May is History Month in South Australia and this year’s theme is POWER. Power means a lot of things, in a lot of places and spaces. There is power in science, power in art, power in the food we share and the clothes we wear. There is power in industry. There is power in storytelling. Above all, there is power in people. Every single one of us has a story. Some of these stories are grand and far-reaching; others are quiet and personal, held close. Some are handed down as lasting relics; others are broadcast widely or uploaded with fleeting regard for their permanence. We carry these stories wit ..read more

Annie — What Happened to Nina? by Dervla McTiernan The latest novel from best selling crime writer Dervla McTiernan is less of a who-dunnit and more of a what-next thriller. Nina and Simon are high school sweethearts who have been managing a long distance relationship since starting college. Home in Vermont for the holidays, they decide to take a break at Simon’s family house in the woods but Nina never comes home. Told in alternating chapters between Simon’s wealthy parents and Nina’s less privileged family, the case quickly becomes an outlet for longstanding small-town tensions and rumours ..read more

We were delighted to welcome a student group from Endeavour College at the end of last year. Year 8 and 9 students accompanied their teacher librarian to our shop to select books to refresh the school’s collection. The College was kind enough to share this recent article in Teacher Magazine which highlights the benefits to both the students and to the school. Our staff also had a great experience talking with the students and guiding their choices. Please let us know if your child’s school would like to arrange a similar excursion ..read more

Annie– Thanks for Having Me by Emma Darragh Three women narrate Thanks for Having Me: Mary Anne, who gave birth to Vivian, who gave birth to Evie. Darragh’s portrait of motherhood does not focus on the romantic, sacred, feminine things that society valorizes. Instead, in alternating vignettes that jump across time and character, she holds up the seamy, unpleasant and shameful moments in these women’s lives to the light. At turns funny, shocking and moving, as we start to fit the pieces together a complete — if damaged — picture emerges of a family trying to repair the mistakes ..read more

Charmaine — Balcony Over Jerusalem by John Lyons John Lyons is a familiar face to anyone watching ABC news or current affairs programs. He mostly reports from overseas, often from wars and almost-wars, where the risks for journalists can be extreme. He looks like somebody’s dad or uncle, or even the principal of your local primary school, which may partly explain why so many prickly, sometimes dangerous people appear to trust his integrity enough to be honest with him. The resulting information, joined with his polished journalism, (four Walkely Awards speaks volumes) reeking with decades of ..read more

 Annie —   Orbital by Samantha Harvey This book is absolutely exquisite, inside and out. The beautifully covered slim hardback opens to reveal poetic and ethereal digressions on a single ‘day’ spent orbiting the earth in a spacecraft. Over 16 circumnavigations of the blue planet, we meet 6 astronauts and learn their back stories, the changes they undergo in zero gravity, their philosophical musings. We also get some happenings on earth as they observe it from afar and report back to mission control below. At once a paean to planet Earth and a piercing look at the huma ..read more

We are excited to announce that we are now running a pop-up bookshop in the front room of the Normanville Newsagency. We’ll be stocking a great mix of new releases and guaranteed good reads for adults and children. Come and visit us for your next read when you’re on the coast, or browse online and collect your order from Normanville. Shop 2, 48 Main Road Normanville SA 5204 Opening Hours Monday to Friday 9am to 4pm Saturday 9am to 1pm Sundays CLOSED Normanville Newsagency ..read more

The Mostly Books team is very happy to have Annie back in store a few days a week, balancing books with baby. Drop in to get some good recommendations from the many books she read on maternity leave (and perhaps see a baby picture or two as well). We also welcome Larissa to our team; be sure to say hi to the new face when you next come in ..read more

There are lots of great new releases coming out in May but the one we are most excited about is very close to home! Annie is finishing up at work at the end of April, taking six months off to look after the new little person in her life. Drop in before Thursday 27 April if you would like to wish her well for this exciting new chapter. In her place we welcome our new Assistant Manager Rachel. She comes to us from the world of law and academia bringing a wealth of experience and of course a love of literature. Rachel is looking forward to getting to know all of our customers and answering the w ..read more

2024 marks 100 years of BookPeople — the Australian Booksellers Association! 100 years of supporting Australian bookshops and booksellers to do what we do best — promote and nurture Australian literature from bookshelf to bedside table. To celebrate their centenary, BookPeople booksellers helped to select 100 must-read Australian novels. Here, gathered on this list, from the finest bookshops all across the country, are the top picks from the book experts of Australia. Find the full list at http://bookpeople.org.au/…/100-must-read-australian-novels or browse the titles on our online catalogue ..read more