5 STAND-OUT BOOKS

WORKING CLASS MAN JIMMY BARNES

Harpercollins Australia The Cold Chisel singer proved a sharp, poignant writer with his first memoir,

Working Class Boy, which explored his childhood. In Man, Barnes continues to combine illuminating anecdotes with deeply personal observations to weave a riveting yarn about the costs and rewards of a life in rock ’n’ roll.

SEE WHAT I HAVE DONE SARAH SCHMIDT Hachette Australia

The Melbourne author’s unsettling debut novel about the infamous Lizzie Borden—who was accused of butchering her parents at their US home in 1892— drew global praise, for good reason. Her evocative reimagining gets under the skin of her characters and readers alike. A dark beauty of a book.

THE BAREFOOT INVESTOR SCOTT PAPE Wiley

It’s not a title to kick back with on the hammock, but the financial adviser’s no-frills money guide was a bona-fide publishing phenomenon in 2017. Sparked by a devastating house fire, The Barefoot Investor ruled bestseller charts all year, selling a whopping 500,000 copies and counting.

LINCOLN IN THE BARDO GEORGE SAUNDERS Bloomsbury

In a graveyard on a chilly night in 1862, Abraham Lincoln—nearly mad with grief over the death of his young son—struggles to comprehend his loss, surrounded by a chorus of very vocal ghosts. The winner of the 2017 Man Booker Prize for Fiction is strange, profound, utterly wonderful.

ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE ELIZABETH STROUT Viking

The Olive Kitteridge author does small-town anomie better than anyone— without sending you into bleakest despair. This tale of the inhabitants of dusty Amgash, Illinois—where a successful author has returned after 17 years to visit her siblings— showcases Strout at the top of her game.