Happy’s Best New Books (9th August – 15th 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!
J.P. Pomare – The Last Guests
We all know the sensation of being watched, or at least think we’re being watched. This psychological tension is played out with aplomb in J.P. Pomare’s The Last Guests. It follows the story of Lina and Cain, a couple who are renting out their secluded lake house on the weekends. But letting strangers stay in their house might not be the best idea. Someone is watching, and Lina and Cain’s darkest secrets will be exposed. A pitch-perfect page-turner that will have readers guessing right to the end.
9.0
BUY HERE
J.P. POMARE
THE LAST GUESTS
Sebastião Salgado – Amazônia
Amazônia is the culmination of Brazilian photographer Sebastião Salgado’s six-year odyssey in the world’s largest rainforest. In stunning black and white landscapes and portraits, Salgado captures all the drama and contrast of the Amazon and its native inhabitants. A powerful monument to the rapidly changing environment and a reminder of its powerful presence.
9.3
BUY HERE
SEBASTIÃO SALGADO
AMAZÔNIA
Anuk Arudpragasam – A Passage North
The second novel in an already glittering career, A Passage North has already landed on the longlist for the 2021 Booker Prize. Set against the memory of the civil war that has ravaged Sri Lanka for decades, it ostensibly deals with a single death. Yet, as the protagonist Krishan embarks on a long journey north, it asks more profound questions about how we can shape our future lives.
9.5
BUY HERE
ANUK ARUDPRAGASAM
A PASSAGE NORTH
Sara El Sayed – Muddy People
Muddy People is Sara El Sayed’s heartwarming memoir about growing up as a fish out of water: an Egyptian Muslim in suburban Queensland. Rich with sharp observations on the paradox of being immersed in Australian culture and balancing the expectations of parents who didn’t — Soos’ coming-of-age tale is poignant, funny, and like all learning experiences, tinged with heartache.
8.8
BUY HERE
SARA EL SAYED
MUDDY PEOPLE
Peter Doherty – An Insider’s Plague Year
The pandemic — and the response to it by governments — understandably dominates the public discourse. Amid the noise, there are seemingly few voices of reason, but Nobel Laureate Professor Peter Doherty is undeniably one of them. At the forefront of the public health response, he lays out the complexities of the virus in an accessible style and considers the pivotal role science plays in our society.
8.9
BUY HERE
PETER DOHERTY
AN INSIDER’S PLAGUE YEAR
Steve Wide – A Field Guide to Grunge
Last week, we brought you A Field Guide to Grunge. But an equally seismic shift was taking place on the other side of the Atlantic, which bore none of grunge’s angsty introvertism. Britpop was a swaggering celebration, with pivotal bands like Oasis and Blur as its main protagonists and rivals, it plundered the pedigree of British pop songwriting and blasted it out across the globe. Steve Wide takes readers into this ’90s revolution with typical detail and vitality.
8.8
BUY HERE
