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P R E S E N T SThe must-read novels of 2022
Hello readers!It has been, and this is possibly a bit of an understatement, a long, stressful andtough couple of years. And we’re not out of the woods yet, that’s quite clear,although (ahoy, mixed metaphors ahead!) there is light at the end of the tunnel –with people back in bookshops, and with launches, events and festivals starting tohappen. But while there’s no telling what the future will bring, there’s one thing wedo know: a good book always makes things better.And so, do we have good news for you! Here are thirty-four reasons to beexceedingly cheerful. Thirty-four of the very best novels to put a smile on yourface, novels to make you laugh, cry, shiver, thrill to, lose track of time and – mostimportantly – to love.George, Paul, John and Ringo famously sang ‘Love is all you need.’To which we say, YES! Along, of course, with hope, and a good book.Happy reading!Catherine MilneHead of Fiction
All She WantsMarKelli HawkinsKelli Hawkins exploded ontothe bestseller lists in 2021with her debut psychologicalthriller, Other People’sHouses. An Australiananswer to Paula Hawkins,Kelli writes brilliantly tensestories where no one is quitewhat they seem. All SheWants explores two verydifferent women – theirlives, desires and secrets.12022Kelli Hawkins writes novels for adults and childrenas well as reports for a private investigator. Overthe years she’s travelled whenever possible andworked all kinds of jobs: she’s been a politicaljournalist, a graphic designer, a mystery shopper– even a staple remover. She lives in Newcastlewith her two teenagers.Tara MossBillie Walker, PI, has beendescribed as ‘a feisty andflamboyant combinationof Martha Gellhorn andSherlock Holmes in“Fighting Red” lipstick’and she is one of the mostrefreshing heroines toemerge in recent fiction.A fabulous mix of gutsydetermination and elegantfashion, it’s no wonder Billiewon the hearts of readersaround the world in TheWar 4607405522022In The Ghosts of Paris, the search for a missinghusband takes Billie and her assistant Sam fromSydney to post-war London and Paris. But the tripstirs up more than just the memory of Billie’s ownhusband, Jack, who vanished during the Polishuprising. Something even more terrible than a fewpainful memories might be following her aroundthe city of lights .Tara Moss is the international bestselling authorof twelve books of fiction and nonfiction, publishedin nineteen countries and thirteen languages.She is a journalist and human rights advocate,particularly for women, children and the disabled.Tara, with her husband and daughter, divides hertime between Vancouver and New South Wales.ISBNEbookAudioIn Her Blood97807322906729781743096659TBCDecNikki CrutchleyTwo missing girls, twodecades apart. Only oneperson knows the truth .No one writes darklychilling, tense andsuspenseful thrillers likeNikki Crutchley, and this oneis a cracker. Think Hitchcockmeets Ngaio Marsh, witha woman desperate foranswers, a decaying grandold hotel well past its glorydays, and people willing tokill to keep their secrets.Lindsay just wants to be a mother. And when shediscovers her partner is leaving her for anotherwoman, her dreams are left in tatters. He was herlast chance at a family or was he?Then she meets Jack, they fall hard for eachother, and suddenly everything seems perfect. Butwhy is his sister Natalie so strangely protectiveof him, yet eager to pass the responsibility toLindsay? Who are these siblings, why did theyreally leave the UK, and what terrifying secrets liein their past?And does Lindsay really want to know?Jun2022Jac Morgan never planned on going back to herhometown. Seven years after the fatal house firethat killed her mother and branded Jac a killershe’s back – but for only one reason: her sister,Charlie, is missing and no one believes that shesimply didn’t run away. Jac knows the answerto Charlie’s disappearance is somewhere inthe town. Because twenty years ago, anotherteenage girl went missing.As Jac starts the search for Charlie, she isdrawn to the Gilmore Hotel – the haunted houseof her childhood, a place that holds its own secretsand mysteries. As Jac searches for answersto Charlie’s disappearance, she realises thateveryone at the hotel has a secret and will doanything to keep it.Nikki Crutchley has been a finalist in the NgaioMarsh Awards for her first two books. Her novelTo the Sea was published by HarperCollins in ime QueensemirC eensuQGhosts of Paris2
The Murder RuleMayDervla McTiernan2022‘Clever and compelling,Dervla McTiernan hasseamlessly switched fromfast-paced police proceduralto original and suspensefullegal drama without missinga beat.’Sarah Bailey‘Gripping and full of tension,with twist after unexpectedtwist. You won’t just read TheMurder Rule, you’ll devour it.’Karin Slaughter‘Diabolically clever, highlycompelling and deeplymoving’Don Winslow‘I could not put this bookdown. Dervla McTiernan isa gifted writer with a veryspecial way of telling a story.’Adrian McKintyNo. 1 bestseller Dervla McTiernan has a gift for cleverlyplotted stories filled with characters written with immensecompassion and humanity. Now she returns with a hugelyanticipated, twisty standalone thriller, inspired by the truestory of young Irish law student who, with the InnocenceProject, eventually got a man released after over 20 years inprison. But of course like all great crime writers, Dervla hasturned a simple idea on its head to create something darker,and utterly intriguing. No one is innocent in this story.First rule: Make them like you.Second rule: Make them need you.Crime Queens3Dervla McTiernan is thebestselling author of thebeloved Cormac Reillyseries. After twelve yearsworking as a lawyer, shemoved from Ireland toAustralia and turned herhand to writing. She haswon or been shortlisted fornumerous awards, includingthe Ned Kelly Award, theBarry Award, three ABIAawards and more. She livesin Perth with her husbandand two children.Third rule: Make them pay.They think I’m a young, idealistic law student, that I’m passionate about reforminga corrupt and brutal system. They think I’m working hard to impress them. Theythink I’m here to save an innocent man on death row.They're wrong. I’m going to bury 0789964otstubeD ForeiDThe TorrentFebDinuka McKenzieOne of the most anticipateddebuts of 2022 and thewinner of the 2020 BanjoPrize for Fiction, The Torrentis getting rave reviews fromauthors like Val McDermid,Dervla McTiernan, EmmaViskic and more. Thisabsorbing, page-turningpolice procedural stands outfrom the crowd thanks toMcKenzie’s clever, assuredwriting and her fresh takeon the classic detectiveprotagonist.2022Kate Miles, heavily pregnant and struggling withwork/life balance, is a heroine readers will love.One week away from maternity leave, she isexhausted and counting down the days. But aviolent hold-up at a local fast-food restaurant,with unsettling connections to her own past,means that Kate’s final days will be anything butstraightforward.When a second case is dumped on her lap, theclosed case of man drowned in recent summerfloods, what begins as an informal review quicklygrows into something more complicated. As secretsand betrayals pile up, and the needs of her ownfamily intervene, how far is Kate prepared to pushto discover the truth?As terrible floods swept through Brisbane in 2010,lifelong crime fiction fan Dinuka McKenzie’sthoughts immediately went to the criminalpossibilities of a natural disaster. She lives inSydney with her husband, two young childrenand their pet chicken. Dinuka is writing the secondKate Miles novel, coming out in 607404154
AprRae CairnsThis fast-paced, explosivethriller will keep you onthe edge of your seat to itsgripping finale. Shortlistedfor the prestigious NedKelly Awards, this is fierce,propulsive crime thatyou’ll inhale in a day andremember forever.2022ISBNEbookAudioWhite NoiseMercedes MercierSometimes redemption isout of reach. But revengewill do just fine A searinglydark and dangerous crimethriller about secrets andshame, perfect for fansof Caroline Overington,Sarah Bailey and GabrielBergmoser.Debuts to Die For52022Mercedes Mercier works in the criminal justicesystem, providing her with unique insight intothe world of prisons, crime and offenders. Aftera brush with death, Mercedes threw herself intolife – she lived overseas, became a black belt inkarate, and volunteered with animals. She livesin Adelaide with her partner and dog, and iscurrently writing her second 460742457ISBNEbookAudioThe SD HintonA smart and atmosphericmystery set on the southcoast of Victoria, exploringthe bonds of brotherhoodand the legacy of bothtrauma and betrayal, for allfans of Emma Viskic, SarahBailey and Jock Serong.When prison psychologist Dr Laura Fleming isassigned inmate Justin Jones, alarm bells ring.Working with some of the state’s most damagedcriminals, she knows Jones is too dangerous torelease on parole, but she needs proof. Lauraknows all about damage – her own painfulmistakes have hurt her family, and step byagonising step, she’s rebuilding her life. As Lauraraces to find evidence before Jones’s parolehearing, she digs deep into his life, and is horrifiedby what she finds. Then she starts falling victimto a series of increasingly personal attacks –and secrets from her past threaten to unhingeeverything she holds dear.2022The whispering wild will take your child if you dareto look away Callum Haffenden swore he’d never returnto Granite Creek. But, thirty years after a lifeshattering accident, he’s thrust back into theclutches of Far North Queensland and a locallegend he has worked hard to forget.When a man goes missing in the rainforest,the past begins to resurface as well as memoriesof previous tragedies – two girls lost, seventeenyears apart. In a town where it’s easiest to turna blind eye, the guilt runs deep and everyone inGranite Creek has something to hide.Veronica Lando is an Australian crime writer witha taste for the quirky and creepy. Growing up ina flat above her parents’ Melbourne book shop,she feels as if she were born with words runningthrough her veins, waiting to explode out onto thepage. Now living in Queensland, Veronica likes touse the uniquely wild and dangerous landscapesof the north to shape her JulVeronica LandoA stunning, haunting debutset in the rainforest of FarNorth Queensland, wherethe small town of GraniteCreek has a lot of secrets tohide. Fans of Jane Harper,Kyle Perry and CandiceFox will adore this brilliantwinner of the 2021 BanjoPrize for Fiction.Sarah Calhoun is a regular Sydney soccer mum,but she’s keeping terrifying secrets from everyoneshe loves . and her past is about to catch up withher. When two men from Northern Ireland hunther down, she’s forced to return to Belfast to testifyat a murder trial. Caught in the crossfire of anobsessive policeman and a brutal IRA executioner,Sarah faces an impossible choice: lie and allowa killer to walk free, or tell the truth and placeher children in the line of fire. With her familyand innocent people at risk, Sarah must find thecourage to fight for the truth. But righting thewrongs of the past just might cost her everything .Rae Cairns is inspired by everyday peoplefacing extraordinary circumstances. The GoodMother draws on her background mentoringdisadvantaged youth, many of them children ofthe paramilitaries, during the final years of ‘TheTroubles’. She lives in Sydney with her husbandand children and is working on her second novel.The Whispering2022An isolated house. A mysterious note. Someoneis watching .When Special Forces veteran Jake Harlowreturns to Lorne on the Victorian south coast forhis younger brother’s funeral, he finds a sinisterseries of notes that suggest Tom’s death was noaccident. Who might be targeting their family,and why? And can Jake, burdened by scarsboth physical and mental, still protect anyone –including himself?Born in Melbourne, SD Hinton worked as ananaesthetic nurse within the public health systembefore moving into health education. She hastravelled extensively and unconventionally andspent a year living in a loft apartment in Istanbulwriting and learning Turkish. She now lives inwestern Victoria and writes full time, havingovercome a lifetime struggle with dyslexia. Sheloves crime thriller novels, particularly from writerssuch as Peter Temple, Dennis Lehane, GarryDisher and Candice uts to Die ForThe Good Mother6
Goodnight, Vivienne, GoodnightMarSteven CarrollTender and sweet, tense andfunny, Goodnight, Vivienne,Goodnight is a lovely,wistful and emotional storythat imagines a happierending for the mercurialand complicated VivienneHaigh-Wood, first wife ofthe great poet, TS prJohn PurcellA confident and compellingpowerhouse of a novel aboutlove, lies and betrayal – andliterature, The Lessons isabout the painful truthsthat life has to teach us,about the loss of innocence,trust and betrayal and howmuch we can forgive – ifwe forgive.2022When teens Daisy and Harry meet, they promiseto love each other forever, but in 1960s England,everything is stacked against them: class,education, expectations. After Daisy is sent byher parents to live with her glamorous AuntJane, a novelist working on her second book,she is confronted by adult truths and suffersa loss of devastating loss of innocence. Manyyears later, Jane Curtis, now a famous novelist,is at a prestigious book event in New York, beinginterviewed about her life and work, includinga novel about the traumatic coming of ageof a young woman. But she won’t answer theinterviewer's probing questions. What is she tryingto hide?John Purcell owned and ran a second-handbookshop for ten years, before becoming Directorof Books at Booktopia. His novel, The Girl on thePage (HarperCollins, 2018), was a bestseller, anda film adaptation is in the 781460742525MayFelicity McLeanThis is a Ned Kelly story,but not like one you’veever read before. Becausethis time Ned is a smartmouthed young girl from adodgy small-crim family.A spirited, savagely funnyand snarling contemporaryretelling of the Ned Kellystory.London, June 1940. With help from friends,Vivienne Haigh-Wood is about to make a daringescape from Northumberland House, the privateinsane asylum where she has been held for thepast four years. Her family, and most particularlyher husband, think she's insane - and maybe shehas been, in the past, Vivienne thinks, mad withlove, that is, but she is starting to finally feel likeherself again. There is an old law, Vivienne hasbeen told, that if a person can break out of anasylum and stay free for thirty days, they can'tmake you go back. But closing in on Vivienne isDetective Sergeant Stephen Minter, a man witha hidden past of his own, who has orders to trackher down .Steven Carroll is one of Australia’s finest writers,the multi-award-winning and shortlisted authorof twelve novels, winner of the Prime Minister’sLiterary Award, the Commonwealth Writers Prize,and the Miles Franklin Award, and shortlisted formany more.72022The Lessons2022It’s 1989 and fourteen-year-old Ruby ‘Red’ McCoydreams about one day leaving her weatherboardhouse on the Central Coast of NSW, where herbest friend, Stevie, is loose with the truth, and herdad, Sid, is always on the wrong side of the law.But wild, whip-smart Red can’t stay out of troubleto save her life. Meanwhile, Senior SergeantHealy seems to have a vendetta against everygeneration of the McCoys. A bit True Grit, a bitBlue Murder, Red is the story of upclose andpersonal police persecution. Of dodgy deals andeven dodgier cars. And of a family history thatrefuses to stay in the past.Felicity McLean’s debut novel, The Van Apfel Girlsare Gone, has been published in more than half adozen countries. It was a Barnes & Noble ‘DiscoverGreat New Writers’ pick in the US, was shortlistedfor the Indie Book Awards, and longlisted for theUK’s Dagger Awards, and the 1460742594Literary LightsyraretiL ightsL8
The Siren SongSepKristel ThornellThis beautiful novel, aportrait of Australianlonging, is about thehaunting force of loveand desire that ricochetsbetween lives, acrossgenerations, andthrough time.2022Set across two generations in the Blue Mountainsin the 1990s and the inner west of Sydney inthe 1970s, this new novel from award-winningauthor Kristel Thornell is a tender, revealing andpoignant novel about desire and longing, how ithaunts and affects us, and how, from generationto generation, there are echoes, overlaps andintersections in how we love, who we love, andwhy we love. We repeat the same patterns aroundlove, desire, longing and compulsion over andover again, like moths to a flame.Kristel Thornell was born in Sydney and is nowbased in France. She has a PhD from the Writingand Society Research Group at the University ofWestern Sydney, and has published short fiction,poetry, reviews and essays. Her debut novel,Night Street (2010), co-won the Australian/Vogel’sLiterary Award, the Dobbie Literary Award fora first book, the Barbara Ramsden Award, andwas shortlisted for the Glenda Adams Award andthe Christina Stead Prize for fiction in the NSWPremier’s Awards. She was named one of theSMH’s Best Young Australian Novelists in oL,efielLohWehtgdnihanTnmaDBurnt OutJanVictoria BrookmanThis sharply observed romcom will make you laughwhile still making a seriouspoint about our world – notmany authors could make anovel about climate changeso fun and entertaining! Aperfect escapist binge-read,ideal for fans of MarianKeyes and Holly Wainwright.Literary Lights92022'Here's to rising from the ashes .'Calida Lyons is having a very bad week. Herhusband has just left her, and her Blue Mountainscommunity is being threatened by bushfires. Justas she hits rock bottom, she’s forced to shelter withneighbours while a fire incinerates everythingshe owns.Devastated and emotional in front of newscameras, Cali delivers a blistering, unfilteredrebuke to the nation’s rich to do something.Her rant goes viral, and she quickly becomesthe latest celebrity face of the climate movement.But things aren’t as they seem. It’s all built on lies,and Cali’s pretty sure that the precarious house ofcards she’s built is about to come tumbling down.Victoria Brookman is an author, activist andacademic. She lives with her family in the BlueMountains, on Darug and Gundungurra country.Victoria has worked as a political staffer and wasone of the early founding members of Destroythe Joint. She is currently a doctoral candidateat Western Sydney University. She enjoys writing,bushwalking, and watching the 0
FebKimberley AllsoppA delightfully witty,deliciously original andastringently refreshingrom-com that reads likeyou’re inhaling a zingycitrus cocktail made by NoraEphron, at a party thrownby Dolly Alderton and BethO'Leary – pure readingpleasure, guaranteed.2022ISBNEbookAudioThe Tricky Art of ForgivenessMeredith JafféLife, Love and the Whole Damn Thing11A captivating, enchantingand poignant novel aboutthe joys, challenges andcompromises that make upa long marriage. Meredithbrings her trademark witand insight to the story ofDiana and Will, and thesecrets that both bind anddivide them. It’s perfect forbook clubs and all fans ofLiane Moriarty andJoanna Nell.2022Meredith Jaffé has written four novels for adults,most recently the Australian bestseller TheDressmakers of Yarrandarrah Prison. She is alsoa journalist and director of the StoryFest writers’festival on the south coast of NEbookAudioThe Leonard orah ChallinorTwo sisters find themselveson opposite sides of aconflict in this beautifullywrought exploration oflove, sisterhood, war andforgiveness. DeborahChallinor’s blend of downto-earth wit, warmth andeye for character combineswith her meticulous researchin another stellar historicalnovel from a brilliant writer.Diana Forsyth is in the midst of planning the BigParty, a combined celebration of her husbandWill’s 60th and their 30th wedding anniversary.The whole family is flying in and unbeknownst toWill, Diana is planning a Big Surprise.But then she finds a torn scrap of paper hiddeninside the folds of one of his cashmere sweaters,with the words, I forgive you. And all of a sudden,Diana realises she’s not the only one keepingBig Secrets.A witty, poignant and insightful exploration ofmarriage: the choices we make – or don’t make,the resentments we hold, the lies we tell and whatforgiveness really means.2022Hungover, underpaid and overwhelmed, Pennyis . waiting. For Max, her on-again, off-againboyfriend, to allow her to spend the night, for thepromotion she was promised, for her Valium tokick in. For her real life to start.Out of excuses and sick of falling behind hersuccessful friends, Penny challenges herself toturn things around. She’s going to make it workwith Max, impress her tyrannical boss, quitseeing her useless therapist, remember to waterher plants, and stop having panic attacks in thework toilets.But as she falls back into doomscrollingInstagram and necking Aldi’s finest sauvignonblanc, her goals seem further away than ever andshe has to wonder: when bad habits feel so good,how do you trust what’s right for you?Genevieve Novak is a writer from Melbourne. Shewrites romantic comedies, content, and really longtext messages. She has worked as a copywriter,social media manager and producer at variousmarketing agencies and public- and privatesector organisations. Genevieve loves croissants,Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Joni Mitchell, stories aboutcomplicated women and female friendships, andher dog, Viktor. She hates being called Gen andhas been on a lot of bad rGenevieve NovakFleabag meets Sorrow andBliss in this effervescent,hilarious and poignantnovel about friendship, love,mental health, and finallygrowing up.Rory’s life is perfectly predictable, ordered andon track – just the way she likes it. She walks her12,000 steps a day, writes her to-do list and eachnight she prepares her breakfast chia pods andlays out her clothes for the next day. She’s doingeverything right. So why does everything feelso wrong?Deep down, she knows her life and career – notto mention her relationship – are going nowhere,and so Rory, in a moment of desperation, takesan uncharacteristic step: letting the clues of TheNew York Times crossword puzzle dictate all herdecisions for a week. Just for a week, she reasons.Just to shake things up a bit. What’s the worst thatcould happen?Kimberley Allsopp has worked in booksellingand publishing since 2008, and has written forKidspot, The Sunday Telegraph and Body & Soul.She co-hosts the rom-com podcast, Meet Cute,which allows her to justify some of her otherwisequestionable life choices. Love and Other Puzzlesis her first book.No Hard Feelings2022In 1969, at the height of the Vietnam War, nurseRowie Leonard is serving a 12-month tour of duty.After a few months, however, she realises thatnothing at all about the conflict is as clear-cut asshe’d assumed.Her younger sister, Jo, is the opposite – astudent at Auckland University, a folk singer anda fervent anti-war protestor. But when Jo falls forprofessional soldier Sam Apanui, home on leaveto visit his ill father, she finds herself torn betweenher feelings and her convictions.As the three of them grapple with love, loss,and the stresses and sorrows of war, each willbe forced to confront and question everythingthey believed.Deborah Challinor has a PhD in history and isthe author of numerous bestselling novels. In2018, Deborah was made a member of the NewZealand Order of Merit for services to literatureand historical research. She lives in New Zealandwith her 81460786680Life, Love and the Whole Damn ThingLove and Other Puzzles12
‘Happiness. That’s what bookssmell like. Happiness. That’swhy I always wanted to havea book shop. What better lifethan to trade in happiness?’Sarah MacLean
Terms of InheritanceDecMichelle UptonHolly Ringland2022When multi-millionaire Jacki Turner is forced totake stock of her life, she throws out a challengeto her daughters: in order to inherit her vastfortune, each must fulfil a task that she hopes willhelp them be better versions of themselves. Rose,an exhausted mother of three, must write andpublish a children’s picture book. Exercise-haterMel must run the Gold Coast marathon. Isla, theeldest, must figure out who she is beyond herwealth and status, and Jess, the youngest, muststay in a relationship for longer than three months.For each, Jacki’s terms seem an impossible task,bringing painful wounds to the surface andstraining tenuous relationships. But when thesisters are faced with an unexpected turn ofevents, they must learn how to move forwardand forgive, or change.Michelle Upton writes stories that examine ourdarkest fears and shine a light on hope andpossibility, and has been shortlisted for numerousawards. She lives in Brisbane with her ‘On the afternoon that Esther Wildingdrove homeward along the coast, a yearafter her sister had walked into the sea anddisappeared, the light was painfully golden.’Life, Love and the Whole Damn Thing15OctComing in 2022 from internationalbestselling author Holly Ringland,a haunting and magical novel about joy,grief, courage and transformation.The last time Esther Wilding’s beloved older sister Aura wasseen, she was walking along the shore towards the sea. Inthe wake of Aura’s disappearance, Esther’s family strugglesto live with their loss. To seek the truth about her sister’sdeath, Esther reluctantly travels from lutruwita (Tasmania) toCopenhagen, and then to the Faroe Islands. On her journey,Esther is guided by the stories Aura left behind: seven fairytales about selkies, swans and women, alongside crypticverses Aura wrote and had secretly tattooed on her body.The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding is about the far-reachesof sisterly love, the power of wearing your heart on your skin,and the ways life can transform when we find the courage tofeel the fullness of both grief and joy.Holly Ringland is the author of the international bestsellerThe Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, which has been translatedinto 31 languages and is being adapted into a seven-part TVseries starring Sigourney Weaver, and produced by AmazonPrime and Bruna Papandrea’s Made Up Stories. It will screenin 240 countries and territories in 2023. In 2019, The LostFlowers of Alice Hart won the ABIA Award General FictionBook of the Year. In 2021, Holly co-hosted an eight-episodeABC TV series, Back to Nature, alongside Aaron Pedersen.After living between Australia and the UK for ten years, Hollyhas been based in the hinterland of Queensland since 2020,where she wrote The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding in her‘office’, a vintage caravan named 781460740620www.hollyringland.comLife, Love and the Whole Damn ThingFour sisters. A vast fortune.A mother who thinks sheknows best Where there’sa will, there's a way. Thisfunny, poignant, brilliantlyobserved story about lettinggo of the past is perfectfor fans of Liane Moriarty,Marian Keyes and SallyHepworth.2022The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding16
otsmeG scoveriDMr Carver’s Whale17Michelle JohnstonA tender, sweet, sad,gritty, slyly funny andunexpectedly uplifting novelabout faith, hope, love –and alchemy – this novel isa gem: a little bit EleanorOliphant and a little bitLess by Andrew Sean Greer,with a dash of Thea Astleyand Trent Dalton, and justwholly endearing.2022Awkward, hapless Marick is still mourning theloss of his wife, his child and his faith when he isreluctantly thrust into the position of part-timechaplain at a large public hospital. Shortly afterarriving, he meets Hugo – a hospital scientist anda man almost as lost as Marick himself – workingin a forgotten lab deep in the subterraneanbowels of the hospital. Hugo believes that theE. coli he uses for protein production has –unbelievably, miraculously – begun to producegold. Over one tumultuous and eventfulChristmas, Marick comes to understand whatfriendship and forgiveness really mean.Michelle Johnston is a Staff Specialist at theRoyal Perth Hospital Emergency Departmentand Professor of Emergency Medicine at SJOGMurdoch. She has been a doctor for thirty-oneyears. Her debut novel, Dustfall, was awarded theHachette/Queensland Writers Centre DevelopingManuscript award in 2014, published by UWAPublishing in February 2018, and shortlisted forthe MUD literary debut novel prize in BNEbookAudio97814607629509781460715536TBCGems to Discover2022It all begins with a sea chest of books deliveredto Antonio Mateus João Carvalho Cabral, theyoungest son of the Carvalhos family on thewhaling island of Pico, in the Azores.This is the story of clever, crippled Antonio,his handsome, whale-harpooning brother,Marcelinho, and the beautiful, tempestuouswoman they both love, Margarida. Half a worldaway, it is also the story of Alice Binney, who isrunning from ghosts in her past and well beyondbelieving anyone could ever fall in love with her.Sweeping from Pico Island and a remote islandoff the coast of Newfoundland to the tiny whalingtown of Eden on the south coast of New SouthWales, Mr Car
do know: a good book always makes things better. And so, do we have good news for you! Here are thirty-four reasons to be exceedingly cheerful. Thirty-four of the very best novels to put a smile on your . face, novels to make you laugh, cry, shiver, thrill to, lose track of time and - most . importantly - to love.
