Happy’s Best New Books (23rd August – 29th August)
Updated weekly by the fine folk at Happy Mag, these are the best new books that this week has to offer from Australia and around the world!
Tanya Pearson – Why Marianne Faithfull Matters
Though Marianne Faithfull has been an innovative creator across multiple genres for decades, it could be argued that her impact has been underestimated. Emerging at the same time as the leading lights of the British Invasion, she’s transcended the tag but failed to garner the same recognition as her male contemporaries. Pearson’s account of this icon’s career takes a feminist approach, while comprehensively detailing her subversive significance as an artist who effortlessly straddles generations.
9.3
BUY HERE
TANYA PEARSON
WHY MARIANNE FAITHFULL MATTERS
Raphaela Edelbauer – The Liquid Land
The Liquid Land is a tale that nods to the traditions of magical realism while also exploring the threat of a very real past. On one level, it deals with a practical problem that falls to the protagonist, Ruth. But in searching for the solution — a town that has written itself off the map — she uncovers a looming danger that threatens to engulf the place. An intoxicating adventure unfolds from this unique premise.
9.1
BUY HERE
RAPHAELA EDELBAUER
THE LIQUID LAND
Charles N. Li – The Turbulent Sea
In a gripping memoir, Charles N. Li dispels the mythology surrounding an escape from oppression: things don’t always end up happily ever after. After fleeing from China in the ’60s to America, Li was tested further still, a victim of systemic racism at every turn. This is Charles N. Li’s moving story of overcoming these injustices and eventually finding a sense of belonging in the anti-war movement and academia.
9.1
BUY HERE
CHARLES N. LI
THE TURBULENT SEA
Ashley Hay (Ed.) – Griffith Review 73: Hey, Utopia!
With a collection of essays, memoir, interviews, short stories, and poetry, the always thought-provoking Griffith Review (which has been a leading Australian literary journal for almost 20 years) has reached issue number 73. Centred around the myriad imaginings and concepts of ‘utopia’, it challenges readers to imagine a better future, while negotiating the various pitfalls along the way.
9.0
BUY HERE
ASHLEY HAY (ED.)
GRIFFITH REVIEW 73: HEY, UTOPIA!
Paul Duncan (Ed.) – The Charlie Chaplin Archives
To examine the work of Charlie Chaplin is to also uncover the parallel history of Hollywood and its impact on our culture. This collection of the master filmmaker and star of the nascent industry is a fascinating window into the past — and with a treasure trove of memos, letters, sketches, and photography — it’s as close a look as you’ll get at one of the most innovative artists in the early history of cinema.
8.9
BUY HERE
PAUL DUNCAN (ED.)
THE CHARLIE CHAPLIN ARCHIVES
Zarah Butcher-McGunnigle – Nostalgia Has Ruined My Life
In Nostalgia Has Ruined My Life, New Zealand author Zarah Butcher-McGunnigle has captured the ennui of life’s procession, and the inability to control it. Her incisive observations make this book immensely relatable, empathic, and funny — which makes the detours into the bleak all the more surprising. A slight volume that carries more weight than you might think.
8.8
BUY HERE
