dealing with the utter mundane.” We like that too.

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Seveneves | Neal Stephenson | $32.99 | HarperCollins The Moon explodes, dooming life on Earth to destruction in a blanketing hail of lunar fragments.

The first two thirds of this novel recount humanity’s bid for survival on an expansive space ark, of which the International Space Station forms the first building block. The final third is set 5,000 years later, when the descendants of those first survivors are planning a return to the surface of the long-abandoned home planet. Stephenson’s speculative fiction excites wonder while reflecting the tech/social/personal reality we already globally inhabit.

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The Water Knife | Paolo Bacigalupi | $29.99 | Hachette

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The author of debut phenomenon The Windup Girl dives once again onto an uncertain future, only this time the Colorado River is starting to dry up. When water is more valuable than gold, alliances shift like sand and the only thing that’s certain is that someone will have to bleed if anyone hopes to drink. Gritty and at times gruesome, Bacigalupi doesn’t gloss over the potential horrors that lie in wait for humanity, but he does so with his signature wistful and gripping prose.

“Bacigalupi doesn’t gloss over the potential horrors that lie in wait for humanity...”

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Cooking Steph’s Pick

At Home In the Whole Food Kitchen | Amy Chaplin | $39.99 | Allen & Unwin Chaplin combines her love of whole foods and training as a chef in this stunning, sophisticated vegetarian cookbook, which aims to inspire omnivores, vegetarians and vegans alike to all eat well at every meal. Starting with the foundations of stocking a pantry and understanding your ingredients before advancing to preparing seasonal feasts, At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen will provide you with all the tools you need to cook in a nourishing and delicious way, right in your own kitchen.

Be sure to try the fragrant eggplant curry with cardamom rice, a favourite of mine!

The Detox Kitchen Bible | Lila Simpson | $49.99 | Bloomsbury Lily Simpson, who runs a boutique health food deli, and nutritionist Rob Hobson share their philosophy that great health can be attained through great food! This cookbook contains 200 of Lily’s delectable recipes, focusing on clever combinations of spice, herbs and oils whilst eliminating wheat, dairy and refined sugar. Each recipe is accompanied by an explanation by Hobson, revealing how the dishes can help you lose weight, reach your target health needs and gain energy.

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“...cook in a nourishing and delicious way, right in your own kitchen.”

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Biography The Director is the Commander | Anna Broinowski | $32.99 | Penguin Australian film director Anna Broinowski recounts her trip to North Korea to make the somewhat tonguein-cheek documentary Aim High in Creation (2013) in friendly collaboration with some North Korean film-makers loyal to the local regime’s infamously benighted cultural ideology. Fascination with the propagandistic style of North Korean film—as prescribed in Kim Jong-Il’s book on cinema—was one of several factors, personal and professional, prompting Broinowski’s leap into the project. The generosity of her hosts was a new lesson about people and politics, and we look forward to hosting an event with her at the end of June!

Anna is our Better Read Talking Head for June!

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You Could Do Something Amazing With Your Life (You Are Raoul Moat) | Andrew Hankinson | $29.99 | Scribe

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Fellow Geordie and journalist Andrew Hankinson gives disturbing and uncomfortably intimate insight into the feelings and motivations of the infamous Raoul Moat. Moat was a body-builder and mechanic who became notorious after shooting his ex-girlfriend, his ex-girlfriend’s partner, and a police officer before taking to the Northumberland woods. What followed was tragic and bizarre, as sensationalist machinations became directly involved in efforts to track and calm Moat.

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Biography Unabrow: Misadventures of a Late Bloomer | Una LaMarche | $24.99 | Penguin If you fantasise about being best friends with Mindy Kaling, Caitlin Moran and Amy Poehler (like half our staff do, including myself) then you’re going to want to add Una LaMarche to this list. You may know her blog, The Sassy Curmudgeon (fabulous title) and you’ll find her memoir to be like a collection of blog posts; topics range from an “Open Letter to Rompers” to her experiences with insomnia, and formats vary from narrative to lists and flow charts. If you see someone laughing uncontrollably on public transport in the next few weeks, have a look at what’s in their hands and I’m sure you’ll find that it’s because they’re reading this book.

Adams’ Pick

Amelia’s Pick

This book is an absolute cracker! Norton Lodge’s collection of bite-sized vignettes will have you loudly laughing wherever you read it. Locals may recognise Annandale of the 90’s, crawling with characterful denizens that range from endearingly maladjusted to genuinely unsettling. These are all illustrated with Norton Lodge’s comic sparkle and gift for seeing the humorously absurd around us all (especially here in the Inner West). A must-read!

“...crawling with characterful denizens...”

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Almost Sincerely | Zoe Norton Lodge | $24.99 | Giramondo

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Non-Fiction Supermarket Monsters: The Price of Coles and Woolworths’ Dominance | Malcolm Knox | $19.99 | Black Inc Coles and Woolworths jointly rule Australia’s retail landscape; with each Australian spending on average $100 a week across their major hardware, petrol, general merchandise, liquor and grocery stores. But what does this dominance mean for consumers and suppliers?

Journalist and author Malcolm Knox set out to shed light on our mega-retailers and reveals the not-so-ethical tactics used to bring us prices that are “down, down” and compromise the quality, diversity and community we have come to expect. Yet another brilliantly concise read from Black Inc’s Redback series.

Fergus’ Pick

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The Short Long Book | Martin Flanagan | $17.99 | Random House

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Martin Flanagan (yes, the brother of Richard) portraits one of the most quietly influential figures in Australian sport. Seven minutes into a Collingwood vs Essendon match in 1995, Long refused to allow a racial insult from another player pass and in doing so inspired the support of the crowd and transformed the tone of Australian Rules. This is the story of Long from his beginnings as a shy kid in Darwin, and paints a picture of a man whose wry sense of humour and jokey affability belies his seriousness and engagement as a thinker.

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Non-Fiction Philosophy for Militants | Alain Badiou | $12.99 | Bloomsbury How can we relate philosophic Truth to political Justice in this age of coercively ‘democratised’—i.e., capitalist-economised—opinion?

What does the disposal (death) of innumerable soldiers in industrially equipped conflicts past, present and future signify? By what miracle can radical egalitarian thought even recognise itself under present conditions? Marxist philosopher Badiou expands upon these and other potentially youth-inspiring questions and themes through three essays and an interview.

Once Upon a Time in Russia | Ben Mezrich | $35.00 | Random House

I Gave a Gonski: Selected Speeches | David Gonski | $32.99 | Penguin Now here’s a book that’s sure to stimulate some lively discussions! David Gonski is a lawyer, company chairman, patron of the arts, philanthropist, famed adviser, household name AND political incantation. In this collection he presents his speeches as well as his insights and assertions about his diverse passions: education funding, the importance of women on boards, and the importance of philanthropy. This stylish volume also contains Gonski’s musings on his own role in public debate, his parents’ migration, and his experience of turning sixty.

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Bestselling author of Bringing Down the House and The Accidental Billionaires delivers an epic drama of wealth, rivalry, and betrayal among mega-wealthy Russian oligarchs and its international repercussions.

This is the untold true story of the men who reaped riches after the fall of the Soviet regime. Written with the heart-stopping pacing of a thriller, Once Upon a Time in Russia is both personal and political, offering an unprecedented look into the fall of communism and the shaping of today’s Russia while still appealing to the world’s endless appetite for stories like The Wolf of Wall Street.

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Non-Fiction The Simple Act of Reading | Debra Adelaide (ed.) | $29.99 | Random House

Adams’ Pick

This anthology has four things that, in my opinion, make is a must-read. The first is the title, which is a reference to a Junot Diaz quote and one that obviously resonates with all book-lovers. The second is that it’s edited by Debra Adelaide, who is a wonderful human being. Third, it features contributions from the best Australian writers working today, ranging from Gail Jones to Andy Griffths, and they’re all writing about why reading is vital to their lives. And, finally, all proceeds from sales will support the local not-for-profit Sydney Story Factory, which encourages young people to write. Sold? I am.

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The Good Story: Exchanges on truth, fiction and psychotherapy | J.M. Coetzee & Arabella Kurtz | $29.99 | Random House

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We all tell stories; whether we believe they are true is another story. I was so excited to delve into this conversation between a Nobel Prize-winning author and a psychotherapist.

Drawing on their shared interest about the role stories play in helping us make sense of the world, Kurtz and Coetzee dive into individual and group psychology.

Using wisdom from both literature and psychoanalysis, this book will solve all the problems I am having with my Masters of Creative Writing on memoir!

Alison’s Pick

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Conran on Colour | Terence Conran | $49.99 | Hachette Here Terence Conran shares a lifetime of experience as one of the world’s leading designers, retailers and restaurateurs in an age in which decorative colour is available and affordable to an unprecedented extent. This book is beautiful in its own right, but more than that it’s an indispensable resource for decorators, renovators, designers, or anyone who has found themselves baffled by the dazzling array of colours that saturate our visual lives!

Architects build according to the wishes of their clients, but what would an architect build if he were liberated from the whims of the uninitiated and inexpert?! This lavishly photographed book shows us what architects wish they could build, what they actually end up building as well as the processes that take them from their dream to whatever reality allows. Crafti’s book is vivid and fresh and is perfect for providing inspiration from the cutting edge of architecture.

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Architects’ Houses: Twenty Australian Homes | Stephen Crafti | $79.99 | Murdoch Books

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Musings from the Inner Duck | Michael Leunig | $24.99 | Penguin Who doesn’t love some gentle philosophy from the animals! As always, Leunig delivers a new collection of cartoons full of whimsy and profundity. Rhymes, musings, theoretical questioning, silly jokes and all manner of reflections combine with Leunig’s unique cartoons to leave you feeling a little bit lighter and a little less cynical about this crazy world we live in.

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“...combine...to leave you feeling a little bit lighter and a little less cynical about this crazy world we live in.”

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Lifestyle Compost City: Practical composting know-how for small-space living | Rebecca Louie | $24.99 | Random House Composting has taken the city by storm. Whether you’re a staunch environmentalist, a green urbanite or backyard hobbyist, Louie’s book will help you go green in the smallest of city spaces and tackles questions like “How are you supposed to be green-minded when there’s no green space in sight?” Packed with research, expert testimonies and a healthy dose of humour, Compost City delivers essential composting strategies that’ll help curious, adventurous, eco-minded people get down to earth.

Gin’s Pick

Altruism: The Power of Compassion to Change Yourself and the World | Matthieu Ricard | $24.99 | Allen & Unwin

The Diet Myth: The Real Science Behind What We Eat | Tim Spector | $32.99 | Hachette The question of what to eat is bewildering to all of us, with varying advice from experts and dietitians not quite managing to tackle the global obesity crisis. The Diet Myth shifts away from a focus on fad diets and uncovers the genetic science which plays a role in determining how healthy we are. Looking at the essential gut microbes that digest our food and drawing on the latest microbiome research, Spector shows us why we should stop listening to diet myths and instead embrace diversity for a healthy gut and body.

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If I could be any Buddhist monk, I’d be Matthieu Ricard. Known as a master of meditation and for advising and translating the Dalai Lama, this French biochemist-turned-monk is concerned with training our minds to cultivate happiness. This book is a practical guide to the application of compassion and altruism in our everyday lives. He demonstrates how moving away from selfishness betters our brains, social worlds and, consequently, our whole lives. ‘Altruism’ has never been more relevant.

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