Explore our books of the month for May.
Each of the below titles has been read and recommended by our booksellers before being selected as our book of the month for its category.
Fiction Book of the Month
Nightingale
Laura Elvery
The first time we meet Florence Nightingale, it’s 1850, and she is kindly but stern, rescuing a small owlet from being tormented by a group of children. The second time we meet her, it’s 1910: she’s older, frail, and near death, almost completely bed-bound in a house. Memories and dreams have become indistinguishable from reality, and she never sees visitors – until one fateful summer evening, that is, when a mysterious stranger appears on her doorstep.
Silas Bradley is a man with ghosts of his own. He claims to have met Nightingale a half-century ago, during the Crimean War: now, he’s seeking answers about Jean Frawley, an elusive woman who inexplicably connects their two lives.
His quest is a window into a long-buried past. Through their exchanges, we shift between past and present, navigating dark and intricate histories. In the process, Nightingale’s character – her contradictions, determination, faith and complexity – is exposed and unravelled, and the impenetrable figure of the ‘lady with the lamp’ is humanised and made real.
This is Laura Elvery’s debut novel, but in some ways it is a thematic extension of her previous short story collection, which won a Queensland Premier’s Literary Award in 2022. Ordinary Matter and Nightingale are both invested in the lives of women who have made contributions to history and science, and specifically interested in considering them as not only myths, but also as people. This is cleverly indirect work, which enhances, rather than diminishes, appreciation for the given figure. Elvery’s transition to the longer novel format is faultlessly executed, but some of the fragmentation of the short story medium is retained in her luminous, exacting prose, giving it a deeply compelling, unique and almost kaleidoscopic tone. The entire book is a haunting and thought-provoking achievement: a considered, poignant exploration of the many faces of Florence Nightingale, and a powerful vindication of bravery, care and women’s work.
Reviewed by Ellie Dean.
Crime Book of the Month
The Empress Murders
Toby Schmitz
The Empress of Australia is making her voyage to New York. It’s a regular trip, nothing surprising is expected to ensue. And yet brutally murdered bodies are uncovered on board. Only Inspector Archie Daniels, a Scotland Yard police officer who loathes his job as ship detective, can solve this mystery.
Most readers would happily see any of Toby Schmitz’s cast of eclectic characters murdered. With the story set in 1925, the British Empire is at its peak and the excesses, brutalities, and violence of its impact across the world is easily conveyed through the pretentiousness of the extremely wealthy passengers and the people of colour who are horrifically killed. The conceited and supercilious prose of the novel is stabbed every so often by the crass language in the dialogue, revealing the ugliness of these characters behind the facade.
One of the things I love most about this novel is that the narrative is from the perspective of the Empress herself. You get to know her history from before she became a luxury passenger liner, her own sense of humour as she observes the passengers she harbours, and, ultimately, how helpless she is to do anything while atrocities are committed aboard her. The ship functions as a microcosm of British colonialism and war, and the complex layers Schmitz has created are bold, witty, and ingenious.
The Empress Murders ticks all the boxes of a classic whodunnit and yet takes on an entirely new world of its own. I am always impressed by the previously hidden talent of debut novelists and Toby Schmitz has not disappointed. (You may recognise his name from his acting and playwrighting credits, however.)
If you wish Agatha Christie novels were a bit more on the gruesome side, or that Hercule Poirot had a potty mouth, then this is the book for you.
Reviewed by Aurelia Orr.
Nonfiction Book of the Month
Chinese Parents Don't Say I Love You
Candice Chung
Mainly, this is a love story.
This memoir of a certain time in Candice Chung’s life does cover a vast territory of family and meals and cooking, but it is more than that. It is a record of living and loving in Covid times, and it is about finding happiness. If you can imagine the result of mixing Julie Powell’s Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously with Jenny Offill’s Dept. of Speculation and sprinkling it with Nora Ephron’s Heartburn, then you are close to understanding this wonderful book. It is the perfect weekend read.
You may already know Chung’s writing work from her restaurant reviews and articles in magazines and newspapers, where she writes with grace and generosity. Her first long-form work takes as its premise the time after Chung’s 13-year relationship ends and she begins to take her retired Cantonese parents to the restaurants she is reviewing. Over meals – a $40 scampi burger, anyone? – they begin to share their lives and heal a distance that had emerged throughout her previous relationship. Memories from family holidays and outings emerge, sacrifices are acknowledged, and delicious literary influences are celebrated. (The Choose-Your-Own-Adventure/hotel buffet passages are a particular delight to read.) And then, just before Covid restrictions fall over the world, Chung meets another partner. And everything changes, except the need to keep sharing meals.
Chung has written a highly original memoir that asks big questions of its reader. It asks us to stop and pause for a moment; to contemplate family, language and history, alongside the true meaning of hospitality. This is the type of read that will make you laugh, underline passages and truly consider cooking an octopus on a Tuesday evening. I mean, how long could it take? Read Chinese Parents Don’t Say I Love You to find out. You will not be disappointed.
Reviewed by Chris Gordon.
Young Adult Book of the Month
This Dream Will Devour Us
Emma Clancey
Gossip Girl meets The Hunger Games in this intoxicating and deadly fantasy romance. Set in our world, magic has become real through a drug called Levick that is owned by a single family, the Lamours. This has made them rich beyond belief, desirable to all and a target for many who wish to see them fall. Every year, they host the rich and famous at the Dream Gala, which is similar to the Met Gala, even taking place inside the Met in New York. Tickets can be bought by the public, but only one lucky person will be chosen to attend. When we are introduced to our protagonist, Nora, she is so extremely lucky that she was chosen to attend even without buying a ticket.
Suddenly thrust into a world of glamour and decadence, Nora soon learns the luxurious Lamour life is brimming with secrecy, lies, and betrayal. These realisations all lead to a multitude of seemingly never-ending questions: who put Nora’s name down for the lottery? What conspiracies are the Lamours hiding? And just how dangerous is this magic for everyone?
With iconic tropes like enemies-to-lovers, fake dating, and a love triangle, This Dream Will Devour Us entices all readers with its addictive pace and jaw-dropping twists. Although swept up in this glittering mirage, Nora is a fearless heroine who does not waver from her career ambitions and always puts her family’s needs above her own. Emma Clancey’s debut standalone will make you question what is real and what has been fabricated for your delight. For ages 14+.
Reviewed by Aurelia Orr.
Kids Book of the Month
Silverborn (Nevermoor, Book 4)
Jessica Townsend
It has been nearly five years since Hollowpox, the previous instalment of Sunshine Coast author Jessica Townsend’s fantastic, and fantastical, Nevermoor series. The excitement around this release has been building, as has the tension. What took so long, will it live up to expectation? I am here to tell you – it lives up to it all! For those who have not read Nevermoor, some readers consider it the Australian alternative to Harry Potter, but it is set in a wholly fictional land, and is, dare I say it, better!
In Silverborn, the people of Nevermoor gather to see if the Age will turn from Morningtide, a time of relative peace and stability, to the Basking, a time of turmoil and challenge. We jump back four months, to our 13-year-old protagonist, Morrigan Crow, who is preparing to walk the Black Parade. However, things do not go as planned and Morrigan is thrown headfirst into early turmoil, both externally and internally. She must grapple with a giant secret that may blow up all her relationships; meet her Nevermoorian family, who have secrets of their own; and attempt, along with her friends, to solve a murder.
For those who love the series, you will love this; for those who haven’t started – what are you waiting for? For ages 10+.
Reviewed by Rosalind McClintock.
Picture Book of the Month
The Train at the End of My Street
Tom Jellett
There is no vehicle that inspires such passionate fans as the train. There are many train lovers of all ages, but this book has been written with the youngest in mind, and with an understanding that, for small children, an encounter with, or excursion on, a train can be a monumentally exciting event! It’s a simple book that feels very familiar and explores all things train from the perspective of a child who can hear trains from their home.
From meeting Mum as she disembarks after work to buying a ticket, checking the platform clock and bringing snacks for a long journey, this book has it all covered! There are many different types of trains and stations, and all are lovingly illustrated with Sydney-based author and illustrator Tom Jellett’s trademark warmth. Jellett has created a delightful celebration of transportation and a perfect book to share with train fans aged 2+.
Reviewed by Kim Gruschow.
