Christmas Footnotes 2017 Farrell’s Footnotes: Christmas Edition
“A book is a gift you can open again and again.” Garrison Keillor
Christmas is a time of giving, and it’s very apparent from our side of the counter that our customers are a generous and thoughtful bunch. In order to make your gift choosing a little easier, our staff have compiled a list of their favourites. These are the books we will be buying (or wishing for) this Christmas.
Adult Fiction
From all the Farrell’s family, we wish you and yours a happy and healthy holiday season.
TABOO COMMON PEOPLE Kim Scott, PB $33rrp Tony Birch, PB $29.95rrp Taboo tells the story of a group of From the critically Noongar people acclaimed author of who revisit, for the Ghost River comes this first time in many collection of short stories of people from decades, the site of a massacre. They come all walks of life. These at the invitation of are common people, an elderly farmer who hopes to cleanse dealing with daily struggles, told in a the moral stain from his farm. But the sins way that is poignant, heart-warming of the past will not be so easily expunged. and hopeful. COMPLETE POEMS OF BANJO PATTERSON Banjo Patterson, HB $30rrp
HE John Connolly, PB $30rrp he was Stan Laurel. Stan Laurel was a fiction. So who was the man behind the fiction? This is a complicated re-imagining of the life of Stan Laurel, of Laurel and Hardy fame. With he, John Connolly recreates the golden age of Hollywood for an intensely compassionate study of the human frailties behind even the greatest of artists.
THE SILENT COMPANIONS Laura Purcell, PB $25rrp Recently widowed newlywed Elsie discovers inside her late husband’s Victorian house lies a locked door. Beyond this door is a painted wooden figure - a silent companion - that bears a striking resemblance to Elsie herself. A Victorian ghost story for modern readers.
AUTUMN Ali Smith, PB $23rrp Autumn 2016: Daniel is a century old. Elisabeth, born in 1984, has her eye on the future. And the UK is in pieces, divided by a historic once in a generation summer. Hope is hand in hand with hopelessness. This is a tender tale of unlikely friendship, set against the backdrop of Brexit and inspired by the works of
HERE WE ARE Oliver Jeffers HB $25rrp Oliver Jeffers, arguably the best picture book maker of his generation, is said to have written this book for his newborn son. Written with his trademark playfulness, Here We Are is a guide to being human in a complicated and fragile world. It's a reminder that despite our differences, we're all in this together.
JUNIOR CLASSICS BOXED SET Various authors, HB with slipcase, $90rrp Including Beauty and the Beast, The Jungle Book and Peter Pan. Each hardcover book is a masterpiece in paper engineering and illustration, featuring pop-up elements, cut outs and moving parts. Normally retailing for $40 per book, this box set is amazing value.
ZOOM Sha’an d’Anthes HB, $27rrp Scout is an inventor, a dreamer, a do-er. After breakfast, Scout builds a rocket and flies to outer space to explore our solar system and the animals that make up the universe. Zoom is a beautifully illustrated picture book from a debut Australian illustrator.
REAL FRIENDS Shannon Hale and LeUyen Pham (ill.) PB $20,rrp Real Friends is a book for anyone who knows the snakes and ladders game of school friendships, the desperation to be in ‘the group’ and the sting of finding yourself, inexplicably, on the outer. Despite all this, there is hope – there are real friends. For readers aged 8+
TALES FROM A TALL FOREST Shaun Micallef HB, $30rrp In this trio of tales, satirist Shaun Micallef unravels the traditional fairy story and nimbly weaves familiar characters into new and surprising adventures. A big staff favourite. For readers aged 10+
A SEMI-DEFINITIVE ELEANOR & PARK LIST OF WORST Rainbow Rowell, NIGHTMARES PB $20rrp Krystal Sutherland Eleanor & Park is a PB $20,rrp coming-of-age Ever since Esther’s romance about two grandfather was high-school misfits cursed by Death, who meet and fall in everyone in Esther's love on the school family has been bus, aided by 80s mix consumed by their tapes and many, fears. An unlikely friendship forces many late-night conversations. Esther to face her fears in an attempt to For readers aged 15+. break the curse. For fans of John Green and Rainbow Rowell. Ages 14+
This is a stunning keepsake for any fan of Banjo Patterson or Australian poetry.
Children’s Young Adult
NB: Age guides are approximate. Staff can provide personalised advice in store.