Better Read Than Dead Bookstore Newtown

Our September Book of the Month

City of Crows

Chris Womersley

Dean says; This Gothic masterpiece set in France 1673 is based on a historical incident and real-life characters much like Hannah Kent's Good People. It is a bewitching novel that explores the lengths a mother will go to rescue her child. A sorceress and a demon collaborate, here the magical balance is exceptional, maintaining a realistic bent that has you enamoured and believing, its feet are firmly placed in literature, never swaying into a fantasy realm. Gripping with exciting gritty historical details and the right serving of good versus evil adventure, I loved it!

$29.99

Our September Book of the Month

Little Fires Everywhere

Celeste Ng

Steph says; The phrase 'page-turner' is a little clichéd, but I can think of no better way to describe Celeste Ng's far-from-clichéd, utterly compelling second novel. It was unputdownable. I read it in one sitting. It grasped me from the very first sentence and kept me up all night. It was gripping; poignant; nuanced. At once an unflinching portrayal of closed community life, a clever look at diverse family dynamics and a topical exploration of reproductive rights and cross-cultural adoption.

Clichés aside - and believe me, I could evoke them all - Ng has written a novel with a colourful cast of characters whose lives intertwin and whose pasts intersect when a real estate investment, a famous photograph and a court case draws everyone together (then tears everyone apart).

Set in the wealthy, planned and progressive community Shaker Heights, the setting drives the narrative, almost as if it, itself, is another character. I was in a real reading rut when I picked up Little Fires Everywhere, but from the very first chapter, as a house burnt to the ground, I suspected I'd found my book of the year.

$29.99

Australian Fiction