SOLENOID
By Mircea Cărtărescu
$39.99
After falling into critical obscurity in the wake of a disastrous poetry reading, the unnamed narrator of Solenoid finds himself toiling his youth away as a high-school teacher in the bloated bureaucracy of communist Romania. The sinister intricacies of the narrator’s punishing yet mundane existence are explored through a series of diary entries which gradually widen in scope until straddling the line between the profound and the absurd.
In Solenoid, Proust, Kafka, and Borges are fused together like a multi-dimensional literary Frankenstein’s monster, as the narrator asks himself: Can our memories and dreams become real, and if so, can they offer us an escape from this cruel labyrinth into which we have been so blindly thrust? Beyond the labyrinth is the abyss, and beyond the abyss lie the dual possibilities of rebirth and eternal displacement.
The narrator of Solenoid confronts these possibilities head-on. His blisteringly surreal journey drags the reader from the oneiric underground of a mirror-like Bucharest, to the ecstatic heights of incomprehensible revelation, and back again.
SONNY & TESS
By Nova Weetman
$16.99
Hot chips? Chicken salt? A teenage meet-cute? Don’t mind if we do!
Summer is around the corner and Tess needs to find a job pronto, after all, she has clothes to buy, people to see and money means FREEEDOMMMMMM from her pesky mum and annoying little siblings. Babysit over the holidays? Not on her watch. Sonny on the other hand, just wants to stay put. Tired of moving around, he’s spending the holidays working in his aunt and uncle’s fish and chip shop – boring but steady. Then one fateful day Sonny and Tess bump into each other out the front of the shop and awkward/shy sparks fly. Suddenly life has become a lot more interesting…and a bit complicated…but that’s how crushes work…right?
Told from the perspective of both characters, this gorgeous lil teenage rom-com is perfect for lovers of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and Heartstopper.
Reviews from the Sun Bookshop – sunbookshop.com
Where the Birds Call Her Name
By Claire Van Ryn.
This touching story is set in the beautiful landscapes of Tasmania. It’s about love, loss, and the journey to discover yourself.
Saskia is a teacher who likes to plan everything. But when her mother passes away and leaves her a caravan, she doesn’t understand why. Inside, she finds clues about her mother’s past. With her young daughter, Anouk, she travels to Tasmania to learn more. Anouk loves birds, just like her grandmother, making the journey feel even more special.
In 1968, a teenage girl named Greta De Winter spent time in the Stanley wetlands, watching birds and enjoying nature. Her family seems normal, but they are hiding a sad secret.
As Saskia and Anouk search for answers, they begin to understand the truth about Saskia’s mother and Greta’s past. Along the way, Saskia also learns more about herself.
The Big Backyard Plan
By Kirsten Ealand & Laura Stitzel
The Big Backyard Plan is a fun story about four best friends – Azumi, Theo, Bree, and Jack – who live next to each other. They love playing together, but their backyards are separated by fences. So, they came up with a big idea: what if they could turn their backyards into one big space for everyone to share? Now, they just need to convince their parents!
The writing is playful and easy to follow, making the story exciting for children. It teaches an important lesson about teamwork, friendship, and working together to make big dreams come true.
The colourful pictures bring the story to life. The children’s adventures and ideas are shown in a way that makes readers feel part of the fun.
This book is a great choice for children who love playing with friends, dreaming big, and solving problems in creative ways.
Reviews by Aryani Siti
