Staff Picks
Shoulda Been Higher
The Hottest 100 is a national institution.
Every year since 1993, Australia's national youth broadcaster triple j has held annual countdown of listeners' 100 favourite songs of the year, as voted by the public. It's as iconic of modern Australiana as sausage sizzles and leadership spills. It has become so much more than music. It's beaches, barbeques, and bonfires. It's joy and despair, drama and debate, friendship and community.
This book is a fun retrospective- an insightful, light-hearted and deeply respectful celebration of the colourful history of 'the world's greatest musical democracy'. Taking account of the thirty annual countdowns, the book traces the social, musical and cultural impacts of the Hottest 100 over the decades. Its jam packed with stats, stories, little-known facts, and the kinds of fiery debate-starting questions that make the Hottest 100 what it is.
This is the definitive account of the Hottest 100, a chronicle and a love letter - it's the complete picture from Augie March to Ziggy Alberts, 'Amazing' to 'Zombie'.
Try Not To Think Of A Pink Elephant
Try Not to Think of a Pink Elephant is a collection of real-life stories about living with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Contributors are Martin Ingle on OCD and sexual intimacy; Dani Leever on contamination-based OCD; Patrick Marlborough on living with OCD in NYC; Katharine Pollock on over-achievement and control of food and body; and Sienna Rose Scully on the untimely death of her mother, an event that actualised her most persistent OCD obsession. At times humorous, at times heartbreaking, this engaging anthology on mental health and invisible illnesses will keep you on the edge of your seat, compelling you to read on as five talented authors tell their stories about living with OCD.
American Gods
Shadows (Part 1): Now adapted as a graphic novel, the highly acclaimed epic from international bestseller Neil Gaiman.
Shadow Moon gets out of jail only to discover his wife is dead. Defeated, broke and uncertain where to go from here, he meets the mysterious Mr. Wednesday, who employs him to serve as his bodyguard - thrusting Shadow into a deadly world where ghosts of the past come back from the dead, and a god war is imminent.
The Kamogawa Food Detectives
What's the one dish you'd do anything to taste just one more time?
Down a quiet backstreet in Kyoto exists a very special restaurant called the Kamogawa Diner run by Koishi Kamogawa and her father Nagare. Customers who can find the hidden diner are treated to an extravagant meal, but it's not the main reason for visiting . . .
The father-daughter duo have started advertising their services as 'food detectives', capable of recreating a dish from their customers' pasts that may well hold the key to forgotten memories and ongoing happiness.
From the widower looking for a specific noodle dish that his wife used to cook to a first love's beef stew, the restaurant of lost recipes provides a link to the past and a way to a more contented future.
The Right Move
RYAN
She's a distraction, that's what she is.I'm the newest Captain of the Devils, Chicago's NBA team, and the last thing I needed this year was for Indy Ivers, my sister's best friend, to move into my apartment. She's messy, emotional, and way too tempting.But when the team's General Manager vocalizes his blatant disapproval of my promotion to Captain, referring to me as an unapproachable lone wolf with no work-life balance, I can't think of a better way to convince him otherwise than pretending to date my outgoing roommate.The only problem? Faking it feels far too natural.Having a fake girlfriend wasn't supposed to be messy but having Indy under my roof and in my bed is complicated, especially when she wants all the romantic parts of life that I could never give her.
INDY
I never imagined I'd be living with my best friend's brother, NBA superstar Ryan Shay. Even more unbelievable? He needs me to act as his loving girlfriend who's suddenly changed him into a friendly and approachable guy.Because, well . . . he's not. He's controlling of his space and untrusting of others.Our arrangement isn't one-sided, though. I'm in a wedding coming up, one where every one of my childhood friends, including my ex-boyfriend, will be in attendance, and there's no better date than my ex's celebrity hero.Blurred lines make it almost impossible to separate real from fake. Falling for my roommate was never part of the deal, especially when Ryan is quick to remind me that he doesn't believe in love.I'm a romantic and can't help fantasizing that he'll change, but soon enough, I find myself questioning if sharing a roof with my best friend's brother was the right move after all . . .
Famous for a Living
When her business partner is accused of serious financial crimes, superstar influencer Cat Cranwell—an engineered marvel of beauty, energy, and fun—falls from her penthouse perch. Desperate to get away from the online trolls and paparazzi documenting her disgrace, Cat accepts her uncle’s offer to work with him in Kannery National Park. Montana. And about as far as possible from life as she's known it.
Cat’s world shifts from the swirling haze of likes and comments to literal blizzards of frostbite temperatures and waist-deep snow. In place of negotiating brand deals she finds herself negotiating at the ledge of a frozen lake with her die-hard Polar Bear Plunge coworkers. Instead of padding through the marble kitchen of her Manhattan loft, she's sharing a tent-sized cabin with a roommate eager to bond like characters in sitcoms. But something curious is also happening in this overwhelming breath of fresh air as she reacquaints with the most honest parts of herself and begins to ask the hard questions. Can Cat love herself with, and without, the world watching
Then there’s that other tiny problem—she’s falling for Zaiah, the ruggedly handsome Park Ranger—and he hates anything remotely connected to social media, quite possibly her included.
The Raven Boys
Every year Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue never sees them â" until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks to her.
His name is Gansey, a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.
But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can't entirely explain. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents the privilege around him; Ronan, thenbsp; fierce soul whose emotions range from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher who notices many things but says very little.
For as long as she can remember Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She doesn't believe in true love and never thought this would be a problem. But as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she's not so sure anymore.
First, Cream the Butter and Sugar
Make baking your happy place. It's not so much a science; it's practice plus play, which becomes instinct and then art. And even the failures are delicious.
Welcome to First, Cream the Butter and Sugar - the ultimate guide for everyone who loves cake. Whether you're here for the only choc chip cookie recipe you'll ever need, or you're setting your sights on conquering an opera cake, a raspberry passionfruit tart or becoming a choux-master, Emelia Jackson has done the homework on behalf of us all.
For those who love a good homemade cake but don't love sifting flour and icing sugar (is it really necessary?) and enjoy a shortcut (do I need to wait hours for my eggs to reach room temp?), Emelia breaks down the steps that truly matter and dispenses with those that don't. Packed with advice for every level of home baker, this is the modern baking reassurance you need, whether it's the night before the birthday party or just a Sunday afternoon for baking something sweet to get you through the week.
Storytellers
Highly respected ABC anchor, bestselling author and hit podcaster Leigh Sales interviews the cream of Australian journalists about their craft – how (and why) they bring us the stories that inform our lives.
Leigh Sales is one of Australia’s most accomplished journalists, having anchored the ABC’s flagship 7.30 program for twelve years. She has been a foreign correspondent, hosted Lateline and anchored numerous elections for the ABC. In this book, she turns her interviewing skills onto her own profession, those usually asking the questions: the journalists.
In ten sections – from News Reporting to Editing, via Investigative, Commentary and of course Interviewing – Sales takes us on a tour of the profession, letting the leaders in their field talk direct to us about how they get their leads, survive in war zones, write a profile, tell a story with pictures, and keep the show on the road. A who’s-who of Australian journalism – including Lisa Millar, Kate McClymont, Hedley Thomas, Trent Dalton, Benjamin Law, Tracy Grimshaw, Richard Fidler, David Speers, Stan Grant, Niki Savva, Waleed Aly, Annabel Crabb, Karl Stefanovic and Mia Freedman – talk candidly about their greatest lessons and their trade secrets.
A fascinating insight into a vital and much-misunderstood profession, Storytellers is a book for anyone who’s ever wanted to be a journalist, or even just wondered how the news gets made.
Country Homes in Australia
Created by the team from Australia's much-loved Country Style, led by editor-in-chief Victoria Carey, this book is a celebration of the gorgeous rural homes and incredible characters who have filled the pages of the magazine over the past 30 years. Be inspired by the heartwarming tales and amazing renovations undertaken by families throughout regional Australia. From historic cottages dating back to the 1800s to converted churches and characterful homesteads, each story is accompanied by sumptuous photography and details of the transformations that each house has undergone. Our rural renovators have also demonstrated fantastic creativity, from sourcing and restoring vintage furniture to producing their own artworks. Some have even gone on to launch businesses based on these skills. Producers share their stories of how they have coped with the drought, including moves into biodynamic and organic farming, and how others are developing sidelines such as gin-making or artist-in-residence programs. Above all, you'll hear about the wonderfully supportive communities in country areas and discover what makes living in regional Australia such a remarkable experience.
