The Anti-Cool Girl by Rosie Waterland:

This book is not for the faint hearted or easily offended. When this book first arrived, I had no idea who Rosie Waterland was. I am now apart of her cult following on Facebook. I read the back of the book, fresh out of the box, and instantly knew this was a book I would enjoy. I devoured this book. In 2 days I went from not knowing Rosie, to feeling like her and I would have been BFF’s in high school – 2 freaky geeks trying to conquer life & the playground.
Rosie is the awkward girl most people hated but a few people loved, beneath a bold surface was a girl who’s life was falling to pieces. Rosie is honest, brave, upfront and not afraid of consequences. These traits were sometimes her saviour but a lot of times, her downfall. Growing up in a dysfunctional family in urban Sydney, not knowing exactly where she fit in, faced with almost constant adversity, Rosie manages to become a successful, independent, witty woman who has, through her words found her place in the world. I have passed this book on to every friend I have and enjoyed many a wine and chat over Rosie’s heartaches and hilarity. – Chaille (Store Manager)

The Natural Way of Things by Charlotte Wood:

“Would it be said they were abandoned or taken, the way people said a girl was attacked, a woman was raped, this femaleness always at the centre, as if womanhood itself were the cause of these things? As if girls somehow, through the natural way of things, did it to themselves.”
In her most recent novel, Australian author Charlotte Wood tells the story of ten girls, all with a ‘shameful’ event in their past, and all drugged, kidnapped and taken to a remote desolate farm. They wake with their clothes and belongings taken, heads shaved, and proceed to endure what seems like an endless period of physical and mental torture. The purpose? To make them forget who they are, and be taught what they are, at the hands of the two men keeping them there.
This imaginative and unforgettable dystopian novel explores and deconstructs contemporary misogyny, revealing in a brutally honest way the questionable beliefs and values that are upheld in our society.
Winner of the 2016 Stella Prize and with its film rights already acquired, The Natural Way Of Things is one of this year’s most prominent novels, and one not to be missed. – Kayla

Chasing the Scream by Johann Hari:

Although a work of science, this book reads like an action-packed novel, full of history that makes you take a step back and think about life and society.
It takes a completely different view on illegal drugs and drug usage across the world, giving plenty of food for thought.
Equal parts entertaining and educational, a great read for anyone who enjoys thinking outside the box. – Mathilda

Magician by Raymond E Feist:

Eighteen years ago my brother introduced me to the world of Raymond E. Feist’s Magician, eighteen years later I have not found a book I love as much.
It follows a boy named Pug working in a castle keep on a frontier outpost named Crydee, located in the kingdom of the Isles. As Pug transforms from boy to man, he begins to see that the world is more magical than he could have ever imagined.
Magician is a book in which love is explored, magic reigns, legacies are inherited, wars from the past affecting battles of the present, fate is questioned and the world is changed forever. Magician can be read as a stand-alone or you can explore Feist’s domain further as he has written 30 books about this world to date, no questions left unanswered. – Lauren

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch:

Con artists in the criminal underground of Camorr, Locke Lamora and his Gentleman Bastards live out of the limelight, having convinced the underworld boss Capa Basarvi they are small-time thieves. Secretly though, they’re also conning the nobleman of the city out of piles of gold in defiance of the Capa’s delicate truce with the city’s police. But when a new rival for the city’s underworld enters to challenge Capa Barsarvi, his ambitious plan will drag Locke and co. into a civil war and they’ll need all their wits to survive.
The Lies of Locke Lamora is a fantastic introduction to Scott Lynch’s fantasy world. The medieval Venice-inspired city is vibrant, the characters entertaining, with a fabulous adventure plot that doesn’t let up. – Jai

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows:

This book is quite simply charming! It is set in London and Guernsey Island in 1946 after World War II has ended. It is styled of a series of letters. This unique style makes for a delightful read. I would contstantly find myself thinking, “Oh, I’ll just read one more letter before I put it down.”

On the look out for her next project is Juliet Ashton, a newspaper columnist during the war and a lover of literature and writing. One of the residents of Guernsey chanced across one of Juliet’s second hand books during the war when they were occupied by the Germans. He writes to her after the war, starting correspondence between Juliet and his fellow members of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. They all share some of their experiences during the war, bond over their love of books and impact each others lives in the most beautiful of ways. This book warms the cockles of one’s heart. – Jill

The Wolf of The Plains by Conn Iggulden:

In The Wolf of The Plains, Conn Iggulden takes us back to the very beginning of the life of the greatest conqueror the world has ever seen. It begins in the Dark Ages with The Mongol people scattered and at war with another. Temujin, who would later be known as Genghis Khan, is just a young boy, yet he and his family’s lives are in peril and what follows is the breathtaking story of how he saves his family and himself from certain death. Thus begins the magnificently descriptive account of how a boy achieves the impossible and unites a people who are constantly at war with one another and forges the most dangerous army the world has ever known. Iggulden’s masterpiece is the first in a five book series that gives the greatest account of a man, a people and a time that was shrouded in darkness. His characters are immense and lifelike, his insight into Mongolian culture is similarly vivid and his story telling makes it near impossible to put this series down. There is no greater telling of the Mongolian Empire and its conquest, which at its peak, ruled half of the world. – Eric

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss:

The Name of the Wind is the opening book in the King Killer Chronicles Trilogy, I was completely taken in by the story after only one chapter.
Following the story of Kvothe, a young child in a troupe of travelling performers. When tragedy strikes he loses family and friends and must cope in a world he struggles to understand, with music his only friend he learns to live again. At too young an age Kvothe joins a school of magic and becomes legend.
I became so involved with this character and related to his trials in spite of the fact that he is living in a world of magic and mystical creatures. The way Kvothe responds to every new situation is captivating. This is the most immersive and intriguing storyline. You will not want to put this book down. – Sam Maree

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness:

Conor suffers from horrible nightmares, and every night at seven minutes past midnight he gets visited by a monster.
Based off an original idea by Siobhan Dowd, who died of breast cancer before being able to write it herself, A Monster Calls is centred in the world of thirteen-year-old Conor O’Malley, who, struggling to cope with the realities of his mother’s terminal diagnosis, finds answers in the surreal. Patrick Ness takes this concept and executes it to painfully beautiful perfection. It’s like John Green without all the teen angst; a children’s book that can break your heart at any age. Ness’ ability to transform words into such vivid imagery paired with the macabre illustrations of Jim Kay, keeps you so absorbed you’ll forget you’re reading.
This is the best and worst book you will ever read. For anyone that’s lost, losing, or having trouble letting go. I promise this will change you forever.
Soon to be turned into a feature film starring Felicity Jones, Toby Kebbell and Liam Neeson. – Isabelle

Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs:

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is a beautifully and darkly written story about a teenage boy that discovers the dark peculiarities in the world. After his grandfather is attacked and killed by a strange creature, Jacob starts to search for some answers about his grandfather’s past and in turn finds out some answers to questions about himself that he didn’t even know he had. This novel, first of the trilogy, will captivate you, drawing you in using it’s outstandingly brilliant writing style and eerily intriguing real-life photographs, that meld smoothly into the plot and bring the slightly off kilter tone that makes this books so great. The author, Ransom Riggs, has created a book that looks at the world in a unique and somewhat gothic way which makes it easy to see why even Tim Burton (director of films such as Alice in Wonderland and the Nightmare Before Christmas) has agreed to direct the film version of this phenomenon. Well done Ransom Riggs! – Tyler