OCTOBER READING GUIDE
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OUR BOOKS OF THE MONTH
The Sky is Concave | Majeda Awawdeh | $36.99 | UQP Threading the elegance of mathematical theory through a socio-political analogy for her own life, Awawdeh tells a devastatingly beautiful story of growing up a Palestinian female citizen of Israel, her earliest school days already carrying the shadow of Al-Nakba, and the discrimination and displacement it set in motion still shaping daily life for Palestinian citizens of Israel decades on. Amid rising religious conservatism and patriarchal oppression, education becomes her lifeboat, carrying her through an arduous journey from domestic violence and religious constraint towards freedom. Written with fierce, poetic honesty, The Sky Is Concave traces Awawdeh's transformation from a childhood of civil discrimination into a life of scholarship, entrepreneurship and the love of her three children in Australia. It is an unforgettable story about daring to question the limits of one's world and reshaping one's own sky. – Emily
The Elders | Dan Bourchier | $36.99 | Macmillan In 2023, award-winning journalist Dan Bourchier became the ABC’s Voice and Referendum Correspondent. As part of his work, Dan travelled across Australia to interview Indigenous Elders for the series One Plus One: The Elders in the hope of fostering understanding and connection. This book is an extrapolation of that spellbinding series, and allows Dan, who has Indigenous heritage on his mother’s side, to further explore the experiences, wisdom, love of family and Country, resilience and determination these vital members of the community have – and wish to impart to younger generations not only before it is too late but also as an act of healing. The Elders featured here have worked tirelessly for change and recognition for First Nations peoples. The job for all of us now is to listen – truly listen – to them… and maybe that understanding and connection might finally become a reality. – Sylvia
Hometown | Shaun Tan | $35.00 | Allen & Unwin There has been an enormous amount of anticipation running through our team recently, with all of us wanting to be the first to lay their hands on the latest masterpiece from the master storyteller and artist Shaun Tan. He does not disappoint. You look around you, everything is familiar, everything is as you’ve always seen it – sisters, brothers, friends, school, even a quiet place to gather your thoughts. Until one day someone comes from far away to challenge you and tells you that you are different and don’t belong. A truly beautiful story of what it means to see with your heart not just your eyes, and what it means to belong – to family, to somewhere, to yourself – even if all those things don’t look like you. Touching, passionate, thoughtful and magical. – Robert
Simple Pleasures | Julia Busuttil Nishimura | $44.99 | Plum/Pan Macmillan Each of Julia Busuttil Nishimura cookbooks have had us sighing with pleasure over her comforting, delicious and deeply satisfying recipes, and I’m delighted to say that her latest book, Simple Pleasures, continues the trend. Indeed, a food-inspired rush of dopamine is likely to embrace you from the very first page! In this love letter to home cooking, Julia celebrates and highlights seasonal produce; presents easy, often one-pan dishes that can be made any night of the week; and reminds us of the many virtues of a well-stocked pantry. The tempting recipes include Pasta e Fagioli; Lemony Tomato & Bean Broth; Casarecce with Caramelised Fennel & Saugage; Potato, Onion & Gruyère Tart; and End of Summer Plum Cake with Almond & Vanilla. Ahh, heaven! – Sylvia
Gone Guru | Nadine Browne | $34.99 | Fremantle Press I’d been living in Harlem for two weeks before I realised my roommate was missing. With a first line like that, wouldn’t you be hooked? I certainly was. This debut by Aussie Nadine Browne sees Noni, a social worker who grew up in a religious cult, land in New York to attend a prestigious writing school. But before she can really get going, her meditation-guru flatmate Vincent disappears. Noni doesn’t know what to do, but after her writing is torn apart by her mentor, she gets sucked into searching for Vincent by her neighbour’s feisty daughter and an elderly ex-social worker in a strange form of detective-work procrastination. What follows is a quirky hunt that could potentially be the writing inspiration Noni needs to get back on track. – Sylvia
A Midsummer Party | Antoni Jach | $34.99 | NewSouth Books Moving between a party in Rome, a train ride to Milan and flashbacks in between, we follow an Australian journalist whose travel experiences create the ultimate depiction of an enchanted Italy and magical travel. The mid-summer party opens us up to an entire storyline, the intersections of life, art and cinema revealing themselves across interactions and conversations as a sort of temporal transporter. Think of this as a gateway to something dream-like, but nonetheless rich in cultural exchange! – Francesca
Cafés | Holly Pester | $27.99 | Fitzcarraldo Editions I’m just trying to open a café! What’s an o-ver-head? Cafés is my first entry into Holly Pester’s body of work – and what an entry! The work, which self-describes as an anti-epic poem, satirically searches for utopias in the fluids and fluencies of the café. Pester’s vivid narrative fragments made me feel like I’d awoken from a meandering dream about every shift-work job I’ve ever done. These poems hit my bloodstream the way sunlight moves across the café table – with insistence, warmth, and with the distinct feeling of having been changed. – Leona
Fitcher’s Bird | A. G. Slatter | $21.99 | Simon & Schuster A darkly rich fairy tale of revenge and rage, woven together through horror, folklore and sisterly bonds. This modern gothic horror novella draws on the original German fairy tale of a girl rescuing herself and her sisters, and transforms it into something brand new. The story starts off as a crime thriller and steadily becomes darker and more sinister. Despite being short, this novella had layers and depth I didn’t expect. An excellent way to start off the spooky season. – Ruby
STAFF PICKS
Inter Alia | Suzie Miller | $34.99 | Picador/Pan Macmillan * Trigger warning: sexual violence So often, books with topics of sexual violence focus on the woman’s story, but this time Suzie Miller centers assault as a male issue. Narrated by Jess, juggling her life as a successful judge and mother, who grapples with the possibility her son has done the things he is excused of. Jess is initially in denial but eventually coming to terms with what this means for her and her family. The story prompts challenging questions about how much parents contribute to raising men who commit these crimes, and what parts of society fail young men in their understanding of consent and culpability. The story concludes with a real but uncomfortable ending reflecting how the justice system is set against convicting perpetrators of sexual assault. If you liked Miller's Prima Facie, I would strongly recommend this as your next read. – Mazi
FICTION HIGHLIGHTS
Treats from the Osaka Bakery | Usagi Tsuchiya | Translated by Geoffrey Trousselot | $34.99 | Hachette Why does a university student choose to do part-time work at a bakery? For the love of bread? The convenience of the location? Or because of a friend's suggestion? For university student Koharu, all of the above apply – but more than anything, it's because she gets to take home anything that hasn't sold by the end of the day. For a penniless student living on her own, can there be anything more wonderful than that? Koharu dreams of making it big as a manga artist. In the meantime, she spends her days shaping dough, neatly arranging baked goods… and solving all manner of everyday mysteries that she happens to encounter along the way.
The Radiance | Ayad Akhtar | $34.99 | Simon & Schuster A writer escapes the city to a Thoreau-esque rural enclave. After a near-fatal hit-and-run, something spiritual inside him awakens. Caught between revelation and madness, an uncanny pull toward a brilliant colleague ensnares him in a scandal that threatens to destroy them both. A mystery, an erotic entanglement and an inquiry into what the soul contains, this book moves between America and Europe, Islam and Christianity, the metaphysical and the intimate, examining what has broken and what remains.
The German Ward | Pip Williams | $34.99 | Affirm Press/Simon & Schuster France, 1915. An English nurse and German doctor fall in love. He is a prisoner of war; she has never cared for rules. Their love is visceral and urgent, forbidden and doomed, and it would have gone unrecorded if not for a series of drawings found more than a century later. At first, these seem insignificant, but the woman who finds them can’t look away. The images become part of a puzzle she wants to solve: who were the lovers, what became of them, and what story of war was the artist trying to tell? In this luminous tale of hope in the midst of darkness, Pip Williams expands the world of her bestselling novels, The Dictionary of Lost Words and The Bookbinder of Jericho. Sensual and sophisticated, The German Ward shows one of Australia’s most significant writers reaching the height of her skills.
The Heights | Ian Rankin | $34.99 | Hachette The Heights: a gleaming, high-end high-rise looming over Hyde Park. Newly built from steel and smoked glass, a billionaire's playground offering sumptuous suites for the global elite. But when a night concierge is found murdered in the lobby, the building's rarefied atmosphere is shattered, and the gilded lives within come under intense police scrutiny. In a world designed to keep prying eyes out, where the residents are not used to being held to account, born-and-bred Londoner Detective Gillian Gish must find a way past their power, wealth and unimaginable influence. The rules may be different at the top – but is anyone truly above the law? Or could it be that the higher you rise, the further you fall? When Sullivan Met Lola | Monica McInerney | $34.99 | Penguin Lola is 86. Against the wishes of her family in SA, she's flies to Melbourne for a week. They think she wants entertainment, but she's reallly chasing an elusive dream. Sullivan is 12. His mother is in hospital, his father lives in another country, school is a battle. But he has set himself goals to turn his life around. When Lola and Sullivan meet, Lola's fierce passion for stories teams up with Sullivan's curiosity and they discover that friendship can bloom when it is needed most. What they don't know yet is the wonder that will unfold – or the emotional reckoning that will follow.
Off the Reservation | Stephen Graham Jones | $34.99 | Simon & Schuster Nathan Yellow Tail joins three older Blackfeet to search for the bones of a boy who died at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, but when the bones are moved, something terrible escapes with them. Terrifying and moving, this is a haunting American Indian novel of survival, reckoning and redemption that shines a light on the dark corners of America’s history.
Everyone in This Bank is a Thief | Benjamin Stevenson | $34.99 | Penguin I've solved a few murders, but I've never been a hostage before. The doors of the bank are chained shut, so when someone is murdered, the hostages are suspects – including me… Turns out, more than one person planned to rob the bank, and you can steal more from a bank than money. Who is stealing what? And are they willing to kill for it?
D: Heavy Water | Neal Stephenson | $34.99 | HarperCollins 1934. British journalist Owen Crisp-Upjohn is sent to Moscow, where his assignments quickly turn into international espionage. Soon, he enters the orbit of the Earl of Suffolk, and Aurora – a former Soviet intelligence expert. Their mission is to secure the earth's only supply of heavy water before it falls into Nazi hands. Over time, Owen evolves from a detached observer into a man forced to confront profound questions of honour, love and moral responsibility as allegiances shift in an evertightening web of science, intrigue and deceit.
The Man With Many Names | Georgi Gospodinov | $32.99 | Hachette From the International Booker Prizewinning Georgi Gospodinov, a ‘writer of great warmth as well as skill’ (The Guardian) comes a collection of his finest short stories – each with one eye on the past, one on the future; an ear for the crucial detail that everyone else is missing; and the ability to reveal the everchanging, ever-beautiful world as you have never seen it before.
Dodge City | Patrick deWitt | $34.99 | HarperCollins 1967, California. After being expelled from college, Lee Clarke is drafted to the Vietnam War, forcing him to make the first political decision of his life: to leave the country. At a car delivery service, he happens upon a Jaguar bound for the East Coast, so first visits his alcoholic WWII-veteran father; his mother; his misanthropic brother Harry; and finally his twin sister, Grace, a psychiatric nurse-in-training mired in romantic drama. As Lee crosses the country, his past keeps rising to meet him. What will his decision to leave mean for his future?
FICTION HIGHLIGHTS
King’s Ransom | Matthew Reilly | $34.99 | Pan Macmillan The richest man in the world and his children are kidnapped. The culprit beckons the five best private detectives in America to the man’s NY penthouse for a series of deadly games to rescue the victims. Among the five is Sam Speedman: skinny, bespectacled and brilliant. But as the situation – and body count – escalates, Sam discovers that some villains might be best left alone...
NON-FICTION HIGHLIGHTS
The European Mind | Bruce Pascoe | $36.99 | Magabala Books Bruce Pascoe’s lateset book is a global examination of Western power informed by a First Nations perspective. It delves into Christianity, capitalism and colonialism, and how our colonial history directly impacts where we are now. Pascoe traces the way certain ideas became a truth through which religion, history, myth and storytelling changed lives, countries and continents through violence, dispossession and environmental exploitation. He picks apart beliefs that sit at the heart of our society, but proposes meaningful change through shifts in cultural and moral thought. Ultimately, The European Mind critiques the ideas behind empire and takes readers on a journey of how we arrived here and where we hope to be. Well Well Well… | Judith Lucy | $36.99 | Scribner Australia/Simon & Schuster. In 2022, comedian Judith Lucy shocked fans and friends by retiring from stand up. She’d planned to write a fun guide to wellness so that she could get a piece of that wellness pie… but then she got sick. In fact, she was so burnt out, she gave up performing, went on an ayahuasca retreat in the Amazon rainforest and moved home to Perth. WTF? Here, she shares her wellness road-tests – and very real attempt at getting over burnout – in this relentlessly honest and devastatingly funny tale.
The Country Schoolmaster | Kate Grenville |$36.99 | Black Inc. Rummaging around in the archives one afternoon, Kate Grenville comes across an innocuous-looking file full of letters about a schoolteacher in country NSW. Intrigued, she keeps reading – and discovers a tale far more curious and complex than first appears. Was Joseph Connor savagely beating the students in his care? Or was he the victim of a small-town vendetta? And what went so terribly wrong between him and his daughter? Grenville simply has to know: was Connor a victim or a villain? Part colonial cold case, part locked-room mystery, part the dance of a writer's imagination among facts and semi-facts, The Country Schoolmaster is a book like no other. In it, the novelist comes to understand the seductive pleasure of story-making, but also its dangerous limitations. Passage: The Art of Atong Atem | Atong Atem | $90.00 | Thames & Hudson/The National Gallery of Victoria This is the first major monograph on acclaimed South Sudanese-Australian artist Atong Atem. A vivid exploration of migration, memory and the making of identity, it traces her journey from South Sudan to Australia, revealing how family, storytelling and image-making shape her richly staged portraits. Working across photography, video and textiles, Atem reimagines the intimacy of portraiture. Her signature framing devices invite us to look through a lens that is at once surreal and deeply personal. Drawing on the legacies of such African studio photographers as Malick Sidibé and Philip Kwame Apagya, Atem constructs lush tableaux that probe diaspora, postcolonial identity and the meaning of home. Lavishly illustrated and featuring essays by leading international voices, Passage is an essential volume on one of the most compelling artists of her generation. * Passage the exhibition will be on at the NGV from 30 October until 14 June 2027.
How To Be A Dissident | Gal Beckerman | $27.99 | HarperCollins How do we push back in a world where political leaders wield fear and where social media misinforms? We need role models to show us the way. Drawing on stories of dissidents from around the globe and across time, from Socrates to Ai Weiwei, and Hannah Arendt to Iris Murdoch, Beckerman reveals the defining characteristics these extraordinary figures share and how they might equip anyone navigating the pressures of modern tyranny.
The American Way of Killing | Malcolm Gladwell | $34.99 | Hachette Why, when it comes to lethal violence, is America so different from the rest of the globe? The US is wealthier, better educated, more technologically sophisticated, more religious than almost any of its peers in the developed world – all of which would suggest that it should also have the lowest levels of violence. Yet the opposite is true. In this bold book, Gladwell examines this paradox.
The Tree Zodiac | Luke Adam Hawker | $39.99 | Magic Cat Publishing In this beautiful book, artist Luke Adam Hawker presents 13 etchings, reimagining ancient tree signs for the modern reader. He invites you to discover your Celtic tree sign and reflect on your life and connection to the natural world. Insightful text reveals the rich folklore surrounding each tree, deepening understanding not only of ancient beliefs but of the trees themselves.
Great Women Photographers | Phaidon Editors | $100.00 | Phaidon This expansive survey documents the groundbreaking contributions women have made in the field of photography since the 19th century by shining a light on trailblazing female practitioners and celebrating their relentless experimentation. These pioneers have not only conquered technical innovations but have also used photography as a tool for social commentary, personal expression and cultural documentation.
Australian Girls | Catherine Gay | $39.99 | Monash University Publishing Catherine Gay reveals how the lives of settler and Aboriginal girls in the 19th century intertwined with broad currents, including colonial invasion and settlement, labour and education, family and community. Drawing on written materials and artworks made by the girls themselves, Gay explores the girls’ untold stories in illuminating detail.
A Grateful Son | Josh Frydenberg with Gideon Haigh | $45.00 | HarperCollins Josh Frydenberg was in politics for 12 years. As Treasurer and the Liberal Party's deputy leader during the pandemic, he helped Australia achieve a strong recovery, but lost his seat in the 2022 election. Yet there are many ways to lead: in his advocacy against antisemitism in the aftermath of the Bondi terrorist attack, he found the words many were searching for. Here, Frydenberg reflects on what political power can and cannot achieve, on the cost of public life in a divided world, and on the unique potential of Australia.
NON-FICTION HIGHLIGHTS
The Steps | Sylvester Stallone | $34.99 | Hachette In the 50 years since Stallone ran up the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum, he and those steps have become symbols of determination. Sly finally shares his life story, and tells of the persistence, creativity and resilience that led to the creation of Rocky and a career filled with iconic roles. This is a testament to Stallone's extraordinary life and a profound meditation on the importance of vision, willpower and hard work.
KIDS HIGHLIGHTS The Little Prince for Babies | Antoine de Saint-Exupery | $22.99 | Hachette It's never too early to be enchanted by the poetic wonder of this classic story! This board book features an abridged version of The Little Prince alongside a selection of the original illustrations. It gently introduces babies and toddlers to this beloved story, nurturing a love of classic literature from the very start.
A Year to Treasure, Us Together | Davina Bell | Illustrated by Tete Garcia | $24.99 | Hachette A firework pops! It all begins – the sparkle that a new year brings. From New Year's Eve, starting school, Lunar New Year, Easter, NAIDOC Week and Book Week to birthdays, Diwali, Halloween, Channukah, Christmas and back to New Year, this gorgeous and colourful book is an absolutely joyous celebration of ... celebration!
The Wild Robot | Peter Brown | $29.99 | Allen & Unwin Rediscover Roz’s world in this deluxe edition of The Wild Robot, the beloved modern classic that has captivated readers for over a decade. This edition includes a new cover with gold foil; gilded edges; patterned endpapers; fullcolour illustrations; a new note from the author; and over 25 pages of behind-the-scenes material. Perfect for fans, or those new to the book!
The Ministry of Manners | David Solomons | Illustrated by Hazem Asif | $16.99 | Allen & Unwin Alfie and Margot have grown up under the Ministry of Manners, where politeness is the law and a wrong word can change your life. Alfie stays out of trouble, but Margot can’t. After she is taken to the Manners Retreat, Margot must fight to stay herself in a place built to erase her. Meanwhile, Alfie falls in with the Unsilenced – those who still dare to speak. But the Ministry has plans of its own. If they succeed, rebellion won't just be punished … it'll be impossible.
Trust Fall | Lynn Painter | $22.99 | Simon & Schuster When her neighbour leaves his millions to her family, Julia, a small-town girl, ends up in an elite private school in New York. Unable to fit in, she begins failing. Enter Damion, the mysterious tutor hired to get Julia back on track… except he’s the great-nephew of Julia’s neighbour and doesn’t believe his great uncle would leave his fortune to strangers. Damion schemes to earn Julia’s trust, but his plan backfires when he falls for the enemy – and the enemy falls for him. Can Damion and Julia see past their differences and trust each other?
Corpse Talk: Dead, Famous & Very Chatty | Adam and Lisa Murphy | $22.99 | Allen & Unwin Think history is DEAD boring? Well, you're only half right. Join Adam & Lisa as they bring famous folk back to life! Emperor Nero, Frida Kahlo, Aristotle – there's no corpse Adam won't interview in the name of education and fun. This is an inventive, tongue-in-cheek take on history, featuring big names interviewed from beyond the grave!
KIDS PICKS
The Better Machine | Lisa Nicol | Illustrated by Michael Streich | $26.99 | Scholastic When Moz and Vivian stumble across a strange machine, they discover that whatever you put into it comes out BETTER. Better bikes, better hats, better clothes… So it’s not long before the entire town wants BETTER, too. This cheeky comment on the flip-it society will have kids giggling and adults nodding knowingly. – Francesca
The Little Ghost and the Robot | David Litchfield | $27.99 | Penguin Random House Little Ghost has a house away from everyone and wishes for friend. Then one day a package arrives and nestled inside is Robot. So begins a journey to find a place where they can both belong. This is a gorgeous story about found family, and that being different means unique, not strange. – Arabella
Game of Pets: The Boy Who Knew Too Much | Aaron Blabey | $16.99 | Pan Macmillan Life on Earth is not what it seems. Apparently, it's one big intergalactic game show dedicated to, and run by, evil animal overlords we call ‘pets’ – and the most villainous of all are cats (no surprise there). This hilarious new offering by beloved author Aaron Blabey is a giggling frolic of absurdity for all ages. – Carolina
The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Ugly Animals Jigsaw | Sami Bayly | $34.99 | Hachette Everything that Sami Bayly brings out (including this jigsaw) will guarantee three things: you’ll learn; you’ll be entertained; and the illustrations will blow you away. Discover over 60 ‘ugly’ animals in this celebration of the unusual that finds the beauty in 'ugliness'. Allow time for countless debates over each animal’s merits. – Adina
The Paper Girl | Caryl Lewis | Illustrated by Kanako Abe | $29.99 | Murdoch Books/Allen & Unwin This is one of the most delightful books I have ever encountered. It is about a bright, kind girl made of paper who, when told to be beautiful, folds herself into a flower; when told to be clever, folds into a fox. However, she finds her greatest power when she learns to say ‘no’. This will be a treasure to return to again and again. – Robert
The Siren | Tomi Adeyemi | $24.99 | Pan Macmillan In this dark‑academia speculative thriller, we follow freshman Emery as she tries desperately to fit in, protect her scholarship and hide her troubled past. When she attracts the attention of Roux and her elite, devastating girlfriends – known as ‘The Sirens’ – Emery is enthralled. Just how far will she go to be part of their clique? And what will it cost? – Robert
STAFF PICKS
New Skin | Sarah Wang | $29.99 | Picador/Pan Macmillan Linli reluctantly goes to the aid of her mother, Fanny, after Fanny’s latest cosmetic surgery disaster. Linli is drowning in the aftermath – missing out on her dream course, medical fees piling up, and her strained relationship with Fanny gaining yet another uncanny, puss-filled wart. Then Fanny enters a reality show that offers ‘botched beauties’ the chance for facial reconstructive surgery. What is suffering, if you can’t profit off it? In this feverish nightmare, the beauty industry is targeted for their slimy promises of perfection. Intricately woven throughout are elements of body horror, immigrant struggles and the classic mother-daughter dynamic that grips your moral compass and throws it into a cyclone. Unsettle yourself by reading this. – Adina
Weeknights with Alice | Alice Zaslavsky | $45.00 | Murdoch Books Alice, fabulous Alice! This brilliant foodie and author of award-winning cookbooks does it again! In her latest book, Alice offer us achievable weeknight meals that are colourful, healthy and absolutely delicious, not to mention veg-forward (eat the rainbow, folks!). Think Bougie Baked Potatoes & Very Fine Slaw; Spinach & Cheese Pan Pies (oh, my…) + Hot Honey Drizzle; Angels Sing Fresh Tomato + Crab Pasta with Zingy Pangratto; Traffic Light Hokkien; Capsicum + Cannellini Panzanella Tray Bake; and Tuscan Tomato Soup + Pesto Oil. At once enticing and inspiring, Alice’s enthusiasm, which is palpable throughout her delightfully engaging and wise writing, will have you diving into these recipes and enjoying some serious splashing around – perhaps in olive oil, and more than once. All I can add is, ‘Bring… it… on!!!!’ – Sylvia
Bad Words | Ríoghnach Robinson | $34.99 | HarperCollins Who doesn’t love to watch a juicy online feud unfold? Robinson turns irresistible spectacle into a thoughtful exploration of ambition, criticism and connection. Parker’s career is nearly destroyed by critic Selina’s brutal review of his debut novel. Four years later, when Selina reviews his new book, another scathing takedown sends their feud viral. Yet behind the public sparring, a romance begins to develop – and it just gets more juicy from there. A perfect balance between witty and tender, and one of those books where, once you’re into it, you can’t really put it down. – Vevie A History of Booksellers and the Bookshop | Jean-Yves Mollier | $34.99 | Welbeck Publishing Whilst the modern bookselling industry has been transformed by the likes of Amazon, independent bookshops like ours have continued to adapt, endure and thrive in Australia and abroad. However, this isn’t the first transformation that the profession has undergone in response to our ever-changing world. In A History of Booksellers and the Bookshop, JeanYves Mollier traces the evolution of bookshops and the bookselling profession all the way from antiquity to the present day. This history and the endurance of the bookshop as a place for the exchange of ideas reminds us just how crucial bookshops are to the communities they serve. A compelling read, perfect for book- and bookshop-lovers alike. – Carolina
Something He Did | S. K. Lynch | $34.99 | Ultimo Press/Hardie Grant This new Australian thriller is S. K. Lynch’s first foray into crime writing… and I doubt it will be her last. Hinging on a single moment in time and how it affects two people (and, by default, the people around them) in vastly different ways, I couldn’t put this propulsive thriller down. With a great twist and an ending that promises more, this is perfect for those who relish a devourable page-turner. – Sylvia
Jenny Will Eat You Now | Gillian Daniels | $24.99 | Solstice Books/Simon & Schuster Jenny Greenteeth has watched civilisations fall and wars break out. Solitary in nature, she has lived in Boston for the last few hundred years, currently in an abandoned subway station. The subterranean system allows her to travel the globe, and with the conviction she is superior to humans, she happily satisfies her hunger with their flesh. That is, until she meets a human man who, for the first time, she doesn’t want to eat… Confused and intrigued, Jenny, with the help of a satyr and a selkie, sets out to find the mystery man she couldn’t eat at first sight. On the way, she experiences the modern world and an unexpected deep dive into what it means to be human and to fall in love.
Nightjars | Michael Wehunt | $32.99 | St Martins Press/Pan Macmillan Luke’s date never comes back from the restroom, but leaves behind a photograph of him as a child, with a dead body in the shadows and a terrifying masked man – an event Luke can’t remember. Luke falls back into the deep paranoia and repressed memories he's tried so hard to leave behind. He is yet to conquer his deepest fear – that he is like his father, a murderer who killed his victims by exsanguination. Now as the evidence from a new string of killings points to Luke, he must chase his father's darkness via an ancient secret and learn what monsters truly are… Then decide if he's one of them. Winterset Hollow | Jonathan Edward Durham | $34.99 | Hachette Everyone has wanted their favourite book to be real, if only for a moment. Everyone has wished to meet their favourite characters, if only for a day. But be careful in that wish, for even a history laid in ink can be repaid in flesh and blood, and reality is far deadlier than fiction… especially on Addington Isle. Eamon and his two closest friends, Caroline and Mark, journey to the place that inspired their beloved book, Winterset Hollow – a timeless tale about a tribe of animals preparing for their yearly end-of-summer festival. But after a series of shocking discoveries, they find that much of what the world believes to be fiction is actually fact, and that the truth behind their beloved story is darker and more dangerous than they ever imagined. It's Barley Day… and you're invited to the hunt… Look What the Cat Dragged In | Jason Rekulak | $34.99 | Hachette After her cat goes missing in a blizzard, Penny is grief stricken. When her boyfriend invites her to a party hosted by a client, Penny spends most of it with their cat, Godfrey. Offered the chance to pet-sit Godfrey for a month, she takes it. But after Godfrey arrives at her home, a series of strange, unexplainable occurrences gradually leads Penny to believe that Godfrey isn't a cat after all, but an ancient demon hellbent on hijacking her mind, body and spirit...
A SPOTLIGHT ON HORROR
Thirteen Terrifying Tales | Foreword by Kristy Logan | $34.99 | Bodleian Library Publishing/NewSouth Books The doors are open. The judges are waiting. The rats are gathering behind the walls. Let the terror begin… This chilling anthology includes gruesome short stories by the best horror writers from the late 19th and early 20th centuries – M.R. James, Bram Stoker, Algernon Blackwood, H. P. Lovecraft, Thomas Burke and more. It also features disturbing ghost stories by Edith Wharton and E. Nesbit… Between them, they cover murder, obsession, changelings, ghosts, evil shadows and curse-bearing caterpillars in settings as varied as a grand house, an inner-city courtyard, a seaside resort and a deserted church. Each one embodies our ongoing fear of the unknown and exploits it to a thrillingly terrifying level.
UPCOMING EVENT HIGHLIGHTS: OCTOBER An Evening of Poetry with Linda Godfrey, Shady Cosgrove, Jonathan Cant and Peter Frankis Thursday 22 October, 6.30pm Better Read The Race to the Top of the World Book Launch with Peter FitzSimons Tuesday 27 October, 6.30pm Better Read Publishing, Unfiltered Literary Panel with Maithree Wijesekara, Will Kostakis, Olivia O’Flynn and Martin Evans Saturday 31 October, 6.30 pm Better Read For more information, to find out what else is on this month and to RSVP, head to www.betterreadevents.com
Secret gardens of southeast england WITH KATE FORSYTH
SOUTHEAST ENGLAND 5 Oct - 13 Oct 2026
Cover Art by Ruby Newell