Reviews
Adult fiction
In Moonland (Miles Allinson, Scribe)
Released September 2021
Miles Allinson’s accomplished second novel—the follow-up to his moving and deeply personal 2015 debut Fever of Animals—is an ambitious and gripping story of parenthood, utopias and environmental collapse, told across several interconnected narratives. The narrator of the first section is Joe, a young father dealing with a relationship breakdown as he becomes obsessed with resolving the mystery of his father, Vincent:… Read more
Most viewed adult fiction
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- Echolalia (Briohny Doyle, Vintage)
- The Silent Listener (Lyn Yeowart, Viking)
Adult nonfiction
Believe in Me (Lucy Neave, UQP)
Released September 2021
Bet is a Sydney-based veterinarian raised in Adelaide by her single mother, Sarah. When Bet starts questioning her gender, identity and place in the world, she begins to put together the broken pieces of her mother’s life. Born in upstate New York, Bet's mother was exiled to Sydney in the 1970s to give birth in an… Read more
Most viewed adult nonfiction
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- Loss Adjustment (Linda Collins, Awa Press)
- Who Gets to be Smart (Bri Lee, A&U)
- Buried Not Dead (Fiona McGregor, Giramondo)
- Coming of Age in the War on Terror (Randa Abdel-Fattah, NewSouth)
- The Nordic Edge: Policy possibilities for Australia (ed by Andrew Scott & Rod Campbell, MUP)
- Black Summer (ed by Michael Rowland, ABC Books)
- Eating With My Mouth Open (Sam van Zweden, NewSouth)
Children's picture books
Maxine (Bob Graham, Walker Books)
Released September 2021
A ‘companion book’ for Bob Graham’s beloved Max (which was 20 years old in 2020!), Maxine does stand alone but is not as rich if you haven’t first read Max, as it does assume familiarity with the Lightning-Thunderbolt family as well as Max’s own journey, referencing and echoing it at times. Like her brother, the protagonist Maxine… Read more
Most viewed children's picture book
- Wolfred (Nick Bland, Hardie Grant Egmont)
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- With a Little Kelp from Our Friends (Mathew Bate, illus by Liz Rowland, Thames & Hudson)
- Dog (Shaun Tan, A&U)
- Walking in Gagudju Country: Exploring the monsoon forest (Diane Lucas and Ben Tyler, illus by Emma Long, A&U Children’s)
- Main Abija My Grandad (Karen Rogers, A&U)
- Scary Bird (Michel Streich, Scholastic)
- Give Me Some Space! (Philip Bunting, Omnibus)
- Iceberg (Claire Saxby, illus by Jess Racklyeft, A&U)
Younger readers
Treasure in the Lake (Jason Pamment, A&U)
Released September 2021
Friendship, hidden cities and all-round adventure lie at the heart of Jason Pamment’s immersive graphic novel Treasure in the Lake. Sam and Iris have been best friends since they were little, but as the two find themselves about to venture into high school, it’s unclear if their friendship will survive. Iris is desperate to escape the small town they live… Read more
Most viewed younger readers
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- Lola Online: #TheSecretUpstairsFanClubParty (Shannan & Tayla Stedman, Omnibus)
- The Odds (Matt Stanton, ABC Books)
- We Are Wolves (Katrina Nannestad, ABC Books)
- Footprints on the Moon (Lorraine Marwood, UQP)
- Paws (Kate Foster, Walker Books)
- The Detective’s Guide to Ocean Travel (Nicki Greenberg, Affirm)
- Little Jiang (Shirley Marr, illus by Katy Jiang, Fremantle Press)
Young adult
Anything But Fine (Tobias Madden, Penguin)
Released September 2021
Anything But Fine is the young adult debut of Tobias Madden, who works in publishing and is part of the #LoveOzYA community. Like his main character, Luca, Madden grew up in Ballarat and was a professional dancer, which possibly contributes to his novel’s feeling of authenticity and honesty. Luca is a talented and focused dancer,… Read more
Most viewed young adult
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- Indigo Owl (Charlie Archbold, Wakefield)
- The Gaps (Leanne Hall, Text)
- Tiger Daughter (Rebecca Lim, A&U)
- The Prison Healer (Lynette Noni, Penguin)
- Waking Romeo (Kathryn Barker, A&U)
- Can’t Say it Went to Plan (Gabrielle Tozer, HarperCollins)
Recently released titles
The Newcomer (Laura Elizabeth Woollett, Scribe)
Released July 2021
Paulina Novak is a bad-girl bogan archetype in early 2000s Sydney. Stuck in a rut, she moves on a whim to Fairfolk Island, a fictional Pacific island known as a tourist spot ‘for newlyweds and nearly-deads’. Her mother Judy visits one Easter weekend and, together with Paulina’s landlady Vera, discovers that Paulina has been murdered.… Read more
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