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Psykhe (Kate Forsyth, Vintage) 

Fiction

Released May 2024, reviewed by Alexandra Ashburner-Hill .

Kate Forsyth’s latest historical fiction, Psykhe, adds to her substantial body of work (The Crimson Thread, Bitter Greens) as it reimagines the Greek...

Cheer Up, Blobfish! (Julie Murphy, illus Rachel Tribout, Affirm) 

Children’s picture book

Released May 2024, reviewed by M H Alessandrino .

It’s time for The Festival of the Fish and everyone is excited, but the blobfish looks sad, and none of...

Love Across Class (Rose Butler & Eve Vincent, MUP) 

Nonfiction

Released May 2024, reviewed by Nathan Smith.

In Love Across Class, researchers Rose Butler and Eve Vincent seek to demystify the complex—and often obscured—role class can play in shaping romantic...

Ghost Cities (Siang Lu, UQP) 

Fiction

Released May 2024, reviewed by Anthea Yang.

Recently fired from his translating job at the Chinese Consulate in Sydney for lying about his translation skills and using...

All the Beautiful Things You Love (Jonathan Seidler, Macmillan) 

Fiction

Released May 2024, reviewed by Lisa Schuurman.

A romantic comedy told in reverse, All the Beautiful Things You Love charts Elly and Enzo's relationship over 10 years,...

Ultra Violet: Down to Business (Cristy Burne, illus Rebel Challenger, Larrikin House) 

Graphic novel

Released May 2024, reviewed by Clare Millar.

Ultra Violet: Down to Business is the first in a new junior graphic novel series with a hilarious—but very scientific—premise....

The Kindness Project (Deborah Abela, Puffin) 

Younger readers

Released May 2024, reviewed by Katie Haydon.

Nicolette is unconfident and shy and feels like she doesn’t fit in anywhere. However, she loves spending time with her...

Because I’m Not Myself, You See (Ariane Beeston, Black Inc) 

Nonfiction

Released May 2024, reviewed by Emily Westmoreland .

Ariane Beeston’s debut, Because I’m Not Myself, You See, chronicles her postpartum psychosis, as a mother and clinical psychologist. The...

How to Avoid a Happy Life (Julia Lawrinson, Fremantle) 

Nonfiction

Released May 2024, reviewed by Danielle Bagnato.

How to Avoid a Happy Life is a lively memoir by Julia Lawrinson (Losing It), the author of over 15 books for...

Peripathetic: Notes on (un)belonging (Cher Tan, NewSouth) 

Nonfiction

Released May 2024, reviewed by Julia Taylor.

The nine essays in this collection, Peripathetic by Melbourne-based Cher Tan, use the form’s digressive capacity well. In elastic prose...

Safe Haven (Shankari Chandran, Ultimo) 

Fiction

Released May 2024, reviewed by Sonia Nair.

Miles Franklin–winning author Shankari Chandran turns her focus to Australia’s inhumane practice of mandatory detention in her fourth novel, Safe...

The Unexpected Mess of It All (Gabrielle Tozer, HarperCollins) 

Young adult

Released May 2024, reviewed by Ilona Urquhart .

Gold Inky award-winning author Gabrielle Tozer’s fifth YA novel, The Unexpected Mess of it All, displays her trademark empathy, humour...

Cora Seen and Heard (Zanni Louise, Walker) 

Younger readers

Released May 2024, reviewed by Anica Boulanger-Mashberg.

When Cora’s family moves to Tasmania to renovate a decrepit theatre, Cora, 12, is thrilled at the opportunity to reinvent...

What Stars Are For (Margeaux Davis, Affirm) 

Children’s picture book

Released May 2024, reviewed by Baran Rostamian.

What Stars Are For is the first picture book by sewing pattern and soft toy designer Margeaux Davis. The emerging...

Circadia (Judith Bishop, UQP) 

Poetry

Released May 2024, reviewed by Ash Davida Jane.

Judith Bishop’s Circadia is a collection of neatly formed, intelligent poems in which you can discover something new with each read. Bishop...

To Sing of War (Catherine McKinnon, HarperCollins) 

Fiction

Released May 2024, reviewed by Emma Pei Yin .

From Miles Franklin–shortlisted author Catherine McKinnon (Storyland), To Sing of War confronts the interconnectedness that binds humanity. Against the backdrop...

The Land Recalls You (Kirli Saunders, illus David Cragg & Noni Cragg, Scholastic) 

Children’s picture book

Released May 2024, reviewed by Joy Lawn.

The title of multi-awarded Gunai poet Kirli Saunders’s picture book The Land Recalls You honours the Stolen Generations and their descendants, as well as...

Our Flag, Our Story (Bernard Namok Jnr & Thomas Mayo, illus Tori-Jay Mordey, Magabala) 

Children’s picture book

Released May 2024, reviewed by George Banach-Salas.

Reading Our Flag, Our Story: The Torres Strait Islander Flag by Bernard Namok Jnr and Thomas Mayo on so-called Australia Day feels...

Saltblood (Francesca de Tores, Bloomsbury) 

Fiction

Released May 2024, reviewed by Charlotte Callander.

Saltblood is an engrossing, deeply felt historical novel by Melbourne poet, author and academic Francesca de Tores (with previous works...

Country (Aunty Fay Muir & Sue Lawson, illus Cheryl Davison, Wild Dog) 

Children’s picture book

Released May 2024, reviewed by Baran Rostamian .

Country is a celebration of earth and sky, sun, moon and stars—central to First Nations Culture. Through intricate, warm and...