From a Brontë sister classic to a deep dive on the existence of life beyond earth, here are the best books we read in November 2021!
Olivia Fricot – Senior Content Producer
Book Lovers by Emily Henry
Why I loved it: I picked up Book Lovers, the upcoming romance novel from Emily Henry, on the eager recommendation of several of my co-workers, and it turns out they were right (as always). Far from being a sentimental love story about ‘the power of books’, Book Lovers is exactly my kind of romance read. A sexy enemies-to-lovers plot? Tick. A hard-hitting and independent literary agent heroine? Double tick. A brooding yet sarcastic book editor love interest? Tick tick tick. Set in a country town that’s like Stars Hollow on speed? Sure. I absolutely loved this book — it’s smart, funny and oh-so charming, with memorable characters and sexual tension dialled up to 100. You absolutely need to check this out come May 2022.
Buy it here
Amelia Morgano – Community & Influencer Manager
Villette by Charlotte Brontë
Why I loved it: Villette is my first Charlotte Brontë novel, and has been on my TBR pile for years. I found it a challenging read which required patience, but the insights gained made it worthwhile in the end. I’m very fond of Romanticism and hence enjoyed some of the meanderings that you are taken on, particularly on themes such as companionship, spirituality, empathy and mental health. You are thrown into Lucy Snowe’s experience of the world as a fortunate and well-connected working woman. And she’s busy. Who else would remember every detail in order? I think this makes for a more realistic piece of the times. Take me away to Belgium again!
Buy it here
Nicholas Wasiliev – Senior Content Producer
In Plain Sight by Ross Coulthart
Why I loved it: One of our most popular interviews this year was with Ross Coulthart, so I was encouraged to try out In Plain Sight, his examination of a subject filled with taboo: is there evidence of the existence of UFOs and aliens? While I was extremely cynical going in, what was especially refreshing was that Coulthart himself examines this subject extremely critically too, not giving in to tin-foil conspiracy theories and instead looking at what is actually on record. While there is a sense of unknown at the book’s climax, it is interesting to note how much unexplained phenomena there is going on worldwide!
Buy it here
Arthur Malkoun – Author & Publisher Liaison
Bert by Graeme Blundell
Why I loved it: Bert Newton was always one of my favourite Australian entertainers and I enjoyed getting to learn more about Bert’s life in Graeme Blundell’s biography. The book had great behind-the-scenes recounts of his long and storied TV career (working at all three major Australian networks Seven, Nine and Ten), his early days as a radio star, as well as his relationships with fellow iconic entertainers Graham Kennedy and Don Lane, and (of course) his relationship with his wonderful wife Patti. This was a great read, good for an insight into Bert’s life after his tragic passing on October 30.
Buy it here
Ben Hunter – Fiction Category Manager
The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak
Why I loved it: I’m becoming more and more obsessed with Turkish-British author Elif Shafak. Her sublime new novel, The Island of Missing Trees, takes readers to Cyprus in 1974, where two teens (one Greek Orthodox, the other Turkish Muslim) find sanctuary together in the back of a tavern built under a fig tree in a city that is rapidly becoming divided. Decades later in North London, sixteen-year-old Ada, who has never been to the island her parents were born on, is drawn to the fig tree buried in her back garden with a yearning to unravel the secrets, longings and silences that she has been born into. This is a remarkable book of unspoken knowledge and the tangled roots of trauma, memory, identity and displacement.
Buy it here
Shanulisa Prasad – Lifestyle Category Manager
Defy the Night by Brigid Kemmerer
Why I loved it: After the Cursebreaker series, I couldn’t wait for the next Brigid Kemmerer book, and Defy the Night, the first in her new trilogy did not disappoint! All the elements are there that made the Cursebreaker series a standout in YA – a gutsy heroine, moral quandaries, princes torn between duty and love, and an excellent romance. And if you are like me and hate cliffhangers in series, you can read this knowing that there is a resolution that will satisfy (though I am still so excited to see what happens next!
Buy it here
Robert O’Hearn – Academic & Professional Category Manager
1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows by Ai Weiwei
Why I loved it: I began this book with a mild interest in the artist, and finished it with a huge love for his inventive and compassionate mind. Ai Weiwei tells a riveting story of three generations of his activist family, set against turbulent 20th century China. Weiwei is a inspired dissident artist who simply cannot sit still in the face of injustice, and his battles with the CCP secret police play out move by move like a tense chess game. Sometimes he wins, sometimes he loses. He stands before the state like a man before a tank. That he faces continual arrest, imprisonment and brutality with equanimity and even empathy is inspirational. Punctuated with Weiwei’s sketches, this extraordinary book is an ode to truth, family and justice, told poetically with nuance and care.
Buy it here
Cassandra Sharp – Assistant Category Manager for Non-Fiction
A Higher Loyalty by James Comey
Why I loved it: Comey writes from a unique perspective: that of an FBI director forced out of office in the early months of the Trump presidency. Comey worked under Bush, Obama and — briefly — Trump. The FBI investigation into Hilary Clinton’s emails (and later, Russian interference in the election) had the potential to derail the nation. Some say it did. It reads like a blur of departments and staffer names, cases and locations, putting you right in the constantly moving chair Comey once sat in at the FBI. He faces moral and ethical questions, internal sabotage and media attention with warmth and honesty, even to the point of stubbornness. The real throughline of A Higher Loyalty is leadership. Comey is honest about his mistakes, the cultural issues at the FBI, and the necessary distance required to run the Bureau with objectivity. “Speak or conceal” is repeated often, a reminder of Comey’s oath, and his expectation that his people (and readers) also hold themselves to the highest standards.
Buy it here
Karen Robinson – Territory Relationship Manager
The Housemate by Sarah Bailey
Why I loved it: Centred around an unsolved crime in Melbourne, The Housemate follows a journalist named Olive Groves, who was there both on the day of the crime and ten years later when a new event reinvigorates the investigation. The characters are complex and well-developed, the plot full of twists and turns, and the novel provides a fascinating insight into the world of news, where I will never read another crime story without being far more aware of how it’s constructed and what journalists can do to ‘get the scoop’. I finished it in a day and a half and highly recommend it to any fans of Australian crime or for anyone wanting a fantastic page turner.
Buy it here
What was the best book you read in November 2021?
Tell us in the comments below!
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