Feel Good Reads
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.
Bridget Jones's Diary (And Other Writing) by Helen Fielding
$19.99 AUD
Category: Feel Good Fiction | Series: Picador Classic
With an introduction by Caitlin Moran A dazzling urban satire of modern relationships? An ironic, tragic insight into the demise of the nuclear family? Or the confused ramblings of a pissed thirty-something? As Bridget documents her struggles through the social minefield of her thirties and tries to wei ...Show more
Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams
$22.99 AUD
Category: Feel Good Fiction | Reading Level: very good
Queenie Jenkins can't cut a break. Well, apart from one from her long term boyfriend, Tom. That's definitely just a break though. Definitely not a break up. Stuck between a boss who doesn't seem to see her, a family who don't seem to listen (if it's not Jesus or water rates, they're not interested), and ...Show more
The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford
$22.99 AUD
Category: Feel Good Fiction
Nancy Mitford's The Pursuit of Loveis one of the funniest, sharpest novels about love and growing up ever written.'Obsessed with sex!' said Jassy, 'there's nobody so obsessed as you, Linda. Why if I so much as look at a picture you say I'm a pygmalionist.' In the end we got more information out of a boo ...Show more
Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
$19.99 AUD
Category: Classics
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. Nominated as one of America's best-loved novels by PBS's The Great America ...Show more
The Talented Mr Varg (#2 Detective Varg) by Alexander McCall Smith
$19.99 AUD
Category: Feel Good Fiction | Series: Detective Varg Ser.
The second book in Alexander McCall Smith's new DETECTIVE VARG series . . .'Reading the novel feels like a form of meditation . . . There is much to enjoy' ScotsmanSpring is coming slowly to Sweden - though not quite as slowly as Detective Ulf Varg's promised promotion at the Department of Sensitive Cri ...Show more
This is Not a Drill: Just Another Glorious Day in the Oilfield by Paul Carter
$22.99 AUD
Category: Feel Good Non-fiction
Carter writes as if he has ADD, careering through his life on oil rigs in exotic locations. He won't win the Booker, but his yarns burn with anarchic energy ...in a word, irrepressible.' - Herald Sun He's back on the rigs and back in trouble. Picking up right where he left off, Paul Carter pulls out mor ...Show more
Love in a Cold Climate: Popular Penguins by Nancy Mitford
$14.99 AUD
Category: Feel Good Fiction | Series: Popular Penguins | Reading Level: good
A sparkling romantic comedy that vividly evokes the lost glamour of aristocratic life in England between the wars. Polly Hampton has long been groomed for the perfect marriage by her mother, the fearsome and ambitious Lady Montdore. But Polly, with her stunning good looks and impeccable connections, i ...Show more
Theft by Finding: Diaries: Volume One by David Sedaris
$22.99 AUD
Category: Feel Good Non-fiction
David Sedaris tells all in a book that is, literally, a lifetime in the making.For forty years, David Sedaris has kept a diary in which he records everything that captures his attention-overheard comments, salacious gossip, soap opera plot twists, secrets confided by total strangers. These observations ...Show more
Can I Steal You for a Second? (#2 Marry Me Juliet) by Jodi McAlister
$22.99 AUD
Category: Feel Good Reads | Series: Marry Me, Juliet Ser.
When you sign up to a dating show, you’re supposed to fall in love with the male lead, not another contestant … A delightful romantic comedy with ALL the feels by one of Australia’s leading romance experts. Mandie Mitchell will do anything to get over her toxic ex. Even sign up to the polarising realit ...Show more
Tiny Uncertain Miracles by Michelle Johnston
$24.99 AUD
Category: Feel Good Fiction
Miracles are notoriously unreliable. But sometimes, just when they're needed, they turn up - although not always in the form that we expect ... 'A novel luminous with love and hope that will change the way you see the world.' Kathryn Heyman Awkward, hapless Marick is still struggling with the loss o ...Show more
Unreliable Memoirs: Unrealiable Memoirs Book 1 by Clive James
$19.99 AUD
Category: Chat10Looks3 Recommendations | Series: Picador Classic | Reading Level: very good
With an introduction by P. J. O'Rourke 'Do not read this book in public. You will risk severe internal injuries from trying to suppress your laughter.' Sunday Times I was born in 1939. The other big event of that year was the outbreak of the Second World War, but for the moment that did not affect me. I ...Show more
Things Bogans Like by E. Chas McSween
$19.99 AUD
Category: Feel Good Non-fiction
The word bogan has a bad rap; first impressions are still associated with flannelette, VB, utes and mullets. But this would be wrong. The bogan has advanced and needs new explanation, evolution has cursed (or blessed, depending on your thinking) us with a modern version. The bogan with money. The bogan ...Show more