Nicotine by Nell Zink

$13.95 AUD

$29.99 (53% off)

Category: FICTION | Reading Level: very good

From the much acclaimed author of MISLAID and THE WALLCREEPER, a fierce and audaciously funny novel of families-both the ones we're born into and the ones we create-a story of obsession, idealism, and ownership, centered around a young woman who inherits her bohemian late father's childhood home. Recent business school graduate Penny Baker has rebelled against her family her whole life-by being the conventional one. Her mother, Amalia, was a member of a South American tribe called the Kogi; her much older father, Norm, long ago attained cult-like deity status among a certain cohort of ageing hippies while operating a psychedelic 'healing centre.' And she's never felt particularly close to her much older half-brothers from Norm's previous marriage-one wickedly charming and obscenely rich (but mostly just wicked), one a photographer on a distant tropical island. But all that changes when her father dies, and Penny inherits his childhood home in New Jersey. She goes to investigate the property and finds it not overgrown and abandoned, but rather occupied by a group of friendly anarchist squatters whom she finds unexpectedly charming, and who have renamed the property "Nicotine." The Nicotine residents (united in defence of smokers' rights) possess the type of passion and fervour Penny feels she's desperately lacking, and the other squatter houses in the neighbourhood provide a sense of community she has never felt before. She soon moves into a nearby residence, becoming enmeshed in the political fervour and commitment of her fellow squatters. As the Baker family's lives begin to converge around the fate of the house now called Nicotine, Penny grows ever bolder and more desperate to protect it-and its residents-until a fateful night when a reckless confrontation between her old family and her new one changes everything. Nell Zink exquisitely captures the clash between Baby-Boomer idealism and Millennial pragmatism, between the have-nots and want-mores, in a riotous yet tender novel that brilliantly encapsulates our time. ...Show more

Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason

$19.99 AUD

$32.99 (39% off)

Category: FICTION | Reading Level: good-very good

Spiky, sharp, intriguingly dark and tender, full of pathos, fury and wit, Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason is a dazzling, distinctive novel from a boldly talented writer. For fans of Sally Rooney, Taffy Brodesser-Akner and Fleabag. This novel is about a woman called Martha. She knows there is something wro ng with her but she doesn't know what it is. Her husband Patrick thinks she is fine. He says everyone has something, the thing is just to keep going. Martha told Patrick before they got married that she didn't want to have children. He said he didn't mind either way because he has loved her since he was fourteen and making her happy is all that matters, although he does not seem able to do it. By the time Martha finds out what is wrong, it doesn't really matter anymore. It is too late to get the only thing she has ever wanted. Or maybe it will turn out that you can stop loving someone and start again from nothing - if you can find something else to want.   ...Show more

Factory 19 by Dennis Glover

$32.99 AUD

Category: FICTION

They tell us that human happiness lies only in the future. But what if it really lies in the past? Hobart, 2022- a city with declining population, in the grip of a dark recession. A rusty ship sails into the harbour and begins to unload its cargo on the site of the once famous but now abandoned Gallery of Future Art, known to the world as GoFA. One day the city's residents are awoken by a high-pitched sound no one has heard for two generations - a factory whistle. GoFA's owner, world-famous tycoon Dundas Faussett, is creating his most ambitious installation yet. He's going to defeat the internet's dominance over our lives by establishing a new Year Zero- 1948. Those whose jobs and lives have been destroyed by Amazon and Uber and Airbnb are invited to fight back in the only way that can possibly succeed- by living as if the internet and the smartphone had never been invented. The hold over our lives by Gates, Bezos, Musk, Zuckerberg and the rest starts to loosen as the revolutionary example of Factory 19 spreads. Can nostalgia really defeat the future? Can the little people win back the world? We are about to find out. ...Show more

The Seven Ancient Wonders (#1 Jack West Jr. Saga) (HB) by Matthew Reilly

$19.99 AUD

Category: FICTION

BOOK 1 IN THE JACK WEST JR. SAGA. Two thousand years ago, it was hidden within the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Now, in the present day, it must be found again... Captain Jack West Jr - part soldier, part scholar, all hero. The odds are stacked against him and his loyal team: nine brave companion s taking on the most powerful countries on earth. From the pyramids of Egypt to the swamps of Sudan, to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and the boulevards of Paris: the desperate race begins for the greatest prize of all: the power to end the world or rule it.   ...Show more

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

$22.99 AUD

Category: FICTION | Reading Level: very good

#1 New York Times Bestseller A Reese Witherspoon Hello Sunshine Book Club Pick "I can't even express how much I love this book. I didn't want this story to end." - Reese Witherspoon "Painfully beautiful." - The New York Times Book Review "Perfect for fans of Barbara Kingsolver." - Bustle For years, rumo rs of the "Marsh Girl" have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life - until the unthinkable happens. Perfect for fans of Barbara Kingsolver and Karen Russell, Where the Crawdads Sing is at once an exquisite ode to the natural world, a heartbreaking coming-of-age story, and a surprising tale of possible murder. Owens reminds us that we are forever shaped by the children we once were, and that we are all subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps. ...Show more

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

$16.99 AUD

Category: FICTION | Reading Level: very good

The no 1. New York Times bestseller from the author of The Husband's Secret and new novel Nine Perfect Strangers.NOW AN EMMY AWARD WINNING HBO TELEVISION SERIES STARRING REESE WITHERSPOON & NICOLE KIDMANParents behaving badly ... a tragic accident ... or murder? What isn't in doubt is that someone i s dead. Madeline is a force to be reckoned with: witty, noisy and passionate. She remembers everything and forgives no one. Celeste is the kind of beautiful woman who makes the world stop and stare. But perfection is often an illusion. Jane is a single mum with a mysterious past who carries a sadness beyond her years. These three women, all with children starting at the same school, are about to tell the little lies that can turn lethal ...WINNER OF THE ABIA GENERAL FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR PRAISE FOR BIG LITTLE LIES"Irresistible ... Moriarty's sly humor and razor-sharp insights will keep you turning the pages to find out." People Magazine "Liane Moriarty produces novels that are miracles of structure as well as human insight" Sydney Morning Herald"Ms. Moriarty's long-parched fans have something new to dig into....in ways that may give Big Little Lies even more staying power than The Husband's Secret." The New York Times"A novel that will turn you into a compulsive book-finisher ... Moriarty has produced another gripping, satirical hit." Huffington Post"She is the mistress of the razor-sharp observation ... my favourite so far" Kate Morton ...Show more

Elizabeth and Elizabeth by Sue Williams

$29.99 AUD

Category: FICTION

The story of how two women, who should have been bitter foes, combined their courage and wisdom to wield extraordinary power and influence behind the scenes of the fledgling colony.  

Hero For Hire/Hero For Hire/Shadow Hawk/A Royal Mess by Jill Shalvis

$13.95 AUD

$29.99 (53% off)

Category: FICTION

New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis brings you three classic stories about finding yourself in unexpected predicaments...Hero For HireBrazilian heiress Terry Monteverde was supposedly killed in a tragic accident. But how could a dead woman give birth to a baby? Bounty hunter Rick Singleton go es underground in Rio to find out.His only lead is Terry's sister, Nina Monteverde. She's sweet, shy  and not telling what she knows. Rick's a dangerous man to cross, but Nina's not afraid...Rick is. He's defenceless against her innocent charm. And that scares the hell out of him.Shadow HawkWhen his latest mission turns into a bloodbath, Agent Conner Hawk realises he has been set up by someone at the top. Wounded and on the run, he has no choice but to take beautiful Abby Wells hostage. After all, she's in danger too.And if the only way to keep the fiercely independent communications expert safe is to cuff her and bring her along for the ride, he'll do it. Only, given their close contact, it's not long before Hawk's thinking about a totally different kind of pleasure.A Royal MessFirst she's bumped from first class to coach, then she's robbed, gets soaked in a rainstorm and now is stranded on a ranch full of animals she's afraid of!As far as days go, Princess Natalia Brunner has definitely had better ones. If not for the timely rescue by a good-looking cowboy, she would have quit this day long ago. But just like the old Westerns, the sexy Tim Banning has her thinking she should hang up her tiara and stay awhile... ...Show more

The Betrayals by Bridget Collins

$32.99 AUD

Category: FICTION

From the Number 1 bestselling author of The Binding. If everything in your life was based on a lie Would you risk it all to tell the truth? At Montverre, an exclusive academy tucked away in the mountains, the best and brightest are trained for excellence in the grand jeu: an arcane and mysterious conte st. Léo Martin was once a student there, but lost his passion for the grand jeu following a violent tragedy. Now he returns in disgrace, exiled to his old place of learning with his political career in tatters.   Montverre has changed since he studied there, even allowing a woman, Claire Dryden, to serve in the grand jeu's highest office of Magister Ludi. When Léo first sees Claire he senses an odd connection with her, though he's sure they have never met before. Both Léo and Claire have built their lives on lies.  And as the legendary Midsummer Game, the climax of the year, draws closer, secrets are whispering in the walls... ...Show more

Security by Susan Hoddy

$25.00 AUD

Category: FICTION

The tale of an Australian woman who had to let go of the past and look into the future. Whether a loved one is taken from us through a prolonged illness or suddenly unexpected, our mind and body goes through a world of change. Death is something that we all experience at some stage of our lives; but no t very often, hence we don't get an opportunity to learn how to deal with it. Rebecca Landers has a perfect life. A loving and devoted husband, a close relationship with her daughter, a wonderful job, and lots of amazing friends and family in her home city of Perth. What more could she ask for in life? When a sudden unexpected tragedy strikes Rebecca, her world is shattered and she is confronted with having to cope with a future of being alone. As the days seems to roll into weeks, and then months, she knows she has to eventually draw on every bit of strength she has left and pull herself together. But how was she going to be able to do this? Could the answer be found during a visit to Seattle? ...Show more

The New Girl (#19 Gabriel Allon) by Daniel Silva

$22.99 AUD

$32.99 (30% off)

Category: FICTION | Series: Gabriel Allon Ser. | Reading Level: very good

From the internationally bestselling author of The Other Woman and House of Spies comes another stunning thriller in his latest action-packed tale of high stakes international intrigue. NOW YOU SEE HER. NOW YOU DON'T. THE NEW GIRL - A novel of intrigue, betrayal, and revenge. At an exclusive private sch ool in Switzerland, mystery surrounds the identity of the beautiful girl who arrives each morning and leaves each afternoon in a heavily protected motorcade fit for a head of state. She is said to be the daughter of a wealthy international businessman. She is not. And when she is brutally kidnapped across the border in the Haute-Savoie region of France, Gabriel Allon, the legendary chief of Israeli intelligence, is thrust into a deadly secret war with an old enemy that will determine the future of the Middle East-and perhaps the world ... Extraordinary acclaim for The Other Woman and the Gabriel Allon Series "Another jewel in the bedazzling crown of a spy-fiction master. . . . There is an even more elaborately detailed backstory than usual, and it is every bit as compelling as the tension-drenched drama slowly unspooling in the present and leading to a socko finale." Booklist (starred review) "Excellent. . . . Readers will be enthralled by both the history and the up-to-the-minute plot that Silva spins with such finesse." Publishers Weekly (starred review) "A world-class practitioner of spy fiction" Washington Post "Perhaps his most enthralling novel to date. Twists, turns, and nonstop action fill every page. . . . An instant classic from Daniel Silva, whose latest masterpiece puts him firmly alongside le Carre and Forsyth as one of the greatest spy novelists of all time." The Real Book Spy "The Other Woman is one of summer's biggest titles ... It's not hard to see why: This story of love and betrayal ... is hard to put down." Entertainment Weekly   ...Show more

Sheerwater by Leah Swann

$32.99 AUD

Category: FICTION

Emotional, powerful, unforgettable. From a stunning new literary talent, you won't be able to put down this novel about a mother's love for her children - it will break your heart. Ava and her two young sons, Max and Teddy, are driving to their new home in Sheerwater, hopeful of making a fresh start in a new town, although Ava can't but help keep looking over her shoulder. They're almost at their destination when they witness a shocking accident - a light plane crashing in the field next to the road. Ava stops to help, but when she gets back to the car, she realises that somewhere, amongst the smoke, fire and confusion, her sons have gone missing... From a substantial new Australian writing talent, Sheerwater is tense, emotional, unforgettable. Perfect for readers of Mark Brandi's Wimmera and Stephanie Bishop's The Other Side of the World, this is a beautifully written, propulsive, gut-wrenching and unputdownable novel - an aching, powerful story of the heroic acts we are capable of in the name of love 'Sheerwater is that rare gift of a book that balances gorgeous, glittering language with breathless pace. Leah Swann writes with devastating honesty ... This is an extraordinary novel - I tore through it, captivated by the imagery and the setting, desperately hoping for a happy ending.' Rebecca Starford, author of Bad Behavior ...Show more