Happy’s Best New Books (6th September – 12th September)
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!
Amia Srinivasan – The Right to Sex
In the wake of #MeToo, it’s understandable to search for a reductionist conclusion on the topic of sexual politics. While consent is an essential part of the discourse, Amia Srinivasan’s The Right to Sex explodes the conversation, considering sex at the intersection of multiple political and cultural relationships. Confronting and refreshing, it’s an essential read from one of today’s most original thinkers.
9.7
BUY HERE
AMIA SRINIVASAN
THE RIGHT TO SEX
Kill Your Darlings – New Australian Fiction 2021
A decade into its life, Kill Your Darlings has established itself as a vital voice in the Australian literary scene and specialises in championing local talent. In this cracking anthology, the KYD team has assembled 16 works of fiction from more than 500 entries following a nation-wide call-out. Together, it forms a kaleidoscopic view of a world forever altered by technology, climate change, the battle for First Nations recognition and of course, the pandemic.
9.4
BUY HERE
KILL YOUR DARLINGS
NEW AUSTRALIAN FICTION 2021
Paul Cleary – Title Fight
Mining in the Pilbara region of Western Australia has made many rich and transformed a select few into billionaires. FMG (headed by Andrew ‘Twiggy’ Forrest) is one of the titans of this industry, with rapid developments secured through the desecration of significant Indigenous cultural sites. Title Fight tells the story of Michael Woodley, leader of the Yindjibarndi people, how he galvanised his community, and launched a battle to defend their connection to Country.
9.1
BUY HERE
PAUL CLEARY
TITLE FIGHT
Yves Rees – All About Yves
In their memoir, Yves Rees tells us, “I’d been alive for thirty years. In all that time I’d never allowed myself to consider that the term ‘woman’ might not apply to me.” In All About Yves, the award-winning author and historian details their journey of transition with illuminating insight. Through this awakening, readers are challenged to examine the depth of their own empathy and question assumptions they had about their own existence.
9.3
BUY HERE
YVES REES
ALL ABOUT YVES
Max Easton – The Magpie Wing
In The Magpie Wing, Max Easton presents a multi-perspective history of Sydney, wrapped up in a compelling narrative. The working-class sprawl of the metropolis, footy, punk rock and the exodus to the derelict glamour of the inner-city are relatable yet often unexplored territories in contemporary fiction. It invites readers to ponder their own histories in parallel with the events that have shaped the world (and the city) in the last few decades.
9.0
BUY HERE
MAX EASTON
THE MAGPIE WING
Sally Rooney – Beautiful World, Where Are You
‘Highly anticipated’ has never been more of an understatement. In some ways, Beautiful World, Where Are You traverses familiar Sally Rooney terrain, but of course, the added unignorable dimension in the new tale is the celebrity status of the author herself. But readers will be thankful — the style, the innate virtuosic ear for dialogue, the sexual frisson that continually bubbles between characters (in this case, two couples), as well as the backdrop of broader political tensions which are hallmarks of Rooney’s writing — are all alive in this book.
9.1
BUY HERE
