We All Lived in Bondi Then (Georgia Blain, Scribe)
Tuesday, 28 November 2023
We All Lived in Bondi Then is the last publication of new work by Georgia Blain. This collection comprises nine previously unpublished stories written between 2012 and 2015, before Blain’s...
Nova’s Missing Masterpiece (Brooke Graham, illus Robin Tatlow-Lord, EK Books)
Tuesday, 28 November 2023
It’s Nova’s dad’s birthday, and she has made him a special masterpiece drawing as his present. It’s nearly time for the party, but she can’t find the drawing! (‘Where is...
The Great Undoing (Sharlene Allsopp, Ultimo)
Tuesday, 28 November 2023
Imagine a completely digital future, with people connected via nanotechnology, attaining ultimate convenience at the price of absolute surveillance—good for people who like where they are, bad for those who...
The Beehive (Megan Daley, illus Max Hamilton, Walker)
Tuesday, 28 November 2023
The Beehive is a new informational picture book by teacher-librarian and author Megan Daley and CBCA-shortlisted illustrator Max Hamilton. The two have combined their talents to create a charming and...
The Health Habit (Amantha Imber, Penguin Life)
Tuesday, 21 November 2023
There are books about health and books about habits, but rarely are the two combined as they are in The Health Habit: Shape up, sleep better, feel amazing, a practical...
Monument (Bonny Cassidy, Giramondo)
Tuesday, 21 November 2023
In an author’s note, Bonny Cassidy explains that Monument, her genre-bending literary memoir, structured around the branches of her White Australian family, began as a private project, but in clarifying her...
The Roadmap of Loss (Liam Murphy, Echo)
Tuesday, 14 November 2023
Liam Murphy’s debut novel, The Roadmap of Loss, has all the hallmarks of sad girl (or, in this case, sad boy) literature: a self-destructive 20-something narrator and a vitriolic rage...
Chico the Schnauzer (Taryn Brumfitt, illus Levi George, Puffin)
Tuesday, 14 November 2023
One day, Chico’s owners leave the gate open, and he embarks on an epic playdate with his doggy friends, including Gary the Greyhound and Penelope the Poodle. Chico soon discovers...
Life Skills for a Broken World (Ahona Guha, Scribe)
Tuesday, 14 November 2023
Like having a therapist in your pocket, Life Skills for a Broken World is a guide to positive mental health, leading readers through potential pitfalls and prevention strategies. Ahona Guha,...
A Dance with Murder (Elizabeth Coleman, Pantera)
Tuesday, 14 November 2023
A Dance with Murder is the second outing for private investigator Edwina ‘Ted’ Bristol and her sidekick, Miss Marple, an intelligent and perceptive miniature schnauzer, following A Routine Infidelity (February,...
Birdsong by the Billabong (Maura Finn, illus Cate James, Affirm)
Tuesday, 7 November 2023
Birdsong by the Billabong—the third picture book in Maura Finn and Cate James’s Billabong series—revisits the tone, style and structure of By the Billabong and Babies at the Billabong. All...
The Strip (Iain Ryan, Ultimo)
Tuesday, 7 November 2023
Iain Ryan plunges readers into the gritty, seedy underbelly of the 1980s Gold Coast in his latest noir crime novel, The Strip. Brimming with corruption and seduction, illicit meetings held...
The Long Lede Anthology (Judith Neilson Institute, Vintage)
Tuesday, 7 November 2023
The Long Lede Initiative, a partnership between the Judith Neilson Institute, Penguin Random House, and Copyright Agency, pairs experienced Australian journalists with emerging writers to mentor them in crafting impactful...
Roger the Wrasse and the Itchy Fishes (Sue Pillans, Little Pink Dog)
Tuesday, 7 November 2023
Roger the wrasse is a tiny fish with a big job. Each morning, Roger—a sprightly fish with a penchant for singing songs to get through his day—opens his cleaning station....
Politica (Yumna Kassab, Ultimo)
Tuesday, 31 October 2023
Politica is set in an unnamed Middle Eastern country. It explores the impact of war on those directly involved—as well as those indirectly impacted, but whose lives war forever changes....
The Fires Next Time (ed by Peter Christoff, MUP)
Tuesday, 31 October 2023
The world watched in horror from July 2019 to February 2020 as bushfires raged across Australia. The Black Summer fires directly killed 33 people, while hundreds more died from fire-...
The Italian Marriage (Jenna Lo Bianco, Macmillan)
Tuesday, 31 October 2023
In Jenna Lo Bianco’s debut romance novel, The Italian Marriage, Sarah and Matthew marry over Zoom so that Matthew can fulfil the requirements of a 15th-century inheritance clause. In return,...
How to Be a Friend (Sarah Ayoub, illus Mimi Purnell, HarperCollins)
Tuesday, 24 October 2023
How to Be a Friend aims to inspire children to be the best friends they can be and teaches them how to recognise true friendship in their lives. In their...
Never Ever Forever (Karina May, Macmillan)
Tuesday, 24 October 2023
A charming contemporary Australian romance novel, Never Ever Forever by Karina May is a heartfelt tale of love, second chances and self-discovery. The story revolves around Rosie Royce, an endearing protagonist...
The Broken Wave (Matthew Ryan Davies, Macmillan)
Tuesday, 24 October 2023
In 1992, 12-year-old Andrew moves from the US to the coastal town of Queenscliff, Australia, with his mother and stepdad. That summer, he meets Tom, an easygoing Aussie boy who...
Our Family Dragon (Rebecca Lim, illus Cai Tse, Albert Street Books)
Tuesday, 17 October 2023
Our Family Dragon: A Lunar New Year story is a joyful celebration of love, family and the Lunar New Year from award-winning writer Rebecca Lim. This festive story is illustrated...
Emergency Exit Only (Michelle Upton, HarperCollins)
Tuesday, 17 October 2023
For the past 10 years, Amelia Harris has preferred to gaze at the fire escape doors opposite her desk at Queensland Office Supplies, rather than take any chances with her...
Frank Moorhouse: Strange paths (Matthew Lamb, Knopf)
Tuesday, 17 October 2023
Frank Moorhouse worked relentlessly to refine both his writing and his understanding of himself. The first volume of Matthew Lamb’s biography of Moorhouse—who passed away last year at 83—is a valuable...
In the Rockpool (Andrea Rowe, illus Hannah Sommerville, Little Hare)
Tuesday, 17 October 2023
Andrea Rowe’s In the Rockpool transports us to a sunny beach where children play on the rock platform. With the sea in the background and the alluring rockpool in the...
Deep in the Forest (Erina Reddan, Pantera)
Tuesday, 10 October 2023
The Trenthen family’s revered reputation in Stone Lake crumbles when a damaging bushfire uncovers an item that appears to belong to Charli, a bookbinder and the family’s last surviving member, right...
Ladybirds Do Not Go to Day Care (Ali Rutstein, illus Niña Nill, Bright Light)
Tuesday, 10 October 2023
Ladybirds Do Not Go to Daycare is the story of Ravi, a young boy who loves dressing up as his favourite insect—a ladybird. He loves brushing his teeth (or mandibles)...
Secret Sparrow (Jackie French, HarperCollins)
Tuesday, 10 October 2023
Jackie French’s latest middle-grade novel, Secret Sparrow, focuses on the unheralded work of women in World War I. This exciting adventure story is told with dual timelines and begins in...
The Wiregrass (Adrian Hyland, Ultimo)
Tuesday, 10 October 2023
With wild weather, swollen rivers, falling trees, a disgraced cop, a cult and a dead man, Adrian Hyland’s The Wiregrass is a thrilling mix of wry humour and page-turning crime....
The Locked-Up Country: Learning the lessons from Australia’s Covid-19 response (Tom Chodor & Shahar Hameiri, UQP)
Tuesday, 3 October 2023
After reading The Locked-Up Country, you may rethink your position on Australia’s Covid-19 response. It’s not a comfortable read, but important books rarely are. Authors Tom Chodor (senior lecturer in Politics...
The Drowning (Bryan Brown, A&U)
Tuesday, 3 October 2023
The accidental drowning death of a local Gumbaynggirr boy—David, from whose viewpoint the book opens—brings a shadow of sadness over a small NSW coastal town. Then a backpacker doesn't turn up...
