– HP Lovecraft
Searching for your next favourite read?
Have you finished a beloved book series and are now feeling adrift from a fantasy world that you only visited in your imagination?
Did you accidentally join a book club to impress a crush and then realise you haven’t read a book since you were in short pants?
Perhaps you just want the comfort of being surrounded by stories, in a welcoming shop that can also hook you up with a coffee.
Well, I know just the place for you!
In this post, I’ll take you to one of the Hinterland’s favourite bookshops – Rosetta Books in Maleny, Queensland.
We’ll forget all the books we’ve got waiting for us at home, search the shelves, and leave with some new favourite reads – confident in the fact that we’ve supported an independent business and feeling happy to have spent a few hours in the company of friends.
Dear reader, there are so many stories out there waiting just for you – and not in a creepy way.
Tales of daring and intrigue, with swashbuckling pirates battling dragons in order to win the heart of their true love (or another dragon); books to help you start a business, climb a mountain, plant a garden or jump-start a creative endeavour; stories with crime-solving, food-loving, world-weary detectives who just want to be loved and also finally solve that cold case that’s been haunting their career. Oh! And the ghosts! The creepy, supernatural, spine-chilling tales of otherworldly creatures who do more than just go bump in the night.
So many wonderful adventures are at your fingertips, all of which can be found at Rosetta Books in Maleny, Queensland.
Maleny is an hour and twenty minutes from Brisbane in the car – or 80 kms as the crow flies, if you believe what you read on the internet and also have access to a fast crow that doesn’t mind passengers. Remember to always ask first, before presuming an avian lift.
There are so many wonderful things to see and do in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland, it’s a beautiful place to spend a few nights – soaking up the scenery and the pinot gris. You’re also allowed to just pop up for the day though, for the sole purpose of filling your Suzuki Swift with books and maybe getting a sneaky pie from the delicious Maleny Bakery (I recommend the mushroom steak!).
Seriously, I know I’m supposed to be talking about books at the moment, but the pies at the Maleny Bakery are incredible.
If you’re not usually a pie fan, you’ll enjoy these pies. And if you have been burned by pies before (in the mouth or the soul) they have so many other tasty treats – sausage rolls, folded magical triangle things, quiches, and a whole bunch of sweet delights not pictured on account of I was already full of pie.
When arriving in Maleny, I recommend parking at the Seasons IGA – plenty of room, free to park and it’s an easy walk into the main street with Rosetta Books just off to your right. The IGA is also a wonderland filled with interesting tasty treats, so make sure to stop in and have a browse on your way back to the car. Yes, I know you’re already full of pie – but you can take things home, and you’ll thank me later.
As you enter Rosetta Books, you might be tempted to throw yourself into the waiting tomes – but resist the urge, they’re not as soft as you think. Pick up a coffee instead! Just inside the door, the wonderful people at Espresso on Maple are available daily until midday, to give you a quick shot of caffeinated book-browsing energy. Coffee IN a bookstore? Dreamy!
Remember to make use of the free hand sanitiser before you start man-handling the books, so that if you open a magical one on accident you’re already clean and tidy and ready for adventure when you slip into an alternate universe.
It’s Bookshop Etiquette 101, people.
There’s plenty of room to move around the shelves and browse your fill of new and back-catalogue releases. Rosetta Books keeps a table of recommended reading delights right at the front, filled with new titles that might grab your attention.
If you’re like me, and want to know what’s new in the crime/thriller/horror genre, head to your left and start snooping through the stacks. Non-fiction friends, you might want to head deeper into the store for your bounty. If your mind gets too filled with facts and self-empowerment while you’re searching, there’s a table you can sit at to regroup. We’ll meet you there in a second, I want to check out the greeting cards and stationery on offer and maybe look for books where people head off into the wilderness for no reason – those are a hoot!
The children’s section at the back of the store will draw you in, even if you’re only a child at heart. If you have the heart of a child, you might want to leave it outside or bring an adult with you.
The cool tree archway is a wonderful touch. Pick up a book for any of the young readers you know – you don’t want them to enter Narnia or Hogwarts without being fully briefed on the dangers and adventures ahead. Also, books are cool.
If there was a ranking system for book buyers – then my husband and I would be gold standard triple-belted wizards (that’s the best rank). As such, this visit we limited ourselves to one book each. Fair warning, you’ll need to have a pretty good ranking in this imaginary system I just created, to be able to resist leaving the store with less than 5 books each.
I chose “Road of Bones” by Christopher Golden – about a documentary-maker experiencing a nightmare journey, pursued by unknown terrors across the frozen Siberian tundra.
Ben chose “Ghost Music” by An Yu – a surreal, soul-searching journey into music, pain and truth, set in a wintery Beijing of frozen parks and sudden fires, in which intense emotion is only ever just below the surface.
So, two pretty light reads.
Until next time, happy reading! Let us know what favourite reads you pick up on your travels – we’re always keen to hear recommendations.
When you visit Rosetta Books in Maleny, tell them Fishbird Central sent you. If they look confused, just show them our website and buy them a coffee.
