Matthew Hooper’s heart-wrenching debut A Cold Season doesn’t shy away from the realities of rural life in a bitter post-WW1 winter. Narrated by 14-year-old Beth, the book is set in the foothills of Mount Kosciusko. Isolated and vulnerable, the story opens as a harsh winter is rolling in, bringing with it flash storms and heavy…
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Every Australian knows something of the colonisation of Australia; of the ships that were sent and the convicts that arrived. But, there are some parts that are left out of the wider narrative, unnoticed or undiscussed in conversations about Australia’s history. It’s one such element that Santilla Chingaipe delves into in her latest book Black…
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Invasion is imminent! Hostile forces have overtaken a remote moon and are in the midst of uncovering a secret base that holds the key to a delicate intergalactic alliance. It is up to superhero Anvil Liza to thwart the enemy’s plans and in the process maintain balance in the universe. Launched via Kickstarter, Stellarlands is…
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Fans of history, maritime archaeology, or simply anyone fascinated by the unknowns of the sea will enjoy Mensun Bound and Mark Frary’s deep dive (sorry!) of artefacts, wreckages and other mysteries recovered from the ocean floor. Wonders In The Deep sees Mensun Bound, a renowned maritime archaeologist who served as the Director of Exploration for…
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Nina Kenwood, best known for her YA novels and former winner of the Text Prize, released her first novel for the adult market this September. While it’s decidedly less spicy than some other books in the genre I could mention, the book is definitely not meant for teenage readers. The Wedding Forecast follows Anna, a marketing…
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In the interests of full transparency before diving into this review, I must admit: I’m a massive fan of Savage Garden. The band’s two monumental albums were often blared from the tape player of my parent’s VN Vacationer Commodore, embedding themselves into the soundtrack of my childhood and bookmarking every road trip in the early…
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Heartbreakingly sad, beautifully written and filled with edge-of-your-seat tension, A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang is a stunning exploration of war, feminine power, and the ability to endure. Inspired by the legend of Xishi, one of the famous Four Beauties of Ancient China, the story opens with Xishi washing silk in a river on…
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Emily Tsokos Purtill‘s debut novel took her ten years to write. Ten years in which she was also building a promising legal career and a family. It’s no surprise then, that family is at the heart of Matia – the story of four generations of women from a Greek Australian family. The matia of the title…
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Prolific Australian author, Anita Heiss, published her ninth novel in August, following the success of her 2021 historical fiction book, Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray (River of Dreams). Her latest book, Dirrayawadha (Rise Up) once again looks at Australian history from the perspective of First Nations characters, this time examining the Frontier Wars in Bathurst of the 1820s…
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It’s hard to summarise Western Australian author John Kinsella’s latest book – Beam of Light: Stories, save for describing the way it feels: a little uncanny, a little haunting. An anthology of short stories – most of which are extremely short, even for the genre – its atmosphere and thoughtfulness makes for a fascinating read,…
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The cosy fantasy genre is having a boom at the moment, with titles like Travis Baldree‘s Legends and Lattes setting the tone for character driven stories that don’t necessarily involve epic quests, but do involve a lot of hot drinks. Rewitched, by YouTuber Lucy Jane Wood, is the latest cosy, autumnal read to come across…
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All the Beautiful Things You Love is the second novel by journalist, Jonathan Seidler. It follows Elly, a woman in her mid-thirties, in the days and weeks following the breakdown of her marriage. She attempts to deal with the pain of losing her relationship by getting rid of all the things in their once-shared apartment…
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Gabriella Ortiz has gone by many names. General. Dolores Lazlo. La Pesadilla. Ortz. Nine Lives. Gabi. Child superweapon turned pit fighter, turned pirate, turned the Accord’s most wanted, she’s lived more than a few different lives. And she’s died a few deaths too. Havemercy Grey is, by any comparison, nobody. A Deputy Air Marshall on…
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Keshe Chow‘s hotly anticipated debut, The Girl with No Reflection, is a dark fantasy inspired by Imperial Chinese history and mythology with a steady injection of romance for good measure. Its vivid imagery, unique world-building and courtly intrigue are no doubt what had US critics praising the book long before its release here in Australia….
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Unconventional Women by Sarah Gilbert, published in July, is an impressively researched and empathetically put together biography of a group of Melbourne-based nuns. In Unconventional Women, Gilbert masterfully recounts their personal stories which span over decades of tremendous social changes in Australia between 1950 and 1970, touching on religion, women rights, historical events and much…
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Christian White’s The Ledge is a thriller-mystery about revisiting the past and not liking what you find there. Set in the fictional Victorian mountain town of West Haven, chapters alternate between the present and the past, carefully holding the tension between the two in terms of both storytelling and broader themes of nostalgia and growing…
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If you’ve been an Australian for more than about five minutes, you know some of the wild things we can get up to – legal and illegal. It’s the latter that Australia’s Most Bizarre Crimes author Dr Peter Coleman takes a deep-dive into – the weirdest and wackiest crimes that Aussies have committed over the…
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Cosy fantasy is in the midst of a bit of a boom right now, and Rebecca Thorne’s new novel Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea is an intriguing entry into the genre. Originally self-published in 2022, it follows the blossoming relationship – and the struggles of – two young women living in a fantasy world filled…
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In 1647, rector’s wife Frances Wolfreston is uneasy about a new task she has been given. England is under Puritan rule, and it is Frances’s job to record the names of those who are not attending church – those who may still be practising the Catholic faith in secret. But, Frances knows that those whose…
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Just as the world seems to be again on the verge of WWIII, Lest serves as a timely reminder of previous wars and military operations the ADF were part of. Mark Dapin, who has a PhD in military history, adopts a fresh approach of debunking popular myths around Australia’s military record, emphasising the cultural shifts…
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Dylin Hardcastle’s A Language of Limbs is a profound and compelling exploration of Queer identity set against a backdrop of 1970s and 1980s Australia. Written as part of their PhD in Creative Writing at UNSW, the narrative unfolds through two intertwined ‘limbs’, each following a distinct yet deeply connected journey of self-discovery. Beginning in 1970s…
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This Is Where You Have To Go – that is what Dunghutti woman Lynda Holden was told when she became pregnant. Directed to stay at a Catholic home for unmarried mothers, her child was taken from her and put up for adoption without her consent. Many years later, those same words have become the title…
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Readers should be advised that this book contains themes of sexual assault. Inspired by the Ancient Greek myth of Persephone and Demeter, Rachel Lyon’s sophomore novel Fruit of the Dead is an inventive tale that explores mother-daughter tensions, power plays and addiction amidst the backdrop of a billionaire’s private island. If you haven’t brushed up…
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I have to admit, I mostly picked this one up for two reasons – the title, and because I chuckled at the premise. The Hitwoman’s Guide to Reducing Household Debt, the debut novel from Mark Muposta-Russell, promised to be everything I love in a book – funny and quirky, but still full of enough heart…
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The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst is a sweet, cosy fantasy story about letting people in, building community, and making a home for oneself. Kiela has lived and worked in the Great Library in the city of Alyssium for many years. She’s sequestered in the stacks with the previous volumes that she is responsible for…
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King Richard the Third is dead, but his soul is not at peace. Guided by a quixotic raven, he makes his way through the space in between life and dead, searching for the angel who will lead him to what is next, whatever that may be. Meanwhile, at an Abbey in Oxenbridge, a monk named…
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Award-winning West Australian writer, Brooke Dunnell, published her second novel earlier this year, turning her pen to the climate crisis and modern motherhood. While her first novel, the Fogarty Literary Award winning The Glass House explored themes of aging parents and suburban life, the follow-up, Last Best Chance has a bit more of a futuristic view. Following two…
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Julia Lawrinson, known for her books for young adult and middle grade readers, has written about her own life before – albeit in a highly fictionalised way. Longtime readers of Lawrinson’s work will recognise elements of her new memoir, How to Avoid a Happy Life, released this May through Fremantle Press. And though the book itself…
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There are books where you feel like you are watching the action unfold and there are books where you feel like you are somehow part of the action. The Cautious Traveller’s Guide to the Wasteland, a historical fantasy by Sarah Brooks, is certainly one of the latter. This is largely due to its intimate setting on…
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A diary is the only place that someone writes with complete candour. So, only in a diary do we often get the truest insight into a person’s life and motivations. Dune: Exposures may be billed as a photo book, and although it’s true that Dune 2 cinematographer Greg Fraiser has taken some gorgeous photos capturing…
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