FEBRUARY Book of the Month
Fire in Every Direction
By Tareq Baconi
Fire in Every Direction is a tender, searing and profoundly moving memoir that left me entirely undone. Tareq Baconi traces his story across generations and continents, beginning with his grandmother’s forced flight from Haifa during the Nakba, followed by his parents’ escape from Beirut at the start of Lebanon’s civil war, and finally his own coming of age in Amman and later London. Each movement carries its own form of exile, shaping an inheritance of silence, grief and resistance.
Baconi’s queer awakening unfolds alongside his growing political consciousness, about the policing of queerness and the erasure of Palestinian identity, and about the disorientation of living between worlds. A deeply personal exploration of queerness, Palestinian identity, displacement,and love, written with extraordinary care and clarity.
FEBRUARY ILF Book of the Month
Bird Deity
By John Morrissey
Bird Deity is speculative fiction at its thought-provoking, incisive best. It follows David, a relic hunter in a remote colony, earning a living from looting the remains of an ancient alien civilisation. Presented with an opportunity to guide an anthropologist on a risky expedition, David is forced to confront his life, his choices and the impact of his actions on another world. What makes this book so striking is its atmosphere: Morrissey’s descriptions of David’s world are evocative and deeply unsettling.
The book has been described as ‘cosmic horror’ and it earns this tag not through graphic violence or space monsters, but from the haunting disquiet that it leaves in its reader. Morrissey delivers poignant insight into the far-reaching impact of colonial violence. I was completely unprepared for this book, and it has floored me.
– LEWIS –
FEBRUARY Kids Book of the Month
The Wonder
By Tom Percival
When Daniel finds himself drenched by the rain that falls from a sky that shifts in various shades of dark grey, his shoes soaked through from wading through puddles, he feels that nothing is going to make him feel better and this may well be the worst day ever. Then something drifts on the air between the rain drops: a wistful, light and airy tune, small at first. Perhaps if he can follow it, Daniel might find there is something to brighten even the darkest day.
From the incredibly talented, multi-award winning author, artist, musician and illustrator Tom Percival comes this gorgeous picture book about seeing and finding ‘The Wonder’ all around you.
– ROBERT –
FEBRUARY Cookbook of the Month
Lourinhã
By Matt McConnell with Jo Gamvros
As I am yet to have the good fortune of dining at Matt and Jo’s beloved restaurant in Melbourne, established now for 20 years, I am super excited to have their new cookbook to peruse until I can taste their delectable Mediterranean food in person. In this beautiful volume you’ll find much-loved recipes for tasty, varied and fresh dishes inspired by the incredible bar food of Spain and Portugal that the duo has championed for decades.
Think: Pickled Sardine Banderillas, Spiced Chickpeas & Spinach, Gambas al Ajillo, Chorizo & Apple Cider, Churros & Dulce de Leche and a fresh-fig-and-slivered-almond-topped Torta de Queso. Scrumptious!
– SYLVIA –
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