One Way or Another: The Story of a Girl Who Loved Rock Stars

Nikki McWatters grew up on the Gold Coast in the hey day of rock n roll. She and some friends formed The Vulture Club, the goal of which was to bed as many rock stars as possibly. The cover of this book seems light-hearted and somehow didn’t quite prepare me appropriately for the contents, but I was hooked from the beginning. A frank story of finding sexual maturity in a Catholic household, Nikki did things behind her parents backs that will have you installing bars on your teenagers window before you finish the first chapter. From Australian Crawl and INXS to Duran Duran the groupie scene described will shock and intrigue you. This book really has it all, from famous faces to self-discovery to hard drugs as you follow Nikki from student/groupie to mother. It is as fascinating, shocking, thrilling and exciting as you can hope for an autobiography to be. And it also gives you some great ideas on how to talk your way backstage at an international pop stars concert, if you were looking for any. Trade paperback, $29.95.

JUST DOOMED!!! It’s here.

For the legions of Andy Griffiths fans we have some exciting news!!  His latest book in the Just series, Just Doomed is here.

It’s $12.99 and we have a stack of it.  So hurry on in and have a laugh.

Wacky Robots! Crazy Machines! Pirates and more!

We have a great new range of sticker books featuring some very wacky robots and some partying, or pesky, pirates. Its your choice! If machines are more your style, go Crazy from rockets to tractors. These little books will have you kids reading, and hopefully a little quiet, and all for just $5. Lovely.

 

#AWW 5: The Mistake by Wendy James

Jodie Garrow has a very carefully constructed and controlled life. She is married to Angus, a successful solicitor and has two children.  She dresses well, has the right friends, plays tennis and all is safe.  Until her daughter Hannah breaks her leg while on an unauthorised escape from school and is taken to a small hospital for her treatment.  The same hospital where Jodie was a patient many years before while young and frightened. Unluckily for her, a nurse makes a connection because of a minor genetic abnormality in Hannah and Jodie’s world starts unravelling.

The role of the media gets a serious run in this story, and it is interesting to look at just how a news item can become a juggernaut with far reaching consequences.  I’m being a bit cryptic because it would be easy to spoil the ending, but there are really no right or wrong answers to Jodie’s predicament.  Her ‘friends’ take sides and her life will be changed.  The book is quite thought provoking, and a good read.  Paperback, $29.95

# AWW 4 Sweet old World by Deborah Robertson

Sweet Old World by Deborah Robertson is told from the point of view of David who has found himself on an Irish island, living alone when he is at a time of life when he wants his own family.  He has come to the island because his sister’s marriage has broken up, she has three young boys, is running a guest house and needed David’s help and investment.  David is happy to do it, and he adores his nephews but is wondering why a family of his own hasn’t happened. A chance meeting with a young woman who is travelling alone and who has an accident presents an unusual situation.  Because she is alone and in a coma, David feels the need to stay by her bedside until her mother arrives.  When the mother does arrive, she is suspicious of his motives, suspecting an inappropriate  relationship between her daughter and David.  She is wrong, but the thought lingers, even as her own relationship with David develops.

There are some lovely tender moments between David and his nephews and the depiction of an angry exhausted mother trying to do her best for her boys is well done.  The relationships are all a bit messy, as many really are, and the ending isn’t a ride off into the sunset and live happily ever after solution, and it is all the more realistic for it. A book that makes you feel involved in the characters lives.  I enjoyed it.

The author dropped into the shop a few days ago, and so we have a pile of signed copies.  Come in and grab one soon. Paperback, $32.95

The Reluctant Hallelujah – a quirky, fun Melbourne read!

The Reluctant Hallelujah

by Gabrielle Williams, PB $19.95

From the author of Beatle Meets Destiny comes another great Melbourne based young adult novel.

Gabrielle Williams has grown up in St Kilda, Melbourne so both her novels are set around the area. This book is really entertaining albeit quite far fetched. The best thing to do is just accept and embrace the quirkiness and you will really enjoy escaping with Dodie and her friends.

Missing parents, high speed chases, lugging the body of Jesus through Melbourne city drains and a road trip to Sydney with 3 total strangers are just some of the amazing moments in this book. In spite of the crazy situations the characters find themselves in, they are quite lovable and relatable. The writing is entertaining and flows nicely so The Reluctant Halleljah is a really good read.

 

Indie Award for 2012. Anna Funder’s All that I Am

A relatively new literary award on the scene is the Indie Award.  It is voted for and funded  by a group of Australian Independent Booksellers including us at Fairfieldbooks so it is dear to our heart.  This years winner is All That I Am by Anna Funder. The story is about a group of Germans who resisted Hitler during his rise to power and who fled to London as refugees.  It’s dramatic and has a lot of research in the background.  Anna Funder is a terrific writer and I hope this novel, her first, won’t be her last. It’s available now as a $29.95 large format paperback and in April will be available in a smaller paperback for $22.95.

Click Clack Cars

These great wooden toys are not only environmentally friendly, but really cute. They pull apart into two pieces allowing for some silly fun mixing silly cars of your own! All pictured are $12.95. We also have the larger crane and army tanker ($16.95) and the Click Critterz which are cute animal pull back toys. They also pull apart into two pieces allowing you to make things like a frogs body with a pigs head. What more could you want? The Critterz are $7.50. Too cute!

Making Maths & Science Fun – it’s possible!

Maths and Science teachers have it tough, getting kids interested in things they’ve already written off as boring/hard/useless. These books are here to help get your kids excited about Maths & Science. And I reckon they’ll do a pretty good job!

From how to make a maze to how to count to infinity, 50 Amazing Things Kids Need To Know About Mathematics by Anne Rooney covers a lot of ground. For example, the chapter on how to make money for nothing simplifies the complicated world of banking to explain how interest works…and why you’d keep you money in a real bank as opposed to one shaped like a pig!

50 Amazing Things Kids Need To Know About Science by Penny Johnson will bend your mind, and your kids, as you learn how to how to think like an ant. You know you want to. Not only that but you will learn to make electricity out of sunshine and how to climb Everest! I think these books might be just as fun for adults as they are for kids…

Both are Hardback, $20.

Manu’s French Bistro…YUM!

Manu’s French Bistro, HB $49.95

From the gorgeous Manu Feildel comes his second delicious cookbook, Manu’s French Bistro. The recipes in this one are a little more complex but still very manageable and don’t use a dozen odd ingredients that you have to buy and never use again.

The book is divided into Entrees, Mains & Desserts but Manu also suggests certain seasonal combinations. There is a nice mix of traditional French recipes like Coq Au Vin or Chocolate Souffles intertwined with more modern dishes that will satisfy any foodie.

The French obviously know how to cook meat; the braised beef cheeks with carrot puree are to die for and the whole book just has a really yummy, enjoyable feel to it.

At only $49.95 in hardback, this beautifully put together cookbook would make a great gift for an aspiring cook.