Hey did you know it is now just 9 weeks to Christmas and with the lockdowns and restrictions across Australia finally coming to an end we at Books N Gifts think this Christmas is going to be even more special this year as we are once again able to get together with our family and friends. My selection of new book releases this week are all specially selected this week with Christmas in mind for those special people in your life.
Here are just some of the great new book releases that have arrived in store this week:
A Bloody Good Rant
Thomas Keneally
Autobiography
Thomas Keneally has been observing, reflecting on and writing about Australia and the human condition for well over fifty years. In this deeply personal, passionately drawn and richly tuned collection he draws on a lifetime of engagement with the great issues of our recent history and his own moments of discovery and understanding.
He writes with unbounded joy of being a grandparent, and with intimacy and insight about the prospect of death and the meaning of faith. He is outraged about the treatment of Indigenous Australians and refugees, and argues fiercely against market economics and the cowardice of climate change deniers. And he introduces us to some of the people, both great and small, who have dappled his life.
Beautifully written, erudite and at times slyly funny, A Bloody Good Rant is an invitation to share the deep humanity of a truly great Australian.
He writes with unbounded joy of being a grandparent, and with intimacy and insight about the prospect of death and the meaning of faith. He is outraged about the treatment of Indigenous Australians and refugees, and argues fiercely against market economics and the cowardice of climate change deniers. And he introduces us to some of the people, both great and small, who have dappled his life.
Beautifully written, erudite and at times slyly funny, A Bloody Good Rant is an invitation to share the deep humanity of a truly great Australian.
Rick Stein At Home
Rick Stein
Cooking
From bestselling cook and food writer Rick Stein, a stunning collection of all-time favourite recipes and essays that celebrate the rhythms and rituals of home cooking
Home is more than a place. It's a feeling.
Rick Stein has spent his life travelling the world in search of cooking perfection - from France and Italy to Australia and the far east - and inspiring millions of food lovers with the results. In Rick Stein At Home, he takes us into the rhythms and rituals of his home cooking. In his first book to celebrate his all-time favourite home-cooked meals, Rick shares over 100 very special recipes, including many from his recent Cornwall series - from sumptuous main courses such as Cornish Bouillabaisse and Braised Pork Belly with Soy and Black Vinegar to indulgent desserts like Apple Charlotte and Spiced Pears Poached with Blackberries and Red Wine.
Rick explores family classics that evoke childhood memories and newer dishes that have marked more recent personal milestones - along with unforgettable stories that celebrate his favourite ingredients, food memories, family cooking moments and more. Sharing the dishes he most loves to cook for family and friends throughout the year, Rick takes you inside his home kitchen unlike he's done in any previous book.
Home is more than a place. It's a feeling.
Rick Stein has spent his life travelling the world in search of cooking perfection - from France and Italy to Australia and the far east - and inspiring millions of food lovers with the results. In Rick Stein At Home, he takes us into the rhythms and rituals of his home cooking. In his first book to celebrate his all-time favourite home-cooked meals, Rick shares over 100 very special recipes, including many from his recent Cornwall series - from sumptuous main courses such as Cornish Bouillabaisse and Braised Pork Belly with Soy and Black Vinegar to indulgent desserts like Apple Charlotte and Spiced Pears Poached with Blackberries and Red Wine.
Rick explores family classics that evoke childhood memories and newer dishes that have marked more recent personal milestones - along with unforgettable stories that celebrate his favourite ingredients, food memories, family cooking moments and more. Sharing the dishes he most loves to cook for family and friends throughout the year, Rick takes you inside his home kitchen unlike he's done in any previous book.
Bradman V Bodyline
Roland Perry
Sporting
The 1932-33 Ashes was the most notorious and polarising series in the history of cricket.
The events of that turbulent summer centred around Don Bradman, the greatest batsman ever to play the game. With him in their side, Australia appeared unbeatable. And yet England alleged they had found the one shortcoming in Bradman's extraordinary technique. Their ruthless attempts to exploit that real or imagined vulnerability created an international crisis that threatened the very fabric of the Empire.
Using new material and his previous unparalleled access to Sir Donald Bradman, Roland Perry has written the definitive account of Bradman and the Bodyline series. Compelling, extensively researched and full of new insights, Bradman vs Bodyline takes us behind the scenes as first Arthur Carr then Douglas Jardine planned a 'fast leg theory' attack designed to potentially injure Australia's unstoppable batsman, and the rest of the team, to allow England to retake the Ashes.
From Bodyline's genesis in English county cricket to the key protagonists of Jardine, Harold Larwood and Bradman himself, Roland Perry has written the complete and captivating story of a sporting outrage that came closer to destroying the relationship between Australia and England than anything before or since.
The events of that turbulent summer centred around Don Bradman, the greatest batsman ever to play the game. With him in their side, Australia appeared unbeatable. And yet England alleged they had found the one shortcoming in Bradman's extraordinary technique. Their ruthless attempts to exploit that real or imagined vulnerability created an international crisis that threatened the very fabric of the Empire.
Using new material and his previous unparalleled access to Sir Donald Bradman, Roland Perry has written the definitive account of Bradman and the Bodyline series. Compelling, extensively researched and full of new insights, Bradman vs Bodyline takes us behind the scenes as first Arthur Carr then Douglas Jardine planned a 'fast leg theory' attack designed to potentially injure Australia's unstoppable batsman, and the rest of the team, to allow England to retake the Ashes.
From Bodyline's genesis in English county cricket to the key protagonists of Jardine, Harold Larwood and Bradman himself, Roland Perry has written the complete and captivating story of a sporting outrage that came closer to destroying the relationship between Australia and England than anything before or since.
The Christmas Pig
J K Rowling
Illustrated by Jim Field
Junior Fiction
One boy and his toy are about to change everything... Jack loves his childhood toy, Dur Pig. DP has always been there for him, through good and bad. Until one Christmas Eve, something terrible happens - DP is lost. But Christmas Eve is a night for miracles and lost causes, a night when all things can come to life... even toys. And Jack's newest toy - the Christmas Pig (DP's annoying replacement) - has a daring plan: Together they'll embark on a magical journey to seek something lost, and to save the best friend Jack has ever known... A heartwarming, page-turning adventure about one child's love for his most treasured thing, and how far he will go to find it. A tale for the whole family to fall in love with, from one of the world's greatest storytellers.
A gorgeously gifty hardback, with full-colour jacket and featuring 9 black and white spreads and decorative inside art from renowned illustrator, Jim Field.
Sky Dragon - Take To the Skies #1
Ahn Do
Junior Fiction
One brave girl. Thousands of unexpected allies. A high-flying adventure series from Anh Do.
Amber knew she'd been given an incredible power, but was it a freak accident, or was there something she was supposed to do with it?
Controlling her new ability might be the hardest thing Amber has ever done. Especially when she is running for her life.
Who is her mysterious enemy? What connection does he have to Amber's past? And, most importantly, does Amber have what it takes to truly become . . . Skydragon?
Amber knew she'd been given an incredible power, but was it a freak accident, or was there something she was supposed to do with it?
Controlling her new ability might be the hardest thing Amber has ever done. Especially when she is running for her life.
Who is her mysterious enemy? What connection does he have to Amber's past? And, most importantly, does Amber have what it takes to truly become . . . Skydragon?
The 143 Story Treehouse
Andy Griffiths
Illustrated by Terry Denton
Junior Fiction
Andy and Terry's treehouse now has 13 new storeys, including a word-o-matic (it knows every word in the whole world!); a recycling depot; a wrecking ball; a complaining room; a spooky graveyard (where it's always midnight, even in the middle of the day); a toffee-apple orchard guarded by a kind scarecrow; and a camping ground where you can have a nice, relaxing camping holiday - unless you get caught by hobyahs, put in a bag and poked with a stick, that is . . . Well, what are you waiting for? Come on up
Arlo The Lion Who Couldn't Sleep
Catherine Rayner
Childrens Book
Arlo The Lion Who Couldn't Sleep is a beautifully illustrated story with a gentle mindfulness message from Kate Greenaway Medal winner Catherine Rayner. Ideal for bedtime, and especially helpful for little ones who have trouble going to sleep.
Arlo the lion is exhausted. He just can't drop off, no matter what he tries. It's either too hot, or too cold; too loud or too quiet. But then he meets Owl. She can sleep through the day, which isn't easy when most other animals are awake! Will Arlo ever get any rest? Perhaps his new friend has some special tricks she can teach him ...
Arlo the lion is exhausted. He just can't drop off, no matter what he tries. It's either too hot, or too cold; too loud or too quiet. But then he meets Owl. She can sleep through the day, which isn't easy when most other animals are awake! Will Arlo ever get any rest? Perhaps his new friend has some special tricks she can teach him ...
Doc : The Life and Times of Aussie Rock Legend Doc Neeson
Anne Souter & Jon Bradshaw
Biography
Often compared to David Bowie and Mick Jagger, Doc Neeson was hailed as a 'messianic rock god'.
He was thumping, pumping, sweaty hard rock. He commanded the stage. He was unstoppable. He was terrifying. He was wild. He was a legend. And as their frontman, Doc propelled The Angels to become the highest-paid band in Australia in the 1980s and 1990s. With massive album sales in Australia and a US record deal, global superstardom seemed assured . . . but then everything started to fall apart.
This is Doc's story with the highs, the lows, the girls, the booze, the drugs, the tours, the good deeds, the crazy antics, the dark days and the great split that shattered The Angels. When he died in 2014 from a brain tumour, a black veil came down over a generation of Australian rock fans.
He was thumping, pumping, sweaty hard rock. He commanded the stage. He was unstoppable. He was terrifying. He was wild. He was a legend. And as their frontman, Doc propelled The Angels to become the highest-paid band in Australia in the 1980s and 1990s. With massive album sales in Australia and a US record deal, global superstardom seemed assured . . . but then everything started to fall apart.
This is Doc's story with the highs, the lows, the girls, the booze, the drugs, the tours, the good deeds, the crazy antics, the dark days and the great split that shattered The Angels. When he died in 2014 from a brain tumour, a black veil came down over a generation of Australian rock fans.
Bruce Springsteen The Stories Behind the Songs
Brian Hiatt
Music
Important insight into the work of a truly great songwriter.
Updated to include the albums Western Stars and Letter To You and packed full of insightful stories from Springsteen's long career, Bruce Springsteen: The Stories Behind the Songs takes a detailed look at each and every one of his tracks, providing a unique look at this rock legend's method, as well as some of the many anecdotes and tales that are prolific in his long music history.
The legend of Bruce Springsteen may well outlast rock 'n' roll itself. And for all the muscle and magic of his life-shaking concerts with the E Street Band, it comes down to the songs - music that helped define the best version of the United States for itself and the rest of the world; that bridged the gap between Bob Dylan and James Brown, between Phil Spector and Hank Williams; and that somehow managed to make New Jersey seem like a promised land. Deeply researched, laced with insight from decades of fandom and original reporting, this book is an exhaustive and unique look at the writing, recording and significance of Springsteen's singular catalog of songs - the first book to cover every officially released track, from hits to obscurities, from 1974's Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. to 2014's High Hopes.
Updated to include the albums Western Stars and Letter To You and packed full of insightful stories from Springsteen's long career, Bruce Springsteen: The Stories Behind the Songs takes a detailed look at each and every one of his tracks, providing a unique look at this rock legend's method, as well as some of the many anecdotes and tales that are prolific in his long music history.
The legend of Bruce Springsteen may well outlast rock 'n' roll itself. And for all the muscle and magic of his life-shaking concerts with the E Street Band, it comes down to the songs - music that helped define the best version of the United States for itself and the rest of the world; that bridged the gap between Bob Dylan and James Brown, between Phil Spector and Hank Williams; and that somehow managed to make New Jersey seem like a promised land. Deeply researched, laced with insight from decades of fandom and original reporting, this book is an exhaustive and unique look at the writing, recording and significance of Springsteen's singular catalog of songs - the first book to cover every officially released track, from hits to obscurities, from 1974's Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. to 2014's High Hopes.
Silverview
John Le Carre
Adult Fiction
The much anticipated publication of John le Carre 's last complete novel
Julian Lawndsley has renounced his high-flying job in the City for a simpler life running a bookshop in a small English seaside town. But only a couple of months into his new career, Julian's evening is disrupted by a visitor. Edward, a Polish emigre living in Silverview, the big house on the edge of town, seems to know a lot about Julian's family and is rather too interested in the inner workings of his modest new enterprise.
When a letter turns up at the door of a spy chief in London warning him of a dangerous leak, the investigations lead him to this quiet town by the sea . . .
Silverview is the mesmerising story of an encounter between innocence and experience and between public duty and private morals. In this last complete masterwork from the greatest chronicler of our age, John le Carre asks what you owe to your country when you no longer recognise it.
Julian Lawndsley has renounced his high-flying job in the City for a simpler life running a bookshop in a small English seaside town. But only a couple of months into his new career, Julian's evening is disrupted by a visitor. Edward, a Polish emigre living in Silverview, the big house on the edge of town, seems to know a lot about Julian's family and is rather too interested in the inner workings of his modest new enterprise.
When a letter turns up at the door of a spy chief in London warning him of a dangerous leak, the investigations lead him to this quiet town by the sea . . .
Silverview is the mesmerising story of an encounter between innocence and experience and between public duty and private morals. In this last complete masterwork from the greatest chronicler of our age, John le Carre asks what you owe to your country when you no longer recognise it.
So I hope you enjoy my selection of new book releases this week and don't forget to check out all the latest book arrivals online at www.booksngifts or if in Berry come in and visit our sister store Berry Newsagency
Head Bookseller
Tammy