Book Club – this month’s reads
Friday, 11 July 2025 Books+Publishing @booksandpublishing
Looking for your next great group read? Our monthly Book Club rounds up new release titles that are perfect for sparking conversation and perhaps even some debate. From compelling fiction to thought-provoking nonfiction, these are some of the books releasing this month that are worth stocking and recommending to readers.
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All We Need Magdalena McGuire Ultimo ISBN 9781761151217 RRP $34.99 Book club notes |
| Why book clubs will love it: ‘Best friends Candace and Alexia’s lives are forever altered when the mysterious Sapphie rescues Candace’s baby from the sea. In the midst of this unlikely new friendship, all three women must navigate the powerful currents of their fears and desires to discover who they really are. Acutely observed, funny and tender, this compelling novel will keep your book club gripped until the very last page. Beyond its captivating narrative, it offers a rich ground for discussion, exploring contemporary issues like housing insecurity and parenting guilt with nuance and sensitivity.’ – Andrea Johnson, marketing manager, Ultimo Press | |
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Boogie Wonderland Kate Halfpenny Affirm ISBN 9781923022133 RRP $36.99 |
| Why book clubs will love it: ‘Boogie Wonderland is great for book clubs as it explores themes of identity, transformation and resilience with Kate’s trademark wit, vulnerability and honesty. Frank and funny, this unforgettable memoir about a woman’s midlife will be enjoyed by readers of Kathy Lette and Miranda July, and fans of Marian Keyes’ My Favourite Mistake and Jane Tara’s Tilda Is Visible.’ – Tace Kelly, publicity manager, Affirm | |
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Dead Ends Samantha Byres UQP ISBN 9780702269110 RRP $34.99 Book club notes |
| Why book clubs will love it: ‘This queer literary-crime crossover novel is about Nell’s undignified homecoming to small-town Aotearoa New Zealand; mysteries solved and unsolved; and an ageing TV psychic who just won’t quit. Darkly funny, sexy and devastating, Dead Ends is a big-hearted portrait of love and loss, and the bad decisions we make in their wake. It’ll have book clubs arguing, laughing and tearing up in equal measure.’– Aviva Tuffield, publisher, UQP | |
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Fulvia Kaarina Parker Echo ISBN 9781760689834 RRP $32.99 |
| Why book clubs will love it: ‘Fulvia captured Kaarina’s interest when she found fleeting references to her while studying ancient history. Delving deeper, she discovered an extraordinary woman who was determined to exercise power in a society that denied this right to women. Centuries later, the themes of this novel still resonate and will generate lively discussion in book clubs, as will the brilliantly evoked colour, intrigue and ruthlessness of society in Ancient Rome.’ – Diana Hill, publishing manager, Echo Publishing | |
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The Good Losers Meg Bignell Penguin ISBN 9781761351198 RRP $34.99 |
| Why book clubs will love it: ‘Meg Bignell’s latest novel is a riotous and heartfelt dive into the eccentric world of rowing, as Callie March navigates pre-dawn parenting, scandal and unexpected friendships. With sharp wit and keen observations, this story brilliantly captures the absurdities of the upper class while delivering a very satisfying blend of humour and heart. Fans of The Angry Women’s Choir will love this. ’ – Rebecca Bluff, marketing and publicity coordinator, PRH | |
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The Immigrants Moreno Giovannoni Black Inc. ISBN 9781760645267 RRP $36.99 |
| Why book clubs will love it: ‘This is the kind of novel that invites rich discussion about the experience of immigrating to a new home, which has affected so many people and their forebears. In beautiful, lyrical prose, it tells a family story woven with heartbreak, hard work and relationships, set in an Australian country town that becomes part-Italian for a time. It’s a particular story with universal resonance, uncovering the hidden emotional history of migration. Structurally, it’s also rich for discussion, unfolding in episodes that each reveal a different facet of this world, with the family’s journey tying it all together.’ – Chris Feik, publisher, Black Inc. | |
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The Other Brother (London Hearts #1) Tierney Page Hachette ISBN 9780733653698 RRP $22.99 |
| Why book clubs will love it: ‘A sweet and spicy forbidden-love romance with a moral dilemma at its heart, The Other Brother will spark plenty of book club discussion. When FMC April falls for MMC James – the brother of her ex-fiancé Lucas – readers are asked to consider: should a brother be off-limits, even if you think he’s the love of your life? It’s a juicy, thought-provoking question about the boundaries of love and loyalty, and raises another question: What would you be prepared to do for true love? Author Tierney Page was a BookTok sensation before she began writing, and reading widely is arguably the best training ground for any aspiring author.’ – Sophie Hamley, publisher, Hachette Australia | |
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The Peak Sam Guthrie HarperCollins ISBN 9781460767313 RRP $34.99 |
| Why book clubs will love it: ‘The Peak is a tense, propulsive thriller that will have you constantly questioning if what happens in the novel could really happen to us – and how many times it may have happened without the Australian public ever knowing. But what I loved most was the humanity of it: the love triangle between the three main characters, and the complicated male friendship at the heart of the novel. It’s a book that is going to kickstart a lot of opinionated conversations!’ – Kimberley Allsopp, senior campaign manager, HarperCollins | |
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Pissants Brandon Jack Summit Books ISBN 9781761633072 RRP $34.99 |
| Why book clubs will love it: ‘This novel by a former footy player offers rich discussion around masculinity, power and group dynamics, centring on players at an unnamed football club. It exposes the pressure placed on young lives caught in the churn of competitive sport, the loneliness and desperation of those trying to make it, and the depravity and unhinged rituals they perform to relieve that constant pressure, making it a compelling and confronting choice for book clubs. It is also very funny. Particularly resonant for male readers, it invites critical reflection on the impact of locker-room culture both on and off the field.’ – Jane Palfreyman, publishing director, Summit Books | |
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What Kept You? Raaza Jamshed Giramondo ISBN 9781923106413 RRP $32.99 |
| Why book clubs will love it: ‘Raaza Jamshed’s What Kept You? is a powerful debut novel that follows its young protagonist across continents, and across the spaces between grandmother and granddaughter. Haunted by bushfires and strange animals, marked by tenderness and fear, its narrative leans toward the surreal to remain true, asking what is carried down by storytelling, and what stays untold. With layered themes of gendered violence, the climate crisis and reconciliation with the past, it’s a book that invites reflection and lively conversation for book clubs interested in exploring questions of identity, migration and familial legacies.’ – Nick Tapper, associate publisher, Giramondo | |
Category: Book Club
