Books

Life finds a way. Or, in this case, literary festivals find a way. As with many sectors COVID-19 has had a huge impact on the publishing and literary communities in Australia. Plans have been disrupted with author tours, book events, award galas and now literary festivals having to be cancelled or venture online. Melbourne Writers…

With Lord Rennard dead, Kaylan is on the run. Bound to a powerful Relic she has little control over, she’s headed for Stynos, the one place she might find an ally, and someone who can help her manage this dark and dangerous power. But with Edriast guards on her tail, restless rebels watching from the…

When Bettina Scott’s father and brothers disappeared, her mother took charge. The wild ways of her childhood were over, and Bettina was moulded into a proper young lady. But, when a mysterious letter arrives and a painted warning appears on their perfect picket fence, Bettina is forced to confront what really happened all those years…

There are some people who think happiness is as easy to achieve as typing out a smiley-faced emoji. Ariel Gore knows the reality is far more complex. Her latest book, F*ck Happiness: How the Science of Psychology Ignores Women is a deep and insightful look at the positive psychology movement and where it rests in…

The 2020 Longlist for the Booker Prize has today been unveiled, bringing with it its fair share of surprises. Though the inclusion of one title, Hilary Mantel‘s The Mirror & The Light, will likely shock no-one. That said this year’s longlist looks to be an eclectic mixture of established talents and debut authors. That the majority…

For those of you not familiar with Anne Tyler, Redhead by the Side of the Road is her 23rd novel. She is a former Pulitzer Prize winner, has been shortlisted for both the Booker Prize and the Women’s Prize for Fiction, and  was a participant in the Hogarth Shakespeare project which also saw the likes…

Tara June Winch has taken out the top prize in Australia’s most prestigious literary award for 2020 for her stunning novel, The Yield.  The Miles Franklin Literary Award was announced during a live Youtube broadcast hosted by ABC Radio Sydney/ The Bookshelf‘s Cassie McCullagh. The virtual event was another of the many examples we have seen in…

Masterchef contestant and beloved fan favourite, Khanh Ong has released his debut cookbook, A Gay Guy’s Guide to Life, Love and Food. After competing in the 2018 series and returning a second time this year for ‘MasterChef Australia: Back To Win’, he is ecstatic to release an innovative cookbook that showcases his vibrant personality. Rather…

Born into a wealthy Chicago family in the 1870s, Frances Glessner Lee was supposed to marry well and raise a family. A career was never on the cards. Let alone one that would see her recognised as the mother of modern forensics. Instead a chance encounter with an old family friend, George Magrath, changed her…

The release of Brit Bennett’s The Vanishing Half early last month was met with great excitement, with the book quickly becoming a bestseller. Bennett’s sophomore novel is the story of the Vignes twins, Stella and Desiree, who grow up in an American town called Mallard during the 1960s. There are two things to know about Mallard…

The Safe Place, the debut novel from actor and author Anna Downes, takes lead protagonist Emily Proudman on a thrilling ride. She loses her apartment, her agent and her job; all in the space of one day. Before she has time to take it all in, her successful and handsome former boss comes to the…

Anna Pitoniak’s new novel Necessary People has a blurb quote from Stephen King on its front cover, and one from Lee Child on its back. In fact, the first couple of pages of the book are devoted to quotes from publications like Refinery29 and Marie Claire, exclaiming how much their reviewers loved this book. Yet Pitoniak’s second…

The shortlist for the 2020 Miles Franklin Literary Award was announced yesterday evening. As has become the new norm during the COVID-19 pandemic the announcement was made online via a live YouTube presentation.  The award, established in 1954, celebrates the best of Australian character and creativity whilst recognising “the novel of the highest literary merit…

Set in the years immediately preceding and immediately after the American Civil War, Afia Atakora‘s debut novel Conjure Women is an exploration of both what it meant to be a woman and what it meant to be a slave in the Antebellum South. Conjure Women is the story of Rue, a ‘conjure woman’ in a small community made up…

There is no actual school of life. So what does one do if they want to learn to be an adult? Luckily, the fine ladies who wrote the  bestselling book, How to Be Parisian have you covered. They’ve put together a playful, new volume that is chock-full of observations and advice about growing up. It…

It is hard to believe that Melting Moments is a debut novel. Not only is the name Anna Goldsworthy a familiar one in the Australian literary scene, but the writing inside this novel is so accomplished that it feels effortless to read. Melting Moments is the story of Ruby, following her from her days as a young woman,…

Mammoth, the new novel from author Chris Flynn, is a witty and compelling mash-up of historical and science fiction, with gags and subtle ecological (and more) messaging nestled side by side.  On the face of it, Mammoth, sounds bold, audacious and something that shouldn’t really work. A sentient Mammoth fossil tells his life (and after…

This afternoon, the 2020 ABIAs (Australian Book Industry Awards) were live streamed into the homes of book lovers across Australia. Winners were toasted, writers celebrated, and history was made, in more ways than one. Thanks to COVID-19 2020 saw the Award’s Gala held virtually for the first time in the event’s history. 2020 also marks the…

South of Tasmania sits The Wheel. It is the largest mountain in the world, almost triple the height of Everest. Accompanied by a small island, complete with its own formidable peak, The Wheel has been conquered by only one man – American billionaire climber Walter Richman. It’s been more than fifty years since Richman stood…

It’s been thirteen years since WA writer, Donna Mazza, won the prestigious City of Fremantle T.A.G. Hungerford award for her novel, The Albanian. But her second book, Fauna, out earlier this year through Allen and Unwin was certainly worth the wait. Set in 2037, in an Australia which shows only subtle differences from our own,…

The shortlist for the 2020 Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIAs) has been unveiled today. The awards are a key fixture in the Australian literary scene, and are designed to celebrate the very best in homegrown literature and publishing. Usually a red carpet affair, this year the awards gala will be heading online, with the winners…

The shortlist for the 2020 Women’s Prize for Fiction has been announced overnight during a special online event (Covid-19 strikes again!).  Now celebrating its 25th anniversary, the prize was previously known as the Orange Prize for Fiction and until recently was the Bailey’s Prize for Fiction. It is awarded annually to the best work of…

Tasmanian writer K. M. Kruimink has been awarded this year’s The Australian/Vogel’s Literary Award. Set in the 1800s, A Treacherous Country follows newly arrived migrant Gabriel Fox. Intent on finding a woman named Maryanne Maginn, Kruimink’s manscript sends Fox through the Tasmanian wilderness, accompanied by a guide who is not all he seems. The award…

“The world is in crisis but our artists are expressing themselves as powerfully and eloquently as ever…” That’s the message from the judging panel tasked with the unenviable duty of selecting the winner of the 2020 Stella Prize. This year, journalist Jess Hill took home the $50,000 prize for See What You Made Me Do,…

It was announced late last month that the inaugural Yarra Valley Writers Festival would be an online-only event. Today, organisers have revealed a jam-packed livestream line-up for the May 9th celebration. Programmed by playwright Hannie Rayson, the festival will extend its reach beyond a single Saturday, with book clubs and author chats running into late…

It’s hard to believe it’s been almost a year since Helen Scheuerer wrapped up The Oremere Chronicles with the action-packed War of Mist. But Scheuerer isn’t about to let fans struggle through isolation without the company of Bleak, Henri, and the gang. Hitting bookshelves on April 16th, Dawn of Mist takes place before the events…

The Yarra Valley Writers Festival isn’t letting a pandemic get in the way of its inaugural celebrations! Instead, the team have today announced a switch to a digital format, with a series of events streaming live on Saturday 9th May. Festival programmer and playwright Hannie Rayson (Hotel Sorento, Inheritance) said: ‘’The way audiences experience art,…

Event organisers have confirmed the cancellation of the 2020 Byron Writers Festival. Due to take place in August, tickets had not yet gone on sale. In a statement released today, the festival said: “Regrettably and with a heavy heart we have made the decision to cancel Byron Writers Festival 2020, which was scheduled to run…

Soon readers will once more be able to explore the realm of Ellest, in Helen Scheuerer’s prequel collection Dawn of Mist. The anthology reveals more about key characters in The Oremere Chronicles, bringing together sixteen short stories in one volume. Ahead of the book’s release on April 16th, we caught up with Helen to chat…

In the 1950s, a young woman meets Barry Humphries on a ship. Two women text about their difficult, isolated mother. A newly elected hard right politician unleashes upon the press. And as the world burns, a wife from the “better suburbs” begs for a place in an exclusive gated community. These are just a few…