McDermott’s “What the Bones Know” tops heatseekers
Friday, 13 March 2026
Top 10 bestsellers The Hybrid Prince (Wings of Fire 16) (Tui Sutherland, Scholastic) In Her Own League (Liz Tomforde, Hodder) The Housemaid (Combined editions) (Freida McFadden, Bookouture) Heated Rivalry (Rachel...
Book Club – this month’s reads
Thursday, 12 March 2026
Looking for your next great group read? Our monthly Book Club rounds up new release titles perfect for sparking conversation and perhaps even some debate. From compelling fiction to thought-provoking...
Edith: The Girl Who Was 100 Years Old (Catharina Valckx, trans Antony Shugaar, Gecko)
Tuesday, 10 March 2026
In Edith: The Girl Who Was 100 Years Old, French author and illustrator Catharina Valckx tells the bittersweet story of a little girl granted 2 extraordinary gifts, in an English...
Bella Grows a Bicycle (Lellie Lopter, illus Chiara Franceschetti, Five Mile)
Tuesday, 10 March 2026
In Bella Grows a Bicycle, Lellie Lopter delivers a warm and imaginative picture book about creativity, sustainability and problem-solving. Bella dreams of owning a new bicycle, but after her dad...
The Northern Tomb (Isabelle Li, Puncher & Wattman)
Tuesday, 10 March 2026
Isabelle Li’s The Northern Tomb is a quietly powerful, deeply human novel that unfolds in 4 parts, blending personal stories with history in a way that feels both intimate and...
The Thornbacks (Chloe Wilson, Hamish Hamilton)
Tuesday, 10 March 2026
Chloe Wilson’s debut novel, The Thornbacks, follows stepsisters Gertie and Tabitha: a pair of morticians who – apart from a sinister hobby – are mostly harmless. Come “date night”, they...
Don’t Let Them Leave (Mike Lucas, Penguin)
Tuesday, 10 March 2026
In Don’t Let Them Leave, Mike Lucas (What We All Saw) delivers a creepy and suspenseful historical thriller for readers aged 12 and over. The story follows Charlotte, Jack and...
Henry Goes Bush (Wayne Marshall, Picador)
Tuesday, 10 March 2026
Wayne Marshall blends fact and fiction (including time travel) to explore alternative versions of Henry Lawson’s 1892 trip to Bourke. Lawson was 25, depressed, nearly deaf and already battling alcoholism...
Books in the media this week
Friday, 6 March 2026
A round-up of books being reviewed and mentioned in key media this week, updated as information becomes available. National The Bookshelf, ABC Radio National Nonesuch (Francis Spufford, Faber) The Minstrels...
“Wuthering Heights” book sales surge as film adaptation screens
Friday, 6 March 2026
Top 10 bestsellers The Housemaid (combined editions) (Freida McFadden, Bookouture) Heated Rivalry (Rachel Reid, Emblaze) Nobody's Girl (Virginia Roberts Giuffre, Doubleday) The Hybrid Prince (Wings of Fire 16) (Tui Sutherland,...
Junior Book Club – this month’s reads
Friday, 6 March 2026
Searching for your next great read to share with kids? Our Junior Book Club highlights new titles each month that are perfect for classrooms, libraries and family reading time. From...
This Is Where We Say Goodbye (Howard McKenzie-Murray, Fremantle)
Tuesday, 3 March 2026
This Is Where We Say Goodbye follows Maud Tarkington over the course of a single unsettling day in Fremantle: the day after her 21st birthday and the day of her...
The Farmer’s Pyjamas (Ruth Paul, Walker)
Tuesday, 3 March 2026
Ruth Paul’s The Farmer’s Pyjamas is a playful, light-hearted rhyming story that puts a humorous spin on daily life in the farmyard. After a hard day’s work tending to her...
The Missing Mother (Mali Cornish, A&U)
Tuesday, 3 March 2026
In The Missing Mother, Mali Cornish (Judgement Day) crafts a gripping domestic thriller centred on Elspeth, who returns to Geelong from New York when her mother Simone vanishes. The story...
Phantom Days (Angela O’Keeffe, UQP)
Tuesday, 3 March 2026
“A book comes into the world knowing it is a saviour, of sorts.” So begins Phantom Days, the 3rd novel by award-winning author Angela O’Keeffe (The Sitter, Night Blue), a...
Running in Circles (Shivaun Plozza, UQP)
Tuesday, 3 March 2026
In Running in Circles, Shivaun Plozza (The Worst Perfect Moment, The Boy, The Wolf and the Stars) brings climate science and extraterrestrial speculation together in a coming-of-age suspense novel set...
Cast Away (Francesca de Tores, Bloomsbury)
Tuesday, 3 March 2026
Award-winning author Francesca de Tores’s Cast Away is a fascinating and exquisitely detailed fictionalisation of sailor and navigator Alexander Selkirk’s 4 years marooned on a deserted island in the 1700s....
When Words Fail Us: Truth Beyond Time (Stan Grant, NewSouth)
Tuesday, 3 March 2026
In When Words Fail Us, Stan Grant steps fully into his role as a philosopher and public thinker after walking away from a long career in journalism. Following the turbulence...
Books in the media this week
Friday, 27 February 2026
A round-up of books being reviewed and mentioned in key media this week, updated as information becomes available. National Book Show, ABC Radio National Kin (Tayari Jones, Penguin) Escape! (Stephen...
Lette’s “The Sisterhood Rules” enters the charts
Friday, 27 February 2026
Top 10 bestsellers Heated Rivalry (Rachel Reid, Emblaze) The Housemaid (Freida McFadden, Bookouture) (combined editions) Where the Light Gets In (Ben Crowe, HarperCollins) Cozy Friends (Coco Wyo, Penguin) The Long Game (Rachel...
Dove (Georgia Harper, Penguin)
Tuesday, 24 February 2026
Georgia Harper’s Dove is a quiet, restrained novel with a philosophical tone and a steady undercurrent of tension. Set in a small Queensland town in 1993, the story centres on...
My Ball Is Broken (Rob Graves-Morris, Walker)
Tuesday, 24 February 2026
My Ball Is Broken, written and illustrated by Rob Graves-Morris, is a playful picture book with hidden depth for readers aged 4 and over, told from the perspective of a...
Gross Things Animals Eat (Claire Stevens, illus Adele K Thomas, HarperCollins)
Tuesday, 24 February 2026
Gross Things Animals Eat is packed with disgusting, bizarre and outrageous descriptions and illustrations that young readers aged 5 and up will absolutely love. Australian veterinarian Claire Stevens invites children...
Look After Your Feet: Some Keen Observations on the Unexpected Advantages and Indignities of Getting Older (Rosalie Ham, A&U)
Tuesday, 24 February 2026
Rosalie Ham (The Dressmaker) turns her sharp wit toward the journey of ageing in her first nonfiction book, Look After Your Feet. Insightful, mischievous and often very funny, the memoir...
Tiwi war kwampini: Mwarlapwara kangi tingati (Tiwi War Hero: Footprints in the Sand) (Mavis Kerinaiua, ILF)
Tuesday, 24 February 2026
Tiwi war kwampini: Mwarlapwara kangi tingati (Tiwi War Hero: Footprints in the Sand) is written, translated and illustrated by Mavis Kerinaiua, with support from Laura Rademaker. This compelling picture book...
Griefdogg (Michael Winkler, Text)
Tuesday, 24 February 2026
Miles Franklin–shortlisted author Michael Winkler (Grimmish) returns with his anticipated new novel, Griefdogg. Jeffrey is a hydrologist in Mildura who, after inheriting a small fortune, decides to abandon his adult...
Fanny and Mina: The Fastest of Friends (Samantha Tidy, illus Hilary Cresp, Windy Hollow)
Tuesday, 24 February 2026
Fanny and Mina: The Fastest of Friends, written by Samantha Tidy and illustrated by Hilary Cresp, is a narrative nonfiction picture book for readers aged 5 to 8. It introduces...
Crip Stories: An Anthology of Disabled Writers (ed BS Windon, Laura Pettenuzzo, Misbah Wolf & Katie Hansord, NewSouth)
Tuesday, 24 February 2026
Crip Stories: An Anthology of Disabled Writers, edited by BS Windon, Laura Pettenuzzo, Misbah Wolf and Katie Hansord, in partnership with Mascara Literary Review and with the support of Creative...
The Nocturnals (Frances Whiting, HarperCollins)
Tuesday, 24 February 2026
Frances Whiting’s third novel, The Nocturnals, follows 5 teenagers in 1997 who promise “to love each other wholly” as they become inseparable in their final year of school. The group...
The Last Word (Two Hearts) (A L Tait, Scholastic)
Tuesday, 24 February 2026
Scholastic’s multi-authored Two Hearts series is capturing the Australian middle-grade romance market. It is notable for its appealing, tween-appropriate relationships, where friendships can evolve into gentle romance and culminate in...
