The Pool (Hannah Tunnicliffe, Ultimo)
Tuesday, 19 November 2024
In Hannah Tunnicliffe’s latest novel, The Pool, a motley group of southside Melburnians meets for a summer party. The young families are connected through work and children, but they’re not really...
That Island Feeling (Karina May, Macmillan)
Tuesday, 19 November 2024
Set on a sleepy, scenic Australian island and featuring oysters, wine and flirty banter, That Island Feeling is the summer romance book for 2025. The novel follows Andie and her...
Panic (Catherine Jinks, Text)
Tuesday, 19 November 2024
Modern society is well versed in the evils of social media. From cyberbullying and trolling to revenge porn and deep fakes, there is no end to the new and horrifying...
Under the Sand (Millie Lewis, illus Marina Borkun, Five Mile)
Tuesday, 19 November 2024
A little girl named Elizabeth is digging on the beach for lost treasure when her spade hits something solid, and she ‘crie[s] out with pleasure’ … ‘What could it be,...
The Paradise Heights Craft Store Stitch-Up (Kate Solly, Affirm)
Tuesday, 12 November 2024
Remember the easy warmth, dry humour and cosy storytelling of Kate Solly’s Tuesday Evenings with the Copeton Craft Resistance? Well, she’s done it again with The Paradise Heights Craft Store...
Cruel Is the Light (Sophie Clark, Penguin)
Tuesday, 12 November 2024
In a world both familiar to and hauntingly different from our own, the Vatican Empire has waged a centuries-long war with demons across Europe. After a series of unprecedented attacks...
Figuring Out Thirty: Decoding the Decisive Decade (And What Really Matters) (Bridget Hustwaite, Penguin)
Tuesday, 12 November 2024
Bridget Hustwaite (How to Endo) is well known as an author and podcaster for her valuable insights into women’s health. Her latest book, Figuring Out Thirty: Decoding the Decisive Decade...
Saturday, Sunday (Natalie Kate Forbes, illus Danny Snell, Affirm)
Tuesday, 12 November 2024
Weekends are so busy for families, with the competing demands of sports and activities, seeing friends and extended family, shopping for the week and more. Saturday, Sunday captures this frantic...
Unfinished Business (Shankari Chandran, Ultimo)
Tuesday, 12 November 2024
The first in Miles Franklin–winning author Shankari Chandran’s Ellie Harper political thriller series, Unfinished Business mirrors the themes of the author’s past books (Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens, Safe Haven):...
The Worst Perfect Moment (Shivaun Plozza, Walker)
Tuesday, 5 November 2024
The Worst Perfect Moment is a dark comedy about finding yourself and finding the good in the bad. After dying in an accident, 16-year-old Tegan is ushered by Zelda, a...
Lexie Moon and the Word Burgling Bungle (Melissa Garside, illus Lauren Mullinder, Riveted Press)
Tuesday, 5 November 2024
Lexie Moon and the Word Burgling Bungle is debut author Melissa Garside’s exciting junior novel about a creative and prolific 10-year-old inventor. Lexie has been mentored by her grandfather, but...
Gunnawah (Ronni Salt, Hachette)
Tuesday, 5 November 2024
In 1974, in the fictional rural Riverina town of Gunnawah, population 989, everyone knows everyone’s business … or so they think. After an unfortunate event the year before, 19-year-old Adelaide...
The Wedding Party (Rebecca Heath, Head of Zeus)
Tuesday, 5 November 2024
In her latest thriller, The Wedding Party, Rebecca Heath (The Summer Party, The Dinner Party) masterfully tells the gripping story of three families connected by a tragic incident that occurred...
The Spirit Circle (Tara Calaby, Text)
Tuesday, 5 November 2024
Tara Calaby’s The Spirit Circle is a thrilling sapphic historical fiction set in 19th-century Victoria, exploring the passage of loss and grief and the importance of platonic and romantic bonds....
One Dark Night (Hannah Richell, S&S)
Tuesday, 29 October 2024
One Dark Night is Hannah Richell’s sixth novel. Like its predecessor, The Search Party, the story is a gripping, tangled web of mystery and intrigue from the opening paragraph to...
Saltwater Cure: True Stories of the Transformative Power of the Ocean (Ali Gripper, Murdoch)
Tuesday, 29 October 2024
In Saltwater Cure: True Stories of the Transformative Power of the Ocean, journalist Ali Gripper (The Barefoot Surgeon) explores the profound connections people forge with the ocean. The book blends...
Revenge of the Toxic Space Potato (First Dog on the Moon, A&U Children’s)
Tuesday, 29 October 2024
Finding a fresh angle on superheroes in 2024 is no easy task—unless you’re the Indefatigable EnviroTeens, who effortlessly revitalise a tired genre with humour, action and underpants pastry. In First...
Every Rock Has a Story: An A to Z of Australian Geology (Kitty van Cuylenburg, illus Cher Hart, CSIRO Publishing)
Tuesday, 29 October 2024
In Every Rock Has a Story: An A to Z of Australian Geology, Kitty van Cuylenburg invites readers to experience the magnitude of planet Earth by looking down and getting...
Yayoi Kusama (ed by Wayne Crothers & Miranda Wallace, NGV)
Tuesday, 22 October 2024
The book Yayoi Kusama from the National Gallery of Victoria captures the extraordinary 80-year legacy of the enigmatic artist, as showcased in the titular exhibition. This tribute to one of...
Costa’s Garden (Costa Georgiadis, illus Brenna Quinlan, ABC Books)
Tuesday, 22 October 2024
Costa’s Garden follows an illustrated Costa Georgiadis as he shares his expansive garden and flowers with a group of children, encouraging them to see the world in a new way....
Tomorrow There Will Be Sun (A Hope Prize Anthology, S&S)
Tuesday, 22 October 2024
Armed with a mandate to celebrate hope, courage and resilience, the 20 stories in the anthology Tomorrow There Will Be Sun venture near and far, from the sheep-herding plains of...
Robert Manne: A Political Memoir (Robert Manne, La Trobe)
Tuesday, 22 October 2024
In 2024, amid widespread political polarisation, Robert Manne’s memoir, Robert Manne: A Political Memoir: Intellectual Combat in the Cold War and the Culture Wars, offers an interesting read. As one...
Tigg and the Bandicoot Bushranger (Jackie French, HarperCollins)
Tuesday, 15 October 2024
Jackie French once again showcases her meticulous research in an engaging historical fiction novel that will captivate upper middle-grade readers. In 1859, near the Ballarat goldfields, we meet Tigg, a...
The Bogan Book Club (John Larkin, Larrikin)
Tuesday, 15 October 2024
When James Larwood is released from prison, his career is in tatters and his marriage is broken. His brother, Larry, throws him a lifeline in the form of a cleaning...
Murriyang: Song of Time (Stan Grant, Bundyi)
Tuesday, 15 October 2024
In May 2023, journalist Stan Grant (Talking to My Country) stepped away from his role as host of ABC’s Q+A. His latest book, Murriyang: Song of Time, is a heartfelt...
The Dream (Iain Ryan, Ultimo)
Tuesday, 15 October 2024
Iain Ryan plunges the reader into a seedy underworld of police corruption and political scheming in his latest novel, The Dream. Set during a spiralling recession and the 1982 Brisbane...
Special Delivery (Leesa Ronald, A&U)
Tuesday, 8 October 2024
Leesa Ronald’s debut novel, Special Delivery, is an enemies-to-lovers rom-com with some hilarious side characters, steamy love scenes and a snarky, highly relatable protagonist. Poppy McKellar is unexpectedly pregnant, and...
The Wild Reciter: Poetry and Popular Culture in Australia 1890 to the Present (Peter Kirkpatrick, MUP)
Tuesday, 8 October 2024
Now a forgotten species, the wild reciter was once an entertainer who frequented small local parlours and music halls, reciting poetry to the public. Around a century ago, at a...
The Five Rules of Friendship (Jess Sanders, illus César Barceló, Affirm)
Tuesday, 8 October 2024
The Five Rules of Friendship by Jess Sanders (Life Lessons for Little Ones: You Are Enough) is a thoughtful and engaging picture book exploring friendship, for readers aged 5+. Sanders...
Train Japan (Steve Wide & Michelle Mackintosh, Hardie Grant Explore)
Tuesday, 8 October 2024
In today’s world, where information is instantly available, travel guides may seem less appealing. However, there are times when expert advice compiled in a beautifully designed guide is invaluable—such as...
