Summer Reading Guide 2025

SUMMER READING GUIDE

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GIFT BOOKS FOR CHRISTMAS

If Queers Weren't Meant to Have Kids … | Narelda Jacobs & Karina Natt | Illustrated by Molly Hunt | $29.99 | UQP/Penguin Written by renowned Indigenous journalist Narelda Jacobs and her communications specialist wife Karina Natt, this beautiful picture book is a loud and proud celebration of chosen family, guncles, the gaybourhood and more. It’s the perfect gift for those who see themselves in its pages – and especially those who don't!

Dog Affirmations | Andrea Cáceres | $24.99 | Bloomsbury NY-based artist Cáceres watches her dogs every day dozing, gazing, dreaming and often wonders, what are they thinking about? In this delightful, fully illustrated book, Andrea takes us on an imaginative journey into the world of dogs, each page filled with positivity, humour, and a deep understanding of the special bond between humans and their canine companions.

Hot Victorians | Aaron RadfordWattley | $39.99 | Hachette Feast your eyes upon the most gentlemanly brows, chiselled jawlines and tightest abs of the Victorian and Edwardian eras.

This book is a brazen celebration of the finest men from the late 19th century to the early 20th. Each entry includes a swoon-worthy picture and a dating profile … and while these 70 delightful chaps may be long gone, you’ll find that chivalry is far from dead.

Mullets | Nick Sharratt | $16.99 | Penguin Let's spend a while on Mullet Isle!

Why? Because everyone there has SPECIAL hair! This entertaining book is a rollicking rhyming celebration of the mighty mullet, and the perfect gift for the mullet-lover in your life. A HAIRlarious look at the hairstyle of legends by award-winning writer and illustrator Nick Sharratt.

Darker Than the Sun | Matthew Field & Ajay Chowdhury | $55.00 | Murdoch Through stunning images of reallife locations, glimpses of film sets and detailed maps, this book will transport any Bond fan to the exotic locations featured in the most iconic Bond movies. This is not just a collection, it's a vibrant cinematic journey, an atlas of adventure and a treasure trove of Bond lore.

Physics for Cats | Tom Gauld | $34.99 | Allen & Unwin Tom Gauld is as important to any self-respecting scientist as their lab coat. Find out what the hadron's news alert about CERN says! Find out the answer to ‘How is dark matter?’ Note: based on previous data, it has been predicted with 99.99% certainty that you will either laugh, guffaw, chortle or snort at this latest collection.

The Hiding Place | Kate Mildenhall | $34.99 | Simon & Schuster Lou convinces her sister and friends to buy an abandoned mining town, seeing it as the perfect getaway. Then things start to go wrong and by the end of the group’s first stay, someone is dead. At first, hiding a body seems easier than keeping secrets, but even in the bush, it’s hard to remain unseen … and what’s buried comes to the surface.

The Transformations | Andrew Pippos | $34.99 | Picador The National newspaper is an institution – but not for long.

When its subeditor George encounters unorthodox reporter Cassandra Gwan, their carefully managed worlds begin to unravel. As their beloved paper declines, they struggle to balance their turbulent relationship with other pressing responsibilities.

Here, Pippos examines grief, guilt and change with deft wit.

The Heir Apparent | Rebecca Armitage | $34.99 | Harper Collins Lexi Villiers is a young Englishwoman doing her medical residency in Hobart. It's a good life and she has found a man to love. But Lexi is, in fact, Princess Alexandrina – third in line to the British throne. Following a terrible accident, Lexi, the family’s black sheep, becomes the heir apparent and she is called back to London. There, she finds the Palace riven with power plays and media leaks. With the Crown just within her grasp, Lexi must choose what bonds she will keep ... and what she is willing to leave behind.

Dirt Trap | Michael Burge | $34.99 | NewSouth Books Journalist James Brandt never talks about the homophobic attacks he exposed in his hometown. But the state’s historical gay-hate crime inquiry brings the notorious Joneses back to town, now professing to be queer allies. One of them is soon found dead – and James is accused. To flush out the culprit, James must expose the town’s every secret – including his own.

Eros | Zoe Terakes | $29.99 | Hachette Eros is a stunning collection of short stories, grounded in truth and coloured with dazzling imagination and alluring, unpredictable mystery.

Revealing how queerness, nature and myth have been intertwined for eternity, they tell of gods and goddesses, of Zeus, Eurydice, Hermaphroditus, and Icarus before he flew into the sun; and of queer life, lust, revenge, wrath, passion, sex, yearning, love and loss. Some transformations span across a lifetime, and others, an evening. Here, perspectives will shift, houses will burn and lovers will learn their fate.

AUSTRALIAN FICTION HIGHLIGHTS

The Underworld | Sofie Laguna | $34.99 | Penguin Martha Mullins is a misfit. She is fascinated by the underworld of Roman mythology; to her, its divine inhabitants provide a place of refuge and imagination. But she also finds joy in her friends – until things go wrong. How will Martha find her way in the world where she cannot be herself? Miles Franklin Award-winning author Sofie Laguna’s much awaited new novel is funny, brave and insightful.

FICTION HIGHLIGHTS

The Matchbox Girl | Alice Jolly | $32.99 | Bloomsbury Adelheid Brunner does not speak. She writes and draws instead and her ambition is to own 1000 matchboxes. Then she meets Dr Asperger, who lets children play all day and recognises the importance of matchboxes. He invites Adelheid to his paediatric clinic in Vienna, where she and other children like herself will live under observation. But it is 1938 and Nazis soon march into the city … When the clinic's children begin disappearing, Adelheid starts to suspect that some of Dr Asperger's games are played for the highest stakes. In order to survive, she must play a game whose rules she cannot yet understand.

Flat Earth | Anika Jade Levy | $32.99 | Hachette Avery is flailing financially and emotionally.

Struggling with graduate school and cultural reports she should be writing, she dates older men for money, and others for the oblivion they offer. Desperate, she takes a job at a rightwing dating app. Her wealthy best friend, Frances, drops out of grad school, gets married and finishes an experimental documentary. Her triumphant return to New York sends vulnerable Avery into a tailspin, pushing her to make a series of dangerous decisions.

The Sunflower Boys | Sam Wachman | $34.99 | Harper Collins In many ways, 12-year-old Artem’s life in Ukraine is normal. He helps his grandfather, draws, and swims with his little brother, Yuri. In secret, Artem wrestles with romantic feelings for his best friend, Viktor. In a country where love between two boys is unthinkable, Artem worries that his life will never be normal. Then one night, Artem and Yuri are woken by explosions. The invading Russians destroy their home, kill their mother and grandfather, and leave the boys to fend for themselves. Fleeing in hope of reuniting with their father who lives in America, the brothers traverse the country their ancestors once fought and died for. Surrounded by death and destruction, Artem is certain of one thing – whatever may come, he must keep himself and his brother alive.

In the Green Heart | Richard Lloyd Parry | $34.99 | Penguin Random House Kit and Lara live in a tropical rainforest with their baby daughter. Their idyl is destroyed when they hear that violence is looming across the border. Kit unwittingly holds evidence of the world-shattering event that is unfolding outside. He is soon separated from Lara, and, with war erupting, Kit is forced to flee with his daughter through the forest, pursued by a ruthless and determined army. Caught between rival powers, Kit must keep his baby alive while protecting the secret his pursuers will kill to get their hands on.

One Aladdin Two Lamps | Jeanette Winterson | $39.99 | Random House With her execution looming, a woman is fighting for her life. Every night, she tells a story. Every morning, she lives one more day.

Winterson’s new novel cracks open the legendary tale of Shahrazad to reveal questions and answers we are still thinking about today. Weaving together fiction, magic and memoir, this remarkable book is a tribute to the age-old tradition of storytelling, an invitation to look more closely at our own stories and to imagine the world anew.

Vulture | Phoebe Greenwood | $34.99 | Allen & Unwin Ambitious journalist Sara is sent to cover the war in Gaza. When her fixer refuses to set up the dangerous story she thinks will win her a front page, she turns to a powerful militant family to prove herself, even if it means bringing disaster upon those around her.

Vulture is a fast-paced satire of the war news industry and a tragicomic coming-of-age novel.

Service | John Tottenham | $34.99 | Allen & Unwin Sean is a frustrated bookseller. He spends his days drowning in his sense of contempt – for LA, for its readers, for its casual disdain for service. And what, or whom, is he serving anyway? Biting, hilarious and self-aware, this debut novel is a razor-sharp dissection of the modern scourges of gentrification, male vanity, jealousy and the worth of literature in a digital age.

The Bitter Water of the Lake | Guilia Caminito | Translated by Hope Campbell Gustafson | $27.99 | NewSouth Books Gaia's family moves to a lakeside town hoping for a new life. Each of them bears their own scars: Gaia's mother wishes to secure her children’s futures; her father suffers bitterly after an accident; her anarchist brother rebels; and her young brothers witness the family’s decay. Gaia makes two friends, but she is convinced she will always be an outsider. When tragedy strikes and her friends slip away, Gaia vows to make the world pay for all it has denied her.

Every One Still Here | Liadan Ní Chuinn | $29.99 | Allen & Unwin A young girl spends her days on a double-decker bus. A bride-to-be prays to St Valentine's bones.

Bouquets are found all over a museum. Brimming with compassion and energy, these stories are scrupulous in their attention to detail, epic in their scope. In this bravura debut, Chuinn delivers a consummate blend of the personal and political.

The Two Roberts | Damian Barr | $39.99 | Allen & Unwin Scotland, 1933. Bobby MacBryde leaves the boot factory for the Glasgow School of Art and meets Robert Colquhoun, the man who will shape his life. As their secret love and artistic ambitions grow, they journey from Glasgow to Paris and London, shining brightly among figures like Lucian Freud and Francis Bacon before burning out too soon. The Two Roberts is a moving reimagining of MacBryde and Colquhoun’s bond, a story of art, love, and the cost of brilliance.

FICTION HIGHLIGHTS

The Eleventh Hour | Salman Rushdie | $34.99 | Penguin Random House These five dazzling stories are the reckoning with mortality that we all must one day make, and speak deeply to what Salman Rushdie has come from and through.

Rushdie ponders on life, death, legacy and identity with the insight and boundless imagination that have made him one of the most celebrated writers of our time.

OUR BOOKS OF THE MONTH 2025

The Lamb | Lucy Rose | $34.99 | Hachette An absurd yet touching novel about a mother-daughter cannibal duo is, fittingly, as tender as the flesh they cook into stews. Set in a rural English countryside, the story follows Margot’s troubles with adolescence along with her and her mother’s insatiable appetites. As they trick meals (people) into their home, Margot becomes increasingly distressed with their diets, and her mother’s new lover promises even more problems for Margot (and her flesh). Beneath the layers of absurdity, this novel touched me with its striking reflections on complicated parental relationships, social difference and loneliness. You will be unable to look away from this story filled with so much love and such terrible heartbreak.

– Angus

We Do Not Part | Han Kang | $39.99 | Penguin My fascination with Jeju Island (which began many years ago after reading Lisa See’s The Island of Sea Women), together with my absolute adoration for everything Han Kang writes, drew me to We Do Not Part immediately. Told in alternating voices, we follow the friendship between two women who take on artistic pursuits and work to memorialise a massacre which occurred in Korea in 1948. It is both a vivid and lucid story, and explores the personal and public contexts of such a horrific, historic event. Although a far cry from the cosy literature currently being translated from Korean, this was still a gentle, soothing read. – Steph

Good Girl | Aria Aber | $32.99 | Bloomsbury Nila lives in Berlin; not the Berlin of sky high ceilings and cafes but one she describes as a ghetto. The child of Afghan refugees, she admires Nan Goldin, thinks that cheerfulness indicates a lack of dignity, and is hellbent on running herself into the ground to escape her loneliness and heritage. Navigating her shame and identity in a post-9/11 world and the racism dominating Germany, Nila is trying her best to discover what it means to be a good girl, both with her family and in society. Aber crafts her sentences in a way that will make you catch your breath. You’ll find yourself gritting your teeth at all of Nila’s mistakes (there are so many) and yet rooting for her to come to terms with herself.

– Lexie

Painting Portraits of Everyone I've Ever Dated | Joseph Earp | $34.99 | Hardie Grant We love a local debut! Especially one as funny and sharply observed as Joe’s. Ellie has always wanted to be a painter – and it actually seems to be happening. Off the back of a big prize win, she decides her next project will be painting portraits of her exes. What follows is a novel that beautifully represents the intersection of two of my favourite micro-genres: women artists and slightly insane women. I find it hard to trust not-women authors to write ‘difficult’ women, but Ellie is authentically and precisely petty, hysterical and root-for-able. Within the first few pages I’d laughed out loud multiple times, and exhaled sharply through my nose with a regularity that was probably concerning to outside witnesses.

– Leona

Rejection | Tony Tulathimutte | $36.99 | HarperCollins There's a certain level of bravery in committing to creating repulsive characters.

Tony Tulathimutte showcases the very worst traits of society, ranging from incels to kink shame to the death spirals that happen in a group chat after you've made a fool of yourself. These interconnected short stories are biting, graphic and filled with disdain, and while nobody escapes Tulathimutte's ire, the real victims are the tech-bros who are chronically online. While it would be easy to dismiss Rejection as scathing and critical, it is a bit of all of us and touches on the perils of vulnerability. This is the quintessential American work of fiction and essential for anyone who has ever been online.

– Lexie

Pan | Michael Clune | $34.99 | Random House I know that authors blurbing books may not be indicator of anything at all, but seeing as Ben Lerner and Maggie Nelson appeared on the cover of Pan, I immediately paid attention. Clune has managed the amazing feat of making a story about a 15year-old boy having panic attacks funny. Actually funny. Because, of course, teenagers equate panic attacks to the Greek god Pan. Parents are absent and merely plot drivers to ensure the characters get home on time, teachers are inconveniences, the lights are coloured, and perhaps reading Ivanhoe in a single sitting without stopping will help cure the main character’s anxiety. Clune revels in the mundanity of high school and teenage crushes, and his writing evokes Lerner’s The Topeka School – just with a few more paper bags to breathe into.

– Lexie Discipline | Randa Abdel-Fattah | $34.99 | Allen & Unwin Randa Abdel-Fattah is a prolific and incredibly accomplished Palestinian–Egyptian author who has stood at the forefront of the Palestinian movement for as long as I can remember. Discipline is her first novel for adults and needless to say, it is a really, really important book. Set in Sydney (I love reading fiction set in Sydney!), we follow university academic Ashraf and a young journalist named Hannah in the wake of the arrest of a Year 12 student from an Islamic school during a protest.

This local story, set against the backdrop of the intensifying genocide in Gaza, is an unflinching critique of both the media and academia, and, most importantly, is an urgent call to action and a reminder of why we absolutely cannot – and should not – be silent.

– Steph The Four Spent the Day Together | Chris Kraus | $35.00 | Scribe Chris Kraus, of I Love Dick renown, returns with her first novel in a decade in The Four Spent the Day Together. Written in three linked parts, the novel intergenerationally traces the life of author Catt Greene, culminating in the investigation of a teenage murder. Gently autofictional, as is Kraus’s style, The Four Spent the Day Together functions as a quasi-ethnography of 2010s USA with a particular focus on Minnesota’s Iron Ranges. It’s as multilayered as Catt herself, with observation wrapped up in character wrapped up in melancholy wrapped up in humour. Kraus touches on the peculiarities of our obligations to ourselves and others, and the irritating insistence of these obligations on taking place in the real world.

– Leona

TonyInterruptor | Nicola Barker | $29.99 | Allen & Unwin The first thing that I noticed about TonyInterrupter is how many parentheses there are. (Barker is truly a woman after my own heart.) The second was just how damn funny this book is. This book is funny. Kicked off by an ‘interruption’, TonyInterrupter is a sprawling jumble of characters; everyone knows everyone, there is an Anders Danielsen Lie lookalike, and the resident teen is very concerned about the responsibilities of investigation for her quarter of a million followers.

Barker lovingly mocks her characters (including their main-character energy), and compels them to stop framing the world in reference to art, meaning and ideas, and to instead be real – if that is even possible.

– Lexie

OUR BOOKS OF THE MONTH 2025

When Sleeping Women Wake | Emma Pei Yin | $32.99 | Hachette I read Jung Chang’s Wild Swans as a child and become completely captivated by the history of East Asia, so much so that I wound up studying Chinese history and reading every historical fiction novel about the region that I could get my hands on.

And yet, Emma Pei Yin’s When Sleeping Women Wake taught me so much, had me captivated from start to finish, and is a completely unique take on the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong during WWII. We follow three extraordinary women (mother, daughter and their maid) who become separated during the conflict, and each must forge their own path under the brutal regime. A story of resistance and resilience, with a bit of much needed romance, this is a masterful debut! – Steph

CRIME / SCI-FI HIGHLIGHTS

Samurai Detectives: Vol 1 | Shōtarō Ikenami | Translated by Yui Kajita | $26.99 | Penguin It’s been 6 months since Akiyama Daijiro became a samurai – and since he left his father Kohei to set up his own blade school. But as he waits patiently for his first disciple, his serenity is disrupted by the visit of a mysterious samurai with an dishonourable offer – in exchange for a vast sum of gold, he must attack the daughter of the Shogun's most senior counsellor. Troubled by the proposal, Daijiro, alongside his father and Mifuyu, a female warrior without match, set out into the underworld of Edo-era Japan to uncover the conspiracy, before quickly finding themselves embroiled in a series of increasingly perilous adventures …

There is No Antimemetics Division | qntm | $34.99 | Random House Welcome to the Antimemetics Division. No, this is not your first day … An antimeme is an entity with self-censoring properties. Some are benign; but others, less so. These entities can feed on your most cherished memories, and you'll never even know anything has changed. And they aren't just feeding on us; they're invading. So how do you contain something you can't record or remember? How do you fight against an enemy with effortless, perfect camouflage, when you can never even know that you're at war?

The Murder at World's End | Ross Montgomery | $34.99 | Penguin Cornwall, 1910. On a remote island, the Viscount of Tithe Hall is absorbed in feverish preparations for the apocalypse that he believes will accompany the passing of Halley's Comet, and the Hall must be sealed from top to bottom. But by morning, the pompous Viscount will be dead in his sealed study, murdered by his own crossbow.

All eyes turn to Stephen Pike, the new under-butler. He is the wrong man in the wrong place at the wrong time. His unlikely ally? Miss Decima Stockingham, the foul-mouthed, sharp as a tack, 80-year-old family matriarch. Fearless and unconventional, she relishes chaos and puzzles alike, and a murder is just the thrill she's been waiting for.

Together, this mismatched duo must navigate secret passages, buried grudges and rising terror to unmask the killer before it's too late … Downton Abbey meets Knives Out in this gripping new crime series.

King Sorrow | Joe Hill | $34.99 | Hachette Bookish dreamer Arthur Oakes is a student at Rackham College, Maine. His idyll – and burgeoning romance with Gwen Underfoot – is shattered when local drug dealers force him to steal rare and valuable books from the college library. Desperate, Arthur turns to his friends for help: irrepressible Colin, brave Alison, battling twins Donna and Donovan, and brainy Gwen. Together they dream up a fantastical scheme: to summon King Sorrow to kill those tormenting Arthur. But the six make a deadly bargain – they learn they must choose a new sacrifice for King Sorrow each year or one of them will die. Unleashing consequences they can neither predict nor control, this promise will shape and endanger their lives in ways they could never expect.

The Everlasting | Alix E. Harrow | $34.99 | Macmillan Sir Una Everlasting was Dominion’s greatest hero: the orphaned girl who became a knight, who died for queen and country. Her legend lives on but her life has been forgotten.

Centuries later, scholar Owen Mallory falls in love with her story, and it eventually takes him to the past. Una and Owen are bound to retell the same tale over and over again, no matter what it costs; but that story always ends the same way. If they want to rewrite Una’s legend, they’ll have to rewrite history itself.

Attention | Anne Enright | $36.99 | Random House Anne Enright has aways been alert to places where public and private meet. These essays take us from Dublin to Galway, Canada to Honduras, and through voices, bodies and time. They delve into Enright's own family history, and explore the free voices and controlled bodies of women in society and fiction. An electrifying, probing and exuberant collection.

The Book of Memory | Mark Rowlands | $29.99 | Allen & Unwin Each time we revisit our memories, they can soften, consolidate or distort. Yet they also carry the blueprint of our unique style. From episodic and forgotten memories to the memories authored by others that we carry within us, Rowlands explores our negotiations with the past and how memory makes us who we are.

Book of Lives | Margaret Atwood | $69.99 | Penguin Margaret Atwood, one of the greatest writers of our time, tells of her unfettered and nomadic childhood, much of it spent in northern Quebec.

She goes on to link key moments of her life to the books that have shaped our literary landscape. In pages alive with the natural world, literature, political turning points and her love for the writer Graeme Gibson, we meet poets, bears and film stars. In exploring her past, Atwood reveals the connections between real life and art that fuel her astonishing writing.

Dead and Alive | Zadie Smith | $36.99 | Penguin In this new collection, Smith takes a close look at artists, writers and musicians. She invites us along to the movies; on a walk down Kilburn High Road; and considers changes of government on both sides of the Atlantic. Throughout this thrilling ride, Smith shows us her ability to think critically and humanely about some of the most urgent issues of our troubled times.

The Slicks | Maggie Nelson | $22.99 | Random House Here, Maggie Nelson positions culturedominating superstar Taylor Swift and feminist cult icon Sylvia Plath as twin hosts of the female urge toward wanting hard, working hard and pouring forth – and as twinned targets of patriarchy's ancient urge to disparage, trivialise and demonise such prolific, intimate output.

The result is a heady, inspired treatise and unexpected celebration of two iconic female poets by one of the most revered and influential critics of her generation.

ESSAYS HIGHLIGHTS

Transcendence for Beginners | Clare Carlisle | $26.99 | Allen & Unwin Here, Carlisle examines life writing and philosophy across certain European and Indian traditions, exploring questions of childhood, mortality, art, religion, beauty and loss. Informed by her own experiences, Carlisle asks what one human existence can reveal, and how writing can transmit its truth.

OUR ILF BOOKS OF THE MONTH 2025

A Piece of Red Cloth | Leonie Norrington, Merrkiyawuy Ganambarr-Stubbs, Djawa Burarrwanga & Djawundil Maymuru | $34.99 | Allen & Unwin Set in 1600s pre-colonial Arnhem Land, this immersive novel transports the reader into the lives of the Yolŋu people and their (mostly peaceful) trade with the Macassans of Indonesia. The authors vividly evoke the daily life of the Yolŋu, and the connections they have with Country and each other. Tension mounts when an unscrupulous Macassan threatens a young woman’s honour, bringing the Yolŋu’s strength (particularly that of the extraordinary women) to the fore.

– Sylvia

Spirit of the Crocodile | Aaron Fa’Aoso & Michelle Scott Tucker with Lyn White | $19.99 | Allen & Unwin It’s so exciting to have an ILF pick written by authors of Torres Strait Islander descent, especially considering what great work they’re doing in the region on language revitalisation. Set on Saibai, the story follows 12-year-old Ezra who has a special connection to crocodiles and is facing the responsibilities that come with growing up, particularly as climate change threatens the island. This charming coming-of-age story is perfect for late primary/early high school readers and bridges that tricky gap between kids and young adult books perfectly!

– Steph

I am Nannertgarrook | Tasma Walton | $34.99 | Simon & Schuster The experiences of Tasma Walton’s ancestor forms the moving celebration of maternal love that endures amidst great suffering in I am Nannertgarrook.

Abducted from an idyllic life in Nerrm, Nannertagarrook is separated from her family, Country and culture, gives birth to a son and raises him with the children of her fellow captives. Faced with this cruel reality, Walton elevates and, at times, transcends Nannertgarrook’s suffering through beautiful prose, allowing us to consider the unwavering resilience and spirit of First Nations peoples within colonial history.

– Arabella

Not Telling | Alison J. Barton | $27.00 | Simon & Schuster This new book of poetry is a compelling metaphor for cultural silence and its ongoing effects. Alison J. Barton’s debut poetry collection tells, through its nonlinearity and bold depictions, of the deep-seeded realities of colonial dispossession, its ongoing legacy and the legacy of those who continue to feel the weight of their own survival. In examining inter-generational grief, loss, a disruption of cultural practice and community, Not Telling offers a unique perspective on the invasion of Australia.

– Francesca

Melaleuca | Angie Faye Martin | $34.99 | HarperCollins Aboriginal policewoman Renee Taylor is back in her hometown. When there’s a murder down by the creek, she leads the investigation and discovers connections to disappearances that happened thirty years ago. Renee is a total badass, expressing the vital determination of a woman in a male-dominated field, only strengthened by what she’s had to put up with to get there.

Flashbacks to the earlier cases help to create an emotional link to the current one and the characters. I grew up in a rural town and I found this story really encapsulated that experience. Melaleuca recognises racial injustice, Indigenous history and intergenerational trauma while being gritty and atmospheric. – Ruby

Yilkari | Nicolas Rothwell & Alison Nampitjinpa Anderson | $34.99 | Text Publishing How to describe this unusual, inspiring and symphonic piece of work? Writer Rothwell and artist Nampitjinpa Anderson have combined their talents to create a feast for the senses that explores the beauty, danger, exhilaration and music of the desert landscape. As the unnamed narrator speaks and travels with friends and strangers (both traditional owners and colonisers) and an irascible Siberian searching for meaning, a vivid picture is painted of the physical, spiritual and philosophical regions they traverse, often across time and possibly even space. For me, the writing created a mesmerising world just at my fingertips yet untouchable, and left me yearning to experience the characters’ unknowable realm. – Sylvia

How Big Is Love? | Carl Merrison & Hakea Hustler | Illustrations by Jade Goodwin | $24.99 | Lothien/Hachette | 3+ Two family members embark on a journey through time and place as a result of one question: how big is love? Love knows no bounds, they say, but sometimes we need a little reminder from those closest to us that, forever and always, this statement will stay true. With reflections of Aboriginal culture, this beautifully heartfelt story brings out the best of our biggest emotions by showing us the infinite ways we love one another.

A perfect gift for your most loved family and friends.

– Adina

Arsenic Flower | Dakota Feirer | $26.99 | Hachette Dakota Feirer’s debut collection is both tender and ferocious, a body of poems that pulse with rhythm and history. As a Bundjalung and Gumbaynggirr man, Feirer writes with a voice grounded in Country and Ancestors. Speaking of stolen Country, poisoned waterholes, broken promises, and drawing on the rhythms of lo-fi hip-hop, the poems feel alive! Feirer’s exploration of blak masculinity is raw and unflinching. Arsenic Flower was unsettling and haunting, but also honouring, remembering and insisting on truth. Feirer has crafted something deeply personal yet universally resonant, a collection I know I’ll return to again.

– Steph

The Art of Kaylene Whiskey | Edited by Natalie King and Iwantja Arts | $90.00 | Thames & Hudson Kaylene Whiskey’s first major monograph is a dazzling celebration of colour, culture, and joy! She is one of my absolute favourite artists to check out at the Archibald (having been featured in the prize three times already). Kaylene’s paintings are a unique mash-up of pop culture icons like Dolly Parton, Tina Turner and Wonder Woman with her own Aṉangu community in Central Australia, using comic-book text bubbles and playful imagery to explore female power and identity in a uniquely Aboriginal context. Not since Vincent Namatjira’s stunning monograph (also by Thames & Hudson) have I been this excited about an art book – and I so loved being in Kaylene’s world! – Steph

OUR ILF BOOKS OF THE MONTH 2025

The Pearl of Tagai Town | Lenora Thaker | $34.99 | Text Publishing The Pearl of Tagai Town tells the story of the triumph of Pearl, a young Torres Strait Islander woman living in a shantytown on the north-eastern coast of Australia. Amidst the perils and tribulations of World War II, Pearl strives for a place in the wider world. Eventually, she finds both work and romance. When her lover, Teddy, suddenly enlists in the army, Pearl gets more than she bargained for and must embark on a quest to recover the child she had with him.

– Arabella

NON-FICTION HIGHLIGHTS

Legenda | Janina Ramirez | $36.99 | Penguin Random House Professor Janina Ramirez looks at history to examine how the identities of women have been co-opted by those intent on crafting national identities. Their names and achievements might be well known, but medieval greats, such as Joan of Arc and Lady Godiva, have often been misrepresented, and 18th and 19thcentury women who blazed through revolutionary Europe have been forgotten.

Questioning established narratives, Ramirez shines a light on how history is often hijacked to serve the ideological and political interests of the present.

Looking from the North | Henry Reynolds | $34.99 | NewSouth Books As a teacher of Australian history in the 1960s, Reynolds realised there was little on northern Australia and First Nations peoples.

In attempting to remedy this, he unexpectedly transformed Australian history. Here, he explores colonisation in the north. In telling of the European, Chinese, Japanese and Pacific Islander people vital to the settlement of the area, Reynolds argues that this colonisation was a very different venture to that of the south – and can provide profoundly important lessons for the world we live in today.

Liars, Cheats and Copycats | James O'Hanlon | $34.99 | NewSouth Books There's the deadly praying mantis that looks like an innocent pink flower; the assassin bug that strums spider webs to lure in a tasty snack; the cuttlefish that changes colour to hide its romantic intentions. To understand how these creatures swindle their way to the top, Liars, Cheats and Copycats reveals the science behind camouflage, mimicry and masquerade. Taking readers on a journey from tropical rainforests to the darkness of deep ocean trenches, James O'Hanlon explores how animals and plants use deception to avoid predators, lure in prey and even reproduce. From creatures that disappear in front of your eyes to ones that misdirect their foes like masterful magicians, there are endless ways that animals can swindle their way to survival.

Bread Of Angels | Patti Smith | $34.99 | Bloomsbury God whispers through a crease in the wallpaper, writes Patti Smith in this indelible account of her life as an artist.

This radiant new memoir covers Smith’s childhood and teen years, when the first glimmers of her art took hold; her time of devotion and adventure with her one true love Fred Sonic Smith; and the profound losses and grief she experience in adult life, braided together with gratitude and her care for her children. She tells of rebuilding her life and her return to writing – the one constant in a life driven by artistic freedom and the power of the imagination to transform the mundane into the beautiful, the commonplace into the magical and pain into hope.

The Mushroom Tapes | Helen Garner, Chloe Hooper & Sarah Krasnostein | $36.99 | Text Publishing Garner, Hooper and Krasnostein tracked Erin Patterson's preliminary hearings and trial, joined the media scrum at the Latrobe Valley Law Courts, slept over in Morwell and spent hours in fervent discussion of the case and the themes it raises: love, hate, jealousy, revenge, marriage, money, mycology and murder. The Mushroom Tapes is a true crime book like no other, an unputdownable record of the writers' private conversations about their impressions from inside the courtroom.

No is Not a Lonely Utterance| Sara Ahmed | $55.00 | Penguin Speaking up about racism or sexual harassment and complaining to an institution can be isolating and leave the original injustice unresolved.

These unanswered complaints can compound to disastrous effect.

Ahmed reveals how institutions create hostile environments that stigmatise complainers, and charts a way to go beyond validation and instead seek to address the root causes of injustice and inequality.

So You Want to Own Greenland? | Elizabeth Buchanan | $34.99 | NewSouth Books For centuries, Greenland has been a frontier for human exploration and empire. Buchanan delves into the island’s rich history and complex politics, revealing how it has shaped and been shaped by the world. She also examines why Greenland now finds itself at the centre of a renewed 'great game' – and why President Trump wants to own it.

Not Quite White in the Head | Melissa Lucashenko | $45.00 | Penguin Novelist Melissa Lucashenko’s timely collection of essays and journalism spans two turbulent decades of her work. With her trademark wit and wisdom, she reflects on being caught in a siege, on the marginalised lives of prisoners and the urban poor, on Blak identity, Australian literature and on meeting her writing idol. Her non-fiction, like her novels, is deeply engaged with politics, activism, culture and social (in)justice, and invites us into the conversations that truly matter.

The Seven Rules of Trust | Jimmy Wales | $34.99 | Bloomsbury When Wales founded Wikipedia, he changed the landscape of knowledge for ever. Now, in our 'post-truth' era, he reminds us of the importance of trust: without trust, we have no knowledge, and without knowledge, we can't fight back. Here he presents the clear, actionable rules he has developed over decades for building trust in business, leadership and life.

How to Live an Artful Life | Katy Hessel | $36.99 | Random House Gathered from interviews, conversations, books and talks, the text of this book moves through the months of the year offering up thoughts, reflections and encouragement from artists such as Marina Abramovic, Nan Goldin, Lubaina Himid, Louise Bourgeois and more. A year with these artists’ words offers a promise of work yet to be written, paintings yet to be painted, people yet to be met. It asks the reader to pay attention, see the world anew, and, above all, to live life to the full – and artfully.

NON-FICTION HIGHLIGHTS

The Philosopher in the Valley | Michael Steinberger | $36.99 | Simon & Schuster This software firm Palantir sells some of the most powerful and dangerous technology in the world.

Journalist Steinberger delves deeply into the company and the motivations of its CEO, Alex Karp, highlighting the risks to privacy and civil liberties that come with big data. Can we get the good without the bad? And if not, what then?

SUMMER STAFF PICKS

Chosen Family | Madeleine Gray | $34.99 | Simon & Schuster Set over eighteen years in Sydney, brilliant and chaotic Nell and Eve grow into themselves, into each other and into various absences.

Familiarly appointed bars and mouldy Inner West sharehouses set the scene for their delicate emotional metastasising, humanised by Gray’s ripper sense of humour. Smart, hot, and characterful.

– Leona

The Rot | Evelyn Araluen | $34.99 | UQP/Penguin The Rot is an uncompromising collection that confronts the death of Country, death on Country and the violent legacies of settler colonialism everywhere. Araluen’s poetry pulses with rage, grief and unflinching honesty, refusing to comfort while demanding reflection. A powerful testament to resistance, girlhood and the urgency for a better world. – Steph

The Woman Dies | Aoko Matsuda | Translated by Polly Barton | $29.99 | Allen & Unwin Zipping between purity culture, stereotypes, housewives dissecting misogyny, the glorification of violence against women, and much more, this book is a kaleidoscopic amalgamation of short stories and flash fiction, ideal for reading on a commute rather than in a single sitting. – Lexie

The Wax Child | Olga Ravn | $35.00 | Penguin Ravn portrays a unique narrator – a wax child filled with the hair of those fated for harm – and guides us through accusations of witchcraft and one of the most haunting scenes I’ve ever read.

The line between allegory and real magic blurs, and Ravn’s rhythmic, poetic language begs to be read aloud.

– Lexie

Sheepdogs | Elliot Ackerman | $34.99 | Penguin The world of CIA paramilitary operations is perfect fodder for this staggeringly twisted heist caper.

Who, exactly, is the operative known only as ‘Sheepdog’? What does an antique dinner plate have to do with the shadow war near Ukraine? How does a Force Recon Marine earn the nickname ‘Dickhead Mike’? Only Ackerman has the answers.

– Connor

On Friendship | Andrew O'Hagan | $24.99 | Allen & Unwin This collection explores the ways people come together, laugh together and cry together. They are cute reflections on the author’s own experiences and the value of personal connections. One of my goals for the year was to love and be closer with my friends, and these essays were an important reminder of cherishing those close to me.

– Angus

As Many Souls as Stars | Natasha Siegal | $32.99 | Bloomsbury A richly dark and gothic tale set in 16th century Suffolk. Between a cursed bloodline, soul bargains with a demon and an all-consuming sapphic love story, there’s plenty to sink your teeth into. I love a gothic romance that isn’t afraid to show darkness, conflict, obsession AND possession. I also loved the groundedness of the historical yet mystical magic system. A thoroughly satisfying read.

– Ruby

Benbecula | Graeme Macrae Burnet | $32.99 | Text Publishing In this short, sharp and rigorously researched historical crime novel, we follow Angus MacPhee, tormented by the murder of his parents by his brother, as he recounts the harrowing crime while grappling with his own sanity. The brevity of Macrae’s retelling is its strength, remaining effortlessly thrilling and absurd throughout.

This is one of the most riveting books I’ve read in 2025. – Hugh

The Lucky Ride | Yasushi Kitagawa | Translated by Takami Nieda | $27.99 |Harper Collins Shuichi feels overwhelmed and luckless – until a series of mysterious taxi rides teaches him that ‘luck’ is not a random gift but the result of good decisions and deeds. Told with warmth and simplicity, this novel is a reminder that kindness pays off, and positivity is far more valuable than a physical fortune. – Francesca

Apple and Knife | Intan Paramaditha | $24.99 | Penguin Random House This collection of short stories is a big, beautiful, mushy pile of terrifying myths, vengeance and feminism. Set in Indonesia, it showcases the many 'horrors' of being a woman. Unapologetically authentic, Paramaditha rethinks the ways women can be portrayed in literature. This book was incredibly unsettling and bizarre, but also satisfying and unique.

– Adina

The Anthony Bourdain Reader | Anthony Bourdain | $34.99 | Bloomsbury In many ways, this book made me sad as it reads like a eulogy to Bourdain written in his own hand.

Yet the language plays with all five senses and crams flavour into the mundane things of life. Bourdain’s appetite extended far beyond food; ultimately this is his life-affirming memento mori that reminds us to seize the day.

– Arabella

SUMMER STAFF PICKS

The Silver Book | Olivia Laing | $34.99 | Penguin This seductive, immersive queer love story is set against the fraught political and social landscape of 1970s Italy. It follows Nicholas, an English artist, and costume and set designer Danilo. A fictionalised retelling of real events, The Silver Book explores power, truth, violence, desire and the role of art in making sense of it all. It’s also a richly rendered dive into the world of Italian cinema.

– Carolina

COOKING / LIFESTYLE HIGHLIGHTS

Something from Nothing | Alison Roman | $49.99 | Hardie Grant Alison Roman’s new book offers simple, smart, timeless recipes that rely on a home cook's best kept secret: a well-stocked pantry.

Making the most of food staples, Alison shows you how to cook as she does – loosely, intuitively and with maximum flavour. With each recipe you’ll fall deeper in love with the magic of pantry cooking by using flavourful, hardworking ingredients.

Lucky Dragon Supper Club | Stephanie Feher | $39.99 | Murdoch Feher created the LDSC to share her culinary adventures online.

Since then, it’s evolved to inspire people to eat good food and celebrate community. These recipes reflect Stephanie's creativity, love of cooking, and Chinese-Hungarian heritage. From bites to share plates and epic mains, with LDSC you’ll discover delicious recipes to suit all occasions.

The Brasserie Cookbook | Nouvelle Garde | $49.99 | Hardie Grant Learn to cook modern yet authentic rustic French fare at home. Recipes such as Sausage Stuffed Brioche, Onion Soup, Haricot Verts with Sauce Gribiche, Cassoulet and Clafoutis will transport you to a French brasserie in no time. A basics section details all you’ll need to round out the recipes, and there’s a primer on setting the table the French way. The perfect gift for the Francophile foodie.

Good Taste | Alain Ducasse | $36.99 | Allen & Unwin At 12, Alain Ducasse had never been to a restaurant. Less than 15 years later, he received his first Michelin star. Today he is one of just two chefs to have been awarded 21 stars.

Here, he shares a lifetime of culinary passions and inspirations in this part memoir, part manifesto. He begins with his childhood picking mushrooms with his grandfather, and goes on to detail creating his groundbreaking schools and restaurants. Now he’s ready to pass on what he knows to the next generation.

Plant Parenting for Busy People | Dr Nora Mutalima | $39.99 | Affirm It's one thing to fill your house with gorgeous plants, and it's another to keep them happy for weeks, months and years. Doctor and plant lover Mutalima offers a simple, science-driven guide to creating your own indoor jungle and keeping it thriving with minimal effort. Perfect for new plant parents who really want their monstera to survive the year.

Bush Modern | Jessica Lillico & Sean Fennessy | $85.00 | Thames & Hudson In bushy north-eastern Melbourne, a unique Australian architectural aesthetic has been quietly gaining recognition. Emerging in the post-war years when simple homes built 'of the land' captured an alternative way of life, the style – in all its warm, earthy glory – is once again being embraced and revived by a new generation. Here, Bush Modern explores the timeless appeal of these character-filled homes, built to be deeply in tune with their environment.

White Teeth, Red Blood | Various Authors | $32.99 | Allen & Unwin Seductively sinister, frightening and alluring, the undead have always been the perfect vessel for humanity's fears and desires.

These dark and delightful poems range across centuries and languages; they tell stories, offer warnings and imagine life in the shadows. The writers include Emily Dickinson, Charles Baudelaire, Anna Laetitia Barbauld and more.

beautiful changelings | Maxine Beneba Clarke | $29.99 | Ultimo Press An incantation, song, war cry, testimonial, lament, reckoning, welcoming and wrecking-ball of myths and fairytales fed to girls.

Poignant, unashamed tributes to womanhood, motherhood and reclaiming dreams, boundaries and time, this explosive collection celebrates women and girls as the wonders they are: beautiful.

Words for Life | Susie Dent | $34.99 | Hachette Do you know the name for someone who loves reading in bed, or what a binfluencer does?

How about the story behind medieval Lubberland, or Mayday?

Lexicographer extraordinaire and Queen of Countdown's Dictionary Corner, Susie Dent does! Here she introduces her greatest discoveries, including expressions that can nail the problems of modern life.

Memories That Smell Like Gasoline | David Wojnarowicz | $34.99 | NewSouth Books In Wojnarowicz's most intimate stories and sketches, from the full spectrum of his life as an artist and AIDS activist, he relates his adolescence and adventures in New York. Combining text and image, tenderness and rage, this is a disavowal of the world that wanted him dead, and a radical insistence on life.

Every Day I Read | Hwang Boreum | Translated by Shanna Tan | $24.99 | Bloomsbury In this gentle collection celebrating books, reading and language, Bo-reum shows us what living a life immersed in reading means.

This book is about books, but at its heart is an attitude to life, one outside capitalism and climbing the corporate ladder. Included is a treasure trove of recommendations for books, blended deftly within.

NOOK BOOKS / POETRY / GRAPHIC NOVELS HIGHLIGHTS

Lumberjanes, Book One | N. D. Stevenson, Grace Ellis, Shannon Watters, Gus Allen & Casey Nowak | $39.99 | Penguin Mal, Molly, April, Ripley and Jo are the campers of Roanoke cabin, and they're in for a big adventure. Between three-eyed wolves, river monsters and a mysterious bear woman, there's nothing that can stop these five best friends from having the most amazing summer of their lives!

OUR COOKBOOKS OF THE MONTH 2025

The Fermentation Kitchen | Sam Cooper | $42.99 | Penguin There are certain fermented foods that really tick all the boxes for me: gherkins, sauerkraut and the ultimate in umami funkiness, kimchi. While I’ve made a quick onion pickle before, the lengthier processes of fermentation intimidate me. Sam Cooper kicks that fear to the ground and sweeps it out of the kitchen! A strong advocate for the health benefits of fermented foods, Cooper shows you how to make ferments and what to cook with them. This is perfect for those who love a flavour bomb or three.

– Sylvia

Everything is Indian | Justin Narayan | $39.99 | Murdoch Justin Narayan, winner of MasterChef 2021, takes inspiration from his FijianIndian heritage and his mum Sunita (aww!) to bring us his own easy-going style of delectable every-day food. Here you’ll find recipes for regular weeknight dishes elevated to new heights of deliciousness through the use of fabulous Indian flavours. Consider the humble roast spud supercharged with a masala blend or a taco filled with mouth-watering Lamb Birria. In addition to the approachable recipes is encouragement from Justin to make his dishes your own. Now that’s the true spirit of cooking!

– Sylvia

The Australian Ingredients Kitchen | Elder Bruno Dann and Tahlia Mandie | $39.99 | Murdoch Nyul Nyul Elder Bruno Dann and Tahlia Mandie of Kakadu Plum Co. have combined their considerable food knowledge to create this gorgeous guide to using bushfoods at home. Along with useful descriptions of ingredients, they share 60 easy, mouth-watering recipes from their family kitchens, and tell their individual stories. Elder Bruno and Tahlia have a strong belief that a broader use of bushfoods can aid reconciliation – food is, after all, a beautiful and inclusive way of bringing people together. I personally can’t wait to try the Wattleseed pikelets with strawberry gum and berry topping. Yummo! – Sylvia

Viet Kieu: Recipes Remembered from Vietnam | Thi Le | $55.00 | Murdoch With two restaurants and a bánh mì bar under her belt, it is no wonder that Melbourne-based chef Thi Le has been hailed by many as the new voice of Vietnamese and South East Asian cuisine. In her debut cookbook, Thi takes a deep-dive into her culture’s food, sharing the mouth-watering recipes that have shaped her life and restaurants. Yet it is the intimate and surprising stories that Thi includes here of growing up in Sydney’s West with a foot in two cultures that give us a true insight into her determination and passion for bringing us her heart-lifting, inspiring food.

– Sylvia

The Spanish Pantry | José Pizarro | $55.00 | Hardie Grant I’ve had a long love affair with Spanish food, so when I saw this new book by award-winning chef and author José Pizarro, I was pretty excited. Pizarro focuses on twelve key ingredients of Spanish cooking, including tomatoes, onions, saffron, chorizo and lemons – all with their own enticing characteristics – and creates a selection of easy and delicious recipes for each. Luckily for us, Pizarro puts flavour front and centre in his classic and modern creations, and you’ll find options perfect for a simple weeknight dinner, as well as recipes to combine into a festive menu for a special feast. I can’t wait to give these a try! – Sylvia

Sesame | Rachel Simons | $49.99 | Random House Rachel Simons loves sesame so much that she started her own tahini-making business, so it’s no surprise that her debut cookbook celebrates the joys of this ancient, versatile and small-but-mighty seed. And why not? Sesame has been used for eons in countless cuisines, particularly in the Middle East and Asia, to glorious effect. Rachel’s recipes include Pear & Pistachio Breakfast Loaf with Sesame Streusel; Sumac Sesame Salt; Radicchio Tahini Caesar Salad; Vegetarian Tahini Ramen; and Triple Sesame Thumbprint Cookies (I love a good sesame biscuit). Heaven!

– Sylvia

Linger | Hetty Lui McKinnon | $44.99 | Pan Macmillan The new release by beloved salad queen Hetty Liu McKinnon is finally here!

For Linger, Hetty invited friends to her place to eat and share stories, moments beautifully captured in photos by Hetty, and which offer the sense of friendship and community so integral to Hetty’s life and work. And then, there are the recipes: Slow and Spicy Tomatoes with Pearl Couscous; Tofu and Kale with Peanut Sauce; Za’atar Potatoes with Cucumber, Feta and Mint … the list of deliciousness is endless, and I haven’t even touched on the sweets!

If you love vegetables and making meals for family and friends, this is the perfect book for you. Thank you, Hetty! We love you!!

– Sylvia

La Mesa Mexicana | Rosa Cienfuegos | $69.99 | Thames & Hudson I have a very fond memory of standing outside Rosa Cienfuegos’s Tamaleria & Mexican Deli in Dulwich Hill during COVID times to get tamales and watching a Mexican family buying up big. They went away with five bags of food and groceries, and the delight on their faces said it all. So I am very excited to share with you Rosa’s gorgeous new book, La Mesa Mexicana.

Rosa, author of CDMX and Comida Mexicana, shares 120 mouth-watering new recipes from all over Mexico with us, and tells the stories behind them.

Her enthusiasm, warmth, knowledge of and passion for her food and culture shines through in every page of this must-have book.

– Sylvia

Thai: Anywhere and Everywhere | Nat Thaipun | $50.00 | Hardie Grant Fans of MasterChef will know Nat Thaipun as the exuberant, highly talented winner of the 2024 series, in which she regularly presented original, lipsmacking Thai-inspired dishes that celebrated not only her Thai Australian culture but also unique Australian ingredients. In her first cookbook, Nat takes an even deeper dive into her food culture, documenting Thai recipes that have previously only been passed on verbally, and creating her own specialities with Thai Australian flavours. This is fresh, exciting yet approachable food from a woman who first proved her cooking chops on screen, and then in award-winning restaurants overseas and here, including Melbourne’s Vue de Monde. I can’t wait to see what she’ll do next! – Sylvia

OUR COOKBOOKS OF THE MONTH 2025

Boustany | Sami Tamimi | $59.99 | Penguin Sami Tamimi is known for his work with Yotam Ottolenghi, including their cookbook Jerusalem, one of the best of this generation – and one that illustrates the possibility of friendship and co-operation between two cultures that have historically (and, sadly, contemporarily) been at war. Boustany celebrates the stunning produce of Tamimi’s culture with bright and utterly delicious vegetarian recipes. Its timely release is a reminder that, like most of us, the Palestinian people love to celebrate life by sharing their delectable food with the people around them. Everything in this book had me at hello – and desperately hoping that the people of Palestine may soon be able to celebrate life once more through love and feasting.

– Sylvia

KIDS HIGHLIGHTS

Whatever the Weather We're in This Together | Jessica Braithwaite & Rebecca Ralfe | Illustrated by Laura Bee | $22.99 | Allen & Unwin Like a warm hug on a cold morning, this beautiful book reassures children that they are loved ... always. A gorgeous celebration of unconditional love, no matter what the day may bring, this is perfect for comfort at bedtime, reading aloud and celebrating the changing seasons.

Sundays Under the Lemon Tree | Julia Busuttil Nishimura | Illustrated

by Myo Yim | $24.99 | Scribe This lovely picture book follows a young child's memorable Sunday, with the smells and sounds of family cooking, the adventure of collecting seawater to make ricotta and the triumph of learning to bake a special family apple cake.

Food writer Busuttil Nishimura's prose brings to life the comforting rituals and loving bonds that make Sundays special.

Before You Close Your Eyes | Scott Stuart | Illustrated by Jess Racklyeft | $24.99 | Hardie Grant With its gentle lullaby-like text and warm, comforting art, this book encourages children to reflect on their day, be proud of what they've achieved and let go of the things they can't control as they head off to sleep. Bestselling author Stuart and award-winning illustrator Racklyeft have created your family's new bedtime ritual.

Bunns Rabbit | Alan Barillaro | $24.99 | Walker Books When Bunns is born with small ears, the warren is abuzz: surely such ears spell bad luck? Her mother gives her a song of home and belonging, and her father explains that a heartsong cannot lie. But the world of the meadow call to Bunns. When she’s ready to brave whispering of neighbours who fear her difference, she finds a place where myths, magic voyages and important new friends await. Can the ‘bad omen bunny’ follow her own heartsong to a destiny meant just for her?

My Story, Our Country | Ryhia Dank | $24.99 | Harper Collins Stories are important because they share knowledge … Our most important book is our Country. Our stories live in the land, which is why our lands are sacred. Gudanji/Wakaja artist Ryhia Dank brings readers a powerful picture book that explores the history and culture of First Nations people in Australia through her own family story, and looks towards a future that reckons with the past.

The Wondrous Tale of Lavender Wolfe | Karen Foxlee | $24.99 | Allen & Unwin Lavender Wolfe – a pickpurse with a magical secret – is kidnapped and thrown into the galley of a pirate ship. Disguised as a boy and renamed Hans Whitby, Lavender has to make her home among the kitchen rats.

However, the ship is no ordinary ship; captained by a fierce pirate with violet eyes and a bird's wing, the crew are on a desperate voyage to find and return stolen treasure before they are all turned to sand – Lavender included.

Can Lavender help break the ship’s curse?

KIDS HIGHLIGHTS

Lost Evangeline | Kate diCamillo | Illustrated by Sophie Blackall | $24.99 | Walker Books When a shoemaker discovers a girl the size of a mouse in his shop, he takes her in, names her Evangeline, and raises her as his own. The shoemaker’s wife fears the tiny girl and soon Evangeline finds herself far from home. But she is brave and resourceful, and with the help of those she meets, she may just find her way again.

Busted | Dan Gemeinhart | $17.99 | Pan Macmillan Bridge-playing, Frank Sinatra-loving Oscar Aberdeen lives at Sunny Days retirement home with his grandpa. But then they get an eviction notice … Enter shady resident Jimmy Deluca who offers to help – as long as Oscar busts him out of Sunny Days. The odd couple embark on a rollicking escapade to find Jimmy’s secret stash, and soon an unlikely friendship is forged.

Dream On | Shannon Hale | Illustrated by Marcela Cespedes | $26.99 | Pan Macmillan Cassie’s family don't have much and never seem to have time for her. So when Cassie gets a letter from a magazine sweepstakes proclaiming her a winner, she thinks it’s the answer to all her problems. But will prizes really solve things? Dream On is a joyful story filled with imagination, big dreams and wonder.

Coldwire | Chloe Gong | $24.99 | Hachette A cold war rages between Medaluo and Atahua. Under duress, Medan orphan Eirale joins Atahua’s NileCorp's military forces, but soon a wanted anarchist frames her for assassination and she must co-operate with him to clear her name. When Lia is ordered to infiltrate Medaluo in virtual reality for her final Academy assigment, she realises there is more at stake than marks. As Eirale and Lia each tear through Medaluo, they begin to suspect a conspiracy – and the closer they get to the truth, the closer their worlds come to colliding.

This is Us | Edited by Libby Hathorn & Jude Fell | Illustrated by Tull Suwannakit | $34.99 | NewSouth Books In this collection, Fell and Hathorn have gathered the voices of various Australians poets, from contemporary writer Jazz Money to household names such as Banjo Paterson. Readers will find poems that make them laugh and sing, and connect them with Australians old and new. This is a poetry book to savour and share.

Hazelthorn | C. G. Drews | $19.99 | Hachette Evander has lived like a ghost in the forgotten corners of the Hazelthorn estate ever since he was taken in by his reclusive billionaire guardian. He can never leave, he can never go in the gardens and he can never be alone with Laurie, the boy who tried to kill him 7 years ago. But when his guardian is murdered and Evander inherits Hazelthorn, Laurie may be the only one who can help him find the killer.

Dark secrets unravel, moss bleeds though the walls, poisonous mushrooms flourish and Evander must discover what he's really inherited before Hazelthorn's garden demands to be fed.

OUR KIDS BOOKS OF THE MONTH 2025

All Better Now | Neal Shusterman | $22.99 | Walker Books We’re almost a decade into the future and a pandemic is slowly taking hold. For those that contract it, 4% will die. For those who survive, there will be a life changing side-effect, happiness and contentment. Meet Mariel, whose living in her car with her mother Gena; Tiburon, son of billionaire Bas Escbedo, who just wants to have the chance to live his own life; and Morgan, brilliantly minded and hungry to take what she wants from the world. How will the pandemic deal with them?

Shusterman always delivers incredible storylines, creating worlds, events and situations that blow your mind. This book delivers on every single page. – Robert

Bigfoot vs Yeti: A Love Story | James Foley | $24.99 | Fremantle Press | 3+ On one side of the Chasm live the Yetis, on the other the Bigfoots – and there is nothing they despise more than each other. The feud looks like it will go on for generations, until …

Foley’s illustrations are gorgeous and as you move through the story, you move from monochromatic to the introduction of a pale palette to a burst of joyous colour, all part of Foley’s ingenious storytelling. This has to be one of the most charming, intelligent and funny picture books of the year. – Robert

The Terrakeet | Jo van der Borgh | Illustrated by Jo Beasley | $25.99 | Walker Books | 3+ The Finlocks live a quiet, tranquil life in Finlock Bay. They are content to lounge and fish for fronds until one day, there are no fronds to be found.

The youngest decides to solve the mystery of where the fronds have gone, and collect any other delectables along the way. But he should beware: there's something stirring in the jungle … This classic story of discovering the true nature of others and making unexpected friends is an electric collaboration between the author and illustrator, both locals.

Think The Cat in the Hat meets The Gruffalo.

– Robert

This Dream Will Devour Us | Emma Clancey | $24.99 | Allen & Unwin | 13 + Nora is gifted, beautiful, poor and desperate; her dead father has left her nothing but debts and her brother has contracted a mysterious illness. She’s soon thrown into an abyss full of rich, ruthless, reality-warping characters. There’s dazzling fame, high-stakes magic, thrilling romance and smirk-worthy banter. Set in a New York familiar yet completely alien, in a world where only the rich and powerful have access to magic, this is a captivating fantasy that blends a twisting plot with swoon-worthy romance, and an exploration of celebrity and inequality. The overall concept – science and magic fused together and the powerful will do anything to keep it – leads us through a cut-throat, adrenaline-charged page turner. – Robert

The Great Phoenix of London | Lindsay Galvin | $21.99 | Scholastic | 9+ In 1664, nine-year-old Gilbert and his family witness a comet streaking through the skies above London. Is it a sign? Or an ill omen? Over the next two years, tragedies befall Gilbert and his family, culminating in 1666, when London is set ablaze. This story is so fast paced and exciting that I was frantic to get to the next page and discover the next exhilarating episode. You will find yourself racing alongside Gilbert, thrilling with each new discovery, twist and turn. Lindsay Galvin has gifted us a story of historical facts wonderfully woven together with a cast of genuinely likable heroes and hiss-worthy villains. Brilliant.

– Robert

Oceanforged 1: The Wicked Ship | Amelia Mellor | $16.99 | Affirm Kids | 8+ When thirteen-year-old Cori finds the mystical Oceanforged gauntlet, she just might have a chance to bring back glory to Aquanita, her realm, which has fallen into a Dark Age. If she can find the rest of the enchanted armour and escape her treacherous captain and avoid the monsters of the deep and hopefully find allies and keep them safe AND keep herself alive, she just might – just might – stand a chance. From the pen of one of fantasy’s true talents Amelia Mellor comes this exciting, swashbuckling, magic-casting, jaw-dropping, seat-of-your-pants adventure. Think Hermione Granger on pirate ships!

– Robert

Oh Dear, Look What I Got! | Michael Rosen & Helen Oxenbury | $24.99 | Walker Books | 3+ When our lead character takes to the town for a bit of shopping, all does not go well – every purchase turns into a challenge. ‘I went to the shop to get me a carrot. Oh dear, they gave me … a parrot! Oh dear, look what I got! Do I want that? No I do NOT!’ From the creative team behind We’re Going on a Bear Hunt comes this funny and captivating book with gleeful read-aloud rhyming text that will have little ones beaming. Lots of fun that will have your family laughing out loud for years to come. – Robert

The Midnight Chew | Sally Morgan & Karen Blair | $26.99 | Fremantle Press What do a small dog and a big dog with a very large bone get up to in the middle of the night? A romping adventure through suburban streets! First Nations author Sally Morgan’s playful and descriptive rhymes are coupled with lively illustrations by illustrator Karen Blair that reveal new observations upon every read. With a heart-warming ending about the importance of sharing, this is an absolute delight that will appeal to young children and adults who love dogs or have their own mischievous furry friend in their lives!

– Mischa

The Last Ember, Book 1 of The Aerimander Chronicles | Lily Berlin Dodd | $19.99 | Hardie Grant The rulers of the land have declared that Aerimanders (great dragon-like creatures) are extinct. But when Eva, a smart chemistry student, accidentally buys an aerimander egg, she is soon pursued by the Thieves Union’s newest member, orphan Dusty St Ichabod. The adversaries become a reluctant team as they try their best to stay ahead of the Union, avoiding threats from all sides as they race to keep the egg safe. But what will happen when it hatches? This is the first instalment of a new series and if this is anything to go by, The Aerimander Chronicles will be the must-read for middle grade readers everywhere. – Robert

OUR KIDS BOOKS OF THE MONTH 2025

The Ordinary Life of Jacominus Gainsborough | Rébecca Dautremer | $29.99 | Hardie Grant This is perhaps the most gorgeous picture book to come out this year, a beautiful work of art. It follows the life of a humble rabbit, Jacominus. From the minute he enters this world, we are drawn into the journey of his life from the small moments to the blissful, the sad and the life-changing. The illustrations are nothing short of stunning. It is a book not only to be loved by children but enjoyed and adored by adults as well, and a book to keep for the ages, shared from one generation to the next.

– Robert

OUR STAFF FAVOURITES OF 2025

The Möbius Book | Catherine Lacey | $36.99 | Allen & Unwin A book I think about multiple times a week. Locking in at the intersection where life influences art, this is an examination of the truth in relationships, the use of religious language in everyday life, and whether love is real when it can vanish so quickly.

Read the fiction half and let it wash over you, then turn over to pick through exactly what was inspired by real life.

– Lexie

Flesh | David Szalay | $34.99 | Penguin Random House Flesh is a panoramic exploration of what it means to be alive. Szalay’s Istvan ebbs and flows with the tides of circumstance. He struggles to find his place; his desire is external, made for him by others. Despite being very different to Istvan, this resonated deeply with me because of his struggle. His story warns against following the tide, and is a brutal masterpiece that presents an authentic portrait of living. – Angus

Coffin Moon | Keith Rosson | $34.99 | Penguin Random House This is not your average romantic glittery vampire story but instead a brutal and gritty journey of vulnerability, violence and loss. I’m a sucker (vampire pun, haha) for a found-family trope, and, topped off with a harrowing road trip and an impending sense of doom, this was bound to become my Book of the Year. It will absolutely tear you apart – and I devoured it.

– Ruby

Fever House | Keith Rosson | $32.99 | Penguin Random House Don’t you hate it when you go to some tweaker’s house to break his legs and he’s got a severed hand in the freezer that fills everyone around it with incurable bloodlust?

I know I do. Fever House hits the ground running and escalates constantly until the final page, yet doesn’t sacrifice nuance, humanity or character. A flat-out blinder from your favourite horror author’s favourite horror author. – Connor

Eclipse | Kirli Saunders | $24.99 | Allen & Unwin Gunai Woman Kirli Saunders’ brings us another lyrical poetry collection about Ancestral wisdom, life as a queer blak woman, community, history and love.

Saunders fuses cheek with reverence, weaving together Beyoncé, quantum physics and the Old Ways. These poems play with structure and form, but remain grounded in a deep understanding of Country.

– Steph

Stag Dance | Torrey Peters | $32.99 | Allen & Unwin This collection is a tensile example of exceptional trans writing. The titular novel sees lumberjacks plan a dance that some will attend as women. The short stories are equally thrilling, with smart observations about gender, community and performance: ‘He had no conception of what to do with my beauty other than to choke on it.’ Choke on it, or don’t, but definitely read this book. – Leona

Luminous | Silvia Park | $32.99 | Bloomsbury Set in a unified-Korea, Luminous has unique characters, including a transgender robot-crimes detective and his sister who’s battling demons of her own. What I most love about this book is its reflections on grief, memory and connection as it asks, what does it mean to be human? It is a testament to Park’s precise and emotionally charged prose that this debut reads like a masterpiece.

– Mischa

Men in Love | Irwin Welsh | $34.99 | Penguin Random House It’s hard to believe Trainspotting is 30 years old – Renton, Sick Boy, Spud and Begbie feel as vibrant as ever in this long-awaited sequel. Narrated in Welsh’s usual impenetrable Scottish street argot, the crew come of age in a cynical post-Thatcher world. If you’ve never read Welsh then it’s time to see what you’ve been missing – always wise, bittersweet, propulsive and funny.

– James

Proto | Laura Spinney | $36.99 | Harper Collins Spinney chips away at hundreds of contemporary languages to discover how the origins of an ancient tongue spoken during the ice age has shaped almost every present language on earth. By retracing Proto-Indo-European languages across continents and millenia, Spinney reconstructs this ancient diaspora. Proto is a revelatory portrait of the world’s words.

– Arabella

Separate Rooms | Pier Vittorio Tondelli | $32.99 | Hachette This striking story of love, loss and self-resolution sees Leo arriving in Munich to reunite with Thomas. But Thomas isn’t there – he is dead.

The narrative then moves through the shifting corridors and rooms of Leo’s memory and travels with him across Europe. Leo soon realises he can’t be rid of himself or of Thomas as that is where love lies. An extraordinary discovery of self – rich, poetic and visceral. – Robert

The Farm | Jessica Mansour-Nahra | $32.99 | Hachette My reading genre of choice is unpredictable psychological crime.

I almost put this down, but when I began, I was completely blown away. When Leila has a miscarriage, her psychologist husband takes her to his isolated family farm. Everything you are thinking happens and more, and we learn about Leila’s abusive mother and the farm’s ghosts. The writing is superb. Enjoy! – Kate

OUR STAFF FAVOURITES OF 2025

Hunchback | Saou Ichikawa | $26.99 | Penguin Shaka, confined to a wheelchair, lives her life online, but no one reads her Tweets – including her desire to have an abortion. Sex and disability is an untouched topic that Ichikawa is unafraid to discuss. She relentlessly jabs at our society, but manages to make it hilarious and light. It’s hard to believe this is her debut novel; I’ve never read anything as unique and insightful as this. – Adina

OUR STAFF FAVOURITES OF 2025

The Emperor of Gladness | Ocean Vuong | $34.99 | Random House Vuong delivers again with this beautifully written story of Hai, prevented from taking his life by Grazina, an elderly Lithuanian woman. The characters, and the theme of chosen family, shine throughout, and you’ll laugh, cry and likely integrate ‘liggabit’ into your vocabulary. And remember: if you’re ever feeling down, eat some carrots – they take away the sadness.

– Meabh

One Boat | Jonathan Buckley | $29.99 | Allen & Unwin After the death of her father, Teresa returns to the small Greek town where she grieved her mother years ago, had a brief encounter, and met many eccentric, guarded and beautiful people. Talking to them now about their experiences with longing, regrets, grief and love leaves Teresa grappling with her own story. Beautifully written, One Boat is an immersive, moving (and quick) read.

– Vevie

Walking Sydney | Belinda Castles | $34.99 | NewSouth Books Castles traverses 15 areas of Sydney, guided each time by a different writer. These authors share their personal, often significant, places and their experiences of them with her as they walk; their conversations examine the locales as well as the memories they contain. As a walker who loves Sydney, this book had me delighting in recognition, revelation and discovery.

– Sylvia

Perfection | Vincenzo Latronico | $29.99 | Text Publishing Perfection or imperfection?

Latronico’s take on the tension between creativity and the daily grind paints this dilemma. In Berlin, expat Anna and Tom’s careers have grown insipid amid the contradictions of the city: vibrant yet alienating, beautiful yet suffocating. A bleak, beautiful picture of relationships, politics, art and society that lingers long after the last page.

– Francesca

One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This | Omar El Akkad | $32.99 | Text Publishing El Akkad’s work is a personal, global and sociological criticism of the Western liberal ideals he spent much of his life idolising. In this dissertation on immigrant experience and reckoning with Western ambivalence towards the constant atrocities in Gaza, readers will be forced to reconsider the untested ‘truths’ of our society. A necessary but uncomfortable book. – Hugh

Chosen Family | Madeleine Gray | $34.99 | Simon & Schuster This story follows Nell and Eve as they grow into themselves and each other’s orbit. Gray captures their unique joys and tensions, and her compassionate incisiveness illuminates all the messy, quiet, joyous and devastating bits about human connection and desire. This is an epic, very funny exploration of the connections that sustain and define us.

– Carolina

Little Cloud | Heidi McKinnon | $19.99 | Hardie Grant With delightful illustrations and rhymes, this is the perfect board book. Little Cloud goes on an adventure and experiences ‘gentle peril’ – but a happy ending is on the horizon. This is a story to be read aloud, and I have made four of my colleagues sit through a ‘story time’ session as I read it to them. Little Cloud kissed delightfully sweet and cosy and I can’t wait to make more people read (and listen to) it. – Lexie

The Locked Room | Adam Cece | $19.99 | Penguin | 12+ What is your worst nightmare?

Could it be waking up in a locked room with three others who are not your friends – which happens to Andy? Using their brain power, the trio escape by solving a puzzle, only to find the clock is still ticking and the rooms keep on coming. Readers will find this hard to put down – although I recommend they read it when the sun is out!

– Kate

Never Thought I’d End Up Here | Ann Liang | $19.99 | Penguin This is a heartfelt story about finding where you belong when you’re caught between countries, cultures and versions of yourself. Leah’s family sends her on an intensive trip across Shanghai. Of course, her (gorgeous and broody) childhood enemy is on the same trip! As I am also half-Chinese, this book resonated with my own thoughts about identity. Beautifully written, tender and messy.

– Mischa

Basil Dreams Big | Lu Fraser & Sarah Warburton | $16.99 | Simon & Schuster Basil the bat doesn’t believe he can fly, but when his best friend Moth is in danger, he must find the courage to spread his wings. This beautiful story is about believing in yourself, even if you have doubts. Perfect for sharing with little ones, this story also gently encourages conversations about fear, bravery and confidence, and shows that the support of friends can make all the difference. – Tuula

Promises and Other Lies | Sue Whiting | $17.99 | Walker Books Wangaroo Bay is still trying to recover from last year’s disastrous bushfire. Fletch’s family lost everything; Immie, lost her dad.

The two turn to each other for support. When it looks like the fire might have been deliberate, the town is thrown into panic. This story is fast-paced and thrilling throughout, and the threads are brought together in a most unexpected, startling way. – Robert

OUR STAFF KIDS FAVOURITES OF 2025

The Giant | Sophie Masson | Illustrated by Lorna Carrington | $29.99 | NewSouth Books In this captivating tale, Masson weaves a lyrical story of loneliness, friendship and courage. This is more than just a story, it’s an experience; each page invites young readers to pause, notice the details and reflect on the giant’s gentle journey toward connection and belonging. It’s perfect for sparking rich conversations about kindness and empathy. – Karren

BETTER READ KIDS RECOMMEND…

My Friend, Billy Whiskers | David Litchfield | $24.99 | Murdoch I really liked this book. Only Patrick can see his friend Billy, who helps Patrick when he is sad or shy and makes him feel brave.

Then when Billy helps Patrick to make real friends who aren’t pretend, he tells him he has to leave, which was sad; but he said he’d come back when Patrick needed him, which made me happy. – Christopher T., age 5

Where Would You Go? | Alison Lester and Jane Godwin | $19.99 | Allen & Unwin This book was really good as it was told by kids in hospital (Yalingbu Yirramboi – The Royal Children's Hospital School). They ask ‘Where would you go?’ anywhere in the world, not just to other kids but to the doctors, nurses and teachers at the school. I think a lot of kids would really enjoy this book.

– Isabella F., age 7

Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly Spooky Stories | Jeff Kinney | $17.99 | Penguin Don’t be scared by the cover! This book is a funny and entertaining story which I read over and over.

Instead of being one long story, it is 14 shorter stories which you don’t need to read in order, so you can read the bits you want and go back again and again. If you like the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, you will love this book. – Saskia , age 8

Confetti and the Rainbow Garden | Shane Jenek (aka Courtney Act) | Illustrated by Dylan Finnery | $22.99 | Pantera/Hardie Grant I love it because Confetti makes a beautiful rainbow. I also like the flowers in their hair. I like it because of the garden and the confetti flowers and the parakeets and the butterflies, and the tree tops and the people who are learning how to be what they want to be.

– Lily, age 4

giwang | Belinda Bridge | Illustrated by Peta-Joy Williams | $24.95 | Aboriginal Studies Press/NewSouth Books I learnt a lot about animals and seasons on Wiradjuri land. All the pictures of the animals have the Wiradjuri names and the book is made by Wiradjuri people.

Everyone should read this book.

It’s important we learn about Aboriginal people and their culture.

– Gemma, age 8

Rory Sparkes and the Elephant in the Room | Hugh Bonneville | $17.99 | Bloomsbury Children Rory Sparkes is very funny and full of chaos; Mum says chaos like my room. I liked when the circus ruined Rory and his friend’s plan to buy a model boat which they want to sail around South America. I really like the funny illustrations. Clare is Rory’s sister; she plays a bad prank which reminds me of my sister. I loved the book. – Marley, age 9

Gloam | Jack Mackay | $16.99 | Bloomsbury Gwen’s life is falling apart after the death of her mother and her family moves into her grandparents’ house on a fog-covered island. Esme Lavrene is the perfect babysitter: pretty, kind, adored by everyone around her. However, Gwen sees what no one else will: that there is something sinister about Esme, something unnatural. This book is intense and creepy and a whole lot of scary fun.

– Alex U., age 12

A Murder is Going Down | Kate Emery | $19.99 | Allen & Unwin When news of her brother Felix's sudden death reaches her, Heidi returns to Perth. Dealing with the betrayal of her ex-boyfriend and ex-bestfriend, Heidi has no one to hang out with until Patrick, Felix’s widow’s brother, convinces her that Felix’s death needs to be investigated. What ensues is a hilarious story of an unexpected friendship amid a murder investigation. – Franky, age 16

We Fell Apart | E. Lockhart | $24.99 | Allen & Unwin Matilda is invited by her reclusive father to join him at his beach-side hideaway – but he is nowhere to be found. Instead, she finds Meer, her long-lost half-brother; Brock, a former child star; and Tatum, who just wants her to leave. This mystery is handled so well that you want to go back and start it all over again to see if you can spot all the clues.

– Troye F., age 16

What Have They Done to Liza McLean? | Amy Doak | $19.99 | Penguin Liza is carefree, spontaneous, and the complete opposite to her sister, serious, diligent, Meg. Soon after arriving at a new school, Liza’s personality transforms – she becomes studious, respectful, almost robotic.

Alarm bells go off in Meg’s head. This dark novel is filled with twisty turns, murder and a little flirting. A must read for summer.

– Luka F., age 15

Catch | Sarah Brill | $24.99 | Allen & Unwin Catch was such a unique and interesting story. It was nothing like anything I have ever read before and it was so captivating, I just wanted to keep reading it. I highly recommend this book for people looking for something out of the box with relatable characters and an interesting storyline.

– Rhani S., age 14

BETTER READ KIDS RECOMMEND…

The Keeper of the Octopus | Neridah McMullin | $17.99 | Walker Books Pippy finds out that her mother was the Keeper of the Octopus; now Pippy is the keeper of Octavia, the giant octopus that protects the village. I enjoyed this book very much. Pippy had some very sad things happen but she was brave and kept going. Kids who like stories about the sea and adventures would really enjoy it, too.

– Maxine S., age 8

BOOKS FOR CHRISTMAS

A Song for the King | Katrina Nannestad | Illustrated by Freya Blackwood | $24.99 | Harper Collins Netta the donkey loves to sing with her friends, Esther the sheep and Uzi the camel. They frolic around town from dawn till dusk, braying, bleating and gurgling. But sadly, not everyone likes to listen. Netta falls silent until something so wondrous happens that her song bursts forth once more. This is a heartwarming and humorous retelling of the traditional nativity story, told from the viewpoint and 'singing voices' of the baby animals at the inn.

Another Book about Santa. | Laura & Phillip Bunting | $19.99 | Scholastic It’s Christmas time, and all everyone wants to read is another book about Santa, right when he is at his busiest. Santa is overworked and has had enough! But can he find a festive replacement to star in all the Christmas books so he can get on with his merry-making?

Cat’s Christmas | Alison Murray | $16.99 | Bloomsbury Children Cat HATES Christmas. He hates the fancy decorations. He hates the sickly food and the silly presents. And he hates the surprise visitors that come to stay... But maybe Christmas isn’t ALL bad. Sometimes, if you’re lucky, the festive season can surprise you. This is a heartwarming, purrfectly funny picture book, featuring wonderfully stylish artwork and the a loveable grumpy cat. Cat’s Christmas might just make you and your family fall in love with Christmas all over again!

Sticker Dolly Dressing Advent Calendar | Antonia Miller | $39.99 | Usborne/Harper Collins | 5+ Count down to Christmas with the magical world of Sticker Dolly Dressing! Open each window in this magical advent calendar to discover a story or activity book hidden behind it. There are 12 magical Sticker Dolly Story books featuring fairies, mermaids and unicorns, and 12 little activity books, including drawing, doodling, puzzles and three stickers. A festive countdown packed with creativity, storytelling and imagination that will develop children's concentration and fine motor skills while they’re having fun!

Jack and Santa | Mac Barnett | Illustrated

by Greg Pizzoli | $14.99 | Walker Books When Jack finds himself on the naughty list, he worries that Santa will bring him coal. But Jack wants presents – lots of them. Will Jack be able to prove to Santa that he's not so bad after all? Welcome to the laugh-out-loud and irreverent world of Jack in this new early reader series by the bestselling and award-winning team of Mac Barnett and Greg Pizzoli.

The Thing About Christmas | Jo Dabrowski | Illustrated by Briony Stewart | $24.99 | Affirm This lovely picture book is a warm and joyful reminder of what really matters during the holiday season.

Brimming with festive spirit, it celebrates love, togetherness and the magic of making the season your own. Perfect for families starting new traditions or cherishing old ones, this holiday tale carries a timeless message at its core.

A Christmas Delivery | Andy Shepherd | Illustrated by Sarah Warburton | $24.99 | Allen & Unwin Tomas, Lolli and their dragons love Christmas! But when a snow dragon unleashes a flurry of snow just on Christmas eve, they realise they’re snowed in – and can’t help Grandad deliver the Christmas presents! Can Tomas, Lolli, Grandad and the dragons work together to save Christmas?

The 12 Birds of Christmas | Jodie McLeod | Illustrated by Eloise Short | $26.99 | Wollemi Press This celebration of Christmas in the Australian bush features 12 of Australia's favourite birds, including the magpie, gang gang and kookaburra, and stunning native plants and flowers. The poem woven throughout encourages young readers to count, spot and guess what bird is on the next page. This gorgeous book champions the beauty of local birds and nature, as well the spirit of Christmas.

Santa & Son| David Walliams | $22.99 | Harper Collins In the most famous toy shop in the world, Santa and his son are locked inside with baddies.

Can our heroes stop the robbers using pogo sticks, bouncy balls, remote-controlled helicopters, bubble guns, slime, slinkies and stink bombs as weapons? Read on and find out! This hilarious action adventure is sure to become a Christmas classic.

My First Christmas | Dick Bruna | $21.99 | Hardie Grant A very special child has been born …

By the light of a bright star, the shepherds and the three wise kings set off to visit Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus. Designed especially for little ones, this classic die-cut board book written and illustrated by the legendary Dick Bruna (of Miffy the rabbit fame!) is the perfect introduction to the story of Christmas. The simple but charming illustrations will delight all ages.

BOOKS FOR CHRISTMAS

Christmas Origami | Clover Robin | $22.99 | Allen & Unwin Read the poem, enjoy the picture, then make the origami figure! From trees and stars to snow bunnies and birds, these origami pieces are inspired by the festive season.

Included are step-by-step guides for 13 pieces, 50 pull-out sheets of beautifully patterned origami paper, and three different difficulty levels to suit everyone from beginners to experts.

BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS If you’d like book recommendations, send through your query via email to books@betterread.com.au and one of our booksellers will respond to you with a personalised selection, or chat to our booksellers in-store!

SPECIAL ORDERS Want to order a book we don’t have on the shelf? Give us a call on 02 9557 8700 or send us an email at books@betterread.com.au and we will check both local and international availability.

GIFT SERVICES GIFT VOUCHERS CAN BE PURCHASED ONLINE AND IN-STORE COMPLIMENTARY GIFT WRAPPING IS AVAILABLE IN- STORE

Cover Art by Miles Hale