American humourist P.J. O'Rourke once said, "Always read something that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it." But sometimes we simply feel like reading something other than all those worthy and impressive literary award winners - something lighter but still well-written, something wonderfully witty which makes us laugh out loud, or maybe just a cracking good adventure. So for all of you who wander in and tell us that you're looking for something different to read, but you don't really know what you want; or who need something for a friend in hospital; or a book to take on holiday; or just something to escape from the grimness of the nightly news - we are delighted to present a new area in our bookshop entitled "Feel-Good Reads."
Titles include both fiction and non-fiction options - beloved classics from P.G. Wodehouse, Barbara Pym, and Nancy Mitford; hilarious travel narratives from Bill Bryson; amusing essays from David Sedaris and Augusten Burroughs; modern Australian classics from John Clarke, Shane Maloney, and Thea Astley; plus many more from Kurt Vonnegut's Breakfast of Champions to Sue Townsend's Adrian Mole series; from Alexander McCall-Smith's warm and witty Scottish tales to Paul Carter's gripping and often hilarious true-life adventures.
We will also be promoting Feel-Good Friday where we will feature a chosen title from these shelves and posting on facebook, twitter and instagram so keep an eye out for your next great read.
| Author: | Nick Hornby |
| Category: |
Feel Good Fiction |
*THE SIDE-SPLITTING NEW COMIC SHORT FROM ONE OF BRITAIN'S BEST-LOVED WRITERS, SOON TO BE A MAJOR BBC TV SERIES* ______________________________
Each week, Tom and Louise meet for a quick drink in the pub before they go to meet their marriage co... read more
| Author: | Diana Evans |
| Category: |
Feel Good Fiction |
| Awards: | Shortlisted for the 2019 Women's Prize for Fiction |
One of The Millions' "Most Anticipated" Books of 2018
Evoking the sharp insight of Little Fires Everywhere and the sweep of NW, an incisive portrait of the bliss and torment of domestic love.
Hailed as "one of the most thrilling writers at work today" (Huffington ... read more
| Author: | Graeme Simsion |
| Category: |
Feel Good Fiction |
| Series: | Don Tillman Ser. |
| Reading Level: | 1 Fiction |
I was standing on one leg shucking oysters when the problems began...'
Don and Rosie are back in Melbourne after a decade in New York, and they're about to face their most important project. Their son, Hudson, is having trouble at school- his teachers say he is... read more
| Author: | Joanna Glen |
| Category: |
Feel Good Fiction |
| Reading Level: | 1 Fiction |
'YOU'RE NOT LOST. YOU'RE JUST LOOKING.
Augusta Hope has never felt like she fits in. At six, she's memorising the dictionary. At seven, she's correcting her teachers. At eight, she spins the globe and picks her favourite country on the sound of its name: ... read more
| Author: | Rebecca Huntley; Sarah Macdonald |
| Category: |
Feel Good Non-fiction |
| Reading Level: | 4 Non Fiction |
We've all had days when if we didn't laugh, we'd cry. Whether it's a domestic drama, career cockup or just a run-of-the-mill disaster, we've all been there - no matter who we are. In this hilarious and moving collection, well-known Australians from all walks ... read more
| Author: | Graeme Simsion |
| Category: |
Feel Good Fiction |
| Series: | Don Tillman |
| Reading Level: | very good |
| Awards: | Winner of Australian Book Industry Awards, Book of the Year 2014 (Australia) and Victorian Premier's Award for Best Unpublished Manuscript 2012 (Australia). Short-listed for ABA Nielsen BookData Booksellers Choice Award 2014 (Australia) and The Indie Awards 2014 (Australia) and Waverton Good Read Award 2014 (UK). Long-listed for International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award 2015 (Ireland). |
Don Tillman is getting married. He just doesn't know who to yet. But he has designed the Wife Project, using a sixteen-page questionnaire to help him find the perfect partner. She will most definitely not be a barmaid, a smoker, a drinker, or a late-arriver. Rosie J... read more
| Author: | Maria Semple |
| Category: |
Feel Good Fiction |
* Instant New York Times Bestseller *Named a Notable Book of 2016 by the Washington Post, one of Amazon's Top 100 Books of the Year, one of New York Times Book Review's 100 Notable Books, one of The Guardian's Best Books of 2016, one of NPR's Best Books of 2016, a Mus... read more
| Author: | Joseph Heller |
| Category: |
Penguin Spinner Fiction |
This fiftieth-anniversary edition commemorates Joseph Heller's masterpiece with a new introduction; critical essays and reviews by Norman Mailer, Alfred Kazin, Anthony Burgess, and others; rare papers and photos; and much more.
... read more
| Author: | Sarah Winman |
| Category: |
Feel Good Fiction |
| Reading Level: | very good |
| Awards: | Winner of Galaxy National Book Awards: Galaxy New Writer of the Year 2011. Shortlisted for Galaxy National Book Awards: WH Smith Paperback of the Year 2011. |
Sarah Winman's bestselling, critically-acclaimed debut novel WHEN GOD WAS A RABBIT continues to captivate and enchant readers. 1968. The year Paris takes to the streets. The year Martin Luther King loses his life for a dream. The year Eleanor Maud Portman is born. Young... read more
| Author: | Adam Kay |
| Category: |
Feel Good Non-fiction |
'Painfully funny. The pain and the funniness somehow add up to something entirely good, entirely noble and entirely loveable.' - Stephen Fry
Sunday Times Humour Book of the Year Winner of the Books Are My Bag Non-Fiction Book ... read more
| Author: | Emer McLysaght; Sarah Breen |
| Category: |
Feel Good Fiction |
*** Can't get enough of Aisling? The hilarious follow-up to the smash-hit romantic comedy Oh My God, What a Complete Aisling is AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER NOW! *** Meet Aisling. She's a country girl learning to love the city sophistication of unlimited Pinot Gree... read more
| Author: | Stella Gibbons |
| Category: |
Feel Good Fiction |
| Series: | Popular Penguins Ser. |
A hilarious and merciless parody of rural melodramas and one of the best-loved comic novels of all time, Cold Comfort Farmby Stella Gibbons is beautifully repackaged as part of the Penguin Essentials range.'We are not like other folk, maybe, but there have a... read more
