HARBINGER
NOVEMBER 2026
OPINION
THE QUIET POWER OF A BOOK CLUB How reading together can change the world For almost thirty years, book clubs have been part of my professional life. Every month, I sit down with over two hundred different people across the nine book clubs I facilitate. And after all these years, I still find inspiration, joy and comfort in bringing people together to talk about a book. What fascinates me most is how differently we can experience the same story. We might read the same words and follow the same characters, yet come away with entirely different interpretations. Our responses are shaped by our lived experiences, our age, our backgrounds and the lives we have led. A character one person admires might frustrate another. A passage that barely registers with one reader might profoundly move someone else. This is where the magic happens. Sitting in a circle, we listen to one another. We share our thoughts, question each other’s interpretations and sometimes disagree quite passionately. But there is something special about the shared experience of reading that creates space for respectful conversation. We are not there to win an argument or prove we are right. We are there to explore, to understand and, perhaps, to see something differently. In a world where disagreement can so easily become hostility, I find this quietly radical. Reading allows us to inhabit lives beyond our own. Stories introduce us to unfamiliar circumstances, different values and perspectives we might never otherwise encounter. But discussing those stories with others takes the experience further. We discover not only what a book means to us, but what it means to someone whose life has unfolded very differently.
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We learn that there is rarely just one way to see things. And perhaps that is how empathy grows: by reading about other lives and listening to the people around us. Book clubs also encourage us beyond our comfort zones. We read books we might never have chosen ourselves, discover unexpected favourites and occasionally struggle through something we would happily have abandoned. There is a gentle accountability in knowing we need to f inish the book and turn up ready to participate. Then there is the connection. Over time, a group of readers can become a community. Friendships form, people check in on one another, quieter voices are heard, and small acts of kindness become part of the fabric of the group. In a world where loneliness and disconnection are increasingly felt, having a place where you are respected, listened to and welcomed matters. I sometimes wonder whether the humble book club offers us a model for a more civil society. Not because everyone agrees, but because we practise sitting alongside people who see the world differently. We listen before responding. We stay curious. We learn that disagreement need not mean disrespect. Imagine if we carried those habits into our workplaces, neighbourhoods, families and public conversations. I am not suggesting that reading a novel together will solve the world’s problems. But perhaps change begins in smaller ways, siting in a circle with people willing to listen. After nearly thirty years, I still believe in the power of a good book. But I believe just as strongly in the people who gather to discuss it. Books open doors into other lives. Book clubs invite us to walk through those doors together. And perhaps we can change the world, one book, one conversation and one act of kindness at a time.
harbinger [hahr-bin-jer] anything that foreshadows a future event; omen; sign.
FIVE MINUTES+ WITH FAVEL PARRETT Your new novel is set in Norway during WWII partly inspired by your time at a writer’s retreat. Can you tell us a little about the retreat? I was lucky enough to visit Norway over 15 years ago, and I fell in love with the place. I made a wish to return for an artist residency or a published novel. I eventually won an arts residency in Trondheim in 2022 and 2023 (6 weeks each time), and I was given an apartment in the school building where much of the novel is set. As soon as I walked into the old building, I knew I had a novel on my hands. One of the old classrooms was my studio, and the ghosts of the children from the past were there with me. When I found out that Nazis took the school as barracks, I realised I knew nothing about Norway’s occupation, and I needed to find out more. But I didn’t want this novel to be a book about the war, but more about what the occupation means for my characters. Here is the residency website. I encourage artists to apply.
What inspired you to write this story?
Favel Parrett is the multi-award winning author of Past the Shallows, When the Night Comes, There Was Still Love and Wandi her novel for children. She lives in Victoria and is passionate about wildlife. These questions were asked by Fiona.
The place. The school and the working class inner city location – thick with factories. Those factories are mostly now apartments, and the suburb is in the process of fast gentrification. But I could see what was there, imagine the smoke and mud, the workers’ apartments as they once were – one room and a small kitchen with a privy downstairs. I know exactly where Einar lived and the apartment Johan took, stuck between the train line and the tram depot. I walked the same walk my characters followed along the fjord. I found the grove of trees. I kind of lived this weird double life of one foot in the present and one foot in the time of my characters. Did you enjoy the research process? The research was wonderful, and I wanted it to go on forever. I enrolled in Norwegian lessons to help with the language and the melody of Norwegian. I also spent many days with an historian at the Trondheim Folk Museum. I trawled archives and explored every street in the part of the city I was writing about.
I walked the same walk my characters followed along the fjord. I found the grove of trees. I kind of lived this weird double life of one foot in the present and one foot in the time of my characters. I even attended a church service so I could see the inside of the local church. I found so many items that related to my story at junk shops around Trondheim. I even found the reading book from 1939. The same book that Einar had. Do you have any writing rituals? Coffee and a bit of staring out the window. I usually light a candle, then look at where I left things the day before. Sometimes I may have scribbled almost eligible notes to myself in the night, and I try to write them up or fit them in to where they might fit in the scenes I have written. I try to be with the work most days, even if that is only for an hour or so. On a good day, I hope to work for 5 hours. After that, I tend to get negative about my work, so it is time to stop. Read. Note take. Walk. What have you read and loved recently? I loved Rite of Spring by Kris Kneen. And the YA novel, Little Bones by Sandy Bigna. It is fantastic.
FIVE MINUTES+ WITH DOIREANN NÍ GHRÍOFA Can you give us a little insight into literary archaeology and your research process? Like an archaeologist, we can dig into books, and if we do, there are always surprises lurking there. When I write, I like to go in search of the secret life stirring under the surface of a text. Run your finger along a shelf of books – every one of them holds a whole universe of ricocheting echoes. Beyond the written text, beyond the paper pages, there’s a web of unseen connections to which we may attune ourselves – souterrains and culverts and caves of remarkable depths. When I wrote A Ghost in the Throat, my process required digging into an astonishing poem from the 1700s, in an effort to meet the woman who composed it. My new book, Said the Dead, excavates a very different kind of text, 19th Century asylum casebooks, seeking out the real women whose lives were unfolding beyond those layers of antique paper and ink. Reclamation of voice is central to the book, what compelled you to bring these ghosts to life?
BUY Doireann Ní Ghríofa is an awardwinning Irish poet, essayist and writer who works in both Irish and English. She lives in County Cork, Ireland.
Curiosity. Every time I passed the derelict wings of that city asylum, I wondered about the women who once inhabited those corridors and dayrooms. Who were they? What were their names? What became of them? Did they ever escape? Once I learned that the asylum casebooks had been preserved in our city archive, I devoted the following years of my life to visiting them, and to meeting those women, one by one, in their pages. What about reading and writing as an act of resistance and activism? Is this something you consider and want to explore as an Irish author?
My books insist on the importance of documenting women’s voices, often through times when such voices were belittled, ignored, and derided. To study those times, and to elevate such voices, is to insist on the historical importance of such lives, which is an These questions were asked by act of resistance. Any advances in women’s rights Eleanor Dooley. See Eleanor’s over the past century were hard-won, and can easily review of Said the Dead on page 11. slip away, if we do not defend them.
Beyond the written text, beyond the paper pages, there’s a web of unseen connections to which we may attune ourselves – souterrains and culverts and caves of remarkable depths. What does reading mean to you? What is its significance in your life? Reading is everything to me. Both A Ghost in the Throat and Said the Dead are quests in which we follow the adventures of a Reader into the past. As a child, the film NeverEnding Story felt very alive to me — I, like Sebastian, have felt that through the simple act of reading, entire universes might be destroyed and remade. What are you reading at the moment? What are your picks of 2026 new releases? I’ve read so many remarkable books this year, including Dear Historian by Joff Winterhart, Attention by Anne Enright, Church Crawling by Rachel Morley, and all the poems I can find by Lucie Brock-Broido. I am currently reading The Daughters by Leslie Jamison, which moves with such vividness on the page that I find myself thinking about it all day.
SOME TITLES WE VOTED FOR TOP 100 AUSTRALIAN BOOKS
NEWS
US book bans reach record high
Ann Carson 2026 Nobel laureate
PEN America researchers have crunched the numbers from the most recent school year in time for Banned Books Week (4 - 10 October) and the results are startling: nearly 12,000 instances of book bans took place in 114 school districts in the 2025-26 school year. Read Pen America’s report.
Canadian poet, essayist, translator and classical scholar, Anne Carson has been awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature. She is best known for her verse novel Autobiography of Red (1998), her booklength narrative poem The Beauty of the Husband (2001) and her genre-defying work Nox (2010). The Australian's obsession An ETTE Media investigation earlier this year revealed a 30-month media campaign (October 2023 – April 2026) by The Australian targeting Australian-Palestinian author and academic Dr. Randa AbdelFattah. The Australian published 412 articles about Dr. Abdel-Fattah during this period, surpassing the combined total of
SALLY ROONEY IS A WRITER, NOT A TERRORIST An open letter to the UK government from leading authors, artists and public figures
read New Statesman article
I learned to read and write – at 42 I had worked for 25 years, married and started a family. But a crisis at the supermarket reminded me there was something missing from my life. Read Guardian article.
Nine, the ABC, The Guardian and Australian Community Media (ACM) at 399 articles. Read ETTE's April report. TV series boosts American classic
The 2026 Netflix adaptation of John Steinbeck's 1952 classic, East of Eden has significantly boosted sales of the novel. Publisher, Penguin Classics reported a 200% increase in sales across all formats of the novel since the Netflix series was announced. The driving creative force behind the TV series is Zoe Kazan, granddaughter of Elia Kazan, who directed the 1955 film adaptation starring James Dean.
NEWS Mandate qualified teacher-librarians in schools!
Cover of Livre de l’Apocalypse stolen In mid-October thieves stole a jewelencrusted Salvador Dalí-designed bronze book cover of the Book of Revelation (Livre de l’Apocalypse) from C. Karoutzos Contemporary Art Centre in Issoire, central France. The cover weighs about 150 kilograms and is decorated with gold, precious stones, pearls and seashells. Authorities are still investigating how such a large and distinctive artwork was removed and where it may have gone. C'est quoi ce bordel. Alliance Distribution Services meltdown
In August this year teacher-librarians at 58 schools in the Catholic Schools MaitlandNewcastle (NSW) system were informed they were either being made redundant or ‘redeployed’. This is not an isolated event: across Australia, teacher-librarians are quietly being phased out of schools. In September children’s author, Dr Kate Temple launched a national petition calling for qualified teacher-librarians to be mandated in Australian schools. You can help this campaign by signing the petition here. Also, like Jess & Amanda from Wild Things suggest here, write to your local State and Federal MPs and Senators asking that they mandate teacher-librarians in schools.
In July 2026 one of Australia’s largest book distributors, ADS experienced a major outage and was offline for many weeks. ADS is the distribution and warehousing arm of Hachette Australia who also distributes for several other Australian publishers. The impact of this was significant across the Australian book industry. We should talk more about this but we won’t. Apologies to our customers for delays on delivery and thank you for your understanding. Writing Australia survey Writing Australia and McAtamney and Advisors have started work on a landmark economic study: The Book Case: Uncovering the Economic Value of the Australian Publishing Industry. The survey takes 5–10 minutes to complete. Take the survey.
NEWS Watch the Booker Prize 2026 shortlist
Banned phrases bound for High Court
films Lewis Gribben, Kathryn Hunter, Paterson Joseph, Himesh Patel, Maxine Peake and Savannah Steyn star in new films showcasing this year’s shortlist. View readings. The winner of the Booker Prize 2026 will be announced on Monday, 9 November.
NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION AGAINST REPRESSION
FREE SPEECH FREE PALESTINE 3.00 to 5.00pm SUNDAY 15 NOVEMBER KING GEORGE SQUARE BRISBANE CBD
The Queensland laws banning the use of the phrases "from the river to the sea" and "globalise the intifada" are being challenged in the High Court. The challenge was filed in July 2026 and argues that the Fighting Antisemitism and Keeping Guns Out of the Hands of Terrorists and Criminals Amendment Act 2026 is invalid because it infringes the implied constitutional freedom of political communication. The laws took effect in March and more than 20 people have been charged under them. Saying or displaying these phrases in Queensland is now a criminal offence that carries a maximum sentence of two years in prison or $25,035 fine. The Queensland government has defended the laws, which deem the phrases antisemitic when used in a way that menaces, harasses or offends someone.
GREAT OPENINGS Revolutions always begin with ugly stepsisters. Our little sister was neither ugly nor revolutionary. Who knows what darkness lurked in her heart when she strapped on a bomb and blew herself up. Night of a Thousand Hells by Intan Paramaditha and translated from Indonesian by Stephen J. Epstein and Tiffany Tsao Due Tuesday 2 February, 2027
REVIEWS Said the Dead by Doireann Ní Ghríofa $34.99 paperback (fiction) A glittering standout of my 2026 reading! This book is all of the following: historical nonfiction, poetry, memoir, literary intepretation and a ghost story. Our author takes us on a journey to reclaim the voices of women from an asylum in Cork, Ireland. Evocative, original and distinct, I haven't stopped talking about it. Obsessed! Read this please! Eleanor, Avid Reader
No One's Looking by Brooke Davies rrp $34.99 our price $29.99 paperback (fiction) A joyful novel of rage and desire, following two sisters at a midlife crossroads. Susan is contemplating her quiet life (and a long forgotten dildo) after her husband wants to try ethical nonmonogamy, while Vicki struggles to connect with her teen daughter and balance her own concern with Gretel's feminist independence. For fans of Miranda July, but quintessentially Australian and with tennis. Sarah D, Avid Reader The Weight of Angles by John Boyne rrp $34.99 (historical fiction) Behind the exquisite cover lies the masterful tale of the reimagined, extended life of Oscar Wilde. John Boyne's storytelling skill will have the reader invested from the start. The abundant cast of historical characters and events, description of place and time put you right in Wilde's world. All great stories contain comedy and tragedy but few are told with this much finesse. A highly memorable and extremely entertaining read. Lisa, Riverbend The Pirate Queen by Ariel Lawhon $34.99 paperback (historical fiction) due Tuesday 12 January, ‘27 If you love strong women, pirates, or Irish history, Ariel Lawhon’s newest historical fiction is the perfect read. Gráinne Ní Mháille is the fantastic Irish pirate at the helm of this new book. Using a non-chronological structure inspired by the Trinity Knot, the novel follows Gráinne’s entire life while keeping you engrossed with tales of swashbuckling, politics, and revenge plots. The Pirate Queen is a wonderful historical fiction. Talia, Avid Reader
REVIEWS
May We Feed the King by Rebecca Perry $32.99 paperback (fiction) Booker shortlisted! A beautiful, surprising novel about an artist who recreates life-like scenes in historical buildings, an archivist who treasures the stories, and a King who never wanted to rule. Captivating from start to finish. Katherine, Avid Reader
Belonging by Ambelin Kwaymullina $27.99 hardback (picture book) A stunning book about Country, First Nations belonging and a simple explanation of terra nullius. Perfect for the little ones, but honestly, useful for the oldies too! Anita Heiss, author, publisher and reading ambassador. Anita is the author of some of our favourite books including this year's bestseller Paradise Pact. She also writes children's books and we have signed copies of Harry's Secret at Where the Wild Things Are. The Little Ghost and the Robot by David Litchfield $27.99 hardback (picture book) Little Ghost and the Robot is a heartwarming story with gentle illustrations, perfect for bedtime reading.This picture book sees Little Ghost and Robot go on an adventure to the big city, encouraging children to try new experiences. Along the way, Little Ghost and Robot teach each other what fun is and what family means. Little Ghost and the Robot is a brillaint book exploring themes of courage and found family. Tia Rose, Wild Things If the Moon by Matthew Burgess & illustrated by Matthew Forsythe $34.99 hardback (picture book) A beautifully imaginative book best read aloud, If The Moon is a lyrical bedtime book that transitions the reader to a world of make believe amidst slumber. Soft and delightfully cute illustrations by Matthew Forsythe give it a very dreamlike nature - perfect to fall asleep to. Nate, Wild Things
REVIEWS Trust Fall by Lynn Painter $22.99 paperback (tween) With vibrant banter and drama, this young adult rom-com delivers major Gossip Girl energy. After Julia, a small town girl from Nebraska, suddenly inherits a New York fortune, she is thrust into an elite private school. When she is forced into tutoring sessions with Damion, a wealthy classmate chasing his own inheritance, their fierce enemies-to-lovers tension sparks a heartwarming romance you won't want to put down. 14+ Pauline, Riverbend
Rebirth by Antoun Issa $34.99 papernack (biography, memoir) Rebirth is the most beautiful biography of Antoun Issa's mother's journey from war-torn Lebanon to Australia. It's a tender love story and an intimate retelling of a family trapped in a warzone. Katherine, Avid Reader
The Housekeeper by Rose Tremain $34.99 paperback (historical fiction) I came by Rose Tremain's writing through her wonderful 2003 novel The Colour. Similar to that in The Housekeeper Tremain beautifully captures an intense relationship between two women; author Daphne du Maurier and Mrs Danowski (Danni) the housekeeper of a grand mansion and muse for the writing of Rebecca. Tremain's elegant prose brings her characters and landscapes vividly to life, exploring love, loneliness and resilience with great sensitivity. Thoughtful, absorbing and deeply humane. Kev, Riverbend How to Use 3000 Yen by Hika Harada & translated by Alison Watts $29.99 paperback (fiction) A bestseller in Japan, and you can see why. An easy, feel good story with a gentle message about budgeting across three generations, perfect for young people that need a little motivational nudge. Reading the similarites and differences in money and working philosophy between Japan and Australia is an interesting bonus! Sarah D, Avid Reader
REVIEWS
Solace in Winter by Mary Lawson $34.99 paperback (fiction) due Tuesday 10 November A gem of a book. Set in the icy wilds of Northern Canada, Solace follows an elderly widower who finds an injured dog on the road and carries it through the snow to the nearest vet. So begins one of the most heartwarming books you'll read this year. Katherine, Avid Reader
A Wall is Also a Road by Annalee Newitz $24.99 paperback (speculative fiction) Such a fun read!! For fans of the Rocky-Grace relationship in Project Hail Mary, tired academics, and everyone in-between: an alien studies a familiar planet for their PhD project and lands in Pompeii. What ensues is a witty, entertaining, tender story about connection... and life beyond academia. Kiv, Avid Reader
The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, vols. 1-6 by Beth Brower $19.99 - $22.99 paperback (historical fiction) I did a review of Vol 1 & 2 in the inaugural Harbinger where I said these two slim volumes are just what is needed if you are in a reading slump. It’s clever, it’s witty. Perfect if you like Jane Austen, Nancy Mitford or Bridgerton. And, the next four volumes are just as good. I am going to reread them. Fiona, Avid Reader Vol 5 & 6 due Tuesday 1 December
REVIEWS I Give You My Silence by Mario Vargas Llosa & translated by Adrian Nathan West rrp $34.99 our price $31.49 paperback (fiction) due Wednesday 18 November A good friend once told me I was never the smartest man in the room even when I was on my own and that's how I felt reading I Give You My Silence. This is a rich and confronting story of mania and singularity with a stream of history lessons in Peruvian musicology by an obsessed journalist. It is also a beautifully written reflection on idealism, culture and art lead by a complex protagonist who at times I swore at. Kev, Riverbend Group Chat by Zoë Foster Blake $34.99 paperback (fiction) Groupchat is the quintessential beach / poolside read. Think cocktails, banter, jetsetting to Mykonos, sweatslicked sundancing, and midnight raves on a limestone cliff with your best friend’s famous DJ boyfriend. This is a book about a group of longtime girlfriends reliving the Grecian holiday that shaped their early 20s and adulthood, and to take a much needed break from various cataclysmic life events. Groupchat would be a fabulous Christmas gift for anyone looking for some witty escapism from the sweltering Sunshine State summer. Marisa, Riverbend The Poison Palace by Shreya Ila Anasuya $34.99 paperback (fantasy, historical fiction) due Tuesday 12 January, 2027 If you love mythology and ancient history but want a different side to the old stories, this one's for you. The Poison Palace is an Indian retelling of the legend of Alexander the Great, told through the eyes of a poison girl, initiated into the service of the snake goddess and tasked with ending Alexander's bloody rampages. Katherine, Avid Reader Tell Me Something True by Michael Robotham rrp $34.99 our price $29.99 (thriller, suspense) A novel that presents as crime but is actually a deeply affecting novel about small town country life in Australia. The good, the bad the ugly. It made this old jaded bookseller cry. Fiona, Avid Reader Michael Robotham @ Loft West End Thursday 5 November - book here
REVIEWS Amazing Astro Animals by James Foley $34.99 hardback (space) My favourite part of Stellarphant was always flicking to the back and seeing the hall of fame of every animal that has gone to space, and now James Foley has given us an entire book on astro animals! Read 60 incredible true stories of the animals who explored space before humans dared. Jess, Wild Things
Bestest Brown by Briony Stewart $24.99 hardback (Australian picture book) This is my new favourite picture book! A little kid is determined to invent a new colour but whatever they do they always seem to come up with... brown! The rhythm is alive, and the rhyming is perfect. Especially because of the way the book teases you - pretending that it's going to rhyme with poo - but it never does! A brilliant, playful read aloud. Genevieve, Wild Things Our Noble Selves by Kate Atkinson $34.99 paperback (historical fiction) Join the cast of quirky characters as they lead you through this historical fiction set in postwar London against the backdrop of the inaugural Festival of Britain, intended to lift everyone's spirits. Kate Atkinson's signature style sets you up to solve the slowly released mystery that keeps you invested from the first page. Nothing is predictable, the characters are exceptional. It is fun, it is tender; it is a must read. Lisa, Riverbend
Bird Park by Julie Murphy & illustrated by Annie White $24.99 hardback (Australian picture book) For all the bird lovers, and even for the non-bird lovers you will be converted by the end! The lovely rhyme carries you past all the different types of birds you might spot during an Aussie day in the park, with a great fact sheet at the end. Jess, Wild Things
CLICK ON EVENT TILE TO BOOK
CLICK ON EVENT TILE TO BOOK
CLICK ON EVENT TILE TO BOOK
CLICK ON EVENT TILE TO BOOK
Celebrate the first 6.00 for 6.30pm edition of Meanjin to THURSDAY be published from 3 DECEMBER Meanjin/Brisbane LOFT WEST END in more than 80 years. BOOK HERE
GREAT AUDIOBOOKS - GREATER IMPACT
BECOME A MEMBER AND SUPPORT LOCAL BOOKSHOPS AVID READER 193 Boundary Street, West End, (07) 3846 3422 avidreader.com.au RIVERBEND BOOKS 77 Oxford Street, Bulimba (07) 3899 8555 riverbendbooks.com.au WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE 191 Boundary Street, West End, (07) 3255 3987 wherethewildthingsare.com.au harbinger [hahr-bin-jer] anything that foreshadows a future event; omen; sign. A publication of Avid Reader, Riverbend Books and Where the Wild Things Are published ten times a year between February - November
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IN SHOPS MID NOV.
This season’s best books selected by your favourite independent booksellers.