{"title":"All","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"the-hungry-little-caterpillar","title":"Artemis Fowl","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGabi's review\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIrish Children's Laureate Eoin Colfer has created a lovable rogue in Artemis Fowl. Artemis is dodgy but he is charming, like all of literature's most compelling villains.  Recommended age 10 and over for this series it will have broad appeal.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher overview\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJust twelve years old and already he's a criminal genius, plotting to restore his family's fortune with a spot of corruption and kidnapping.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eKidnapping a fairy for ransom, to be precise.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eArtemis Fowl has discovered a world below ground of armed and dangerous - and extremely high-tech - fairies. 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Circe's wise universal voice commentates on medicine, motherhood, jealously, love and men, with the odd dose of magical vengeance.  I could have remained in exile with Circe and her lions, on her stunning sun-kissed island for a whole additional book, yes, that good.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublishers Overview\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe has neither the look nor the voice of divinity, and is scorned and rejected by her kin. Increasingly isolated, she turns to mortals for companionship, leading her to discover a power forbidden to the gods: witchcraft. When love drives Circe to cast a dark spell, wrathful Zeus banishes her to the remote island of Aiaia. There she learns to harness her occult craft, drawing strength from nature. But she will not always be alone; many are destined to pass through Circe’s place of exile, entwining their fates with hers. The messenger god, Hermes. The craftsman, Daedalus. A ship bearing a golden fleece. and wily Odysseus, on his epic voyage home. There is danger for a solitary woman in this world, and Circe’s independence draws the wrath of men and gods alike. To protect what she holds dear, Circe must decide whether she belongs with the deities she is born from, or the mortals she has come to love.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Madeline Miller","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":37108043481247,"sku":null,"price":22.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0394\/7236\/5727\/products\/BYFqGTx.jpg?v=1613673226"},{"product_id":"a-gentleman-in-moscow","title":"Gentleman in Moscow","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher Review\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn 21 June 1922, Count Alexander Rostov – recipient of the Order of Saint Andrew, member of the Jockey Club, Master of the Hunt – is escorted out of the Kremlin, across Red Square and through the elegant revolving doors of the Hotel Metropol. But instead of being taken to his usual suite, he is led to an attic room with a window the size of a chessboard. Deemed an unrepentant aristocrat by a Bolshevik tribunal, the Count has been sentenced to house arrest indefinitely. While Russia undergoes decades of tumultuous upheaval, the Count, stripped of the trappings that defined his life, is forced to question what makes us who we are.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Amor Towles","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42551869636767,"sku":"","price":22.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0394\/7236\/5727\/products\/a-gentleman-in-moscow.jpg?v=1614868103"},{"product_id":"shuggie-bain","title":"Shuggie Bain","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e2020 Booker Prize\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKerry:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Glasgow in the 80’s is grim. Mines are closing, shipyards are shrinking, only unemployment is rising as is poverty, addiction and despair.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAgainst this isolating backdrop Shuggie is trying to navigate life in a crippled mining village on the outskirts of Glasgow.  Shuggie knows he is different and what is worse so does everyone else. “He’s no right” is a constant refrain throughout. As Shuggie grows his family shrinks until he is left alone with his much loved alcoholic mother Agnes. Agnes is beautiful, proud and vain, in a grey Pithead she stands out just as much as her son. Shuggie Bain is their story.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis isn’t an easy book to read. The characters are so well drawn their anger, and their wanting is tangible. Women in particular are vividly drawn. The Language is physical, words are spat and accusations land like punches - but the dialogue is also rhythmic. The contrast kept me off kilter and kept me reading. Yes it is about addiction, abuse and neglect - a portrait of a city and communities ravaged by economic forces, but it is also poignant, tender and so very human.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShuggie had my heart from page one and held it until the last page – even when I wanted to run. Persevere, you won’t regret it.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eOther Reviews:\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e'\u003cem\u003eA debut novel that reads like a masterpiece, Shuggie Bain\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cem\u003e gives voice to the kind of helpless, hopeless love that children can feel toward broken parents.'\u003c\/em\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eWashington Post\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e'The way Irvine Welsh's Trainspotting\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cem\u003e carved a permanent place in our heads and hearts for the junkies of late-1980s Edinburgh, the language, imagery, and story of fashion designer Stuart's debut novel apotheosizes the life of the Bain family of Glasgow . . . The emotional truth embodied here will crack you open. You will never forget Shuggie Bain. Scene by scene, this book is a masterpiece.'\u003c\/em\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Review\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e(starred review) \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e'It's a formidable story, lyrically told, about intimacy, family, and love.' Elle\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cem\u003e 'Magnificent . . . 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Stuart describes their life with compassion and a keen ear for language . . . Such is Stuart's talent that this painful, sometimes excruciating story is often quite beautiful.' \u003c\/em\u003e\u003ci\u003eSan Francisco Chronicle\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cem\u003e'Every now and then a novel comes along that feels necessary and inevitable. I'll never forget Shuggie and Agnes or the incredibly detailed Glasgow they inhabit. This is the rare contemporary novel that reads like an instant classic. I'll be thinking and talking about Shuggie Bain-and teaching it-for quite some time.'\u003c\/em\u003e Garrard Conley, author of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eBoy Erased\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Douglas Stuart","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":37866376560799,"sku":"5","price":19.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0394\/7236\/5727\/products\/Shuggie.jpg?v=1613296322"},{"product_id":"box-88","title":"Box 88","description":"\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e Chris:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\"Spy agency Box 88 recruits Kite, a recent school leaver, to monitor a possible Iranian terrorist in France while on holiday with friends. Thirty years later, an Iranian intelligence agent captures Kite to establish what happened in France. Kite must use all his skills and experience to save himself and his family while Box 88 and MI5 try and find him. A gripping espionage thriller.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eOther Reviews:\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cem\u003e'A spy for the 21st century'\u003c\/em\u003e Daily Mail, Books of the Year\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cem\u003e‘Wonderfully taut, exciting and up-to-date'\u003c\/em\u003e Spectator, Books of the Year\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cem\u003e‘An ambitious fusion of coming-of-age novel and gripping espionage thriller'\u003c\/em\u003e Financial Times, Books of the Year\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cem\u003e‘BOX 88 is so good. Charles Cumming is up there with the very best espionage writers'\u003c\/em\u003e Ian Rankin\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cem\u003e‘A wonderful spy novel; Charles Cumming's most ambitious – and his best – yet'\u003c\/em\u003e Mick Herron\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e‘\u003cem\u003eCharles Cumming has breathed new life into the spy novel'\u003c\/em\u003e Ben Macintyre\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cem\u003e ‘Atmospheric and full of sharply realised characters'\u003c\/em\u003e Sunday Times\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cem\u003e ‘A clever thriller' Sun ‘Intelligence, grace, and stunning verisimilitude'\u003c\/em\u003e Gregg Hurwitz\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cem\u003e‘An engaging hero' James Swallow ‘All the hallmarks of the finest spy thriller'\u003c\/em\u003e Charlotte Philby\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cem\u003e‘Sharp-eyed and satisfying'\u003c\/em\u003e Henry Porter\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cem\u003e‘A great new spy hero is born'\u003c\/em\u003e Amanda Craig\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cem\u003e ‘Ideal for anyone nostalgic for their first love and the whiff of Marlboro Lights'\u003c\/em\u003e The Times\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Charles Cumming","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":37872954179743,"sku":"","price":29.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0394\/7236\/5727\/products\/Box88.jpg?v=1613375195"},{"product_id":"the-habsburgs","title":"Habsburgs","description":"\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA SUNDAY TIMES, FINANCIAL TIMES, TLS AND DAILY TELEGRAPH BOOK OF THE YEAR 2020.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eChris\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\"The Habsburg dynasty ruled for nearly a thousand years. From humble beginnings, the family’s relentless ambition to expand its power led it to control the Holy Roman Empire and large parts of Europe, South America and the Far East. This control continued until the First World War after which it collapsed. The author explains the driving forces behind the expansion of power while detailing the intrigues and duplicity.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eOther Reviews:\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cem\u003eMartyn Rady has written a splendid account of the grandest old dynasty of Europe: the Habsburgs. With wit and firm opinion, he takes the reader on something akin to a tour of the Wunderkammer of the dynasty's many-centuries-long career. Including vampires, an empress's waist size, and cocaine-laced health drinks, Rady's narrative glitters with apt quotes and telling, often ironic details.\u003c\/em\u003e -- Steven Beller, author of THE HABSBURG MONARCHY 1815-1918 A tour de force.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cem\u003e Thorough, accessible, and resolutely erudite, this is the volume that this vitally important subject so desperately needed. Martyn Rady should be congratulated.\u003c\/em\u003e -- Roger Moorhouse, author of POLAND 1939: THE OUTBREAK OF WORLD WAR II\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cem\u003eThis is a first global history of Europe's most famous and durable dynasty, chronicling its exploits with great panache over nearly a millennium of rule across wide swathes of the continent and beyond. Martyn Rady writes incisively and judiciously, drawing on much recent international scholarship in a range of languages to illustrate multiple facets of Habsburg governance in theory and practice. At the same time his text is accessible and entertaining, his ready wit providing a delectable counterpoint to the notorious humourlessness of so many of the dynasts he examines.\u003c\/em\u003e -- Robert Evans, Regius Professor of History Emeritus at the University of Oxford\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Habsburgs - ambitious, illustrious, and at times incestuous - were once Europe's foremost royal family. Rady tells their story with verve and authority, casting a curious eye over their eccentricities and peccadilloes while all the time revealing their extraordinary influence and global vision. A fascinating read!\u003c\/em\u003e -- Alexander Watson, author of THE FORTRESS and RING OF STEEL \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Habsburgs is gripping, colorful, and dramatic but also concise, scholarly, and magisterial. Martyn Rady recounts the story of Europe's greatest dynasty that ruled an empire, on which the sun never set, from Peru to the Philippines. Revealing a key player in world history for almost a thousand years, The Habsburgs is a chronicle of high politics and family intimacy involving religion, murder, incest, madness, suicide, assassination. History on an epic scale!\u003c\/em\u003e -- Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of THE ROMANOVS and JERUSALEM: THE BIOGRAPHY\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Martyn Rady","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":37873028300959,"sku":"","price":22.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0394\/7236\/5727\/products\/Habsburgs.jpg?v=1613376023"},{"product_id":"when-america-stopped-being-great","title":"When America Stopped Being Great","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e Chris:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"This BBC journalist has written an explanation of the history of the US’ decline and the factors that led to President Trump’s election. Listing the errors of his predecessors and the build up of economic divisions, the author explains how Trump was there at the right time to use them for his own benefit. An entertaining account that gives you the whole story.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOther Reviews:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e'An elegant and insightful dissection of how a great nation lost its footing and the world's respect. 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Heart-swelling, and with characters that won't be forgotten.'\u003c\/em\u003e - Zana Fraillon, award-winning author of The Bone Sparrow'\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eA timely novel recognising the silent victims of war and the courage and resilience of children to find joy in dark times.'\u003c\/em\u003e - Susanne Gervay OAM, bestselling author of I Am Jack'\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThis powerful and compelling novel is the perfect balance of light and dark: challenges are met with courage, desperation with resourcefulness, cruelty with kindness, and the result is both moving and inspiring.' -\u003c\/em\u003e Frances Watts, award-winning author of The Peony Lantern'\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAnyone aged 10 and up who enjoyed Lenny's Book of Everything and The Book Thief will find much to cherish here; I guarantee that the Wolf children will find a place in your heart.'\u003c\/em\u003e - Books+Publishing\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Katrina Nannestad","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":37901328580767,"sku":"","price":19.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0394\/7236\/5727\/products\/WeareWolves.jpg?v=1613666974"},{"product_id":"hamnet","title":"Hamnet","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e***Publishers are currently out of stock - more stock is expected in March 2021\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWINNER OF THE 2020 WOMEN’S PRIZE FOR FICTION – THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSHORTLISTED AN POST BOOK AWARDS IRISH NOVEL OF THE YEAR\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAnya:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"This literary historical novel is set in 16th century England and is a rich imagining of the lives of William Shakespeare’s family, at the time he and his wife Agnes lost their beloved child Hamnet to the plague.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe world O’Farrell creates is immersive and captivating and the book is an eloquent meditation on grief and loss. It is also an intimate portrait of a marriage and a fascinating window into the lives of women at this time. This is a book to lose yourself in, lyrical and unusual, and is a poetic backstory to one of the world’s greatest plays.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOther Reviews:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e‘\u003cem\u003eRichly sensuous… something special’\u003c\/em\u003e The Sunday Times\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e‘A thing of shimmering wonder’\u003c\/em\u003e David Mitchell\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Maggie O’Farrell","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":37901353910431,"sku":"","price":22.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0394\/7236\/5727\/products\/Hamnet.jpg?v=1613667380"},{"product_id":"the-reader","title":"Reader","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAnya:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA contemporary classic in my view, particularly brilliant for the young adult reader who is moving into adult books and in the process of setting their own moral compass…\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOther Reviews:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cem\u003e‘A tender, horrifying novel that shows blazingly well how the Holocaust should be dealt with in fiction. 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The characters are old fashioned in their ways and yet the whole thing never ceases to be gripping.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe three main characters are children, and the action takes place over one day, a day, for which at least one of them, will spend her life trying to atone.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOther Reviews:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cem\u003e‘The best thing he has ever written’\u003c\/em\u003e Observer\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"Smoulders with slow-burning menace\"\u003c\/em\u003e * The Times of London *\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cem\u003eA complex, thought-provoking novel.\u003c\/em\u003e -- Fanny Blake * Woman and Home * \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cem\u003eBrilliantly explores the currents of guilt, shame and anger... 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This immediately brought to mind the only other book which I have read which deals with this same topic, that is, Vladimir Nabakov’s much acclaimed \u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eLolita,\u003c\/em\u003e which was first published in 1955 and which I read sometime during the tumultuous 1970s.   For this reason, while reading \u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003ePutney,\u003c\/em\u003e and later while thinking about this important and timely book, I could not but compare it with its famous precursor.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eIn \u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003ePutney\u003c\/em\u003e Zinovieff carefully examines the dramatic changes which have taken place within the zeitgeist from the time of the publication of \u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eLolita \u003c\/em\u003eand my reading of it some twenty years later on the one hand, to the greatly enlightened contemporary understandings of child sexual abuse with which we are familiar today, on the other.  While sexual relations between an adult and a child have long been regarded as a social taboo and a moral wrong of mammoth proportions in modern western society as well as in many others it is only in recent decades that this particular social ill has come to the fore of public discussion. It is this airing of society’s dirty linen which has made for a much greater understanding of the psychological make-up of the adult involved – or the perpetrator of sexual child abuse as such a person has now come to be described – and the massive social, psychological, emotional and lasting damage invariably done to the child.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eZinovieff’s story begins in London during the 1970s, a time of enormous social upheaval throughout the Western world and beyond, a time when all social conventions, particularly those relating to sexuality and the family, were challenged as being unhealthy, repressive constraints on the freedom of the individual. Fidelity within marriage – and within sexual relationships in general – along with traditional notions of child rearing practices were abandoned by many in the name of such freedom. In addition to this radicalism, at this time the huge interest in psychology, an interest which permeates every aspect of contemporary society and has done so for decades, had not yet developed. Even for those of us who were adults during the 1970s it is difficult to now imagine  or properly remember an absence of such magnitude in the social imaginary.  Zinovieff shows how the social climate of that radical decade almost facilitated perpetrators of the sexual abuse of children: the stage was set for such, as it were. Ralph, the abuser in \u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003ePutney,\u003c\/em\u003e exhibits all the characteristics of a classic narcissist – a trait which is part of the psychological make-up of all perpetrators and without which such people could not act as they do. Zinovieff elucidates the ways in which the particular social climate of the 1970s not only allowed narcissism in its many and varied guises to go unquestioned but gave it a licence to flourish. In this regard her interpretation of important aspects of the era is both novel and acutely observed indeed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eIn \u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003ePutney\u003c\/em\u003e Zinovieff has been able to blend sophisticated psychological insights and a clearsighted understanding of all aspects of the phenomenon under discussion in an extraordinarily imaginative way. The characters she creates are so superbly conjured that they loom large in the mind’s eye long after finishing the book. She has a highly developed capacity in this regard as she does in her ability to create vivid images of the places and the different eras during which the story takes place\u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e.  Putney\u003c\/em\u003e is immediately and immensely absorbing which meant that from the moment I began to read I had to close out the world and devote myself to the book. While Zinovieff is a generous spirited writer and presents her characters as flawed human beings rather than monsters there is absolutely no doubt as to the reasons for her moral condemnation of this age-old social ill that has for far too long been relegated to the ante chambers of society’s mind. In \u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003ePutney \u003c\/em\u003eZinovieff demonstrates the way in which the novel can serve as a brilliant vehicle for the illumination of a social ill.  It is not possible after reading \u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003ePutney \u003c\/em\u003ethat anyone could justify or condone Ralph’s behaviour by saying “But he loved her” as a woman said to me of his counterpart in Lolita at the time of my reading of that disturbing and memorable book. Zinovieff’s careful examination of all aspects of the roles played by both the perpetrator and the abused child along with the effects of their relationship on each of their lives contrasts starkly with Nabakov’s almost total neglect of the effect of sexual abuse on Lolita, the girl in his story.  Putney is indeed a much needed contribution to this most important of topics and will undoubtedly enrich all who read it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sofka Zinovieff","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":39306920919199,"sku":"","price":29.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0394\/7236\/5727\/products\/Putney.jpg?v=1614660526"},{"product_id":"behind-the-scenes-at-the-museum","title":"Behind the Scenes at the Museum","description":"\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e***Winner of the \u003cb data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003ethe Whitbread (now Costa) Book of the Year Prize\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnne:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAs the Lane Bookshop has existed just about forever and at one stage I was in my youth and now am in my old age, I thought I might take you back to some of our glorious old books that never lose their appeal and what’s more we usually have them on the shelves.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eRumour has it that Kate Atkinson was employed as a cleaning lady when she was suddenly informed that she had won one of the world’s top prizes in literature.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe book is completely non-conformist and madly original. Sharp, witty and she has us all in hysterics without even trying.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eBy the way have you noticed how few truly amusing books there are around?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOther Reviews:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e'Little short of a masterpiece...Fizzing with wit and energy, Kate Atkinson's hilarious novel made me laugh and cry' \u003c\/em\u003eDaily Mail\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e'An astounding book...without doubt one of the finest novels I have read for years' \u003c\/em\u003eTHE TIMES\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e'Delivers its jokes and its tragedies as efficiently as Dickens...outrageously funny...will dazzle readers for years to come' - \u003c\/em\u003eHILARY MANTEL, author of The Mirror and the Light\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eMore about the book:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRuby Lennox was conceived grudgingly by Bunty and born while her father, George, was in the Dog and Hare in Doncaster telling a woman in an emerald dress and a D-cup that he wasn't married. Bunty had never wanted to marry George, but here she was, stuck in a flat above the pet shop in an ancient street beneath York Minster, with sensible and sardonic Patrica aged five, greedy cross-patch Gillian who refused to be ignored, and Ruby...\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRuby tells the story of The Family, from the day at the end of the nineteenth century when a travelling French photographer catches frail beautiful Alice and her children, like flowers in amber, to the startling, witty, and memorable events of Ruby's own life.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eMore on Kate Atkinson:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eKate Atkinson is one of the world's foremost novelists. She won the Costa Book of the Year prize with her first novel, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eBehind the Scenes at the Museum\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e. Her three critically lauded and prizewinning novels set around World War II are \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eLife After Life, A God in Ruins\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e(both winners of the Costa Novel Award), and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eTranscription.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e She was appointed MBE for services to literature in 2011.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHer bestselling literary crime novels featuring former detective Jackson Brodie, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eCase Histories\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eOne Good Turn\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eWhen Will There Be Good News?\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eStarted Early, Took My Dog\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e became a BBC television series starring Jason Isaacs. Jackson Brodie returns in her new novel \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eBig Sky.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Kate Atkinson","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":39327046402207,"sku":"","price":22.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0394\/7236\/5727\/products\/BehindtheScenes.jpg?v=1614864578"},{"product_id":"old-filth","title":"Old Filth","description":"\u003ch3 class=\"booktitle\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e*** Shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAnne:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis book written in 2004 is just as entertaining today as it was in 2004 and has the additional advantage of being set in a very different Hong Kong.  The Colonial Hong Kong of the past, which allows us to compare it with todays most troubled City.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOLD FILTH stands for Failed in London Try Hong Kong. Once again, I will leave the discovery of the story to the reader as I am always distressed if too much actual plot is revealed before the book is even in hand, suffice to say this moving and wonderfully funny portraits of an era is one of the best fiction books I have ever read.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOther reviews:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eA magnificent, deeply moving and compassionate portrait of an era and a sentimental education \u003c\/em\u003e* Daily Mail *\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eBeautiful, vivid and defiantly funny \u003c\/em\u003e* The Times *\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e Typical excellence and compulsive readability…the miracle of “Old Filth” is that its hero eludes sociological or psychological pigeonholing. If he is a characteristic Raj orphan, he is also triumphantly his own man \u003c\/em\u003e* New York Times *\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThis novel is surely Gardam’s masterpiece. On the human level, it is one of the most moving fictions I have read for years…This is the rare novel that drives its reader forward while persistently waylaying and detaining by the sheer beauty and inventiveness of its style. One must savour every phrase. The marriage of quirky eccentricity and psychological authenticity is a Gardam technique, but here her cunning wit, moving deftly between scenes and eras, displays the tragedy of a vintage world forever passing away \u003c\/em\u003e* Guardian *\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Jane Gardam","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":39327086837919,"sku":"","price":19.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0394\/7236\/5727\/products\/OldFilth.jpg?v=1614865307"},{"product_id":"blackout","title":"Blackout","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNick:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eBefore reading this I had not read a crime fiction novel for quite some time. Over the years I have thoroughly enjoyed crime fiction from the likes of Robert Harris and William Boyd and intend to read further with Mick Herron and John Banville. I was a little worried when I received this as novel from one of our publishers, that this might be a little trashy given the over the top nature of the cover. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eHowever, from the first chapter onwards I was captivated.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe book deals with normal people living through pre World War II Germany. It deals with the horror of how these souls were swept up along with a movement that wanted to \"Make Germany Great Again\".  The book's plot sweeps you up into it and the crime narrative is an excellent vehicle for exploring the ethical dilemmas that face the main protagonists in the novel. Scarrow's descriptions and sense of place in his book are raw and visceral.  He paints vivid dark backdrops for night time prowling under the blackouts of pre war Germany and brilliant crisp mornings with fresh bloodied snow. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI thoroughly recommend this book to those who are fans of crime fiction as the crime narrative is gripping - so much so I could not put the book down towards the end. However, the book also has an added depth for those wanting to question how real people are affected when the politics of a country get thrown so far out of balance and the moral quandaries they then have to deal with. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAs an aside, I was telling the murder story in chapter one of the book to some staff at the Lane Bookshop recently when I received a phone call from the WA Police department. They were enquiring about a murder. Apparently my phone had pocket dialed 000 and they had overheard a conversation about a murder. I explained that this was in fact me describing a book called \"Blackout\" in our bookshop. The police officer on the line had a good laugh about it and hopefully I am not still being monitored..... \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOther Reviews:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e 'Taut and chilling - I was completely gripped' - \u003c\/em\u003eAnthony Horowitz\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e'A wonderfully compelling thriller, reeking of authenticity, and a terrific depiction of the human world within the chilling world of the Third Reich' -\u003c\/em\u003e Peter James\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e'Mesmerising. Nail-biting. Unputdownable. Utterly authentic and beautifully written. The perfect way to bring the past alive' - \u003c\/em\u003eDamien Lewis\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eScarrow is a genius and I love everything he writes, but Blackout takes things to a whole new level. It's by far the best book I've read this year - \u003c\/em\u003eTom Marcus\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Simon Scarrow","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":39328685752479,"sku":"","price":22.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0394\/7236\/5727\/products\/Blackout.jpg?v=1614877617"},{"product_id":"noise","title":"Noise","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNick:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDaniel Kahneman won the Nobel prize in economics in 2002 for his work on the psychology of judgment and decision making. His latest book is an important and disquieting read for those of us who have been in trades or professions where we felt so sure of the superiority and infallibility of our judgements. The book points out the terrifying consequences of not dealing with the \"noise\" in our decision making which is very different to the bias's that the likes of Kahneman and Malcolm Gladwell have been pointing out for decades. The book gives real world examples of noise in professions like the law and medicine where it literally undermines the credibility or fairness of what are commonly deemed to be infallible institutions. For companies it points to major losses on the bottom line of failing to deal with \"noise\" in decision making.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNoise is a fascinating read and provides important lessons for all of us from one of the giants of psychological thought in our time.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher Reviews :\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eFrom the world-leaders in strategic thinking and the multi-million copy bestselling authors of Thinking Fast and Slow and Nudge, the next big book to change the way you think. Wherever there is human judgment, there is noise. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e‘Noise may be the most important book I've read in more than a decade.\u003c\/strong\u003e A genuinely new idea so exceedingly important you will immediately put it into practice. A masterpiece' Angela Duckworth, author of Grit ‘\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAn absolutely brilliant investigation of a massive societal problem that has been hiding in plain sight' Steven Levitt, co-author of Freakonomics\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e Imagine that two doctors in the same city give different diagnoses to identical patients – or that two judges in the same court give different sentences to people who have committed matching crimes. Now imagine that the same doctor and the same judge make different decisions depending on whether it is morning or afternoon, or Monday rather than Wednesday, or they haven't yet had lunch. These are examples of noise: variability in judgments that should be identical. In Noise, Daniel Kahneman, Olivier Sibony and Cass R. Sunstein show how noise produces errors in many fields, including in medicine, law, public health, economic forecasting, forensic science, child protection, creative strategy, performance review and hiring. And although noise can be found wherever people are making judgments and decisions, individuals and organizations alike commonly ignore its impact, at great cost. Packed with new ideas, and drawing on the same kind of sharp analysis and breadth of case study that made Thinking, Fast and Slow and Nudge international bestsellers, Noise explains how and why humans are so susceptible to noise and bias in decision-making. We all make bad judgments more than we think. With a few simple remedies, this groundbreaking book explores what we can do to make better ones. Review from Publisher\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Daniel Kahneman","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":39611861926047,"sku":"","price":34.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0394\/7236\/5727\/products\/Noise.jpg?v=1617411130"},{"product_id":"slough-house","title":"Slough House","description":"\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKerry:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAt The Lane, Mick Herron's spy books have rated high on the charts of customer favourites since 2010, when the first in the Slough House series, Slow Horses, hit the shelves. With each new release our readers would bring them to the counter, thrilled with the prospect of sharing another espionage misadventure with Jackson Lamb and his misfits.  Delighted and eager to to share the joy they would urge me to read Mr Herron, promising me I wouldn't be disappointed. It took me 10 years and a stint in quarantine before I opened my first Slough House, they were right, I have loved each and everyone of them.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eHerron starts every book with a tour of Slough House. A four story neglected building in Aldergate St, 'where the dull weight of mediocrity hangs heavy'.... 'the building is a bad tooth set in a failing mouth. Here is where nothing happens: nothing to see here. Move along.' He also ends each book at Slough House after an awful lot has happened here.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAlong with the mould, desperation and the reek of failure rises from the opening pages. Slough House is where MI5 banishes its agents who have disgraced themselves. Here they hope they will succumb to the humiliation of exile, the mind numbing boredom, and the head banging fruitily of Slough House and give in and resign. Much easier than going through HR's hoops to fire them.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eOverseeing this tenth circle of hell is Jackson Lamb. Jackson Lamb was a spook, an agent in the field, a Cold War warrior. A legend and a truly, truly appalling character. A bellicose menace he goads and torments his slow horses, this larger than life character terrifies and horrifies in equal measure. Lamb makes an art form of being un-PC, he is a man you would never invite into your home, but he also really makes you laugh. Herron's dialogue is razor sharp.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAll seven books are clever, tightly plotted contemporary page turners shot through with biting political satire and a dark humour. While you could read each title as a standalone you would be doing yourself a disservice. Herron constructs his plots and develops his characters with a subtlety that renders them and the scenarios disturbingly plausible - like Lamb he plays the long game, each book builds on the others.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eImpressively 6 of the 7 books in the series have either been shortlisted for or won crimes most prestigious awards.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Mick Herron","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":39771017904287,"sku":"","price":22.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0394\/7236\/5727\/files\/slough-house_1.jpg?v=1709947161"},{"product_id":"the-pigeon-tunnel","title":"Pigeon Tunnel","description":"\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Sunday Times no. 1 Memoir\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eChris:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe late John le Carré has written this biography in which he explains how his lifetime experiences are used in his fiction books. As readable as ever, le Carré recounts his meetings with some weird and wonderful characters and his experiences teaching at Eton College and his employment with MI6. However, it is his on-off association with his wayward father that seems to have had the most impact on him as a person. He invented the modern spy thriller with \u003cem\u003eThe Spy Who Came in from the Cold\u003c\/em\u003e which changed his life. He studied German language and literature and travelled to Germany many times. He toured South East Asia, Russia and the Middle East to provide background to subsequent books, in doing so he met many controversial and sometimes unpleasant characters. All this provided him with the material for his wonderful collection of writing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOther Reviews\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublisher Review: The Pigeon Tunnel, \u003c\/i\u003eJohn le Carre's memoir and his first work of non-fiction, is a thrilling journey into the worlds of his 'secret sharers' - the men and women who inspired some of his most enthralling novels. From terrifying meetings with Yasser Arafat in war-torn Beirut to brilliantly observed encounters with the great figures of 20th century film, from Stanley Kubrick to Alec Guinness. The reader is swept along not just by the chilling winds of the Cold War or by the author's frightening journeys into places of terrible violence but, most importantly, by the author's inimitable voice. In this astonishing work we see our world, both public and private, through the eyes of one of the world's greatest writers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"John le Carré","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":39920224272543,"sku":"","price":22.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0394\/7236\/5727\/products\/pigeontunnel.jpg?v=1620008273"},{"product_id":"girl-a","title":"Girl A","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReviewed by Dolores Maund\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eGirl A\u003c\/em\u003e is told from the perspective of the central character, Alexandra, a young and successful lawyer who works in New York but has returned to the UK because of the death of her mother. As the executor of her mother’s will Alexandra is required to contact her siblings which, combined with her mother’s death, stimulates disturbing memories of their family life in which the children were subjected to appalling violence and cruel privation by their pathologically warped parents. Stories of this nature hold a particular fascination for a variety of reasons, one being that it is beyond the imaginings of most people to begin to comprehend the behaviour of such parents. Also, in this novel, the means by which the children endure such circumstances and then the type of adults they grow to be makes for an engrossing meditation on the nature of the human condition – a topic ever ripe for endless speculation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eWhile all of the characters in \u003cem\u003eGirl A\u003c\/em\u003e are finely etched and fully realised several of them are bound to leave a permanent imprint on the inner landscape of the reader, particularly the unforgettable Alexandra. Her acute observational powers in relation to her fellow human beings along with her exceptional integrity and courage in the way in which she faces her own psychological disfigurement and that of her siblings make for an admirable and endearing character. Furthermore, her character is made more convincing by her voice which is typical of a young adult shaped by the digital era and which effectively conjures the zeitgeist. The gradual unfolding of the story and development of the characters in \u003cem\u003eGirl A\u003c\/em\u003e make for utterly compelling reading. I could not put the book down and since finishing have continued to mull over this memorable novel.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the hands of a lesser writer the subject matter which Abigail Dean has chosen to deal with in \u003cem\u003eGirl A\u003c\/em\u003e could indeed make for grim reading. Instead, the book is, among other things, a testament to the power of the human spirit. While this novel is not likely to appeal to the Pollyannas of this world or those who wish to skate over the surface of life it is Abigail Dean’s superb illumination of complex social and psychological phenomena which makes her novel a tour de force. Her intelligent perspective on aspects of the human condition can only serve to enrich and expand the imagination of the reader. I am sure readers will eagerly await Abigail Dean’s next book as I most certainly do.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOther Reviews:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e‘Sensational. Gripping, haunting, and beautifully written' RICHARD OSMAN\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e‘Haunting, powerful, with a pitch-perfect ending' THE NEW YORK TIMES\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e ‘The biggest mystery thriller since Gone Girl' ELLE\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e ‘Incendiary, beautifully written debut' GUARDIAN\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e ‘Psychologically astute, adroitly organised, written with flair' THE SUNDAY TIMES\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e ‘An astonishing achievement.' JESSIE BURTON\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e ‘Gripping, beautifully written perfection.' SOPHIE HANNAH \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e‘A masterpiece.' LOUISE O'NEILL \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e ‘Fantastic.' PAULA HAWKINS\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Abigail Dean","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":39965428744351,"sku":"","price":29.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0394\/7236\/5727\/products\/GirlA.jpg?v=1620440077"},{"product_id":"the-children-s-house","title":"Children’s House","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReviewed by Dolores Maund\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Children’s House quickly elicited in me that marvelously satisfying feeling of wanting to continue to read through to the end while ignoring all the goings on of ordinary life. I began reading one evening and finished the following day. Not only did Alice Nelson succeed in completely immersing me in her particular world but the central theme of the book and its sensitively etched characters have stayed with me and now occupy part of my own inner landscape, a clear indication of the force of the book.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe main concern of The Children’s House is the way in which extreme trauma deprives two women in totally different circumstances of their ability to nurture their children in a normal, loving way and then the ramifications of being denied this most fundamental of all human bonds on the children born of these mothers. While Alice Nelson is clear about the permanent psychological and emotional damage done to children who suffer such deprivation much of the book nevertheless deals with the way in which this inner ruin can be compensated for by the development of loving and stable relationships later in life. Both Marina and Gabriel, two of the characters whose mothers were marred by trauma, have the good fortune to become part of an exceptionally close-knit, stable and loving Jewish family in contemporary New York, the utter antithesis of their experience with their own mothers. One other does not have such luck on his side. Alice Nelson has performed a delicate balancing act indeed in examining such a deeply disturbing topic while also maintaining, in a realistic and convincing way, the possibility that people such as Marina and Gabriel are nevertheless able to live satisfying lives. For this reason, while the pain endured by the main characters is made clear, The Children’s House is still life affirming in that it carries a strong message of hope. This wonderfully interesting book is also timely in as much as that most important of shaping forces of an individual’s life, the bond between mother and child, is one which has and is being effectively undermined from a number of quarters. Thank you, Alice Nelson, for your contribution to the life of the mind and the imagination. The Children’s House has enriched and expanded my interior world. It is a beautiful and sensitive book and one which will undoubtedly be similarly appreciated by many other readers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Alice Nelson","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":40010859708575,"sku":"","price":32.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0394\/7236\/5727\/products\/TheChildrensHouse.jpg?v=1620964175"},{"product_id":"the-valley","title":"Valley","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReviewed by Dolores Maund\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI approached The Valley by Steve Hawke with some slight trepidation because the very nature of its subject matter could not but entail the objective of attempting to contribute to an understanding of the lives of indigenous Australians in contemporary society, no small undertaking indeed. Furthermore, I was acutely aware that such an ambition could only be achieved by means of a highly developed literary capacity. Thus, before even opening the book, I had such high expectations of it – or, more accurately, hopes of those particular expectations being fulfilled. Hawke’s deftly and sympathetically etched characters who shall undoubtedly remain alive in my imagination, his acutely observed descriptions of parts of the landscape of northern Western Australia wherein the novel is set, and the way in which the story line developed all combined to prove my feelings of apprehension totally unfounded. Hawke exceeded my hopes and expectations for this important and memorable novel.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe period in which The Valley is set probably roughly coincides with the time in which Hawke’s own grandparents lived through to the present day. The story told is therefore one within living memory, one which shows how recent and constant were certain forms of cruel social dislocation and suffering endured by indigenous Australians. Hawke’s telling of recent history through the novel form counters a commonly held view that the privations suffered by indigenous Australians happened some two hundred years ago, that is, in their distant past. Furthermore, the lives of the characters in The Valley also undermine the widely held view that many light-skinned indigenous Australians are really mostly Caucasian and that their identification with the wider group of indigenous Australians is therefore somehow spurious. In The Valley Hawke has demonstrated the power of literature to evoke strong feelings in the reader which illuminate for him or her that commonality which exists between all human beings despite differences of race or social and historical circumstance. In doing so Hawke has contributed to eroding those trenchantly held images in the popular imaginary which are borne of ignorance and a lack of generosity.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Steve Hawke","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":40010919149727,"sku":"","price":27.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0394\/7236\/5727\/products\/TheValley.jpg?v=1620964834"},{"product_id":"the-museum-of-broken-promises","title":"Museum of Broken Promises","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReviewed by Dolores Maund\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe story of The Museum of Broken Promises spans some three or more decades and moves between communist Czechoslovakia during the latter stages of the Cold War and Paris and Berlin in the period after the fall of the Wall. This particular historical context, as most readers will be well aware, provides fertile ground for a discussion of the way in which repressive regimes shape and limit even those most deeply personal choices made by people living within such intensely constrained circumstances. Through her deftly and sympathetically drawn characters Buchan illuminates various ways in which many ordinary people in communist Czechoslovakia were forced to compromise their own integrity and then left to live with the consequences of their actions. Her rendering of the effects of this sorry state on the interior lives of the characters provides a memorable apercu of the central theme of the book. The way in which the narrative moves back and forth between the past and the present over such a long period gives a feeling of a gradual fitting together of the pieces of a jig-saw and in so doing makes for compelling reading. This structure also allows for a clear delineation of the long term psychological and emotional effects on the lives of the main characters along with the way in which each character attempts to attain some semblance of equilibrium. In throwing light on the insidious nature of Czechoslovakian society under communist rule Buchan asks the reader to place him or herself in the shoes of those unfortunate people who were forced to betray not only their own moral codes but in certain cases, other human beings. While for many readers this imaginative exercise will be an immensely absorbing one it is also likely to disturb in its inevitable prompting of the old adage that ‘but for the grace of god there go I.’\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrom the moment I began The Museum of Broken Promises I became completely immersed in the world created by Buchan and even after reaching the end of the book the images of life in the two different societies along with her superbly etched characters have remained with me. In this memorable and profoundly affecting novel Buchan has made a significant contribution to that well-established tradition within literature which deals with life in certain notoriously repressive and warped societies of twentieth century Europe. Many a reader’s imaginative horizon will be expanded by their entering into Buchan’s world.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOther Reviews:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e'I ADORE cold-war novels and I live for love stories - \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Museum of Broken Promises\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is a perfect combination of both. It's a gem of a book ... beautiful, elegant.' \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e- Marian Keyes\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e'Intricately plotted and beautifully written, the characters and the setting stay with you and leave you yearning for Paris.' \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e- Katie Fforde, author of\u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eA Vintage Wedding\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Elizabeth Buchan","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":40011029020831,"sku":"","price":19.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0394\/7236\/5727\/products\/Museumofbroken.jpg?v=1620965736"},{"product_id":"the-only-story","title":"Only Story","description":"\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eReviewed by Dolores Maund\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\nThe characters in The Only Story are superbly drawn and so convincingly fleshed out that, in addition to causing me to weep on occasion, they have remained alive in my imagination during the past six or so weeks since reading the book and will undoubtedly continue to do so. Furthermore, I should add that the book so engaged me that I began it on an afternoon and finished it the next morning while still in bed. Barnes was able to take me into his world and completely envelop me. It was as if he had invited me to listen to him, a man of mature years, attempt to put the pieces of the jigsaw of his life together, a process which is common to those of a reflective and sensitive disposition as they sense the dimming of the light. In Barnes’ case, as undoubtedly with others, the entire process of such reflection and attempt at making sense of the most important aspects of life is given further impetus by the pain and suffering endured, the disappointments and the loses experienced. One can’t imagine that a person who views the world through the lens of positive thinking would ever have either the wherewithal or the inclination for such a pursuit. One of Barnes’ themes is the way in which we change our judgements about what we remember about both ourselves and others, how maturity and experience cause us to see things not simply in greater complexity but often dramatically differently. For example, his view of the husband from the vantage point of maturity bears no resemblance to that which he held as a young man. We make about turns which would have been unimaginable to our younger selves. While Barnes’ close and courageous examination of certain aspects of his life, those he undoubtedly considers the most important, could not have been achieved without considerable emotional cost, he does convey that the end result is a degree of acceptance which comes from understanding and with it the gaining of equanimity. However, the very nature of the process which Barnes describes is also one without an ending, is never complete, is always partial. If one of the aims of literature is to provide the reader with a rendering of the interior life which affirms and illuminates the readers’ own experience of life, and in doing so bridges that gap in communication and understanding which exists to varying degrees between all human beings, then, in The Only Story, Barnes has produced a tour de force. For the intimacy which Barnes afforded me in this exquisitely sensitive book I am not only grateful but also know that he has left a permanent imprint on my emotional landscape. I hope he knows how much he has enriched the lives of those who have loved this book.","brand":"Julian Barnes","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":40011090821279,"sku":"","price":22.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0394\/7236\/5727\/products\/OnlyStory.jpg?v=1620966173"},{"product_id":"the-other-half-of-augusta-hope","title":"Other Half of Augusta Hope","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReviewed by Dolores Maund\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot only did The Other Half of Augusta Hope engage my interest immediately but the way in which the story unfolded and the characters developed meant that I was compelled to read the book from beginning to end over two days. During the time in which I became completely immersed in the world of Joanna Glen’s creation there were occasions when I laughed out loud at the sharply observed comical aspects of life which are depicted so adeptly while at other times I was so deeply moved that I wept. Joanna Glen has mastered the art of eliciting in the reader deep feelings for her wonderfully memorable characters, characters who will undoubtedly remain vivid in the mind of the reader long after the book is finished.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eFor the most part the novel focuses on the life of the character of the title, Augusta Hope, while the lesser part is devoted a young Rwandan man called Parfait. Each story is told in the first person and takes place over a similar time span. The book begins with Augusta’s perceptions of life as a pre-pubescent girl in a middle-class English family and ends with her as an adult. Augusta’s view of her family and the social milieu in which they live is rendered in a humorous, highly observant and delightfully convincing voice. The myriad and nuanced ways in which the family members communicate with and respond to one another is keenly noted by the perspicacious and intelligent Augusta whose rich interior life is so superbly depicted. While still a girl Augusta registers the distance, which often takes on the proportions of a chasm, between the goings on within her own inner landscape on the one hand and the mental and imaginative horizons of her sister and parents on the other. She is acutely aware of the difference between herself and her family in regard to the nature of their respective preoccupations, aspirations and general way of apprehending the world. In this regard Augusta recognizes the disjuncture which is often the consequence of one family member aiming for and achieving a significantly higher level of education than the others. At different stages of her life Augusta observes those forces which both bind and create distance within her family along with the changes in the dynamics of these over time.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eBoth Augusta’s and Parfait’s stories entail loss, forms of loss which are a part of life for many and then other more profound forms which mark a person’s life forever. While the pain and emotional dislocation of grief are made clear in each of their respective stories both Augusta and Parfait come to an understanding of those aspects of life which aid in healing the wounds of deep and life shattering loss.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eI have no doubt that many readers will delight in this humorous, sad, insightful, warm and generous spirited book. 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Monica found herself re-examining her own childhood and how Catholicism had shaped her. Was it really out of her system or was it in her blood for life?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eLapsed\u003c\/em\u003e, Monica sets out to find the answer. Her investigations lead her to test a miracle cure in Lourdes and visit the grave of a headless Saint who claimed to be married to Christ (and wore a wedding ring made of his foreskin to prove it). She speaks to canon lawyers, abuse survivors and even a nun who insists that the Virgin Mary starts her car every morning.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eReview by Kerry:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStatistics are slippery at the best of times, it is easy being a Catholic in a census. Just tick a box. Done. However as Germaine Greer states” I am still a Catholic, I just don’t believe in God. I am an atheist Catholic – there are a lot of them around.” And there are, in \u003cem\u003eLapsed\u003c\/em\u003e Monica Dux examines her own journey from convent to lapsed to ticking the ‘no religion box’.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eDux admits writing this book was cathartic as she tried to understand how much of the ritual of Catholism is ingrained in her identity, and if she was being unfair refusing to allow her daughter to attend a Catholic school. Can you align yourself with an institution that is at odds with your own moral code, why does she still feel the urge to pray? Calling on her own personal and familial experiences and research from both Catholic and non-Catholic sociologists Dux explores what it is to be a lapsed Catholic.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eHaving been educated by nuns in the early aftermath of Vatican 2, I recognise Monica’s suburban church - Spiritus Sanctus. I admit I found our gory martyrs tales riveting and credit them with my love for the black absurdist humour of Monty Python. I was less enamoured with the liturgical dances and guitar masses, but then I am tone deaf. \u003cem\u003eLapsed\u003c\/em\u003e won’t be for everyone but for me it definitely struck a chord. Dux’s levity made me laugh while her honesty made me pause and re-examine my own box ticking position.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOther Reviews:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e'\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eEnlightening, forensic and laugh-out-loud funny' - JANE CARO\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eA f\u003c\/span\u003erank, funny and heartfelt exorcism of our need to believe in a man in the sky' - SHAUN MICALLEF\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Monica Dux","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":40214990061727,"sku":"","price":34.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0394\/7236\/5727\/products\/Lapsed.jpg?v=1622773694"},{"product_id":"secrets-of-happiness","title":"Secrets of Happiness","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReviewed by Anne Day:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEthan, a young lawyer in New York, learns that his father has long kept a second family - a Thai wife and two kids living in Queens. In the aftermath of this revelation, Ethan's mother spends a year travelling abroad, returning much changed, just as her now ex-husband falls ill. Across town, Ethan's half-brothers are caught in their own complicated journeys: one brother's penchant for minor delinquency has escalated and the other must travel to Bangkok to bail him out, while the bargains their mother struck about love and money continue to shape all their lives.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAs Ethan finds himself caught in a love triangle of his own, the interwoven fates of these two households elegantly unfurl to touch many other figures, revealing secret currents of empathy and loyalty, the bounty of improvised families and the paradoxical ties that weave through life's rich contours. With a generous and humane spirit, Secrets of Happiness elucidates the ways people marshal the resources at hand in an effort to find joy.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher Reviews:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA tightly plotted, brilliantly executed account of two families whose lives intersect in unexpected ways.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJoan Silber is the author of nine books of fiction. 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By shining a bright and searching light down the alleyways of Soho Mozley askes her readers to look at our cities, to think about what has gone before and the repercussions on individuals, communities and society by allowing carte blanche development. ‘And luxury flats stood on the crumbling slums like shining teeth on rotten gums.’\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAs in Elmet, Mozley challenges us to really look.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Fiona Mozley","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":40264530296991,"sku":"","price":32.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0394\/7236\/5727\/products\/HotStew.jpg?v=1623398135"},{"product_id":"debesa","title":"Debesa","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReviewed by Chris Day\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is the story of Frank Rodriguez, a Spanish immigrant, and his Aboriginal wife, Katie, and their life together and development of an isolated sheep station in the West Kimberley, named Debesa, written by their daughter Cindy. 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The decades that see South Africa, the international pariah, pitch forward through riots in the townships to a post-apartheid jubilant South Africa winning the World Cup in 1995, and then onto Jakob Zuma’s fall from grace in 2018.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eChapter 1 ‘Ma’ opens on an Afrikaner farm on the outskirts of Pretoria, the Swarts are gathered to bury their mother, Rachel. Manie, his grief curdled by the fury that his wife returned to her Jewish faith shortly before her death. Anton, the eldest son serving his compulsory national service who has returned burdened by an act of violence. Astrid, beautiful and aloof in her emergent sexual awareness. And Amor, “He was always worried, based on nothing tangible about whether Amor is actually his child. The last-born, not planned…” all but invisible. It is Amor that hears her father promise his dying wife that he will give their maid Salome the titles to the house she lives in. 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The first few chapters about her father’s huge family (32 brothers and sisters) in Hong Kong and the Japanese Occupation is very interesting and provides the backdrop to understanding the House of Kwa.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eMimi Kwa writes clearly and with humour about her childhood which was very lonely and confusing as well as being subjected to a lot of racism at school and in the community. 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Her book is a fantastical, historical and contemporary journey through the eyes of its young narrator Jessie. Jessie takes us across a myriad of ages and countries including ancient Greece, Victorian England, France, Ethiopia and China; and for those living in Perth it also has a number of familiar places. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe History of Mischief can be read on a number of levels. To start with it is pure fun and a rollicking ride through the ages. However, it is also a meditation upon \"mischief\" and the use of mischief in dealing with trauma, challenging negative authority and gauging risk. Tim Winton once mentioned in one of his talks on his book Breath, that he was worried about the children of today being so wrapped in cotton wool and the potential harm that this may do to them in the long run. Gentle non-harmful mischief is a way out of this and elucidated in this novel which acknowledges its importance to the youth and young adults of today. \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJessie searches, and as Elliot says at \"the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.\" As is mostly the case, it is not the destination that is important but the journey and the places that our explorations take us to. That exploring I found captivating and transported me through to philosophers in ancient Greece to diplomatic disputes in Victorian London and back to Perth. The book is a testament to the years of research that Rebecca has completed and brings historical characters to life that will delight both children and adults.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRebecca is to be congratulated on her first book and it is no surprise that she won the Fogarty Literary Award for this.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher Reviews:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eIn her award-winning debut novel for young adults, Rebecca Higgie takes us into the secret lives of history's mischief-makers - the philosophers and tyrants, the shapeshifters and dragons. 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As Jessie delves deeper into the real story behind the \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eHistory\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e, she becomes convinced her grandmother holds the key to a long-held family secret.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003ci data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe History of Mischief\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eis about the many things we do to try to escape grief, and the stories we tell in order to protect ourselves and those we love.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Rebecca Higgie","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":40569189204127,"sku":"","price":19.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0394\/7236\/5727\/products\/HistoryofMischief.jpg?v=1626425400"},{"product_id":"people-like-them","title":"People Like Them","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview by Dolores Maund.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eIn the forward, Samira Sedira, an Algerian born French woman, explains that her novel is loosely based on a mass homicide committed in France in the recent past. While this crime was not reported as being motivated by racism, she maintains that she believes it was. She goes on to discuss how, due to a sudden change in her circumstances, she was temporarily forced to work as a cleaning woman, an experience which gave her an insight into the nature of unequal social class relations. For this reason, before beginning People Like Them, I assumed that racism and class differences were to be central themes in her novel. Therefore, on finishing the book I was somewhat perplexed to note that racism seemed not to have played a significant part in the story, if any at all. Certainly, the insidious effect of unequal social class relations throws some light on the motivation of the murderer, but it is only one influence amongst an array of others.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003ePeople Like Them is set in a small village in France and tells the story of a normal decent man whose accumulated disappointments in life burgeon to the point where in a lunatic frenzy he kills a family of five. Contrary to what one might expect of a novel which deals with such a disturbing topic, it is a testament to Sedira’s capacity as a writer that the book is deeply absorbing and without melodrama. The characters and their relationships with one another are quite superbly and convincingly drawn. Furthermore, the descriptions of village social life provide an effective way in which to reveal the values and attitudes of the locals and at the same time the milieu into which the newcomers – the family which is murdered – chose to settle. That People Like Them is told from the perspective of the de-facto wife of the murderer gives the book its emotional force and complexity. First of all, that she has known the murderer intimately since his youth allows for a detailed teasing out of the various influences in his life which culminated in the tragedy. Furthermore, she is perfectly situated to witness the ruin brought about by the tragedy. In addition to the death of the five family members, the lives of the murderer’s daughters, his de-facto wife, his parents and friends are left utterly shattered, not to speak of that of the murderer himself. People Like Them is Samira Sedira’s first novel and a highly accomplished one at that. It is a thought-provoking book which will undoubtedly leave a deep impression on readers, many of whom will eagerly look forward to any book she might write in the future.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher reviews\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e'Disturbing and powerful - I loved it' - Le la Slimani, author of \u003ci\u003eLullaby\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Icy and chilling... In sharply drawn sentences, Sedira summons the beauty of a small French village, and the shocking acts of the people inside it' - Flynn Berry, author of the Reese Whitherspoon Book Club pick, \u003ci\u003eNorthern Spy\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eLullaby \u003c\/em\u003emeets \u003cem\u003eLittle Fires Everywhere\u003c\/em\u003e, this intense, suspenseful prize-winning novel explores the darker side of human nature - and the terrible things people are capable of.\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Samira Sedira","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":40597077000351,"sku":"","price":29.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0394\/7236\/5727\/products\/PeopleLikeT.jpg?v=1626752686"}],"url":"https:\/\/lanebook.com.au\/collections\/all.oembed?page=86","provider":"The Lane Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}