List
Best Fiction for Gifting
150 books Discoverable by Booko Admin
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The Visitors
Jane Harrison · 2023
The most exciting debut in 2023, The Visitors is an audacious, earthy, funny, gritty and powerful re-imaging of a crucial moment in Australia's history - an unputdownable work of fiction. On a steamy, hot day in January 1788, seven Aboriginal men, Elder statesmen representing the nearby clans, gather at Warrane. Several newly arrived ships are in the harbour. The men meet to discuss their response to these Visitors. All day, they talk, argue, debate. Where are the Visitors from? What do they want? Might they just warra warra wai back to where they came from? Should they be welcomed? Or should they be made to leave? The decision of the men must be unanimous - and will have far-reaching implications for all.Throughout the day the weather is strange, with mammatus clouds, unbearable heat, and a pending thunderstorm ... Somewhere, trouble is brewing.From award-winning author and playwright Jane Harrison, The Visitors - based on her smash hit play of the same name - is powerful, playful, provocative and moving, a radical re-envisioning of history and an unputdownable work of fiction - think Twelve Angry Men but with an authentic Australian flavour and humour.
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The Modern
Blair, Anna Kate · 2023
In an age driven by desire, what happens when you want two different things? Set in the pristine, precarious world of MoMA, The Modern is a brilliantly wry and insightful debut about art, sexuality, commitment and whether being on the right path can lead to the wrong place. Things seem to be working out for Sophia in New York: having come from Australia to be at the centre of modernity, she's working at the Museum of Modern Art, living in a great apartment with a boyfriend interviewing for Ivy League teaching positions. They're smart, serious, dine in the right restaurants and have (a little unexpectedly) become engaged just before he leaves to hike the Appalachian Trail. Alone in the city, Sophia begins to wonder what it means to be married - to be defined, publicly - in the 21st century. Can you be true to yourself and someone else? In a bridal shop she meets Cara, a young artist struggling to get over her ex-girlfriend, and the two begin a connection that leads Sophia to question the nature of her relationships, her career and the consequences of being modern. Both playful and profound, inhabiting the gap between what we feel about ourselves and how we behave, Anna Kate Blair's debut novel is a sparklingly insightful queer exploration of desire, art and her generation's place in the world. It announces an exceptional new literary voice.
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Bright Shining
Julia Baird · 2023
From the bestselling author of Phosphorescence comes a beautiful and timely exploration of that most mysterious but necessary of human qualities: grace. Grace is both mysterious and hard to define. It can be found when we create ways to find meaning and dignity in connection with each other, building on our shared humanity, being kinder, bigger, better with each other. If, in its crudest interpretation, karma is getting what you deserve, then grace is the opposite: forgiving the unforgivable, favouring the undeserving, loving the unlovable. But we live in an era when grace is an increasingly rare currency. The silos in which we consume information dot the media landscape like skyscrapers, and our growing distrust of the media, politicians and public figures has choked our ability to cut each other slack, to allow each other to stumble, to forgive one another. So what does grace look like in our world, and how do we recognise it, nurture it in ourselves and express it, even in the darkest of times? From award-winning journalist Julia Baird, author of the acclaimed national bestseller Phosphorescence, comes Bright Shining, a luminously beautiful, deeply insightful and most timely exploration of grace.
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The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart
Holly Ringland · 2023
The international bestselling novel, now a seven part drama series from Amazon Prime, launching in 2023 in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide. A young girl loses both her parents in a tragic event, and is taken to live with her grandmother on a flower farm. Growing up, Alice learns the language of Australian native flowers as a way to say the things that are too hard to speak. But she also learns that there are secrets within secrets about her past. An unexpected betrayal leaves her reeling, and she escapes to try to make her own - sometimes painful - way through the world, and to find her story.The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart is a story about stories: those we inherit, those we select to define us, and those we decide to hide. It is a novel about the secrets we keep and how they haunt us, and the stories we tell ourselves in order to survive.Spanning twenty years, and set between sugar cane fields by the sea, a native Australian flower farm and a celestial crater in the central desert, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart follows the life of Alice as she discovers that the most powerful story she will ever possess is her own.
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Yellowface
Rebecca F. Kuang · 2023
The new book from the no. 1 New York Times and no. 2 Sunday Times bestselling author R.F. Kuang One of TIME's most anticipated books of 2023 'Razor-sharp' TIME 'A remarkable and incendiary novel' WIZ WHARTON 'Incredibly, brilliantly entertaining... What a treat' CHARLOTTE PHILBY Athena Liu is a literary darling. Juniper Hayward is literally nobody. White lies When Athena dies in a freak accident, Juniper steals her unpublished manuscript and publishes it as her own under the ambiguous name June Song. Dark humour But as evidence threatens Juniper's stolen success, she will discover exactly how far she will go to keep what she thinks she deserves. Deadly consequences... What happens next is entirely everyone else's fault.
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A Court of Thorns and Roses
Sarah J. Maas · 2020
THE FIRST BOOK IN THE BESTSELLING SERIES AND A TIKTOK SENSATION'With bits of Buffy, Game Of Thrones and Outlander, this is a glorious series of total joy' STYLISTFeyre is a huntress. And when she sees a deer in the forest being pursued by a wolf, she kills the predator and takes its prey to feed herself and her family.But the wolf was not what it seemed, and Feyre cannot predict the high price she will have to pay for its death... Dragged away from her family for the murder of a faerie, Feyre discovers that her captor, his face obscured by a jewelled mask, is hiding even more than his piercing green eyes suggest.As Feyre's feelings for Tamlin turn from hostility to passion, she learns that the faerie lands are a far more dangerous place than she realized. And Feyre must fight to break an ancient curse, or she will lose him forever. Sarah J. Maas's books have sold millions of copies worldwide and have been translated into 37 languages. Discover the tantalising, sweeping romantic fantasy, soon to be a major TV series, for yourself.
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Edenglassie
Melissa Lucashenko · 2023
Two extraordinary Indigenous stories set five generations apart. When Mulanyin meets the beautiful Nita in Edenglassie, their saltwater people still outnumber the British. As colonial unrest peaks, Mulanyin dreams of taking his bride home to Yugambeh Country, but his plans for independence collide with white justice. Two centuries later, fiery activist Winona meets Dr Johnny. Together they care for obstinate centenarian Grannie Eddie, and sparks fly, but not always in the right direction. What nobody knows is how far the legacies of the past will reach into their modern lives. In this brilliant epic, Melissa Lucashenko torches Queensland' s colonial myths, while reimagining an Australian future.
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Happy Place
Emily Henry · 2023
Two exes. One pact. Could this holiday change everything? Harriet and Wyn are the perfect couple - they go together like bread and butter, gin and tonic, Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds. Except, now they don't. They broke up six months ago. And they still haven't told anyone. Which is how they end up sharing a bedroom at the cottage that has been their yearly getaway with their best friends for the past decade. For one glorious week they leave behind their lives, drink far too much wine and soak up the sea air with their favourite people. Only this year, Harriet and Wyn are lying through their teeth. The cottage is for sale so this is the last time they'll all be together here and they can't bear to break their friends' hearts. So, they'll fake it for one more week. It's a flawless plan (if you look at it through a pair of sunscreen-smeared sunglasses). But how can you pretend to be in love with someone - and get away with it - in front of the people who know you best? Brimming with characters you can't help but fall for and off-the-charts chemistry, HAPPY PLACE is Emily Henry's best novel yet.
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Chainsaw Man, Vol. 12 (Volume 12)
Tatsuki Fujimoto · 2023
Broke young man + chainsaw demon = Chainsaw Man!Denji was a small-time devil hunter just trying to survive in a harsh world. After being killed on a job, he is revived by his pet devil Pochita and becomes something new and dangerous—Chainsaw Man!Meet awkward high school student Asa Mitaka. She may have trouble getting along with her fellow students and the class pet devil chicken, but Asa has something special going for her. And it may lead her right to Chainsaw Man!
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Dropbear
Evelyn Araluen · 2021
I told you this was a thirst so great it could carve rivers. This fierce debut from award-winning writer Evelyn Araluen confronts the tropes and iconography of an unreconciled nation with biting satire and lyrical fury. Dropbear interrogates the complexities of colonial and personal history with an alternately playful, tender and mournful intertextual voice, deftly navigating the responsibilities that gather from sovereign country, the spectres of memory and the debris of settler-coloniality. This innovative mix of poetry and essay offers an eloquent witness to the entangled present, an uncompromising provocation of history, and an embattled but redemptive hope for a decolonial future.
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Daisy Jones & The Six
Taylor Jenkins Reid · 2020
‘I devoured this in a day, falling head over heels for Daisy and the band.’ REESE WITHERSPOON EVERYONE KNOWS DAISY JONES AND THE SIX.They sold out arenas from coast to coast.Their music defined an era and every girl in America idolised Daisy. But on July 12 1979, on the night of the final concert of the Aurora tour, they split. Nobody ever knew why. Until now. This is the whole story, right from the beginning: the sun-bleached streets, the grimy bars on the Sunset Strip, knowing Daisy’s moment was coming. Relive the euphoria of success and experience the terror that nothing will ever be as good again. Take the uppers so you can keep on believing, take the downers so you can sleep, eventually. Wonder who you are without the drugs or the music or the fans or the family that prop you up. Make decisions that will forever feel tough. Find beauty where you least expect it. Most of all, love like your life depends on it and believe in whatever it is you’re fighting for. It’s a true story, though everyone remembers the truth differently. ‘A tremendously engaging, and completely believable tale of rock and roll excess... inventive, persuasive and completely satisfying.’ DYLAN JONES‘I spent a lost weekend in this book. Daisy Jones is an instant icon.’ ERIN KELLY“DAISY JONES & THE SIX is a transporting novel – at once a love story, a glimpse into the combustible inner workings of a rock-and-roll band, and a pitch-perfect recreation of the music scene of the Fleetwood Mac era. You’ll never want it to end.” CECILIA AHERN‘Once in a blue moon you get to discover a book you end up pressing upon many other people to read. Taylor Jenkins Reid has got every nuance, every detail exact and right. I loved every word.’PAUL REES‘So brilliantly written I thought all the characters were real . . . I couldn’t put it down’ EDITH BOWMAN‘The heady haze of the 70s music scene, and a perfectly flawed Daisy, combine to create a fresh, rock n roll read. I loved it.’ ALI LAND, author of Good Me Bad Me
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Voices in the Dark
Fleur McDonald · 2023
A powerful and poignant rural family story told by the acclaimed Fleur McDonald, bestselling author of Broad River Station and Into the Night. Sassi Stapleton is called home after news her grandmother is unwell. Less than an hour away from her hometown, Barker, she swerves to miss a roo and her car rolls down an embankment and she's left hanging. By the time she is found, her grandmother has already passed away. Sassi's mother, Amber, returns from South Africa, and as soon as she arrives family tensions between her and her brother, Abe, are back in the forefront of everyone's minds. When it quickly becomes clear that Sassi's grandfather Mr Stapleton is unable to live alone, the hunt is on to find a carer. Rasha enters the family home, firmly entrenching herself as someone they can't do without, and before long Mr Stapleton is happier than he has been in years. Then bruises start appearing on Mr Stapleton and he becomes withdrawn, refusing to talk even to Sassi. None of the family are convinced that Rasha could hurt anyone. Amber is his daughter; Sassi, his granddaughter. None of these three could hurt Mr Stapleton. Or could they? Praise for Fleur McDonald: 'With a quintessentially outback South Australian setting, Aussie slang aplenty and a great mix of characters, Broad River Station will delight new and long-time readers of McDonald, who shows once again why she is known as the Voice of the Outback.' - Better Reading 'Fleur McDonald is a master of the rural suspense novel, her characters and storyline crackle with authenticity.' - Family Circle on Broad River Station 'Intense, gritty and filled with humour.' - Brenda's Book Reviews on Into the Night
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Tom Lake
Ann Patchett · 2023
'Patchett leads us to a truth that feels like life rather than literature' Guardian In the spring of 2020, Lara’s three daughters return to the family's orchard in Northern Michigan. While picking cherries, they beg their mother to tell them the story of Peter Duke, a famous actor with whom she shared both a stage and a romance years before at a theater company called Tom Lake. As Lara recalls the past, her daughters examine their own lives and relationship with their mother, and are forced to reconsider the world and everything they thought they knew. Tom Lake is a meditation on youthful love, married love, and the lives parents have led before their children were born. Both hopeful and elegiac, it explores what it means to be happy even when the world is falling apart. As in all of her novels, Ann Patchett combines compelling narrative artistry with piercing insights into family dynamics. The result is a rich and luminous story, told with profound intelligence and emotional subtlety, that demonstrates once again why she is one of the most revered and acclaimed literary talents working today. ------------------------- Praise for The Dutch House: 'Patchett leads us to a truth that feels like life rather than literature' Guardian 'The best book I've read in years' Rosamund Lupton 'Her finest novel yet' Sunday Times 'The buzz around The Dutch House is totally justified. Her best yet, which is saying something' John Boyne 'A masterpiece' Cathy Rentzenbrink 'Bliss' Nigella Lawson
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The Witcher Boxed Set
Andrzej Sapkowski · 2020
The complete boxed set of all eight books in the legendary Witcher series, the award-winning phenomenon that inspired the bestselling Witcher video games and hit Netflix show
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Limberlost
Robbie Arnott · 2022
The much-anticipated third novel by award-winning Australian author Robbie Arnott, Limberlost is a story of family and land, loss and hope, fate and the unknown, and love and kindness. In the heat of a long summer Ned hunts rabbits in a river valley, hoping the pelts will earn him enough money to buy a small boat. His two brothers are away at war, their whereabouts unknown. His father and older sister struggle to hold things together on the family orchard, Limberlost. Desperate to ignore it all-to avoid the future rushing towards him-Ned dreams of open water. As his story unfolds over the following decades, we see how Ned's choices that summer come to shape the course of his life, the fate of his family and the future of the valley, with its seasons of death and rebirth. The third novel by the award-winning author of Flames and The Rain Heron, Limberlost is an extraordinary chronicle of life and land- of carnage and kindness, blood ties and love.
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The In-Between
Christos Tsiolkas · 2023
The tender, sensual and moving new novel from the award-winning and bestselling author of?The Slap?and?Damascus. A compelling contemporary love story between two middle-aged men, told with grace, heart and wisdom. No life is simple, and no life is without sorrow. No life is perfect. Two middle-aged men meet on an internet date. Each has been scarred by a previous relationship; each has his own compelling reasons for giving up on the idea of finding love. But still they both turn up for the dinner, feel the spark and the possibility of something more. Feel the fear of failing again, of being hurt and humiliated and further annihilated by love. How can they take the risk of falling in love again. How can they not? A tender, affecting novel of love, of hope, of forgiveness by one of our most fearless and truthful interpreters of the human heart, the acclaimed bestselling author of?The Slap?and?Damascus. Praise for Christos Tsiolkas: 'I've admired the risk and power of all his novels, but this might be the riskiest of all-so personal, so delicate and true-and I love it.' - Charlotte Wood on 7½ 'A scorching, mythic work with a heart of the sweetest intimacy.'- Helen Garner on 7½ 'The audacity of Tsiolkas is still a thrill. And, dare one say it, necessary.' - Nigel Featherstone on 7½ 'Tsiolkas has proved himself a heroic writer, ready to enter the fray and wrestle with intractable moral and political questions. A powerful parable of our times.' - The Saturday Paper on Damascus 'Every time I was 10 pages in a new book, I thought, "It's not Damascus", and put it aside for another day . . .' - Stephen Romei, Weekend Australian on Damascus 'I finished Barracuda on a high: moved, elated, immersed . . . This is the work of a superb writer who has completely mastered his craft but lost nothing of his fiery spirit in so doing. It is a big achievement.' - The Guardian 'Once in a while a novel comes along that reminds me why I love to read: The Slap is such a book . . . Tsiolkas throws open the window on society, picks apart its flaws, embraces its contradictions and recognises its beauty, all the time asking the reader, Whose side are you on? Honestly, one of the three or four truly great novels of the new millennium.' - John Boyne, author of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas 'The Slap is nothing short of a tour de force, and it confirms Christos Tsiolkas's reputation as one of the most significant contemporary storytellers at work today . . . Here is a novel of immense power and scope.' - Colm Toíbín, author of Brooklyn
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The Last Devil To Die
Richard Osman · 2023
The fourth book in the record-breaking Thursday Murder Club series from British national treasure Richard Osman Shocking news reaches the Thursday Murder Club. An old friend in the antiques business has been killed, and a dangerous package he was protecting has gone missing. As the gang springs into action they encounter art forgers, online fraudsters and drug dealers, as well as heartache close to home. With the body count rising, the package still missing and trouble firmly on their tail, has their luck finally run out? And who will be the last devil to die?
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Black Sheep
Judy Nunn · 2023
Judy Nunn's new blockbuster is a sweeping historical novel about a prosperous sheep-farming family and the enigmatic young man with a dark past they let into their lives . . . Black sheep - there's one in every family . . . Orphaned at sixteen, James Wakefield was determined to be a gun shearer like his father. Now he's killed twice, changed his name, and is on the run from the law. He had his reasons for both murders, and he felt no joy in taking life ... Or did he? Ben McKinnon, meanwhile, is heir to the vast Glenfinnan sheep property near Goulburn, New South Wales. He too has a secret that, if ever revealed, would shatter the privileged lives of his father, Alastair, and his sisters, Jenna and Adele. When fate brings James and Ben together, a powerful friendship is forged, both men gladly becoming the keeper of the other's secret. Then Ben insists his new friend come to work at Glenfinnan Station. Has James finally found the family he's always longed for? Or has the McKinnon dynasty just unwittingly adopted a black sheep? From the Shearing Wars of Queensland to the close colonial community of Goulburn, to the trenches of the Western Front, Judy Nunn once again brings Australian history vividly to life.
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Berserk Deluxe Volume 2
Duane Johnson, Kentaro Miura · 2019
Kentaro Miura's Berserk has cast its enormous shadow for three decades, creating an international legion of acolytes and inspiring a parade of TV series, feature films, and video games. And now celebrating its thirtieth anniversary, the entire Berserk series is being released in handsome oversized bookshelf format, each collecting three volumes of the original manga.
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Jujutsu Kaisen, Vol. 20 (20)
Gege Akutami · 2023
To gain the power he needs to save his friend from a cursed spirit, Yuji Itadori swallows a piece of a demon, only to find himself caught in the midst of a horrific war of the supernatural!In a world where cursed spirits feed on unsuspecting humans, fragments of the legendary and feared demon Ryomen Sukuna have been lost and scattered about. Should any demon consume Sukuna’s body parts, the power they gain could destroy the world as we know it. Fortunately, there exists a mysterious school of jujutsu sorcerers who exist to protect the precarious existence of the living from the supernatural!Fushiguro and Reggie have nearly crushed each other to death. Reggie makes a move to break the stalemate and bring their battle to its climax! Meanwhile, Okkotsu disrupts the four-way standoff between jujutsu fighters in the Sendai colony, leading to a fierce battle involving reincarnated sorcerers and a special grade cursed spirit!
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My Hero Academia, Vol. 35 (35)
Kohei Horikoshi · 2023
Midoriya inherits the superpower of the world’s greatest hero, but greatness won’t come easy. What would the world be like if 80 percent of the population manifested superpowers called “Quirks”? Heroes and villains would be battling it out everywhere! Being a hero would mean learning to use your power, but where would you go to study? The Hero Academy of course! But what would you do if you were one of the 20 percent who were born Quirkless? The ultimate war between heroes and villains looms in the near future as both sides regroup. Japan’s heroes weave their plans in the lead-up, but will spies within U.A. give it all away? The Hero Course students will have their parts to play as well, and Midoriya himself will have a major role. If things work out, the heroes hope to divide and conquer, but even the best-laid plans rarely survive contact with the enemy…
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The Seven
Chris Hammer · 2023
The latest stunning thriller from the bestselling author of Scrublands and The Tilt. Yuwonderie's seven founding families have lorded it over their district for a century, growing ever more rich and powerful. But now-in startling circumstances-one of their own is found dead in a ditch and homicide detectives Ivan Lucic and Nell Buchanan are sent to investigate. Could the murder be connected to the execution of the victim's friend thirty years ago-another member of The Seven-or even the long-forgotten story of a servant girl on the brink of the Great War? What are the secrets The Seven are so desperate to keep hidden? With the killer still on the loose, and events spiralling out of control, the closer Ivan and Nell get to discovering the truth, the more dangerous their investigation becomes. Can they crack the case before more people die? The Seven is a compelling thriller filled with intrigue, emotional depth and an evocative sense of place-where nothing is ever quite what it seems. Chris Hammer, the acclaimed and bestselling author of the international bestsellers Scrublands, Treasure & Dirt and The Tilt can take his place among the world's finest crime writers. Praise for Chris Hammer: 'Hammer has confirmed and underline his reputation as numbering among the very best novelists in detective fiction.' The Sydney Morning Herald 'Chris Hammer at the height of his powers ... absolutely not to be missed!' Hayley Scrivenor, author of Dirt Town on The Tilt 'A darkly simmering mystery, gorgeously told ... Utterly brilliant.' Dervla McTiernan, author of The Ruin and The Murder Rule 'It would be unfair to say Chris Hammer is at the top of the crime writing game. Chris Hammer IS the game. Full Tilt may be a better title, given the speed with which readers will devour Chris Hammer's exceptional novel.' Benjamin Stevenson, author of Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone 'Like everything Chris Hammer writes, The Tilt is a rich, complex thriller, packed with detail and intrigue. There's a reason why this guy is on my auto-read list!' Christian White, author of The Nowhere Child 'Chris Hammer is a great writer ... a leader in Australian noir.' Michael Connelly 'If you haven't read Hammer before, this is the perfect time to experience one of the best writers Australia has to offer. Rife with intrigue, murder, and small-town secrets, Treasure and Dirt is a spectacular thriller that delivers some unforgettable characters with twists and turns you won't see coming. Hammer has raised the bar for Australian crime, and this is a must-read.' Better Reading 'Chris Hammer has excelled himself with Trust...a thriller strong on character development, social insights, ethical issues and dramatic action.' The Weekend Australian 'The best Australian crime novel since Peter Temple's The Broken Shore.' The Times on Silver 'Shimmers with heat from the sun and from the passions that drive a tortured tale of blood and loss.' Val McDermid on Scrublands
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One Piece Box Set: 1-23
Eiichiro Oda · 2013
A premium box set of the first two story arcs of One Piece, one of the most beloved and bestselling manga series of all time! As a child, Monkey D. Luffy dreamed of becoming King of the Pirates. But his life changed when he accidentally ate the Gum-Gum Fruit, an enchanted Devil Fruit that gave him the ability to stretch like rubber. Its only drawback? He'll never be able to swim again--a serious handicap for an aspiring sea dog! Years later, Luffy sets off on his quest to find the "One Piece," said to be the greatest treasure in the world... This box set includes volumes 1-23, which comprise the first two story arcs, East Blue and Baroque Works. With exclusive premiums and great savings over buying the individual volumes, this set is a pirate's treasure for any manga fan!
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Back on Track
Tricia Stringer · 2023
Bestselling author and voice of Australian storytelling Tricia Stringer tackles troubled relationships, ageism, and love old and new in this warm, funny, uplifting story of colleagues and unlikely travel companions thrown together on an astonishing (and revealing) train trip across Australia. Ketty Clift's couture dressmaking business is thriving but the same can't be said for her staff. Lately, cracks have appeared in the team's harmony, testing relationships and causing issues with customers. Worse, the rumour that Ketty has lost her touch is circulating. So when Ketty's old friend Carlos suggests a holiday by train - on the iconic Ghan, no less - Ketty decides to take her surprised staff with her in the hope of fixing what ails them.But it's not turning out to be the cure-all Ketty had hoped for. Her protective second-in-command, Judith, doubts Carlos's intentions and sows suspicion in Ketty's mind. Her younger staff members, Birgit and Lacey, are beset by relationship disasters and financial worries, whereas invaluable employee Ning is under pressure from her family to retire, and seamstress Tien is terrified of everything outside her comfort zone - especially the outback.Each new stop on the way, and the surprising behaviour of some of the other passengers, affects the group and reveals something more about each of them. As the train pulls deeper into the mesmerising outback, matters seem set to come to a disturbing crescendo. Ketty must sidestep the drama, reunite her troubled workers and save her business and relationships. But will her transformative magic work to bring them all back on track?
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Berserk Deluxe Volume 7
Kentaro Miura · 2021
Guts the Black Swordsman is on a rampage as Mogus, master inquisitor of the Holy See, readies Guts' beloved Casca to be burned at the stake as a heretic in the forbidding Tower of Conviction. But Casca's demonic Brand of Sacrifice is drawing hideous dark powers to the Tower, and even if Guts can defeat the mighty Mogus, can he save Casca from the ravenous hordes of Hell? Collects Berserk volumes 19-21.
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Nineteen Steps
Millie Bobby Brown · 2023
The debut novel from global star Millie Bobby Brown Love blooms in the darkest days... London, 1942. Despite the raging war, spirited 18-year-old Nellie Morris lives a quiet life in the tight-knit East End community of Bethnal Green. Her family and friends all tease that she will marry air raid warden Billy, the boy next door who's always been sweet on her. The arrival of Ray, a handsome American airman stationed nearby, causes Nellie to question everything she thought she knew about her future. Nellie's newfound happiness is short-lived when a tragic accident occurs during an air raid. Even the closest family can't escape the devastation of war, and as the secrets and truth about that fateful night become clear, they threaten to tear Nellie - and those dearest to her - apart. Inspired by the true events of her family history, Millie Bobby Brown's dazzling debut novel is a moving tale of longing, loss and secrets, and the lengths that we will go to fight for love.
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Everyone and Everything
Cohen, Nadine J. · 2023
A dazzling debut full of wry wisdom by one of Australia's most exciting emerging novelists, Everyone and Everything will make you laugh inappropriately, cry unexpectedly and reach out to those you love. When Yael Silver's world comes crashing down, she looks to the past for answers and finds solace in surprising places. An unconventional new friendship, a seaside safe space and an unsettling amount of dairy help her to heal, as she wrestles with her demons and some truly terrible erotic literature. Everyone and Everything is about family, mental health and inherited trauma, told with humour and humility, perfect for fans of Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason and A Lonely Girl is a Dangerous Thing by Jessie Tu. An intimate exploration of grief and inherited trauma, it asks what makes us who we are and what leads us onto ledges.
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Resurrection Walk
Michael Connelly · 2023
Shortlisted for the Ned Kelly Award for Best International Crime Fiction 2024 Defence attorney Mickey Haller has agreed to represent a woman who is in prison for killing her husband, a sheriff's deputy, and Haller enlists his half-brother, retired LAPD Detective Harry Bosch, as investigator. Even after five years in prison, his new client maintains her innocence. Reviewing the case, Bosch sees something that doesn't add up and senses the sheriff's department close ranks as he pursues the truth. The path to true justice is, for both the lawyer and his investigator, fraught with danger from those who don't want the case reopened. And their opponents will stop at nothing to keep the Haller–Bosch dream team from uncovering what the deputy's killing was really about. 'Connelly is the Raymond Chandler of this generation' —Associated Press 'Superb crime writing from a master' —The Australian
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Fire and Blood
George R.R. Martin · 2022
THE INSPIRATION FOR HBO AND SKY TV’S EMMY NOMINATED HOUSE OF THE DRAGON.Centuries before A Game of Thrones, an even greater game began, one that set the sk...
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A Little Life
Hanya Yanagihara · 2016
The 700-or-so pages of A Little Life that took Japanese-American author Hanya Yanagihara 18 months to write, open in a somewhat jaunty and recognisable manner: introducing four bright young things as they graduate college, their sights trained on big New York City careers. Christian Lorentzen, in the London Review of Books, wrote that the characters "seem like stereotypical middle-class strivers plucked out of 1950s cinema", and indeed they slip into these careers somewhat easily, becoming a successful actor, painter, architect and lawyer. But soon the novel darkens, it jars and then it appals, becoming less about the four young men and more particularly about one of them: the one who won’t tell of why he limps, why he doesn’t have relationships, why he cuts. The one who won’t tell of his ugly childhood and why he fears he will never escape its horrors. Yanagihara should be commended for creating a book that, despite being a shattering and difficult read, became a bestseller, was shortlisted for Man Booker Prize 2015 and won the Kirkus Prize in Fiction.
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Women & Children
Tony Birch · 2023
A powerful, personal novel about women and justice, from one of this country's most loved and clear-eyed storytellers. It's 1965 and Joe Cluny is living in a working-class suburb with his mum, Marion, and sister, Ruby, spending his days trying to avoid trouble with the nuns at the local Catholic primary school. One evening his Aunty Oona appears on the doorstep, distressed and needing somewhere to stay. As his mum and aunty work out what to do, Joe comes to understand the secrets that the women in his family carry, including on their bodies. Yet their pleas for assistance are met with silence and complicity from all sides. Who will help Joe's family at their time of need? Women & Children is a novel about the love and courage between two sisters, and a sudden loss of childhood innocence.
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Restless Dolly Maunder
Kate Grenville · 2023
Dolly Maunder was born at the end of the nineteenth century, when society’s long-locked doors were starting to creak ajar for women. Growing up in a poor farming family in country New South Wales but clever, energetic and determined, Dolly spent her restless life pushing at those doors. Most women like her have disappeared from view, remembered only in family photo albums as remote figures in impossible clothes, or maybe for a lemon-pudding recipe handed down through the generations. Restless Dolly Maunder brings one of these women to life as someone we can recognise and whose struggles we can empathise with. In this compelling new novel, Kate Grenville uses family memories to imagine her way into the life of her grandmother. This is the story of a woman, working her way through a world of limits and obstacles, who was able—if at a cost—to make a life she could call her own. Her battles and triumphs helped to open doors for the women who came after.
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The Beasts We Could Not Bury
Alix E. Harrow · 2023
Nobody in Eden remembers when Starling House was built. But the town agrees it's best to let this ill-omened mansion - and its last lonely heir - go to hell. Stories of the house's bad luck, like good china, have been passed down the generations. Opal knows better than to mess with haunted houses, or brooding men. But when an opportunity to work there arises, the money might get her brother out of Eden. Starling House is uncanny and full of secrets - just like Arthur, its heir. It also feels strangely, dangerously, like something she's never had: a home. Yet Opal isn't the only one interested in the horrors and the wonders that lie buried beneath it. Sinister forces converge on Eden - and Opal realizes that if she wants a home, she'll have to fight for it. Even if it involves digging up her family's ugly past to achieve a better future. She'll have to go down, deep down beneath Starling House, to claw her way back to the light . . . This is a sweeping gothic fairytale from Hugo, Nebula and Locus Award-shortlisted Alix E. Harrow.
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Mr Einstein's Secretary
Matthew Reilly · 2023
A SECRETARY LIKE NO OTHER IN AN EPIC SPANNING 40 YEARS All Hanna Fischer ever wanted to do was to study physics under the great Albert Einstein. But when, as a teenager in 1919, her life is suddenly turned upside-down, she is catapulted into a new and extraordinary life - as a student, a secretary, a sister and a spy. From racist gangs in Berlin to gangsters in New York City, Nazis in the 1930s and Hitler's inner circle during the Second World War, Hanna will encounter some of history's greatest minds and most terrible moments, all while desperately trying to stay alive. She is a most unique secretary and she will work for many bosses - from shrewd businessmen to vile Nazis, to the greatest boss of them all, Mr Albert Einstein... Spanning forty years, this is the thrilling tale of a young woman propelled through history's most dangerous times. But read it carefully, because all may not be as it seems...
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The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart
Holly Ringland · 2023
The international bestseller, now sold to over 23 territories internationally, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart tells the enchanting and compelling story of a young girl, daughter of an abusive father, who has to learn the hard way that she can break the patterns of the past, live on her own terms and find her own strength. 'Lush, powerful ...an engrossing novel of female survival.' Bookseller + Publisher A young girl loses both her parents in a tragic event, and is taken to live with her grandmother on a flower farm. Growing up, Alice learns the language of Australian native flowers as a way to say the things that are too hard to speak. But she also learns that there are secrets within secrets about her past. An unexpected betrayal leaves her reeling, and she escapes to try to make her own - sometimes painful - way through the world, and to find her story.The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart is a story about stories: those we inherit, those we select to define us, and those we decide to hide. It is a novel about the secrets we keep and how they haunt us, and the stories we tell ourselves in order to survive.Spanning twenty years, and set between sugar cane fields by the sea, a native Australian flower farm and a celestial crater in the central desert, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart follows the life of Alice as she discovers that the most powerful story she will ever possess is her own.
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Alex Cross Must Die
James Patterson · 2023
The thirty-first instalment in James Patterson's globally bestselling Alex Cross series The thirty-first instalment in James Patterson's globally bestselling series. When an American Airlines plane explodes in the sky, detectives Alex Cross and John Sampson are first on the scene. They don't hear the gunfire. At first. It soon becomes clear that the plane was taken down by a rare, stolen machine gun. The list of people who could operate the weapon is short. And time runs even shorter. But this isn't the only case the pair must solve. They're also tracking a serial killer who's ambushing young men in what the media are calling the 'Dead Hours' murders. With two killers and two different motives, Cross and Sampson are in a deadly race against time . . . PRAISE FOR THE ALEX CROSS SERIES 'Patterson never, and I mean never, disappoints' USA Today 'Behind all the noise and the numbers, we shouldn't forget that no one gets this big without amazing natural storytelling talent - which is what Jim has, in spades. The Alex Cross series proves it' Lee Child 'Alex Cross is a legend' Harlan Coben 'Alex Cross ... only gets better and better' Lisa Scottoline 'I wrote, "Along Came a Spider is the best thriller I've come across in many a year. It deserves to be this season's no. 1 bestseller and should instantly make James Patterson a household name." A household name, indeed' Nelson DeMille ' Alex Cross has become one of the greatest fictional detectives of all time, a character for the ages' Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
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House of Flame and Shadow
Sarah J. Maas · 2024
The stunning third book in the sexy, action-packed Crescent City series, following the global bestsellers House of Earth and Blood and House of Sky and Breath. The stunning third book in the sexy, action-packed Crescent City series, following the global bestsellers House of Earth and Blood and House of Sky and Breath.
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The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
Taylor Jenkins Reid · 2021
The entrancing story of a reclusive Hollywood starlet as she reflects on her relentless rise to the top and the long-held secrets the public could never imagine – from the bestselling author of Daisy Jones & The Six. Reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now? Summoned to Evelyn’s luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the ‘80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn’s story nears its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways. ‘Riveting, heart-wrenching, and full of Old Hollywood glamour, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is one of the most captivating reads of 2017.’ Buzzfeed
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Sword Catcher
Cassandra Clare · 2023
Two outcasts find themselves at the center of world-altering change in the start of a riveting epic fantasy series from the No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of The Shadowhunter Chronicles. In the vibrant city-state of Castellane, the richest of nobles and the most debauched of criminals have one thing in common: the constant search for wealth, power, and the next hedonistic thrill. Kel is an orphan, stolen from the life he knew to become the Sword-Catcher-the body-double of a royal heir, Prince Conor Aurelian. He has been raised alongside the prince, trained in every aspect of combat and statecraft. He and Conor are close as brothers, but Kel knows he has one destiny: to die for Conor. No other future is possible. Lin Caster is one of the Ashkar, a small community who still possess magical abilities. By law, they must live behind walls in the city, but Lin, a physician, ventures out to tend to the sick and dying of Castellane. Despite her skills, she cannot heal her best friend Mariam without access to forbidden knowledge. After a failed assassination attempt brings Lin and Kel together, they are drawn into the web of the mysterious Ragpicker King, the criminal ruler of Castellane's underworld. He offers them each what they want most; but as they descend into his world of intrigue and shadow, they discover a conspiracy of corruption that reaches from the darkest gutters of Castellane to the highest tower of its palaces. As long-kept secrets begin to unravel, they must ask themselves: Is knowledge worth the price of betrayal? Can forbidden love bring down a kingdom? And will Lin and Kel's discoveries plunge their nation into war-and the world into chaos?
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The Secret
Andrew Child, Lee Child · 2023
Jack Reacher, "the coolest continuing series character" (Stephen King), returns in a brand new, pulse-pounding read from Lee and Andrew Child. 1992. Eight respectable, upstanding people have been found dead across the US. These deaths look like accidents and don't appear to be connected. Until one body - the victim of a fatal fall from a hospital window - generates some unexpected attention. That attention comes from the Secretary of Defence, who promptly calls for an inter-agency task force to investigate. Jack Reacher is assigned as the Army's representative. Reacher may be an exceptional soldier, but sweeping other people's secrets under the carpet isn't part of his skill set. As he races to discover the link between these victims, and who killed them, he must navigate around the ulterior motives of his new 'partners'. And all while moving into the sight line of some of the most dangerous people he has ever encountered. His mission is to uncover the truth. The question is- will Reacher bring the bad guys to justice the official way . . . or his way?
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Good Material
Dolly Alderton · 2023
The eagerly anticipated new novel from the bestselling and beloved author of Ghosts and Everything I Know About Love Andy's story wasn't meant to turn out this way. Living out of a suitcase in his best friends' spare room, waiting for his career as a stand-up comedian to finally take off, he struggles to process the life-ruining end of his relationship with the only woman he's ever truly loved. As he tries to solve the seemingly unsolvable mystery of his broken relationship, he contends with career catastrophe, social media paranoia, a rapidly dwindling friendship group and the growing suspicion that, at 35, he really should have figured this all out by now. Andy has a lot to learn, not least his ex-girlfriend's side of the story. Warm, wise, funny and achingly relatable, Dolly Alderton's highly-anticipated second novel is about the mystery of what draws us together - and what pulls us apart - the pain of really growing up, and the stories we tell about our lives.
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Sharpe's Command
Bernard Cornwell · 2023
SHARPE IS BACK. The brand new novel from Bernard Cornwell in the globally bestselling Sharpe series. Spain, 1812. Richard Sharpe, the most brilliant – but the most wayward – soldier in the British army, finds himself faced with an impossible task. Two French armies march towards each other. If they meet, the British are lost. And only Sharpe – with just his cunning, his courage and a small band of rogues to rely on – stands in their way . . . PRE-ORDER NOW
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The Fire and the Rose
Robyn Cadwallader · 2023
From Robyn Cadwallader, the award-winning and critically acclaimed author of The Anchoress and Book of Colours, comes The Fire and the Rose, a vibrant, richly-imagined and deeply moving novel set in the turbulent world of 13th century England. England, 1276: Forced to leave her home village, Eleanor moves to Lincoln to work as a housemaid. She's prickly, independent and stubborn, her prospects blighted by a port wine birthmark across her face. Unusually for a woman, she has fine skills with ink and quill, and harbours a secret ambition to work as a scribe, a profession closed against women.But Eleanor discovers that Lincoln is a dangerous place, divided by religious prejudice, the Jews frequently the focus of violence and forced to wear a yellow badge. Eleanor falls in love with Asher, a Jewish spicer, who shares her love of books and words, but their relationship is forbidden by law. A priest threatens to expose her, and she is pulled into the dark depths of the church's machinations against Jews - and when the King issues an edict expelling all Jews from England, Eleanor and Asher are faced with an impossible choice.Vivid, rich, deep and sensual, The Fire and the Rose is a tender and moving novel about the love of the written word, and how language, words and books have the power to change and shape lives. It is also a novel about what it is to be made 'other', to be exiled from home and family. Most powerfully, it is a call to recognise how much we need the other, the one we do not understand, making it a strikingly resonant and powerfully hopeful novel for our times.PRAISE FOR THE FIRE AND THE ROSE:'The walled medieval city of Lincoln comes alive again in this astonishingly immersive novel. As readers, we walk the streets, smell the market, sense the sneering whispers and hear the stones speak. The sensuous story of Asher and Eleanor's love, forbidden by laws separating Jews and Christians, carries Cadwallader's reach of history like a laser. A thrilling read' - Biff Ward, author of The Third Chopstick'The Fire and the Rose is a heartbreakingly timeless tale, richly imagined and wondrously alive; every sentence yearns for a better way for humans to be together. No one writes with compassion and empathy quite like Robyn Cadwallader, and few can match her ability to move readers to their core. Unforgettable' - Nigel Featherstone, author of My Heart Is a Little Wild Thing'Luminous, lyrical and deeply moving, Cadwallader's writing fills the senses and sings with detail and authenticity. A compelling story of love, resilience and hope in the face of oppression and racism, alive with imagery. I loved this book' - Karen Viggers, author of The Orchardist's DaughterPRAISE FOR ROBYN CADWALLADER:'Robyn Cadwallader fashions words with the same delicate, colourful intensity that her 14th century illuminators brought to their illustrated manuscripts.' Sarah Dunant'Book of Colours shows the depth of possibility a book might hold - all the while shimmering with the beauty and fragility of an ancient gilded page.' Eleanor Limprecht'Elegant and eloquent' Irish Mail'Cadwallader's writing evokes a heightened attention to the senses: you might never read a novel so sensuous yet unconcerned with romantic love. For this alone it is worth seeking out. But also because The Anchoress achieves what every historical novel attempts: reimagining the past while opening a new window - like a squint, perhaps - to our present lives.' Sydney Morning Herald'A novel of page-turning grace' Newtown Review of Books
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Weirdo
Sara Pascoe · 2023
"The debut novel from the bestselling and award-winning comedian, writer and actor Sara Pascoe. Weirdo follows Sophie; feverishly anxious and working hard to be happy in her own skin - if only life wouldn't make that so hard. THE DEBUT NOVEL FROM THE BESTSELLING AND AWARD-WINNING COMEDIAN, WRITER AND ACTOR SARA PASCOE 'Funny, sad, engaging, Pascoe nails everything that confronts women today.' - Stylist 'A tragicomic masterpiece. . . it will stay with me for a long time.' - DAISY BUCHANAN 'A tremendously exciting voice.' - The Times ""I USED TO THINK MY MUM COULD SEE ME THROUGH THE CAT"" Deep in Essex and her own thoughts, Sophie had a feeling something was going to happen and then it did. Chris has entered the pub and re-entered her life after Sophie had finally stopped thinking about him and regretting what she'd done. Sophie has a chance at creating a new ending and paying off her emotional debts (if not her financial ones). All she has to do is act exactly like a normal, well-adjusted person and not say any of her inner monologue out loud. If she can suppress her light paranoia, pornographic visualisations and pathological lying maybe she'll even end up getting the guy she wants? Then she could dump her boyfriend Ian and try to enjoy Christmas. "
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Everyone On This Train Is A Suspect
Benjamin Stevenson · 2023
PRE-ORDER NOW THE EAGERLY AWAITED FOLLOW-UP TO THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER EVERYONE IN MY FAMILY HAS KILLED SOMEONE. Ernest Cunningham returns in a deliciously witty locked room (train) mystery. When the Australian Mystery Writers' Society invited me to their crime-writing festival aboard the Ghan, the famous train between Darwin and Adelaide, I was hoping for some inspiration for my second book. Fiction, this time- I needed a break from real people killing each other. Obviously, that didn't pan out. The program is a who's who of crime writing royalty- the debut writer (me!) the forensic science writer the blockbuster writer the legal thriller writer the literary writer the psychological suspense writer. But when one of us is murdered, six authors quickly turn into five detectives. Together, we should know how to solve a crime. Or commit one. How can you find a killer when all the suspects know how to get away with murder? Praise for EVERYONE IN MY FAMILY HAS KILLED SOMEONE- 'What an exceptionally fresh, smart, funny book - I've never read anything like this before.' Jane Harper 'As fresh and zingy as a salted lime. It's Knives Out meets Richard Osman. Or Dexter by way of Agatha Christie. Or Schitt's Creek with a body count.' A J Finn 'Readers won't want to put this story down . . . This is undoubtedly a future classic.' Big Issue Australia 'For something different, look no further than the very clever and entirely experimental Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone . . . One of the most anticipated books of the year.' Weekend Australian 'The best thing I've read in ages. I absolutely loved it. Whip-smart, twisted, funny, and constructed with the pinpoint precision of a bloodthirsty watchmaker.' Stuart MacBride 'I absolutely LOVED it. Engaging, entertaining and charming. I don't think I've ever read anything like it. It was such a fun read.' Marian Keyes 'Clever, unexpected, and not to be missed.' Karin Slaughter 'Elegantly sinuous, superbly plotted, and surprise-packed . . . One of the best damn things I've read this year.' WrittenbySime 'The most original novel you will read this year . . . a funny and clever novel that pays homage to the classic British murder mystery.' Canberra
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The Premonition
Banana Yoshimoto · 2023
The deeply moving new novel from the beloved, internationally bestselling author of Kitchen. 'Yoshimoto's novels are like jewel boxes.' - Vanity Fair The new novel from the bestselling author of the beloved classic, Kitchen. I had a melancholy premonition of reaching the end of the road and getting lost inside a distant tide. It was the beginning of summer, and I was nineteen years old. Yayoi lives with her perfect, loving family - something 'like you'd see in a Spielberg movie'. But while her parents tell happy stories of her childhood, she is increasingly haunted by the sense that she's forgotten something important about her past. Deciding to take a break, she goes to stay with her mysterious but beloved aunt Yukino, whose strange behaviour includes waking Yayoi at two in the morning to be her drinking companion, watching Friday the 13th repeatedly and throwing away all the things she wants to forget. Living a life without order, Yukino seems to be protecting herself, but beneath this facade Yayoi starts to recover lost memories, and everything she knows about her past threatens to change forever.
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Homecoming
Kate Morton · 2023
Adelaide Hills, Christmas Eve, 1959: At the end of a scorching hot day, beside a creek in the grounds of the grand and mysterious mansion, a local delivery man makes a terrible discovery. A police investigation is called and a small town becomes embroiled in one of the most shocking and perplexing murder cases in the history of South Australia. Sixty years later, Jess is a journalist in search of a story. Having lived and worked in London for almost twenty years, she now finds herself laid off from her full-time job and struggling to make ends meet. A phone call out of nowhere summons her back to Sydney, where her beloved grandmother, Nora, who raised Jess when her mother could not, has suffered a fall and been raced to the hospital. Nora has always been a vibrant and strong presence: decisive, encouraging, young despite her years. When Jess visits her in the hospital she is alarmed to find her grandmother frail and confused; it's even more alarming to hear from Nora's housekeeper that Nora had been distracted in the weeks before her accident, and that she fell on the steps to the attic - the one place Jess was forbidden from playing when she was small. At a loose end in Nora's house, Jess does some digging of her own. In Nora's bedroom, she discovers a true crime book, chronicling the police investigation into a long-buried tragedy: the Turner Family Tragedy of Christmas Eve, 1959. It is only when Jess skims through the book that she finds a shocking connection between her own family and this once-infamous crime - a crime that has never been resolved satisfactorily. And for a journalist without a story, a cold case might be the best distraction she can find... An epic novel that spans generations, Homecoming asks what we would do for those we love, and how we protect the lies we tell. It explores the power of motherhood, the corrosive effects of tightly held secrets, and the healing nature of truth. Above all, it is a beguiling and immensely satisfying novel from one of the finest writers working today.
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The Thursday Murder Club
Richard Osman · 2021
In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet up once a week to investigate unsolved murders. But when a brutal killing takes place on their very doorstep, the Thursday Murder Club find themselves in the middle of their first live case. Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron might be pushing eighty but they still have a few tricks up their sleeves. Can our unorthodox but brilliant gang catch the killer before it's too late?
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Things We Left Behind
Lucy Score · 2023
THE ALL NEW NOVEL FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES MILLION-COPY BESTSELLING AUTHOR THE HIGHLY ANTICIPATED FOLLOW-UP TO TIKTOK SENSATION THINGS WE NEVER GOT OVER AND 2023'S THINGS WE HIDE FROM THE LIGHT There was only one woman who could set me free. But I would rather set myself on fire than ask Sloane Walton for anything. Lucian Rollins is a lean, mean vengeance-seeking mogul. On a quest to erase his father's mark on the family name, he spends every waking minute pulling strings and building an indestructible empire. The more money and power he amasses, the safer he is from threats. Except when it comes to the feisty small-town librarian that keeps him up at night . . . Sloane Walton is a spitfire determined to carry on her father's quest for justice. She'll do that just as soon as she figures out exactly what the man she hates did to - or for - her family. Bonded by an old, dark secret from the past and the dislike they now share for each other, Sloane trusts Lucian about as far as she can throw his designer-suited body. When bickering accidentally turns to foreplay, these two find themselves not quite regretting their steamy one-night stand. Once those flames are fanned, it seems impossible to put them out again. But with Sloane ready to start a family and Lucian refusing to even consider the idea of marriage and kids, these enemies-to-lovers are stuck at an impasse. Broken men break women. It's what Lucian believes, what he's witnessed, and he's not going to take that chance with Sloane. He'd rather live a life of solitude than put her in danger. But he learns the hard way that leaving her means leaving her unprotected from other threats. It's the second time he's ruthlessly cut her out of his life. There's no way she's going to give him a third chance. He's just going to have to make one for himself.
