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Meltdown (Lauren Novak, HarperCollins)
Released February 2026
Meltdown is a heavily researched yet highly accessible examination of “mum rage”, the gendered term the book uses to describe anger experienced in motherhood, exploring why it happens and how... Read more
Two Tongues (Maria van Neerven, UQP)
Released February 2026
Two Tongues is a memoir of language and memory told through poetry. Mununjali woman from the Yugambeh nation Maria van Neerven structures the collection in three chronological parts, tracing her... Read more
A Time of Living Graciously: Reflections on Growing Older (Brigid Lowry, Fremantle)
Released February 2026
In a culture obsessed with youth and productivity, it’s easy to forget that rest is not laziness, aging is not failure and our worth is not measured by output. Brigid... Read more
Bugger (Michael Mohammed Ahmad, Hachette)
Released February 2026
Bugger by Michael Mohammed Ahmad (The Lebs, The Tribe) is a heart-wrenching investigation into child sex abuse. Its protagonist, Hamoodi, is an isolated 10-year-old who adores Power Rangers and lives... Read more
The Sisterhood Rules (Kathy Lette, Aria)
Released February 2026
Bawdy, cheeky and resoundingly “punny”, Kathy Lette’s latest romp, The Sisterhood Rules, is 100% on brand. Twin sisters Isabel and Verity have been estranged for five years, ever since Verity... Read more
How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates (Shailee Thompson, Atria Australia)
Released February 2026
Shailee Thompson’s debut, How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates, is a genre-blending good time that captures the zeitgeist with its mélange of romantic comedy and horror, movie quotes... Read more
Wurnan: Sharing on Ngarinyin Country (Wilinggin Aboriginal Corporation, Magabala)
Released February 2026
Wurnan: Sharing on Ngarinyin Country, created by the Wilinggin Aboriginal Corporation, is a powerful cultural record that documents the people, artists, stories, traditions and artefacts of Ngarinyin Country in the... Read more
Plotting the Oceans: Stories of Powerful Maps and Their Makers (Sarah Hamylton, Monash University Publishing)
Released February 2026
In Plotting the Oceans: Stories of Powerful Maps and Their Makers, Sarah Hamylton reveals how maps chart landscapes and shape how we understand and connect with the world around us.... Read more
The Duke’s Secret (Sue Williams, A&U)
Released February 2026
In The Duke’s Secret, the latest historical fiction by Sue Williams (The Governor, His Wife and His Mistress), journalist Ava Washington sets out to verify a family legend. According to... Read more
In a Common Hour (Sita Walker, Ultimo)
Released February 2026
Dedicated to the Queensland state school teachers she works alongside, Sita Walker’s debut novel, In a Common Hour, offers readers a story with universal school politics. Over the course of... Read more
The Watchmaker’s War (Danny Ben-Moshe, HarperCollins)
Released February 2026
In Danny Ben-Moshe’s debut novel, The Watchmaker’s War, Yakov Holtzman, a former Lithuanian underground resistance commander, hopes to leave the trauma of World War II behind him as he makes... Read more
AI for Business: A Guide to AI Adoption (Jon Whittle, CSIRO Publishing)
Released January 2026
As artificial intelligence becomes the latest business buzzword, many people equate it solely with generative tools like ChatGPT. In AI for Business: A Guide to AI Adoption, director of CSIRO’s... Read more
The Last Resort (Amanda Hewitt, Echo)
Released February 2026
Amanda Hewitt’s debut, The Last Resort, opens with Abbey, newly divorced and reeling from the end of her marriage, as she seeks solace in the Maldives. During a late-night swim,... Read more
Yet She Lives: Fierce and Fantastical Women of Norse Mythology (Lisa Hannett, T&H)
Released January 2026
In Yet She Lives: Fierce and Fantastical Women of Norse Mythology, Lisa Hannett brings giantesses, witches and warriors from the ancient world to life. Building on the work of her... Read more
The Other Child (Susi Fox, Penguin)
Released January 2026
Susi Fox’s The Other Child opens with obstetrician Lauren De Vale returning to work after the birth of her second child, Charlotte, and finding it harder than she expected. Lauren... Read more
A Brain That Breathes: Essential Habits for an Overwhelming World (Jodi Wilson, Murdoch)
Released January 2026
Amid the frantic pace of modern life and the wellness industry’s constant stream of coping strategies, yoga instructor and blogger Jodi Wilson’s A Brain That Breathes offers a gentler alternative.... Read more
Dreamwives (Claire Novak, HarperCollins)
Released January 2026
Claire Novak’s Dreamwives is a hearty and entertaining contemporary “mum-com” novel that pays tribute to and shines a light on women's invisible labour. Katrina and Michelle are no strangers to... Read more
Might Cry Later (Kay Kerr, Macmillan)
Released January 2026
In Kay Kerr’s adult fiction debut, Might Cry Later, Nora Byrne is burnt out and struggling to reclaim herself after blowing up her life in Melbourne. By Christmas, she’s back... Read more
Dark Desert Road (Tim Ayliffe, Echo)
Released January 2026
Tim Ayliffe’s Dark Desert Road follows identical twins Kit and Billie, who grew up under their father’s violent rule – a man scarred by his trauma from serving in Afghanistan.... Read more
Vampire Squid (Prema Arasu, Fremantle)
Released January 2026
Prema Arasu’s debut poetry collection, Vampire Squid, is a profound exploration of mysterious deep-sea creatures and the humans who observe them. Written over 3 years during Arasu’s time at the... Read more
