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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The Girl In The Band is a tell all memoir from Australian singer, creative director and interior designer Belinda Chapple. Chapple made a name for herself as a singer, dancer and model, starting her performing career at just ten years old. She shot to stardom as a member of the award-winning and platinum-selling band Bardot….
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Broadcaster Mikey Robins has entertained many audiences over the years with his sharp tongue and trademark wit. The comedian has now written his third book, this time setting his sights on discussing some of history’s finest dolts. Idiots, Follies & Misadventures is another fun romp through the past with Robins as our guide, telling us…
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Sit, Stay, Love is the story of Sera Madden, an awkward thirty-something with a deep passion for saving animals and a love for writing. Running the always struggling animal rescue Rose’s Rescue (named after her late grandmother), Sera is comfortable with her life, which she mostly shares with her dreamy best friend, vet Toby. The…
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A book about staring down the barrel of a stage four cancer diagnosis could have made for grim reading. But beloved actor, Richard E. Grant brings his likeable nature and positive personality to the unsurprisingly-named, A Pocketful of Happiness. This memoir is a love letter to his darling wife, Joan Washington, and a reminder of…
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Comedian Tom Ballard is known for the biting social commentary in his jokes. The podcaster, former Triple J presenter and TV host has never been backward in coming forward with his political views. His new book, I, Millennial is cut from much the same cloth, as he grapples with various important issues and considers the…
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When it comes to true crime Emily Webb is something of an expert. The Melbourne-based journalist is the host of the Australian True Crime podcast along with co-host and fellow author, Meshel Laurie. Webb has also published three books on the subject matter; her latest, Suburban True Crime draws together some of the same cases…
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2022 has been a great year for settling in with a good book and escaping the world outside. We’ve reached that part of the year where we all start agonising over our ‘lists’ –best albums, best films, and of course best books. We in the Books team have looked back over the year’s releases and…
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Diane Connell’s The Improbable Life of Ricky Bird is about twelve-year-old Ricky Bird, whose life is slowly but surely falling apart during the summer that she becomes a teenager. Her parents have separated and her mother is moving Ricky and her six-year-old brother Ollie from Brixton to Camden to be closer to their mum’s boyfriend,…
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2021. We had high hopes. But it’s been another year of uncertainty and upheaval – albeit perhaps not as bad as last year. It has been another strong year for books and publishing, with some big names returning with new books: Colson Whitehead, Taylor Jenkins Reid and Sally Rooney to name just three. It’s also…
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Turns Out, I’m Fine sees comedian Judith Lucy making peace with different things in her life. The former star of The Late Show toured her comedy show, Judith Lucy versus Men across Australia in 2019. A number of the jokes and stories she told there form the basis of her latest book. Fans of her debut biography,…
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There have been a number of big commercial thrillers which explore the dangers that hide inside ordinary homes and behind seemingly innocent faces; but none have been quite so relatable to me as the debut novel by Perth-based writer, Polly Phillips. My Best Friend’s Murder follows aspiring journalist Bec, who finds herself in her thirties,…
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By now it goes without saying that 2020 has been a rough year. From wildfires to a global pandemic there has disruption and upheaval on a scale rarely, if ever, seen in “peacetime”. Pretty much every sector of society has taken a hit this year. And the publishing world, as with much of the Arts…
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Reprehensible, from comedian and broadcaster Mikey Robins, is an informative and rollicking guide through the shameful behaviour of humanity’s most celebrated figures. As Robin notes, “We are under bombardment from all of our screens, all of the time, reminding us with just one click what a dreadful time we are living through. But, here is…
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In an indeterminate future Australia where everything is run by The Department, Mim’s husband, Ben, goes missing. Unable to track him using the technology that all citizens are fitted with, members of The Department begin asking questions. They claim to be concerned for his welfare, but they take Mim’s passport and those of her two…
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A film director in Hackney with a fox problem in her garden; an escapee from a cult in Japan; a Sydney cafe-owner rekindling an old flame; an English tutor who gets too close to an oligarch; a journalist on Mars, face-to-face with his fate. These are just some of the characters and situations which readers will…
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