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J u n e R e a d i n g G u i d e 2 0 15

b e t t e r r e ad c om au

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Welcome to our Better Read Than Dead June Reading Guide

ldquoI wonder what it would be like to live in a world where it was always Junerdquo - LM Montgomery Anne of the Island

Dear Anne was of course talking about the early months of the Northern Hemispherersquos summer but wersquore going to take a bit of creative license with this quote For us here in Sydney Junersquos days are short and the nights long the air is crisp and daydreams largely consist of crawling under a doona This means we must work hard to insulate our storersquos walls by lining the shelves with June new releases

So if the winter chill bites you as you walk down King Street duck into our shop and enjoy the warming embrace of books (and maybe even our booksellers) Attend a High Tea and cradle a cup of hot tea in the company of book-lovers Do the same with a red wine at one of our author talks You may find that yoursquoll never want June to end if you take this approach

Stay Up-to-Date

Better Read Than Dead

BRTDbookshop

betterreadbookshop

Better Reader

Better Read Than Dead

265 King Street Newtown NSW 2042

E booksbetterreadcomau P (+61 2) 9557 8700 F (+61 2) 9557 8560 W betterreadcomau

June Trading Hours

Queenrsquos Birthday Monday 8 June 11am-8pm

OtherwiseSunday-Thursday 930am-9pmFriday-Saturday 930am-10pm

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FICTION

GRAPHIC NOVELS

SCI-FIFANTASY

COOKING

BIOGRAPHY

NON-FICTION

ART amp DESIGN

GIFT

LIFESTYLE

All our content for each category is linked directly All you have to do is click on a tab

To check out our upcoming events you can click the link below

BETTER READ EVENTS

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GRAPHICNOVELS

Fiction Book of the Month

Mislaid | Nell Zink | $2799 | HarperCollins

I read Nell Zinkrsquos second novel Mislaid with the obsession usually reserved for a filthy crush It is not your typical American family story and this is not for the easily offended Zinkrsquos wit is dry and merciless Set in Virginia USA in 1966 in lsquothe swamp of discontentrsquo smart and maybe-lesbian student Peggy marries her maybe-gay Professor Lee and they have two kids That semblance of family is as close to conventional as this unique and marvellous story gets

Ginrsquos Pick

SCI-FIFANTASY

BIOGRAPHY ART amp DESIGNCOOKING NON-FICTION GIFT LIFESTYLEFICTION FICTION

ldquoIt is not your typical American family story and this is not for the easily offendedrdquo

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LIFESTYLE

Fiction

The Gracekeepers | Kirsty Logan | $3299 | Random House

Inspired in part by Scottish myths and fairytales The Gracekeepers tells a modern story of an irreparably changed world Rising water levels have swallowed the soil and survivors cluster on islands and boats where loneliness has become a way of life Callanish has exiled herself to a life of tending watery graves as penance for a long-ago mistake that still haunts her whilst North works as a performer in a floating circus With similar themes to Margaret Atwoodrsquos works and Emily St John Mandelrsquos Station Eleven this is a lyrical and moving debut novel that is sure to envelop readers

The Honours | Tim Clare | $2799 | Allen amp Unwin

At the dawn of war in Great Britain the rambling country estate of Alberberen Hall is shadowed by suspicion and paranoia Delphine Venner a thirteen-year-old whose gullible mother and unstable father have been taken in by the Hallrsquos elite society is determined to uncover the secrets which shroud the estate Exploring the house Delphine discovers a secret network of passages and finds a world more dark and threatening than she ever imagined A dark and dangerously unputdownable novel The Honours invites you into a thrilling and fantastical world akin to those of Philip Pullman and Neil Gaiman

GRAPHICNOVELS

SCI-FIFANTASY

BIOGRAPHY ART amp DESIGNCOOKING NON-FICTION GIFT LIFESTYLEFICTION

ldquowith similar themes to Margaret Atwoodand Emily St John Mandelrdquo

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Fiction

Girl at War | Sara Novic | $2999 | Hachette

With generosity intelligence and sheer storytelling talent Novicrsquos first novel confronts the enduring impact of war and the bonds of country and friendship Ten-year-old Ana Juric is a carefree tomboy who runs the streets of Croatiarsquos capital But when civil war breaks out across Yugoslaviandashwhen soccer games and school lessons are supplanted by sniper fire and air raid drillsndasha daring escape plan to America becomes Anarsquos only chance for survival This riveting war saga and coming-of-age tale is sure to satisfy readers of Donna Tartt Anthony Doerr and Anne Enright

Dietland | Sarai Walker | $2999 | Penguin

Meet Plum Kettle your new favourite antihero Plum believes that her weight is preventing her from engaging with the world She waits and hides She saves for weight loss surgery and anonymously writes as a teen advice columnist Then Plum becomes involved with a nonconformist underground group Meanwhile a feminist guerrilla group emerges who commit crimes against misogynists This is a genre-bending novel with brilliant edge suspense and humour

GRAPHICNOVELS

SCI-FIFANTASY

BIOGRAPHY ART amp DESIGNCOOKING NON-FICTION GIFT LIFESTYLEFICTION FICTION

ldquoa genre-bending novel with brilliant edge suspense and humourrdquo

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Graphic Novels

SuperMutant Magic Academy | Jillian Tamaki | $2999 | Pan MacMillan

New York Times illustrator Jillian Tamakirsquos web comic collection is finally here thanks to Drawn amp Quarterly Although the title makes it sound a little bit like the Harry Potter stories Tamaki wants us all to know that shersquos ldquonot interested in castles or wizarding class or fantastical monstershelliponly like disappointing food or being ignored by your friend or trying to make sense of your own body I liked the absurdity of this fantastical cast dealing with the utter mundanerdquo We like that too

LIFESTYLE GRAPHICNOVELS

SCI-FIFANTASY

BIOGRAPHY ART amp DESIGNCOOKING NON-FICTION GIFT LIFESTYLEFICTION

ldquoI like the absurdity of this fantastical cast dealing with the utter mundanerdquo

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Sci-FiFantasy

GRAPHICNOVELS

SCI-FIFANTASY

BIOGRAPHY ART amp DESIGNCOOKING NON-FICTION GIFT LIFESTYLEFICTION FICTION

The Water Knife | Paolo Bacigalupi | $2999 | Hachette

The author of debut phenomenon The Windup Girl dives once again onto an uncertain future only this time the Colorado River is starting to dry up When water is more valuable than gold alliances shift like sand and the only thing thatrsquos certain is that someone will have to bleed if anyone hopes to drink Gritty and at times gruesome Bacigalupi doesnrsquot gloss over the potential horrors that lie in wait for humanity but he does so with his signature wistful and gripping prose

Seveneves | Neal Stephenson | $3299 | HarperCollins

The Moon explodes dooming life on Earth to destruction in a blanketing hail of lunar fragments The first two thirds of this novel recount humanityrsquos bid for survival on an expansive space ark of which the International Space Station forms the first building block The final third is set 5000 years later when the descendants of those first survivors are planning a return to the surface of the long-abandoned home planet Stephensonrsquos speculative fiction excites wonder while reflecting the techsocialpersonal reality we already globally inhabit

ldquoBacigalupi doesnrsquot gloss over the potential horrors that lie in wait for humanityrdquo

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Cooking

The Detox Kitchen Bible | Lila Simpson | $4999 | Bloomsbury

Lily Simpson who runs a boutique health food deli and nutritionist Rob Hobson share their philosophy that great health can be attained through great food This cookbook contains 200 of Lilyrsquos delectable recipes focusing on clever combinations of spice herbs and oils whilst eliminating wheat dairy and refined sugar Each recipe is accompanied by an explanation by Hobson revealing how the dishes can help you lose weight reach your target health needs and gain energy

At Home In the Whole Food Kitchen | Amy Chaplin | $3999 | Allen amp Unwin

Chaplin combines her love of whole foods and training as a chef in this stunning sophisticated vegetarian cookbook which aims to inspire omnivores vegetarians and vegans alike to all eat well at every meal Starting with the foundations of stocking a pantry and understanding your ingredients before advancing to preparing seasonal feasts At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen will provide you with all the tools you need to cook in a nourishing and delicious way right in your own kitchen Be sure to try the fragrant eggplant curry with cardamom rice a favourite of mine

LIFESTYLE GRAPHICNOVELS

SCI-FIFANTASY

BIOGRAPHY ART amp DESIGNCOOKING NON-FICTION GIFT LIFESTYLEFICTION

Stephrsquos Pick

ldquocook in a nourishing and delicious way right in your own kitchenrdquo

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Biography

You Could Do Something Amazing With Your Life (You Are Raoul Moat) | Andrew Hankinson | $2999 | Scribe

Fellow Geordie and journalist Andrew Hankinson gives disturbing and uncomfortably intimate insight into the feelings and motivations of the infamous Raoul Moat Moat was a body-builder and mechanic who became notorious after shooting his ex-girlfriend his ex-girlfriendrsquos partner and a police officer before taking to the Northumberland woods What followed was tragic and bizarre as sensationalist machinations became directly involved in efforts to track and calm Moat

The Director is the Commander | Anna Broinowski | $3299 | Penguin

Australian film director Anna Broinowski recounts her trip to North Korea to make the somewhat tongue-in-cheek documentary Aim High in Creation (2013) in friendly collaboration with some North Korean film-makers loyal to the local regimersquos infamously benighted cultural ideology Fascination with the propagandistic style of North Korean filmmdashas prescribed in Kim Jong-Ilrsquos book on cinemamdashwas one of several factors personal and professional prompting Broinowskirsquos leap into the project The generosity of her hosts was a new lesson about people and politics and we look forward to hosting an event with her at the end of June

GRAPHICNOVELS

SCI-FIFANTASY

BIOGRAPHY ART amp DESIGNCOOKING NON-FICTION GIFT LIFESTYLEFICTION FICTION

Anna is our Better Read Talking Head

for June

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Biography

Unabrow Misadventures of a Late Bloomer | Una LaMarche | $2499 | Penguin

If you fantasise about being best friends with Mindy Kaling Caitlin Moran and Amy Poehler (like half our staff do including myself) then yoursquore going to want to add Una LaMarche to this list You may know her blog The Sassy Curmudgeon (fabulous title) and yoursquoll find her memoir to be like a collection of blog posts topics range from an ldquoOpen Letter to Rompersrdquo to her experiences with insomnia and formats vary from narrative to lists and flow charts If you see someone laughing uncontrollably on public transport in the next few weeks have a look at whatrsquos in their hands and Irsquom sure yoursquoll find that itrsquos because theyrsquore reading this book

Almost Sincerely | Zoe Norton Lodge | $2499 | Giramondo

This book is an absolute cracker Norton Lodgersquos collection of bite-sized vignettes will have you loudly laughing wherever you read it Locals may recognise Annandale of the 90rsquos crawling with characterful denizens that range from endearingly maladjusted to genuinely unsettling These are all illustrated with Norton Lodgersquos comic sparkle and gift for seeing the humorously absurd around us all (especially here in the Inner West) A must-read

LIFESTYLE GRAPHICNOVELS

SCI-FIFANTASY

BIOGRAPHY ART amp DESIGNCOOKING NON-FICTION GIFT LIFESTYLEFICTION

Adamsrsquo Pick

Ameliarsquos Pick

ldquocrawling with characterful denizensrdquo

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Non-Fiction

The Short Long Book | Martin Flanagan | $1799 | Random House

Martin Flanagan (yes the brother of Richard) portraits one of the most quietly influential figures in Australian sport Seven minutes into a Collingwood vs Essendon match in 1995 Long refused to allow a racial insult from another player pass and in doing so inspired the support of the crowd and transformed the tone of Australian Rules This is the story of Long from his beginnings as a shy kid in Darwin and paints a picture of a man whose wry sense of humour and jokey affability belies his seriousness and engagement as a thinker

Supermarket Monsters The Price of Coles and Woolworthsrsquo Dominance | Malcolm Knox | $1999 | Black Inc

Coles and Woolworths jointly rule Australiarsquos retail landscape with each Australian spending on average $100 a week across their major hardware petrol general merchandise liquor and grocery stores But what does this dominance mean for consumers and suppliers Journalist and author Malcolm Knox set out to shed light on our mega-retailers and reveals the not-so-ethical tactics used to bring us prices that are ldquodown downrdquo and compromise the quality diversity and community we have come to expect Yet another brilliantly concise read from Black Incrsquos Redback series

Fergusrsquo Pick

GRAPHICNOVELS

SCI-FIFANTASY

BIOGRAPHY ART amp DESIGNCOOKING NON-FICTION GIFT LIFESTYLEFICTION FICTION

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Non-Fiction

Once Upon a Time in Russia | Ben Mezrich | $3500 | Random House

Bestselling author of Bringing Down the House and The Accidental Billionaires delivers an epic drama of wealth rivalry and betrayal among mega-wealthy Russian oligarchs and its international repercussions This is the untold true story of the men who reaped riches after the fall of the Soviet regime Written with the heart-stopping pacing of a thriller Once Upon a Time in Russia is both personal and political offering an unprecedented look into the fall of communism and the shaping of todayrsquos Russia while still appealing to the worldrsquos endless appetite for stories like The Wolf of Wall Street

Philosophy for Militants | Alain Badiou | $1299 | Bloomsbury

How can we relate philosophic Truth to political Justice in this age of coercively lsquodemocratisedrsquomdashie capitalist-economisedmdashopinion What does the disposal (death) of innumerable soldiers in industrially equipped conflicts past present and future signify By what miracle can radical egalitarian thought even recognise itself under present conditions Marxist philosopher Badiou expands upon these and other potentially youth-inspiring questions and themes through three essays and an interview

I Gave a Gonski Selected Speeches | David Gonski | $3299 | Penguin

Now herersquos a book thatrsquos sure to stimulate some lively discussions David Gonski is a lawyer company chairman patron of the arts philanthropist famed adviser household name AND political incantation In this collection he presents his speeches as well as his insights and assertions about his diverse passions education funding the importance of women on boards and the importance of philanthropy This stylish volume also contains Gonskirsquos musings on his own role in public debate his parentsrsquo migration and his experience of turning sixty

LIFESTYLE GRAPHICNOVELS

SCI-FIFANTASY

BIOGRAPHY ART amp DESIGNCOOKING NON-FICTION GIFT LIFESTYLEFICTION

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Non-Fiction

The Good Story Exchanges on truth fiction and psychotherapy | JM Coetzee amp Arabella Kurtz | $2999 | Random House

We all tell stories whether we believe they are true is another story I was so excited to delve into this conversation between a Nobel Prize-winning author and a psychotherapist Drawing on their shared interest about the role stories play in helping us make sense of the world Kurtz and Coetzee dive into individual and group psychology Using wisdom from both literature and psychoanalysis this book will solve all the problems I am having with my Masters of Creative Writing on memoir

The Simple Act of Reading | Debra Adelaide (ed) | $2999 | Random House

This anthology has four things that in my opinion make is a must-read The first is the title which is a reference to a Junot Diaz quote and one that obviously resonates with all book-lovers The second is that itrsquos edited by Debra Adelaide who is a wonderful human being Third it features contributions from the best Australian writers working today ranging from Gail Jones to Andy Griffths and theyrsquore all writing about why reading is vital to their lives And finally all proceeds from sales will support the local not-for-profit Sydney Story Factory which encourages young people to write Sold I am

Adamsrsquo Pick

GRAPHICNOVELS

SCI-FIFANTASY

BIOGRAPHY ART amp DESIGNCOOKING NON-FICTION GIFT LIFESTYLEFICTION FICTION

Alisonrsquos Pick

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LIFESTYLE

Art amp Design

Architectsrsquo Houses Twenty Australian Homes | Stephen Crafti | $7999 | Murdoch Books

Architects build according to the wishes of their clients but what would an architect build if he were liberated from the whims of the uninitiated and inexpert This lavishly photographed book shows us what architects wish they could build what they actually end up building as well as the processes that take them from their dream to whatever reality allows Craftirsquos book is vivid and fresh and is perfect for providing inspiration from the cutting edge of architecture

GRAPHICNOVELS

SCI-FIFANTASY

BIOGRAPHY ART amp DESIGNCOOKING NON-FICTION GIFT LIFESTYLEFICTION

Conran on Colour | Terence Conran | $4999 | Hachette

Here Terence Conran shares a lifetime of experience as one of the worldrsquos leading designers retailers and restaurateurs in an age in which decorative colour is available and affordable to an unprecedented extent This book is beautiful in its own right but more than that itrsquos an indispensable resource for decorators renovators designers or anyone who has found themselves baffled by the dazzling array of colours that saturate our visual lives

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Gift

Musings from the Inner Duck | Michael Leunig | $2499 | Penguin

Who doesnrsquot love some gentle philosophy from the animals As always Leunig delivers a new collection of cartoons full of whimsy and profundity Rhymes musings theoretical questioning silly jokes and all manner of reflections combine with Leunigrsquos unique cartoons to leave you feeling a little bit lighter and a little less cynical about this crazy world we live in

GRAPHICNOVELS

SCI-FIFANTASY

BIOGRAPHY ART amp DESIGNCOOKING NON-FICTION GIFT LIFESTYLEFICTION

ldquocombineto leave you feeling a little bit lighter and a little less cynical about this crazy world we live inrdquo

FICTION

Alisonrsquos Pick

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LIFESTYLE

Lifestyle

Compost City Practical composting know-how for small-space living | Rebecca Louie | $2499 | Random House

Composting has taken the city by storm Whether yoursquore a staunch environmentalist a green urbanite or backyard hobbyist Louiersquos book will help you go green in the smallest of city spaces and tackles questions like ldquoHow are you supposed to be green-minded when therersquos no green space in sightrdquo Packed with research expert testimonies and a healthy dose of humour Compost City delivers essential composting strategies thatrsquoll help curious adventurous eco-minded people get down to earth

Altruism The Power of Compassion to Change Yourself and the World | Matthieu Ricard | $2499 | Allen amp Unwin

If I could be any Buddhist monk Irsquod be Matthieu Ricard Known as a master of meditation and for advising and translating the Dalai Lama this French biochemist-turned-monk is concerned with training our minds to cultivate happiness This book is a practical guide to the application of compassion and altruism in our everyday lives He demonstrates how moving away from selfishness betters our brains social worlds and consequently our whole lives lsquoAltruismrsquo has never been more relevant

The Diet Myth The Real Science Behind What We Eat | Tim Spector | $3299 | Hachette

The question of what to eat is bewildering to all of us with varying advice from experts and dietitians not quite managing to tackle the global obesity crisis The Diet Myth shifts away from a focus on fad diets and uncovers the genetic science which plays a role in determining how healthy we are Looking at the essential gut microbes that digest our food and drawing on the latest microbiome research Spector shows us why we should stop listening to diet myths and instead embrace diversity for a healthy gut and body

GRAPHICNOVELS

SCI-FIFANTASY

BIOGRAPHY ART amp DESIGNCOOKING NON-FICTION GIFT LIFESTYLEFICTION

Ginrsquos Pick