We Recommend
Our team are extremely passionate about books and have some wonderful suggestions for your next read. Take a look through some of our top picks and head in store to pick up a copy.
“If you don’t like to read, you haven’t found the right book.”
– J.K. Rowling
erina fair
Hello Beautiful
Ann Napolitano
A rich character study on 4 sisters, and how they and their families grow and change over several decades. It's one of those beautiful stories you just want to sit with for a while.
Reviewed by: Chloe
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
Gabrielle Zevin
A wonderful coming-of-age novel to get lost in. This story follows Sam Masur and Sadie Green through several decades of their friendship - the highest of highs and the lowest of lows.
Perfect if you love savouring a story, and fantastic character development. And if you have an appreciation for video games from the 80’s to the 00’s, you’re going to love it even more.
Reviewed by: Chloe
Saltwater Boy
Bradley Christmas
Matthew and his mum are forced to move to his grandfather’s old beach house as they await his dad’s release from jail. Matthew embraces the landscape and fauna over the long holiday and meets Old Bill, a lonely fisherman who teaches him about the water.
When Matthew’s dad returns, trouble follows, breaking the peace that he and his mother have found. Can they be a family again?
This is a wonderful novel - I read it in one sitting!
Highly recommend - for ages 13-18 years.
Reviewed by: Claire
gungahlin
Couplets
Maggie Millner
A biographical poetry narrative.
This collection of poetry tells the tale of the author discovering her queerness and exploring non-monogamy. It is a breathtaking celebration of self discovery and self love.
- reviewed by Jess
Hag
Daisy Johnson
An anthology of short stories by a range of amazing female authors. These are forgotten folktales retold with a feminist twist, including mermaids, selkies, boggarts and more. Each of the the original tales are included in the back, which is a delightful detail.
This anthology includes retellings by Eimear McBride, Emma Glass, Naomi Booth, Kirsty Logan, Natasha Carthew, Mahsuda Snaith, and Liv Little.
- reviewed by Jess
Shuggie Bain
Douglas Stuart
An enthralling and poignant tale of poverty, addiction and growing up queer in 1980’s Glasgow.
Fans of A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara and Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver will love this book.
- reviewed by Jess
port macquarie
12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos
Jordan B. Peterson
Acclaimed clinical psychologist Jordan Peterson has influenced the modern understanding of personality and has become one of the world’s most popular publicthinkers, lecturing on topics from the Bible to romantic relationships to mythology and drawing tens of millions of viewers. In an era of unprecedented change and polarizing politics, his frank and refreshing message about the value of individual responsibility and ancient wisdom has resonated around the world. In this book, Jordan provides the twelve profound and practical principles on how to live a more meaningful life.
Reviewed by Chris.
An American Marriage
Tayari Jones
Newlyweds Celestial and Roy are the embodiment of both the American dream and the new South. He is a young executive and she is an artist on the brink of an exciting career. As they settle into the routine of their life together, they are ripped apart by circumstances neither could have imagined. Roy is arrested and sentenced to twelve years for a crime Celestial knows he didn’t commit. Though fiercely independent, Celestial finds herself bereft and unmoored, taking comfort in Andre her childhood friend and best man at their wedding. As Roy’s time in prison passes she is unable to hold onto the love that has been her centre.
Reviewed by Chris.
The Female Persuasion
Meg Wolitzer
Greer Kadetsky is a shy college freshman when she meets the woman she hopes will change her life. Faith Frank, dazzlingly persuasive and elegant at sixty-three, has been a central pillar of the women’s movement for decades, a figure who inspires others to influence the world. Upon hearing Faith speak for the first time, Greer – madly in love with her boyfriend Cory, but still full of longing for an ambition that she can’t quite place – feels her inner world light up. Then astonishingly, Faith invites Greer to make something out of that sense of purpose, leading Greer down the most exciting path of her life as it winds toward and away from the future she’d always imagined.
Reviewed by Chris.
orion springfield
This Woven Kingdom
Tahereh Mafi
Taherah Mafi, author of the Shatter Me series has released a new book This Woven Kingdom, which is a wonderful start to a new series.
The story follows Alizeh, a servant and the long lost heir to an ancient Jinn kingdom. She hides in plain sight until one day she makes a mistake and her true identity is discovered. The crown prince Kamran has heard all his life of the prophecies of a monster that will kill his king. Kamran begins to suspect that this monster may just be the servant girl he recently met. But as he gets to know Alizeh more, he starts to question all he knows.
The writing felt very magical and the world was well built. The world is inspired by Persian Mythology so brought a fresh world to the fantasy genre. I got lots of Aladdin and Cinderella vibes from this story and a lot of world building was packed into this story to set the reader up for the rest of the series. The chapters are from different points of view and change between Alizeh and Kamran which I really enjoyed as it gave a more in depth view of the story. I loved slowly finding out more about Alizeh and her true identity. The romance building between Kamran and Alizeh was a slow burn but oh so lovely. I could definitely see this story as a TV show. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I would recommend this to any fantasy or YA fans – the writing is wonderful. It is an enjoyable start to a new series.
Reviewed by: Natalie
The Mermaid of Black Conch
Monique Roffey
In 1976, near the island of Black Conch, a fisherman sings to himself while waiting for a catch. But David attracts a sea-dweller that he never expected – Aycayia, an innocent woman cursed by jealous wives to live as a mermaid.
When American tourists capture Aycayia, David rescues her and helps her hide away in his home, as she slowly, painfully, transforms back into the woman she once was. Yet as their love grows, they discover that the island and it’s people are impacted by the mermaid curse too.
It’s easy to see why “The Mermaid of Black Conch” won the 2020 Costa Prize for Best Novel. This is literary magical realism at it’s very best! I adored Monique's storytelling, she breathes life and magic into every sentence, weaving together the history, mythology, and people of the Caribbean effortlessly. Touching on the effects of colonialism, racism, love, misogyny, envy, and entitlement the story of David and Aycayia is one that I won’t soon forget. The way the land and sea are characters and how one person can transform a whole town and its people is very well done. The lyrical and beautiful writing is compelling and unique. I will definitely be picking up her other books.
I recommend this for fans of “Song Of Achilles” by Madeline Miller and “Exit West” by Mohsin Hamid
Reviewed by: Emma
The Dictionary of Lost Words
Pip Williams
A beautiful idea, wonderfully executed.
This story follows a girl named Esme through her life. Starting with her childhood in the late 1800s Esme’s world is described and defined in words from the Scriptorium where her father and his colleagues work to write the first ever Oxford English Dictionary.
Esme begins the story as a young girl, spending her days under the Scrippy table where she collects her first ever word, ‘bondmaid’. A word no one noticed was missing from the first volume of A and B. Esme discovers that words spoken and relating to women were often not included or completely overlooked by the dictionary men.
Over the years many more slips like ‘bondmaid’ join Esme’s collection as she devotes her life not only to the Oxford English Dictionary like her father, but to her own dictionary, The Dictionary of Lost Words. Here she chronicles women’s life from everyday words, to curse words all the way to words pertaining to the women’s suffrage movement. Throughout the novel, we see this list grow alongside Esme and her understanding of the world and the society she was born in to.
The Dictionary of Lost Words has undoubtedly made an impact on me, securing itself a place on my all time favourites list. I enjoyed watching Esme grow up from a curious girl into a passionate woman and a seeker of truth. I absolutely adored the wealth of strong female connections made in the book. The relationships and friendships that are shown are as tangible and real as any other and the characters are so beautifully realistic.
All in all I loved this book. The history and the fiction worked impeccably well together. I highly recommend reading this book.
Reviewed by: Talia
Pacific fair
If Cats Disappeared From the World
Genki Kawamura
A short and powerful novel about a man evaluating the meaning of his life. When the narrator finds out he doesn’t have much time left, the Devil appears to offer him a deal – one extra day of like for making one thing disappear from the world.
Reviewed by: Gina
Boys Will Be Boys
Clementine Ford
Following her first book ‘Fight Like A Girl’, ‘Boys Will Be Boys’ explores how boys are being raised in a manner that may be hindering our fight with equality. Using articles, interviews and her own experiences with her son, Ford examines where we are going wrong and what can be done in regards to our equality debate.
Reviewed by: Jane
The Mars Room
Rachel Kushner
An educational book with grit, edge and energy. This story is about a young mother’s fight against her unjust incarceration. It exposes the flaws in society and in a justice system that is set to work against us. Equal parts challenging and moving.
Reviewed by: Paige