May Newsletter
Author Spotlight:
Hannah Kent
Hannah Kent’s first novel, the international bestseller, Burial Rites (2013), was translated into over 30 languages and won the ABIA Literary Fiction Book of the Year, the Indie Awards Debut Fiction Book of the Year, and the Victorian Premier’s People’s Choice Award. It was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction and the Guardian First Book Award, the Stella Prize, and the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, amongst others. It is currently being adapted for film by Sony TriStar.
Hannah’s second novel, The Good People (2016) has been translated into 10 languages and was shortlisted for the Scott Award for Historical Fiction, the Indie Books Award for Literary Fiction, the ABIA Literary Fiction Book of the Year, and the Readings Prize for New Australian Fiction. It is currently being adapted for film by Aquarius Productions.
Hannah’s latest novel, Devotion (2021) won Booktopia’s Favourite Australian Book Award, and was shortlisted for the Prime Minister’s Literary Award for Fiction, the Indie Book Awards for Literary Fiction, and the ABIA Literary Fiction Book of the Year. It is currently being adapted for film by Dollhouse Pictures.
Hannah co-founded Australian literary publication Kill Your Darlings with Rebecca Starford. She has written for The New York Times, Vogue Australia, The Saturday Paper, The Guardian, the Age, the Sydney Morning Herald, Meanjin, Qantas Magazine and LitHub.
Hannah’s memoir, Always Home, Always Homesick, is her latest book, in store now.
Hannah lives and works on Peramangk Country in South Australia.
In store now
Always Home, Always Homesick
‘In my brief breath of life, might I find a way to fit light to paper?’
In a land of ethereal beauty, within a culture soaked in myth, a young woman discovers the story that will change her life.
In 2003, seventeen-year-old Australian exchange student Hannah Kent arrives at Keflavik Airport in the middle of the Icelandic winter. That night she sleeps off her jet lag and bewilderment in the National Archives of Iceland, unaware that, years later, she will return to the same building to write Burial Rites, the haunting story of Agnes Magnusdottir, the last woman executed in Iceland. The novel will go on to launch the author’s stellar literary career and capture the hearts of readers across the globe.
Always Home, Always Homesick is Hannah Kent’s exquisite love letter to a land that has forged a nation of storytellers, her ode to the transcendent power of creativity, and her invitation to us all to join her in the realms of mystery, spirit and wonder.
Books of the Month
FICTION
Having loved his writing in his first full length novel On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous I was very interested to read The Emperor of Gladness. In part, this book has shades of Demon Copperhead with characters living through financial hardship and limited prospects in what one character refers to as a dead end town. Amongst this is the beautiful relationship which emerges between Hai and Grazina. Hai is homeless and is embraced by Grazina and her offer of a place of refuge. In turn, Hai lives with Grazina to help her manage living at home with her frequent absences from reality as she grapples with dementia. Hai also seeks solace with co-workers at a second-rate takeaway establishment, where he then reinstates a relationship with an estranged cousin. A recurring theme throughout is acceptance and respect and the enduring need for connection.
Reviewed by Suzie
The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong
A masterful story of friendship and how much we’re willing to risk to possess one of life’s most treasured mercies- a second chance
One late summer evening in the post-industrial town of East Gladness, Connecticut, nineteen-year-old Hai stands on the edge of a bridge in pelting rain, ready to jump, when he hears someone shout across the river. The voice belongs to Grazina, an elderly widow succumbing to dementia, who convinces him to take another path. Bereft and out of options, he quickly becomes her caretaker. Over the course of the year, the unlikely pair develops a life-altering bond, one built on empathy, spiritual reckoning, and heartbreak, with the power to alter Hai’s relationship to himself, his family, and a community at the brink.
Following the cycles of history, memory, and time, The Emperor of Gladness shows the profound ways in which love, labor, and loneliness form the bedrock of American life. At its heart is a brave epic about what it means to exist on the fringes of society and to reckon with the wounds that haunt our collective soul. Hallmarks of Vuong’s writing – formal innovation, syntactic dexterity, and the ability to twin grit with grace through tenderness – are on full display in this story of loss, hope, and how far we would go to possess one of life’s most fleeting mercies- a second chance.
NON FICTION
Another beautifully presented, and inspiring lifestyle book from Jade Miles. Huddle winds its way gently through the “Why should we? & How can we?” reconnect to ourselves, our communities and our Earth. A deeply researched and heartfelt look at the power of the human huddle and the storytelling that we share in these huddles that give us the freedom to take care of ourselves on our lands. Filled with information on how to rewrite our stories to a more thoughtful way of living and being, and some pretty fantastic recipes as well! The Slap Together Picnic Sausage Rolls & the C-Soup (Carrot, Cashew, Cumin, Coconut & Coriander) will not disappoint!
“We cannot heal the damage of the past, but we can commit to a lifetime of less extraction and greater harmony, moving together from ‘what’s in it for me?’ to ‘what’s holding me?’. And it’s always, always Country.” Huddle by Jade Miles
Reviewed by Tenniell.
Huddle by Jade Miles
A practical, inspirational and evocative guide to the art of creating and fostering community ties, Huddle shows us how the principles of connection are universal. Written by Jade Miles of permaculture pioneering Black Barn Farm, it examines how we begin the process of building our communities to create a sense of place, nurture relationships and embrace our humanity as we learn to connect and create our own ‘huddles’.
Split into eight chapters focusing on different aspects of community, each is supported with anecdotal stories from Jade’s own lived experience of a futuresteading life at Black Barn Farm together with tight ‘HUDDLE HOW?’ summaries and ‘HUDDLE ACTIVITIES’ to propel you to action.
Close to Huddle‘s core is the food we eat and – most importantly – how we share it. A significant proportion of the book is dedicated to the ‘NOURISHMENT’ chapter, featuring over 50 recipes from Black Barn Farm and Jade’s own huddle of humans from across the globe. The recipes are easy to cook and for many mouths, including potluck dinners, meals for gifting, simple seasonal food, and dishes made with little time and little budget.
Whether you live in a city apartment, in the suburbs or on twenty acres, the principles of huddling are the same, and Huddle will provide you with all the easy-to-digest information, hands-on techniques and inspiration necessary for fostering your own community and re-learning a connected way of being and belonging.
KIDS & YA
Nevermoor fans have been waiting 5 long years for this, the fourth book in this engaging middle grade series. The upside of this wait is that there is a whole new cohort of young readers who may not be familiar with Morrigan Crow and her cursed tale, and could now discover it for the first time. Perfect for fans of Harry Potter, this fantastical series captures you from the very start and builds such a wonderful world of adventures, the battle of good and evil and learning how to find your place in the world. I thoroughly enjoyed sharing this series when it first came out with my now almost 18yo son, who was struggling through a period of disengagement with reading, as so many young teens do, and it helped reignite that fire. Highly recommended – I can’t wait to read the next installment, Silverborn.
Reviewed by Kate
Silverborn: The Mystery of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend
The highly anticipated fourth book in the award-winning Nevermoor series from one of Australia’s best selling and most loved authors.
In the magical city of Nevermoor, long-buried secrets are coming to light, and Morrigan Crow’s life is about to turn upside down . . .
When Morrigan is invited into Nevermoor’s wealthy Silver District, she discovers a world of extravagance and a family mystery she’s eager to unravel. She could never imagine where it will lead: a white wedding, a golden dragon and a red pool of blood.
Embroiled in suspicion and danger, Morrigan leaps headfirst into a murder investigation, while also grappling with her ever-growing Wundersmith powers. And although her friends are there to help, she fears that could change if they learn she’s keeping a terrible secret of her own.
As shadowy forces awaken in Nevermoor, can Morrigan find a killer and solve the mystery in her own past . . . before the clock strikes midnight?
Jessica Townsend weaves a spellbinding tale of magic and mystery in this thrilling new installment of the Nevermoor series.
May New Release Highlights
Fiction
Non-Fiction
Kids & YA
Staff Picks For Mother’s Day
Kate
Suzie
Jacq
Indy
Sage
Justine
Tenniell
Mahli
Billy
Jemma
Belinda
Kate S
More Mother’s Day Gift Ideas …
Mothers Day Gift Bundles
Mothers Day Gift Subscription
Mother’s Day Reads
Staff Spotlight:
Indy
- Your favourite place to read a book?
Either curled up in bed or the couch, with a soft blanket, snacks and at least one cat. - Which book character or author would you prefer to be trapped in an elevator with?
Hmm, I think Mr. Kindly from The Nevernight Chronicle by Jay Kristoff, because he’s a little shadow cat and has the best one liners and definitely would be able to pass the time or at least sneak away to find help. Or Murderbot from the Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells, as they’d have thousands of hours of entertainment downloaded so at least we could pass the time. - Hardback, paperback, eBook or audiobook?
Ohh, I’m going to be a little different from everyone else I think, since I love a hardcover, and do collect special editions of my favourite books, close second is a paperback. I can’t do e-books or audio as the former for some reason I can’t retain what I’ve read and the latter I get too distracted so I don’t actually hear the story. - The last book you loved?
This is an equal tie between two books I recently read early copies of. The first is the Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson, a tightly woven mystery within a political fantasy book, that has not got a single wasted word and has amazing world building (this one is out at the end of April). The second is Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V E Schwab. V has become my favourite author, and this latest novel of hers is no exception to that love. A beautiful, meaty story about the types of hunger and love and how that affects us and those around us. Just perfect, and will be out in June. - Which book character do you think you’d be best friends with?
I think either Neema Kraa from The Raven Scholar, as she is very neuro-divergent coded, and we both have a shared love of research and stories! Or Paige Mahoney from the Bone Season by Samantha Shannon, since she’s also a story lover, and just felt very similar to myself in her personality. - Greatest book of all time?
The WORST question to ask a bookseller. This answer does change based on what I’ve been reading and my mood at any given time, but it is currently a four way tie between Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V E Schwab, She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan, The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells and A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness. All very different from each other, each with their own emotional impact except Murderbot, that is just so much fun. - One fun fact about you?
Of my current count of 13 tattoos, 9 are book/film related. And 2 of those are from books I haven’t read yet…..
Events
Book Club 2025
Competitions
2025 Kids’ Story Writing Competition
It’s that time of year again! Time to dust off your pens, pencils, keyboards, chalk or quill and ink – whatever your tool of choice – and GET WRITING!!
This is the 10th YEAR we have run our Kids’ Story Writing Competition (we have no idea where the time went either), but we can’t wait to see what wonderous adventures you create for us this time around. This year we continue the theme of a sentence prompt to be included in your story or poem.
“As I opened the letter, a ticket fell out…”
As usual, the competition is being run for Mornington Peninsula Preps to Year 12s, with all of Term 2 to draft and hone your stories, and entries closing on Sunday 27 July.
Winners will be announced at an in store event with special guest author, Amelia Mellor, on Saturday 16 August (the very start of Children’s Book Week). And guess what? Amelia grew up on the Peninsula and became a real life published author! So who knows?! With practice and patience and lots of creativity, maybe this could be the start of your writing careers as well…
Check out the full Entry Guidelines and competition details as well a link to last year’s winners for some inspiration: HERE.
HAPPY WRITING!!
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