Explore our books of the month for July; each of the below titles has been read and recommended by our booksellers before being selected as our book of the month for its category.
FICTION BOOK OF THE MONTH
Southern Aurora by Mark Brandi
Reviewed by Mark Rubbo, managing director
'Brandi has crafted a beautiful and tender story that gives great pleasure and should be read wide and far.'
Jimmy likes to take his little brother Sam down to the railway cutting to watch the trains. If the time is right, they’ll see the silver cars of the Southern Aurora flash by; they’ll both get a thrill.
Sam goes to special school; they live with their mum, Nicki, in a rundown house. Jimmy’s older brother, Mick, is in prison for assault and will get out soon. Nicki has a friend Charlie who visits from time to time. Charlie is a Vietnam vet; sometimes he flies off the handle and once or twice he’s hurt Nicki. Nicki has a fondness for the Kaiser – the cask of Kaiser Stuhl wine. Jimmy can’t help watching how much Kaiser she consumes; it will determine whether it’s a good evening or a bad one. Things will be better when Mick comes home.
CRIME BOOK OF THE MONTH
Lay your body down by Amy Suiter Clarke
Reviewed by Aurelia Orr, Readings Kids
'… a powerful and alluring novel about mob mentality, indoctrination, and confronting one’s demons.'
Delilah vowed never to return to her hometown in Minnesota and its cult-like church, but when her ex‑boyfriend, Lars, dies, Del follows her gut instinct to go home. At Lars’s funeral, Del begins to believe that his death was more sinister than she thought. To bring the truth to light, she must face Pastor Rick, the church’s enigmatic priest, whose influence and power have grown internationally through the help of Eve, Lars’s wife. Eve is the author of the blog for the ‘Noble Wife’ movement, which espouses Pastor Rick’s conservative and fundamentalist philosophy on women’s roles and on marriage.
On an important note, I do love that in Lay Your Body Down Del hasn’t lost her faith in God, despite her experience in a cult. Amy Suiter Clarke is not malicious against Christianity, but rather brings attention to how the manipulation of faith can lead to the villainisation of, and violence against, women. This novel is a gripping and nuanced examination of how there is no intrinsic evil in religion itself, the danger lies in how religion can be abused and weaponised to exert power over others.
NONFICTION BOOK OF THE MONTH
Wifedom by Anna Funder
Reviewed by Megan Wood, Readings Emporium
'I have no doubt that I will be recommending and re-reading this book in the years to come.'
Anna Funder’s new masterpiece, Wifedom, is the story of the invisible life of George Orwell’s wife, Eileen O’Shaughnessy. It is a brilliant work of counter-fiction that uses letters written by O’Shaughnessy during her marriage to Orwell, the many biographies written about Orwell, the only biography of O’Shaughnessy, and Orwell’s essays to piece together their marriage and her life. What we get is the story of a woman who has been all but erased from the story of Orwell’s success, despite her invaluable presence and contribution to his life and his writing.
If you weren’t aware of how involved she was in his success, you’re not alone. She has ‘often [been] obscured or rewritten to remove her key and vital involvement’ thus ‘allowing Orwell to become the writer that he is revered to be’. Wifedom brings O’Shaughnessy into the spotlight and reclaims her life as an individual who deserves to have her intellect and sacrifices recognised. Orwell would not have been able to be the writer that he was had it not been for O’Shaughnessy, and it is so important that this story is brought into the open.
MIDDLE FICTION BOOK OF THE MONTH
Meet Me at the Moon Tree by Shivaun Plozza
Reviewed by Clare Millar, Readings Malvern
'It is a stunning book with laughter and tears guaranteed.'
Ten-year-old Carina is obsessed with moon trees – trees that have been planted from seeds taken into space on the 1971 Apollo 14 mission. She believes the trees will be magical, and that she can find one in the forest surrounding her family’s new home in the Otway ranges. Everything’s changed for Carina’s family – her dad recently passed away after his leukaemia diagnosis.
This is a story about grief, change, friendships, nature, science and healing. But it’s so much more than that – it’s a moving story of Carina’s desperate need to communicate how much she misses her father and her fundamental belief in the magic of trees. Helped along by a cockatoo and a new friend in her small town, Carina finds the courage to talk with her family about their collective grief. It is a stunning book with laughter and tears guaranteed. For fans of Nova Weetman, Danielle Binks, Erin Entrada Kelly and Pip Harry aged 9+.
CHILDREN'S CLASSIC OF THE MONTH
Edward the Emu (35th anniversary edition) by Sheena Knowles and Rod Clement (illus.)
Reviewed by Julia Jackson, Assistant manager at Readings Carlton
'It’s a classic because of its ever-relevant message, and its sense of whimsy!'
Ever feel bored by yourself and your situation? Edward sure knows how that feels. Sick of being an emu, each day he tries out being a different animal, until he realises that actually, being an emu isn’t so bad after all.
For Edward, realising this, and also choosing to ignore other opinions, is important. What matters is that he comes to believe in himself and his own value. As a kid, my bookshelf was simply brimming with great picture books, including this one! Edward the Emu remains a favourite for its rhyming couplets and delightfully expressive illustrations. It’s a classic because of its ever-relevant message, and its sense of whimsy! For ages 2+.
YOUNG ADULT BOOK OF THE MONTH
Inkflower by Suzy Zail
Reviewed by Aurelia Orr, Readings Kids
'… a poignant, bittersweet story of family secrets, love and war, and re-learning who you are after your life has been changed.'
Set in 1980s Melbourne, Lisa Keller’s life is completely normal. In high school, she has an amazing best friend, and a loving boyfriend. But one day, everything changes. Her father, Emil, is diagnosed with motor neurone disease, and has six months left to live. So, before he goes, Emil tells the story of when he was a young, Jewish boy surviving the Holocaust in 1944–45, escaping the Soviets after the war, and finding refuge in Australia.
On top of her devastation in the lead up to losing her father, Lisa is also left confused about her sense of identity. Her real name is Lisa Rosenfeld, not Lisa Keller. She’s never been religious, or attended a synagogue, she doesn’t observe Shabbat on Fridays, or break the challah. However, the grittiness of the past is softened by the overflowing love that Lisa has for her father, and so her Jewish heritage is not alienating but the missing piece of the puzzle she’s been looking for; a new part of herself that reconnects her with her family more than she ever knew.
CLASSICAL ALBUM OF THE MONTH
Samuel Barber: Violin Concerto & Max Bruch: Violin Concerto No 1 by Esther Yoo, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Vasily Petrenko
Reviewed by Kate Rockstrom, friend of Readings
'… listening to these old favourites feels like sinking into a warm bath …'
In September 2023, Hamer Hall will be graced by the violin superstar Esther Yoo. The youngest winner of the Sibelius Violin Competition at 16 in 2010, she’s been featured with orchestras around the world from Europe to America and Korea. She will join the MSO on stage to perform one of the standards, Mendelssohn’s violin concerto. If you weren’t sure if you should attend this concert though, this album will change your mind. Featuring the old favourites, Bruch and Barber, Yoo makes the music leap off the page in the exciting moments. But as I listened, it was the delicate ends of phrases she let linger that sent shivers up my spine.
This is her debut album with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and their music director, Vasily Petrenko. However, listening to these old favourites feels like sinking into a warm bath – comfortably rich timbres, easy flowing phrases, and a familiarity with this repertoire that only comes from decades of performing these works again and again. And that is why Yoo chose it: she wanted to feature repertoire that was formative to her own personal journey. She wanted to share her cultural history with us through her music, and so Germany, Belgium and the U.S. are all represented. The slightly hectic Yankee Doodle Variations (Memories of America) by Vieuxtemps is the finale, and if you haven’t heard it, it’s well worth a listen for its cute blend of Americana with traditional concerto elements.
