Wednesday, 7 June 2017
‘Delaney is a relatable and fearless tour guide on this journey, game enough to go to the very edge while you watch from a safe distance; there is something both...

Wednesday, 31 May 2017
‘Thirty years ago, American astronomer Carl Sagan described a photo of our planet as a blue dot: “That’s home. That’s us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone...

Wednesday, 24 May 2017
‘In a beautifully observed study of migrants who are acceptable (the Italians, the Greeks), tolerated (the Vietnamese) and deplored (the asylum seeker “flood” of the 21st century: Muslim terrorists!), Castagna...

Wednesday, 17 May 2017
‘Both the original novella and its sequel are powerful, gripping and fresh. Ward effortlessly plays around with language. Her dialogue feels authentically young and edgy, and she captures the diversity...

Wednesday, 10 May 2017
‘While each of Simpson’s novels has shown a strong connection to land and nature, this book allows her to expand her observations and concerns, and to preserve and celebrate her...

Wednesday, 3 May 2017
‘Just a year after her debut novel The Paper House was released to enthusiastic reviews, Anna Spargo-Ryan returns with another impressive novel that will have readers feeling every emotion experienced...

Thursday, 27 April 2017
‘With pieces that range from the fantastical to those grounded firmly in reality, this collection has a lot to offer its young-adult readership’ … read Bec Kavanagh’s full review here.

Thursday, 20 April 2017
‘Set in a world that’s not quite past, yet not quite future, The Last Garden is vivid, visceral and disconcerting’ … read Hilary Simmons’ full review here.

Wednesday, 12 April 2017
‘Doyle explores changing adulthood in historical, social and cultural contexts (including a piercing ongoing analysis of the role of consumer culture), helping extend the book’s appeal beyond her fellow millennials...

Wednesday, 5 April 2017
‘The Hot Guy navigates the tricky combination of chick lit and romance with exuberance. The plot is wacky, the jokes dirty, and the friendships and careers are over-the-top enough to...

Wednesday, 29 March 2017
‘Like Fiona Wright in her memoir about hunger, Small Acts of Disappearance, Friedmann doesn’t offer a conventional recovery narrative, but by experimenting with language and melding personal story and theory,...

Wednesday, 22 March 2017
‘Recalling the wit and social commentary of Julie Koh’s Portable Curiosities alongside the surreal connected-universe storytelling of Jennifer Egan’s A Visit from the Goon Squad, Rubik is a shot in...

Thursday, 16 March 2017
‘Brennan’s depiction of Garner’s fearless approach to the very difficult subjects of The First Stone, Joe Cinque’s Consolation and This House of Grief is beautifully modulated and a real triumph.’...

Wednesday, 8 March 2017
‘Remind Me How This Ends is a complex and convincing novel that doesn’t pretend to have easy answers, but offers an authentic and sympathetic pair of characters who prove that...

Wednesday, 1 March 2017
‘Every relationship between the family members is frayed, and the tension is drawn out in small conflicts over the course of the year, with characters unable to forgive past actions...

Wednesday, 22 February 2017
‘The cover blurb on Fiona Capp’s To Know My Name asks the reader, “how far would you go, for the ones you love?”. It’s a fair summary of this compelling...

Wednesday, 15 February 2017
‘While Briohny Doyle’s The Island Will Sink pushed harder on its sci-fi elements, readers of the former will appreciate Rawson’s more lyrical, magical addition to the new groundswell of stellar...

Wednesday, 8 February 2017
‘An Uncertain Grace is a powerful story told in five parts through the eyes of five characters from the present day to a post-climate-change world that is 100 years in...

Wednesday, 1 February 2017
‘Despite the many animals scurrying around, Gwyn Perkins’ paean to the beauty of the bush is both calming and celebratory’ … read Thuy On’s full review of Affirm Press’ first...

Wednesday, 25 January 2017
‘Mr Romanov’s Garden in the Sky is a delightful and compelling tale with a strong sense of contemporary multicultural Australia and a vivid cast of characters—Lexie, in particular, is an...

Wednesday, 18 January 2017
‘Goats are the new ducks, it would seem, as the successful team of Ursula Dubosarsky and Andrew Joyner (The Terrible Plop, Too Many Elephants) reunite for another round of inventive...

Wednesday, 11 January 2017
‘Written by a genderqueer author, and with a rare wealth of gender diverse characters, Ida is a landmark book in Australian YA. It is about trying to find the right...

Wednesday, 14 December 2016
‘Candice Fox, winner of two Ned Kelly Awards and co-author with the bestselling James Patterson, has unleashed another taut, gripping crime thriller that is as accomplished as her publishing history...

Wednesday, 7 December 2016
‘Fascinating, instructive and full of astute observations on race and politics, In Search of Paul Robeson will appeal to readers passionate about social justice and the history of 20th-century political movements’...

Wednesday, 30 November 2016
‘Thank You Dish is a whimsical picture book from Trace Balla, author and illustrator of Rivertime and Rockhopping. The book centres on Grace and Mama, who are thanking the people,...

Wednesday, 23 November 2016
‘Ballad for a Mad Girl is a departure of sorts for Vikki Wakefield, who is better known for writing gritty urban reality than supernatural thrillers. And yet it isn’t an...

Wednesday, 16 November 2016
‘Each story is a glimpse into the private struggles and quiet hopes of its residents, old and new. Strung together, they form a distinctly Australian allegory of urban sprawl, McMansions...

Wednesday, 9 November 2016
‘The brutal and tragic circus tales in The Trapeze Act will appeal to fans of Sara Gruen’s Water for Elephants, while the family drama and Australian history will delight any modern literature reader’...

Thursday, 3 November 2016
‘This is an intriguing collection of short stories where things are seldom what they seem and characters are preoccupied by their past actions. Shaped less by plot than by precise...

Wednesday, 26 October 2016
‘Julia Baird’s excellent and sadly out-of-print first book, Media Tarts: How the Australian Press Frames Female Politicians, was an engrossing dissection of gender, politics and power with the pace and...