The Wilder Aisles

This month, I picked up a book very different from my usual reads.

I picked it up, thinking it might while away a few hours, but I ended up really liking it. The title is The House in the Pines, by Ana Reyes.

I found it quite strange, yet intriguing and a little bit scary. In fact, thinking about it now, I don’t really know what to say. The story does indeed feature a house in the woods, but what kind of house is it?

Most people will see an old house that has fallen down, and mostly looks like a pile of rubble, but is it always like this?

Maya has just moved in with Dan. It is the first time she has been home since she was seventeen the day her best friend Aubrey died, and Maya’s world was shattered. Maya is recovering from a traumatic experience she had when she was last home, and now another woman has died in a similar, strange way.

The story revolves around Maya and the charismatic Frank, who bewitched both Maya and Aubrey. Tall, good-looking with long hair, much-travelled Frank, is unlike anyone the women of the small town where Maya lived have ever seen.

The arrival of Frank into their lives starts a rivalry between former best friends, Maya and Aubry. Maya is having problems in her relationship with Dan, and she is drinking too much and taking a sedative drug, which she is not aware of at the time.

A visit to Dan’s parents for Maya to meet them, is disastrous, as Maya has been drinking and taking the sedative. After the other woman dies, Maya knows she is the only who can uncover the truth and stop others from the same fate.

But to do this, Maya has to put herself and her relationship with Dan at risk. Deep down, she knows she must go back to the house in the pines, where all the answers are hidden.

I was surprised by how much I loved this book. I know it may not be to everyone’s taste, but it was good for me. Apart from the crime aspect, I found bits of this quite funny, in a strange dark way.

See you in the store, Janice

$50.00

HC

A rogue accountant breaks ranks to share his journey from clueless naif to skilled tax consultant -and in doing so blows the lid on the murky world of making the tax burdens of the ultra-wealthy disappear. Written with sharp wit and over-brimming with inside secrets, the anonymous author shows us that not only does the global tax system encourage dubious practice which favours the rich, but that it was specifically founded with that in mind. If you suspect that tax is a rigged game, a con, designed to fleece the little guy, you are about to find out just how shockingly true that really is.

Drawing on decades of work in philosophy including a huge range of interviews with contemporary philosophers, Julian Baggini sets out how philosophical thought can promote incisive thinking. Introducing everyday examples and contemporary political concerns - from climate change to implicit bias this is a revelatory exploration of the techniques, methods and principles that guide philosophy, and how they can be applied to our own lives.

It’s no secret that AI is changing the way we live, work, love, and entertain ourselves. In his book, psychologist Tomas ChamorroPremuzic takes readers on an enthralling and eye-opening journey across the AI landscape. Though AI has the potential to change our lives for the better, he argues, AI is also worsening our bad tendencies, making us more distracted, selfish, biased, narcissistic, entitled, predictable, and impatient. Some of these changes will enhance our species. Others may dehumanise us and make us more machinelike in our interactions with people. It’s up to us to adapt and determine how we want to live and work.

Today’s world is built from structures of standards and reason, but it is imperative to ask who constructed these norms, and why. Kirsty Sedgman mounts a vital and spirited defence of why and how being unreasonable can help improve the world. It examines and parses the pros and cons of our rules around reason, but leaves us with the rousing question: What if behaving unreasonably at times might be the best way to bring about meaningful change that is long overdue?

Award-winning writer Ellen van Neerven plays football from a young age, learning early on that sport can be a painful and exclusive world. With emotional honesty and searing insight, van Neerven shines a light on sport on this continent from a queer First Nations perspective, revealing how some athletes have long challenged mainstream views and used their roles to effect change not only in their own realm, but in society more broadly.

A passionate, provocative and blisteringly smart interrogation of how we experience art in the age of #MeToo, and whether we can separate an artist’s work from their biography. Claire Dederer explores our relationships with the artists whose behaviour disrupts our ability to apprehend the work on its own terms. She interrogates her own responses and her own behaviour, and she pushes the fan, and the reader, to do the same. Morally wise, deeply considered and sharply written, Monsters gets to the heart of one of our most pressing conversations.

Today, it can be difficult to fully comprehend the staggering influence of Aristotle’s lessons. Aristotle’s observations about the world around him and his reflections on the nature of knowledge laid the foundations for all empirical science. Now, John Sellars takes us on a journey through Aristotle’s thought, vividly bringing to life the key ideas, and demonstrating that the famous philosopher’s capacity for curiosity continues to offer us all a vision of more fulfilled lives. Aristotle has lessons still to teach.

In the autumn of 2019 Xiaolu travelled to New York to take up her position as a visiting professor for a year, leaving her child and partner behind in London. The encounter with American culture and people threatens her sense of identity and throws her into a crisis - of meaning, desire, obligation and selfhood. This is a memoir about separation - by continents, by language, and from people. It’s about being an outsider and the desperate longing to connect.

Meet Friendly Bee: he’s a bee who puts himself out there, a bee who sees the best in other beings. Sometimes, Friendly Bee’s cheerful attitude gets him into trouble - he just wants to be friends with every bug they meet, whether they like it or not.

It all began when Etta decided to take a bath and realised she wasn’t alone. In the bath sat Oswald the Octopus. At first, Etta thinks it might be fun to have Oswald around. But she soon learns that is not the case. Just as Etta has almost had enough, someone comes to claim Oswald, but does she want to send him away?

Sandra Boynton

Boynton Bookworks, $15.00

Dinosaurs BIG and dinosaurs TINY, dinosaurs SMOOTH and dinosaurs SPINY. Some outside and some indoors—OH MY OH MY OH DINOSAURS! Sunbathing dinosaurs and artistic dinosaurs, dancing dinosaurs and volleyball-playing dinosaurs make learning opposites fun!

Jazzy in the Jungle

Lucy Cousins

Walker, $20.00

Little readers will love playing hide-andseek in the jungle with Jazzy the lemur and Mama JoJo! Full of vivid colours and exotic animals, with liftable flaps and die-cut windows to explore on every page! Now available as a board book for the first time.

Our Birds

Dr. Bronwyn Bancroft

Hardie Grant, $18.00

This book celebrates the beauty found within the Australian landscape. Written and illustrated by Australia’s foremost Indigenous illustrator, Dr Bronwyn Bancroft captures the essence of nature in this stunning board book.

Calling all of our bookworms to share their favourite reads! We want to feature more of our wonderful book clubbers in our Gleaner magazine, so if you’ve got a book you’d love to review or if you want to write about an author visit, send us an email on rachel@gleebooks.com.au! We have exciting giveaways waiting for you!

Gabriel Evans

Puffin, $25.00

George likes living by the sea, but he often feels lonely. He’d like to have a friend. When he meets Claude the fish, George finally discovers the joys of having a special friend, as well as learning what it means to be a good friend to someone. For if you are, the rewards are bountiful!

My Little Barlaagany (Sunshine)

Melissa Greenwood

HarperCollins, $25.00

From Gumbaynggirr artist Melissa Greenwood, this is a gentle bedtime story follows the journey a mother and child take across a day and into the Dreamtime - finding special places to visit, creatures to meet and new things to discover.

Ages 2 - 5

When Faizah’s teacher asks her class to imagine what kind of world they want to live in Faizah imagines a world where everyone is kind to one another, and tries to create that world in the school playground. But what Faizah wants most is be like her big sister, Asiya. Will Faizah’s classmates repay her kindness and find a way for her to match Asiya in time for school photo day?

Pasta!

Spaghettini, Ditalini, Manicotti, Agnolotti, that’s a lot-ti! Pasta tastes delicious, but do you know that pasta names are also fun to say? Grab your fork and spoon and get stuck into this rhyming feast. It’s enough to make anyone hungry for PASTA!

Karen Blair Penguin,

$20.00

A completely new and fun take on becoming a brother or sister. Filled with humour and imagination, This is a delightful, warm-hearted celebration of becoming a sibling. From awardwinning picture-book creator Karen Blair comes the perfect gift for every family welcoming a new baby.

Jess Racklyeft A&U, $25.00

Big Cat is mysterious. Big Cat is chaotic. Big Cat is lawless.Catherine is not. She likes things to be neat, tidy and orderly. But when the two meet, they discover they have more in common than they think and that sometimes the best adventures can be found in your own backyard.

Our Mob

Jacinta Daniher & Taylor Hampton & Seantelle Walsh (ill) Ford Steer Pub, $27.00

Join our yarning circle and listen to our stories. Our Mob proudly celebrates our Aboriginal culture and how it is practised within families today through the perspective of a preschool child.

Aaron Becker Walker Books, $25.00

Aaron Becker tracks the evolution of our species – and its toll on the Earth – through the fates of a lone tree and an enduring river. River and tree bear silent witness over time as people arrive to harness water, wind, and animals; devise technology and transportation; redirect rivers; and reshape the land. Timely and ultimately hopeful, this wordless epic invites readers to pore over spreads densely packed with visual drama.

Whether they are playing dress-ups, going on adventures, making pittu, or reading to each other, any time shared between Sona and her seeya - her Sinhalese grandfather - is full of delight and bursting with love. This book is a heart-warming meditation on the immutable bond between grandparent and grandchild, brimming with sweet mischief and tender insight.

Join the Tiny Tailors in the garden as they stitch, weave and piece together their costumes for the upcoming Spring Parade. The berries have been threaded into sleeves and the daisies arranged into a fan ... but it looks like something might be missing? Will the Tiny Tailors be able to find what they need in time for the parade? Explorers big and small are encouraged to use their imagination and discover new natural artefacts in their own garden.

Jon Agee Scallywag, $25.00

Do you want to be a tree? It’s easy! Pretend your arms are branches, your body is a trunk, and your legs are roots. Then stand in one place and see what happens! If your parent is as patient as the dad in this story, you might get to stay outside all...day... long! Follow the amusing drama ends with the feel good exuberance of the little girl who gets her Dad to play with her all day, and loves being outside.

Ages 8 - 12

When her dad loses his job as a security officer and has to work interstate, Huda convinces her brother Akeal to sneak out at night to make mischief, hoping to force their dad’s bosses to hire him back. As their misdeeds escalate, will the daring duo be able to outsmart the authorities? - and what else might they uncover along the way?

All Nic Blake wants is to be a powerful Manifestor like her dad. But before she has a chance to convince him to teach her the gift, a series of shocking revelations and terrifying events launch Nic and two friends on a hunt for a powerful magic tool she’s never heard of...to save her father from imprisonment for a crime she refuses to believe he committed.