The Passenger Seat (Vijay Khurana, Ultimo)
Tuesday, 25 February 2025
Beginning mid-jump and barely letting up the tension, Vijay Khurana’s debut novel, The Passenger Seat, is an unusual and deftly written literary thriller. It follows the uneasy friendship between two...
The Distance Between Dreams (Emily Paull, Fremantle)
Tuesday, 25 February 2025
Emily Paull’s The Distance Between Dreams is a poignant and meticulously crafted historical romance, rightfully shortlisted for the 2023 Fogarty Literary Awards. The novel beautifully captures an era of conflict...
When She Was Gone (Sara Foster, HarperCollins)
Tuesday, 25 February 2025
Sara Foster’s When She Was Gone stands out in a crowded thriller market for its unique blend of suspense, character depth and emotional resonance. Set in the fictional town of...
The Thylacine and the Time Machine (Renée Treml, A&U Children’s)
Tuesday, 25 February 2025
In The Thylacine and the Time Machine, 12-year-old Violet is completing a project on the de-extinction of the Tasmanian Tiger. Working late into the night, Violet falls asleep at her...
Colouring books charting; dragons continue to soar
Friday, 21 February 2025
Top 10 bestsellers Onyx Storm (Rebecca Yarros, Piatkus) The Let Them Theory (Mel Robbins, Hay House) Cozy Cuties (Coco Wyo, Penguin) Deep End (Ali Hazelwood, Sphere) Scythe & Sparrow (Brynne...
Books in the media this weekend, 22–23 February
Friday, 21 February 2025
A round-up of the books being reviewed and mentioned in key media this coming weekend. National The Saturday Paper The Campers (Maryrose Cuskelly, A&U) In Your Dreams (Šime Knežević, Giramondo)...
Lyrebird (Jane Caro, A&U)
Tuesday, 18 February 2025
Walkley Award-winning journalist, social commentator and author Jane Caro (The Mother) returns to crime fiction for her second adult novel, The Lyrebird. The titular bird first appears in the prologue,...
Tim Tie-Your-Shoelaces (Something Terrible #1) (Sally Barton, illus Christopher Nielsen, Walker)
Tuesday, 18 February 2025
‘Tim, tie your shoelaces – or something TERRIBLE will happen!’ Tim Mulligan hears this all the time – from his mum and dad, the neighbours, the crossing guard and even...
The Paperbark Tree Committee (Karys McEwen, Text)
Tuesday, 18 February 2025
The Paperbark Tree Committee, Karys McEwen’s second middle grade novel following All the Little Tricky Things, is a tender, compassionate story about navigating transitions and finding support in unexpected places....
Miss Caroline Bingley, Private Detective (Kelly Gardiner & Sharmini Kumar, HarperCollins)
Tuesday, 18 February 2025
Miss Caroline Bingley, the spurned love interest of Pride and Prejudice’s Mr Darcy, turns her prodigious mind to the problem of a missing maid, uncovering a murder and a dastardly...
Barren Cape (Michelle Prak, S&S)
Tuesday, 18 February 2025
Take one remote, abandoned site, a pack of unhinged teenagers, some drug-fuelled young adults, and an escaped convict – what could possibly go wrong? Welcome to Barren Cape, the latest...
Consider Yourself Kissed (Jessica Stanley, Text)
Tuesday, 18 February 2025
Consider Yourself Kissed is a romance set in London against the backdrop of the UK’s escalating political crises of the 21st century: Tory leadership struggles and re-election and Brexit, culminating...
Skin (Deborah Kelly, Rhiza Press)
Tuesday, 18 February 2025
Skin is a powerful reminder of how heavily appearances and beauty standards influence us during our teenage years and beyond. Multi-award-winning author Deborah Kelly (The Mosaic) delivers an easy-to-read yet emotionally...
Nation, Memory, Myth: Gallipoli and the Australian Imaginary (Steve Vizard, MUP)
Tuesday, 18 February 2025
In Nation, Memory, Myth: Gallipoli and the Australian Imagery, Steve Vizard delves into the creation of the Gallipoli myth, exploring the nature of myth itself, its role in nation building...
My Mother’s Invisible Shield (RA Stephens, illus Jasmine Berry, Wombat)
Tuesday, 18 February 2025
Mothers have special powers, and RA Stephens’s My Mother’s Invisible Shield explores this idea in a light and humorous way. The story follows a curious school-aged child who conducts a...
Books in the media this weekend, 15–16 February
Friday, 14 February 2025
A round-up of the books being reviewed and mentioned in key media this coming weekend. National The Saturday Paper After the Great Storm (Ann Dombroski, Transit Lounge) The Grapevine (Kate Kemp,...
Romance rules charts in lead-up to Valentine’s Day
Friday, 14 February 2025
Top 10 bestsellers Onyx Storm (Special Ltd Ed) (Rebecca Yarros, Piatkus) Onyx Storm (Rebecca Yarros, Piatkus) The Let Them Theory (Mel Robbins, Hay House) Fourth Wing (Rebecca Yarros, Piatkus) Deep...
See How They Fall (Rachel Paris, Hachette)
Tuesday, 11 February 2025
Rachel Paris’s debut novel, See How They Fall, is an artfully plotted thriller that masterfully delivers unexpected twists to keep readers hooked until its satisfying conclusion. Set in the privileged...
Desert Tracks (Marly Wells & Linda Wells, Magabala)
Tuesday, 11 February 2025
Desert Tracks is a young adult time travel novel set in central Australia and written by daughter-mother duo Marly Wells, a proud woman of Warlpiri and white Australian descent, and...
The Sun Was Electric Light (Rachel Morton, UQP)
Tuesday, 11 February 2025
Haunted by a pervasive sense of unreality, Ruth leaves her life in New York to return to the last place she loved: a lake in southern Guatemala. In the small...
No Time for Make Up (Elizabeth Green, Exisle)
Tuesday, 11 February 2025
Dr Elizabeth Green’s No Time for Make Up is a compelling memoir chronicling her life as a member of the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS). The book is told in...
One Word and a Bird (Stephen Michael King, Scholastic)
Tuesday, 11 February 2025
One Word and a Bird is an earnest picture book by author and illustrator Stephen Michael King, whose previous titles include the award-winning Three and Leaf. Known for his masterful storytelling and distinct watercolour...
Hatch (Heidi Cooper Smith, CSIRO Publishing)
Tuesday, 11 February 2025
Australia has many fascinating egg-laying animals. Hatch introduces readers to a wide variety, from turtles, frogs and crocodiles to tarantulas, cicadas and monotremes such as echidnas and platypuses. The book...
Library Dreams (Luna’s World #1) (Hayley Gannon, illus Michelle Conn, Affirm)
Tuesday, 11 February 2025
Library Dreams is the first book in Hayley Gannon’s debut junior fiction series, Luna’s World. It centres around 10-year-old Luna and her main goal to become the library monitor for...
Unsettled (Kate Grenville, Black Inc)
Tuesday, 11 February 2025
Two decades after The Secret River, Kate Grenville sets out on a truth-telling road trip in Unsettled, reflecting on many versions of this critical question: ‘What do we do with...
An Invisible Tattoo (Suellen Dainty, Echo)
Tuesday, 11 February 2025
Suellen Dainty (The Housekeeper, After Everything) deftly transforms her literary novel An Invisible Tattoo into a gripping mystery, social exposé and moral dilemma by skilfully concealing then revealing how a...
Books in the media this weekend, 8–9 February
Friday, 7 February 2025
A round-up of the books being reviewed and mentioned in key media this coming weekend. National The Saturday Paper The Knowing (Madeleine Ryan, Scribe) The Liquid Eye of a Moon...
Dragons continue to dominate; Maehashi top among Aussies
Friday, 7 February 2025
Top 10 bestsellers Onyx Storm (Rebecca Yarros, Piatkus) RecipeTin Eats: Tonight (Nagi Maehashi, Macmillan) The Let Them Theory (Mel Robbins, Hay House) Fourth Wing (Rebecca Yarros, Piatkus) The Crash (Freida...
How to Be Normal (Ange Crawford, Walker)
Tuesday, 4 February 2025
Ange Crawford’s debut novel, How to Be Normal, is a visceral and compelling read. It centres on Astrid, who is returning to high school after five years of homeschooling. She...
So Many Ways to Be Curious (Jayneen Sanders, illus Clare Elsom, Educate2Empower)
Tuesday, 4 February 2025
So Many Ways to Be Curious is a nonfiction picture book that lives up to its title – a practical guide to nurturing curiosity in children. Jayneen Sanders, a passionate...
