SMSA (Sydney Mechanics’ School of Arts)
New Book Highlights
BIOGRAPHY
| Deacon, Desley | Judith Anderson |
| Ennis, Helen | Olive Cotton |
| Feaver, William | The lives of Lucian Freud |
| FitzSimons, Peter | James Cook |
| Ginibi, Ruby Langford | Don’t take your love to town |
| Linnell, Garry | Buckley’s chance |
| Machado, Carmen Maria | In the dream house |
| Phelps-Roper, Megan | Unfollow |
| Willesee, Michael | A sceptic’s search for meaning |
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COOKING
| Gundry, Steven | The plant paradox family cookbook |
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GENERAL FICTION
| Allende, Isabel | A long petal of the sea |
| Baldacci, David | One summer |
| Bomann, Anne Catherine | Agatha |
| Cornell, Mark | Julia and the moonbirds |
| Cummins, Jeanine | American dirt |
| Dangarembga, Tsitsi | This mournable body |
| Drysdale, Pip | The strangers we know |
| Feret-Fleury, Christine | The girl who reads on the metro |
| Gannon, Genevieve | The mothers |
| Gappah, Petina | Out of darkness, shining light |
| Hoffman, Alice | The world that we knew |
| Jaswal, Balli Kaur | Erotic stories for Punjabi widows |
| Joel, Alexandra | The Paris model |
| Kara, Lesley | Who did you tell? |
| Katsu, Alma | The hunger |
| Kawakami, Hiromi | The ten loves of Mr Nishino |
| Macfarlane, Robert | Ness |
| McCarthy, Mary | The group |
| Mengiste, Maaza | The shadow king |
| Miscellaneous | Pursuit |
| NDiaye, Marie | The Cheffe |
| Sacht, Cynthia | Kismet |
| Thornton, Sarah | Lapse |
| Thynne, Jane, | The words I never wrote |
| Ullmann, Linn, | A blessed child |
| Wodehouse, P. G. | A pelican at Blandings |
| Yu, An | Braised pork |
Erotic stories for Punjabi widows / Balli Kaur Jaswal
When Nikki, a 22-year-old modern Punjabi woman, decides to teach a writing workshop for Punjabi widows two days a week in London’s Southall area, she goes in with the idea that she will walk the widows through how to write stories and then compile the stories into an anthology at the end of the class. Unfortunately, the widows barely know how to write their own names. But something about the women makes Nikki want to try, and when the class discover a book of erotica meant as a gag gift for Nikki’s sister, Mindi, all bets are off, and a sensation is born. Jaswal’s charming debut features an engaging protagonist who longs to break free from her more traditional mother’s expectations and who is still smarting from her father’s death, but it’s the portrayal of the women in Nikki’s class that is the highlight: these women are considered invisible, but through their writing they can be seen and their desires and dreams can be acknowledged. It’s a precious gift to give, and one Nikki comes to take very seriously. Additionally, the mystery of a young girl’s death offers an interesting twist at the end. This is a sparkling read, bolstered by a few of the women’s stories sprinkled in throughout. (Publishers Weekly, 10 April 2017)
Braised pork / An Yu
An’s poignant debut tells the story of a young woman trying to find purpose in her life in the wake of disorienting personal tragedy. Shortly after Wu Jia Jia has finished breakfast with her husband, Chen Hang, in their Beijing apartment, she finds him dead in the bath, next to a picture he scrawled of a fish with a man’s head. Jia Jia knows the drawing references a cryptic dream her husband once had in Tibet and, under the image’s strange influence, she begins to dream of her occasional immersion in a dark and mysterious “world of water.” The experience reignites artistic passions of hers that Chen Hang had discouraged, and she embarks on a spiritual odyssey that will include finding a fulfilling relationship with a new lover, reconnecting with her estranged father, and, in a small Tibetan village, experiencing an epiphany that gives her a mystical sense of destiny. An draws Jia Jia with great affection and sympathy as the character grapples with the elusive meaning of her dreams and powerful emotional experiences. Readers will be moved by An’s mature meditation on the often inexplicable forces that shape the trajectory of an individual life. (Publishers Weekly, 3 February 2020)
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HISTORICAL FICTION
| Alexandra, Belinda | The invitation |
| Donati, Sara | Where the light enters |
| Johnson, Katherine | Paris savages |
| Parkyn, Stephanie | Josephine’s garden |
| Watt, Peter | The Queen’s Tiger |
Paris savages / Katherine Johnson
Katherine Johnson’s fourth novel is a poignant imagining of the true story of three young Aboriginal people—Bonny, Dorondera and Jurano—who in 1882 agree to tour Europe with German engineer Hans Müller and his 16-year-old daughter Hilda as ‘live exhibits’ in ‘human zoos’. Despite Müller’s reassurance that his vision is to save the Badtjala people’s home on K’gari (Fraser Island), his true motives are quickly thrown into question. Interest from European crowds becomes oppressive and Bonny, Dorondera and Jurano begin to be exploited in shocking ways. Paris Savages abounds with astounding detail about the Badtjala people and their culture, which, together with the diary entries of empathetic narrator Hilda, invites deep compassion for the plight of these people whose population is rapidly declining. Rather than assuming an Aboriginal viewpoint, Johnson chooses to use the ghost of Hilda’s mother as a second, omniscient narrator who closely observes the headstrong Bonny, speculating on his thought processes. Ultimately this is a story of hope, bravery and survival. It will appeal to readers of historical fiction and those interested in a little-known part of Australian history. (Books and Publishing, 29 August 2019)
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MYSTERY
| Anappara, Deepa | Djinn patrol on the purple line |
| Bryndza, Robert | Nine elms |
| Corris, Peter | The January zone |
| Crombie, Deborah | A bitter feast |
| de Jager, Anja | A death at the Hotel Mondrian |
| Donlea, Charlie | The woman in darkness |
| Eberhart, Mignon Good, | Murder by an aristocrat |
| Egan, Lesley | A case for appeal |
| Egan, Lesley | Against the evidence |
| Harrod-Eagles, Cynthia | Killing time. |
| Harrod-Eagles, Cynthia | The third Bill Slider omnibus |
| Kasasian, M. R. C. | The room of the dead |
| Kernick, Simon | Die alone |
| Kulkarni, N. J. | The Hawa Mahal murders |
| Leyden, James von | A death in the medina |
| Lindsay, Jeffry P. | Just watch me |
| Lorac, E. C. R. | Bats in the belfry |
| Marsons, Angela | First Blood |
| Marston, Edward | Fugitive from the grave |
| May, Peter | A silent death |
| Miscellaneous | Murder in midsummer |
| Miscellaneous | The rivals of Sherlock Holmes |
| Nordbo, Mads Peder | Cold fear |
| Patterson, James | Killer instinct |
| Perry, Anne | One fatal flaw |
| Petit, Christopher | Mister Wolf |
| Quartey, Kwei | The missing American |
| Ramsay, Danielle | Blood reckoning |
| Rankin, Ian | Westwind |
| Spain, Jo | Six wicked reasons |
| Tremayne, S. K. | The assistant |
| Tudor, C. J. | The other people |
| Whish-Wilson, David | True west |
| Wyer, Carol | The blossom twins |
Djinn patrol on the purple line / Deepa Anappara
Anappara’s witty, resonant debut tracks a series of child disappearances from an Indian slum through the eyes of a nine-year-old boy. Jai lives with his friends Pari and Faiz in a slum next to a rubbish dump and the crowded Bhoot Bazaar, part of an unnamed city constantly beset by smog. An opening tale of a local benevolent ghost named Mental introduces the children’s shared magical thinking. When Jai and his friends learn that one of their classmates, Bahadur, has been missing for several days, Jai, a fan of police shows, decides that he and his friends will do their own detective work and find Bahadur since the police show little interest in the matter. Jai’s carefree nature lends a lighthearted tone to an increasingly grim tale as more children disappear and his team of sleuths find evidence pointing to a serial killer. His quest is aided by Pari’s voracious reading habits, which make her the better detective, and Faiz’s Muslim faith, which helps them stay on course when his community is blamed for the kidnappings. Interspersed with the trio’s investigation are single chapters devoted to each of the disappeared children. The prose perfectly captures all the characters’ youthful voices, complete with some Hindi and Urdu terms, whose meanings, if not immediately obvious, become clear with repetition. Anappara’s complex and moving tale showcases a strong talent. (Publishers Weekly, 20 November 2019)
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NON FICTION
| Child, Lee | The hero | 809.93352 CHIL |
| Flannery, Tim | Life | 808.84 FLAN |
| Ford, Andrew | The song remains the same | 782.42 FORD |
| Hashi, Mohamed | People like us | 305.51 MOHA |
| Huber, Florian | Promise me you’ll shoot yourself | 943.087 HUBE |
| Leatherbarrow, Andrew | Chernobyl 012340 | 363.17 LEAT |
| Lebrecht, Norman | Genius & anxiety | 920.009 LEBR |
| Ramsey, Andrew James | The basis of everything | 539.70922 RAMS |
| Robertson, Kate | How to make a difference | 303.484 ROBE |
| Verkaik, Robert | Posh boys | 373 VERK |
| Yunkaporta, Tyson | Sand talk | 305.8991507 YUNK |
Sand talk / Tyson Yunkaporta
Tyson Yunkaporta is a researcher, academic and arts critic. With ties to the Apalech clan in Far North Queensland, Yunkaporta combines his lived experiences and academic interests in this innovative exploration of Indigenous Knowledges. Patterns of thinking and being are explained through conversations with other Indigenous people, anecdotes from field trips, the lessons of symbols, and the author’s personal reflections as he carves traditional tools and weapons. Delving into the complex interdependent relationships between flora, fauna, the seasons, humans and earth, Sand Talk offers fuel for timely discussions of capitalism and climate change. Yunkaporta’s blueprint for living proposes adopting ways of thinking and learning that centre Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Knowledges. A familiar Indigenous sense of humour and generosity of sharing knowledge makes this book enjoyable to read. Sand Talk could appeal to readers who liked Bruce Pascoe’s Dark Emu. Like Dark Emu, Yunkaporta’s book will have people talking about their increased understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and cultures, and the growing respect for First Peoples science and technologies.
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SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY
| Albert, Melissa | The night country |
| Chivers, Greg | The crying machine |
| Goodkind, Terry | Siege of stone |
| Miscellaneous | Broken stars |
| Stiefvater, Maggie | Call down the Hawk |
| Tchaikovsky, Adrian | Made things |
Broken stars / Ken Liu
In this rewarding anthology, Liu introduces readers to 16 contemporary science fiction stories translated from the Chinese, seven for the first time. Selections range in tone from the whimsicality of Chen Qiufan’s “Coming of the Light,” about an advertising firm whose campaign to merge technology with religion goes awry, to the poignant drama of Xia Jia’s “Goodnight, Melancholy,” a meditation on what it means to be human that’s inspired by AI research and the computation experiments of Alan Turing. The book’s most provocative stories offer variations on the time travel theme. In Liu Cixin’s “Moonlight,” a scientist gets phone calls from his future self proposing solutions to contemporary environmental problems that have become apocalyptic in the future, while Baoshu’s ingenious “What Has Passed Shall in Kinder Light Appear” concerns a man who lives the real historical events of China’s past century backwards, and Zhang Ran’s “The Snow of Jinyang” introduces a time traveler who steampunks the world of 10th-century China. Three essays on Chinese science fiction’s history and development further enlighten Western readers, who will be very excited by these outstanding works. (Publishers Weekly, 17 December 2018)
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TRAVEL
| Lonely Planet Guide | Italy | 914.5049 LONE |
| Lonely Planet Guide | Vietnam | 915.9704 LONE |
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New additions to eBooks at SMSA
EBOOKS
| Biography | Hayes, Thea | A country nurse |
| General novels | Brinsden, Anne | Wearing paper dresses |
| General novels | Elon, Emuna | House on endless waters |
| General novels | Li, Yiyun | Where reasons end |
| General novels | McGrath, Mel | The guilty party |
| Historical novels | Meek, James | To Calais |
| Mystery | Giovanni, Maurizio de | The blood curse |
| Mystery | Lindstein, Mariette | Fog island |
| Mystery | Siggurdsson, Ofeigur | Oraefi |
| Science fiction | Atwood, Margaret | The testaments |
The testaments / Margaret Atwood
Atwood’s confident, magnetic sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale details the beginning of the end for Gilead, the authoritarian religion-touting dystopia where fertile single women (handmaids) live in sexual servitude. The novel opens in New England 15 years after the first novel ends. Aunt Lydia has become a renowned educator, an ally of Gilead’s spy chief, and an archivist for Gilead’s secrets. Ensconced in her library, Aunt Lydia recalls how she went from prisoner to collaborator during Gilead’s early days. Now she is old and dying and ready for revenge. Her plan involves two teenagers. Gilead native Agnes Jemima is almost 13 when she learns her real mother was a runaway handmaid. Rather than marry, Agnes Jemima becomes an aunt-in-training. Sixteen-year-old Daisy in Toronto discovers she is the daughter of a runaway handmaid after the people she thought were her parents die in an explosion. Aunt Lydia brings the girls together under her tutelage, then sends them off to try to escape with Gilead’s secrets. Since publication, The Handmaid’s Tale has appeared as a movie, graphic novel, and popular miniseries. Atwood does not dwell on the franchise or current politics. Instead, she explores favorite themes of sisterhood, options for the disempowered, and freedom’s irresistible draw. Atwood’s eminently rewarding sequel revels in the energy of youth, the shrewdness of old age, and the vulnerabilities of repressive regimes. (Publishers Weekly, 16 September 2019)
The blood curse / Maurizio de Giovanni
Aging tarot card reader Carmela Calise is bludgeoned to death in de Giovanni’s (I Will Have Vengeance) very Italian second novel featuring Commissario Ricciardi, a man who can see the dead’s final moments and hear their “last, obsessively repeated thought.” A pensive and lonely figure, Ricciardi and his uncanny hunches generally earn his colleagues’ mistrust, save for his steadfast champion Maione. This time around Maione has his own concerns, distracted by his own case involving gorgeous widow Filomena disfigurment. Set in Naples in 1931, the story delights in dichotomies: living and departed both crowd the streets, spring arrives in force after a long winter, primal needs determine the lives of the wealthy and working classes alike. These mysterious Neapolitan circles feature many subplots and suspects. Impoverished Filomena attracts unwanted propositions and hostilities from her neighbors, where the elevated social status of Emma Serra di Arpaja allows her to view beauty as her freedom from a cold marriage. As Carmela’s second profession as a loan shark is uncovered, the narrative flicks between perspectives and disembodied thoughts to offer flashes of characters and possible suspects. Despite a few melodramatic missteps, the promise that each life will intersect keeps Ricciardi and Maione’s investigation lively. (Publishers Weekly, 3 June 2013)
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AUDIOBOOKS
| General novels | Beevis, Keri | Dying to tell |
| General novels | Jacobs, R. J. | And then you were gone |
| Mystery | Butler, Ellen | Isabella’s painting |
| Mystery | Delany, Vicki | A scandal in Scarlet |
| Mystery | Flower, Amanda | Matchmaking can be murder |
| Mystery | Lehane, Con | Murder in the manuscript room |
| Mystery | Shelton, Paige | Thin ice |
| Mystery | Thomas, Will | To kingdom come |
| Non fiction | Weber, Jill | Be calm |
| Romance | Ladd, Sarah | The thief of Lanwyn Manor |
| Science fiction | James, Matt | Sub zero |
Murder in the manuscript room / Con Lehane
Narrator John McLain delivers intrigue that involves the New York City Library system and police department. Soon after new librarian Leila Stone starts asking questions about Islamic scholar Gobi Tabrizi, Leila’s body is found in the office of Raymond Ambler, a librarian who is an amateur detective. As corrupt cops emerge, McLain creates the ideal voices to give a noir touch to a plot involving seemingly unrelated deaths. Through deft pacing, McLain gives this audiobook strong expression and heightens the dramatic tension. He takes the listener back to the 1980s with the murder of a union leader, an act that reaches into the present. McLain’s excellent performance makes this audiobook exciting to listen to. (Audiofile 2018)
To kingdom come / Will Thomas
It’s May of 1884, and Scotland Yard has just been blown up, the latest attack in the Irish Republican Brotherhood’s dynamiting campaign to force Home Rule. Young Welshman Thomas Llewelyn, apprentice to Scottish master detective Cyrus Barker, rushes to the scene of the crime with his mentor in this fast-paced, cleanly written follow-up to Some Danger Involved, Thomas’s first historical crime novel featuring the intrepid duo. Despite the resistance of Scotland Yard’s ineffective Special Irish Branch, Barker resolves to find and stop the radicals himself. His method: disguise and infiltration of the Fenian faction. Told from Llewelyn’s keen and worshipful perspective, the tale traverses London and Europe and chronicles Barker and Llewelyn’s undercover adventures and Barker’s submersion in the character of German explosives expert Johannes van Rhyn. Llewelyn is brought into the thick of the action as van Rhyn’s assistant, Thomas Penrith, an anarchist similarly skilled in bomb making. Together, they’re initiated into the violent faction, called the Invincibles, while the younger double agent is enticed by the gorgeous redhead Maire O’Casey, sister of one of the terrorists. Can Llewelyn and Barker play along yet stop the Invincibles before they cripple the English government and bring down London’s infrastructure? (Publishers Weekly, 18 April 2005)
Be calm / Jill Weber
Bernadette Dunne’s low-key narration complements the author’s methods for helping listeners feel calmer. Weber provides practical strategies to manage the debilitating effects of anxiety. The diverse range of methods includes simple cognitive therapies and mindfulness practice, and Dunne moves through each explanation smoothly and slowly enough to ease the listener into each step. The audiobook is organized around symptoms that manifest through feelings, behaviors, and thoughts so that appropriate strategies can be immediately implemented to target and reduce anxiety. Dunne’s steady, comforting narration is perfect for this informative and soothing listening experience. (Audiofile 2019)
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New Books — February 2020
The new books for February 2020 are now available to borrow, with new ebooks and audiobooks.
We hope you enjoy them!
- New books may be borrowed for a period of two weeks only and may not be renewed.
- Books remain listed as “New Books” for two months.
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