Kathy Buchanan presents this month's must-reads.

The Good Mayor
Andrew Nicoll (4th Estate, $27.99)
An unexpected love story with an oddball bent, this debut novel follows Tibo Krovic, the respectable mayor of Dot, a small town in a forgotten corner of Europe's Baltic region, just across the water from Dash, and on the River Ampersand. Tibo is secretly pining for his married, but desperately lonely, secretary Agathe, a plus-size beauty with long, dark hair and porcelain skin. Filled with bizarre characters and absurd events, The Good Mayor is strangely compelling - and sure to delight fans of Daniel Wallace's novel Big Fish, or anyone looking for a little escapism.
Buy online from Dymocks

With My Lazy Eye
Julia Kelly (Quercus, $29.95)
Throughout her youth, lazy Lucy Bastonme has always come last, which wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't for the fact that the rest of her family are super-bright, high achievers. Nevertheless, Lucy continues to seek validation from her distant, academic father. But as their relationship deteriorates, Lucy begins to realise it's finally time to grow up. If you like misfit anti-heroines, then you'll love this funny debut novel, which recently won Newcomer of the Year at the Irish Book Awards.
Buy online from Dymocks

Cost
Roxana Robinson (HarperCollins, $32.99)
This fourth novel from Robinson focuses on the complex dynamics of three generations of a dysfunctional American family. Julia is a divorced art professor holidaying in Maine, and struggling to cope with her judgemental neurosurgeon father and Alzheimer's-ravaged mother. When she makes the shock discovery that her youngest son, Jack, is a heroin addict, Julia is devastated. A powerful - though, at times, heavy-going - look at the cost of addiction.
Buy online from Dymocks

Style File
Iké Udé (HarperCollins, $89.99)
From Diane von Furstenberg to Dita Von Teese, Style File is overflowing with profiles and lavish pictures of influential fashion icons. More than 55 renowned arbiters of style - including designers, stylists and celebrities - fill the pages of this beautifully presented coffee-table book, which also covers key fashion eras, such as the Belle Époque and the Motown Look. Created by edgy New York magazine aRUDE, Style File is a sumptuous tribute to fashion and those who worship it.
Buy online from Angus & Robertson

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