Before we get to Lindy's picks we thought you might like to know that Lindy Jones has been invited to join the Miles Franklin Award panel of judges. This will be a big task for Lindy, one of our Senior Booksellers, but it will be one she will relish. Lindy will join Richard Neville (State Librarian), Craig Munro, Murray Waldren and Susan Sheridan on the Judge Panel.
Well it must be that time of the year again: busy, busy, busy! Another couple of hundred books read, another request for best-ofs, so here's a handful of recommendations of books I particularly enjoyed throughout 2014.
Five Books by One Author I Hadn't Read Before.
Ben Aaronovitch
Great fun! I gave these to a friend's mother who gave them to her teenage grandson, and we all thoroughly enjoyed them. A bit of the supernatural, an engaging cast of characters, police and murders in London, and the odd Dr Who reference…
Five Novels (of the Serious sort).
Favel Parrett
Elegant, deceptively simple novel of family and friendships.
Anthony Doerr
Poetic and moving: war’s effect on innocents.
Christine Piper
Worthy winner of this year's Vogel Award. Japanese experience of being interned in WWII Australia.
Sebastian Barry
Glorious prose and a poignant story of love lost and promise unfulfilled.
Inga Simpson
An artist's attempt to reconcile her present with mysteries from her past. Beautifully crafted.
Four Novels (of a Lighter nature) and One Non-fiction of a guilty pleasure kind.
Jonas Jonasson
Witty and entertaining, a delight of improbable unbelievability!
Alan Bradley
The conclusion to the Flavia de Luce mysteries; our young chemically talented sleuth faces more mayhem.
Brooke Davis
Charmingly off-centre novel about not waiting for stuff to happen, but making it happen.
Nick Earls
Sharply observant but humorous novel about navigating middle age (and technology)!
Ian 'Molly' Meldrum
Pure entertainment, literally! Go on, you know the chorus: do yourself a favour!
Five YA Novels (or Why should teens have all the fun?).
John Corey Whaley
A quirky premise but a serious topic: maturity for adolescents.
Rupert Wallis
A werewolf novel that doesn't even mention werewolves.
E Lockhart
Spiky and energetic writing carries along a clever, gripping and twisty story.
Justine Larbalestier
1930s Sydney - hard men, fast women, ghosts and strays. A clever mix.
Amy Ewing
Dystopia, repression, forbidden love and resistance. Because there has to be one on the list! And my niece loved it.
Five Novels for Other Young Readers.
J A White
Atmospheric imaginative fantasy - probably one of my favourite favourites!
Robin Stevens
Enid Blyton meets Agatha Christie: most enjoyable!
A F Harrold
Illustrated story about what happens when imaginary friends disappear, or their friends do.
Jen Storer
The secret spy returns! More mysterious happening, more strange things to investigate!
Zana Fraillon
Thoughtful rather than entertaining, strong characters and tragedies overcome.
Five Picture Books (or Why should the pre-schoolers have all the fun?).
Bob Graham
Because I love Bob Graham's books. And this one has a sparrow, a dog and Elsie.
Jory John & Benji Davies
An exhausted bear, a bouncy duck and a lot of fun!
Anna Kang
Read this out to your little boy. Lots of repetition, opposition and attitude!
Oliver Jeffers
A new Oliver Jeffers: say no more!
Libby Gleeson & Freya Blackwood
Beautifully rendered picture book about the power of sisters (for bad and good).
Five Non-fiction (because sometimes I enjoy Real Stuff) Or maybe Six. Or Seven.
Helen MacDonald
Poetic, powerful and moving meditation on grief, falconry and the sorrowful writer T H White.
Dr Munjed Al Muderis
A once-demonised refugee’s story: harrowing and uplifting.
John Pickrell
Popular science at its clearest – and truly fascinating! Who'd've thought T-Rex wore feathers?
Helen Garner
Only Garner could make me read about such tragic awfulness and feel I've learnt more about the human condition.
Elizabeth Kolbert
Absorbing and terrifying examination of man's impact on the other inhabitants of this earth.
Tess Lea
David Whish-Wilson
Illuminating and idiosyncratic depictions of two of our lesser known capitals.
