Recommended reading
You Had It Coming
by B.M. Carroll
A tumultuous psychological suspense from the author of Who We Were, exploring revenge, shattered reputations, and the true nature of consent.
Klara and the Sun
by Kazuo Ishiguro
Klara and the Sun is the first novel by Kazuo Ishiguro since he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature 2017.
From Where I Fell
by Susan Johnson
Two women from opposite ends of the earth begin corresponding by chance and start sharing the intimacies of their lives.
Elizabeth and Elizabeth
by Sue Williams
The story of how two women, who should have been bitter foes, combined their courage and wisdom to wield extraordinary power and influence behind the scenes of the fledgling colony.
Skydragon: Skydragon 1
by Anh Do, illustrated by James Hart
One brave girl. Thousands of unexpected allies. A high-flying adventure series from Anh Do.
The Good Teacher
by Petronella McGovern
From the bestselling author of Six Minutes, comes a fast-paced, heart-stopping thriller full of gripping tension, twists and turns.
Finding Eadie
by Caroline Beecham
The author of Maggie's Kitchen and Eleanor's Secret delivers another compelling story of love and mystery during wartime.
Who We Were
by B.M. Carroll
A gripping novel about the power of childhood cruelty, and how it makes us the adults we become.
Good Dogs Don't Make It to the South Pole
by Hans-Olav Thyvold
The wisest, funniest, and most inspiring book on ageing and friendship written by a dog you'll ever read.
Josephine's Garden
by Stephanie Parkyn
A captivating story of love, nature and identity in Napoleon's France
The Clergyman's Wife
by Molly Greeley
A moving story of unexpected love featuring Charlotte from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. 'Poignant, pensive and brilliant ...' Laurel Ann Nattress, editor of Jane Austen Made Me Do It.
The Weekend
by Charlotte Wood
The brilliant new novel from Charlotte Wood, acclaimed author of The Natural Way of Things.
The Unforgiving City
by Maggie Joel
Secrets and lies throw three lives into chaos in the last days of the nineteenth century.
The Electric Hotel
by Dominic Smith
From the award-winning author of the acclaimed bestseller The Last Painting of Sara de Vos comes a luminous new novel tracing the intertwined fates of a silent film director and his muse.
The Nancys
by R.W.R. McDonald
A schoolgirl and her uncle and his boyfriend have two weeks to solve a murder in a small town style forgot...
Aurora Rising: The Aurora Cycle 1
by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
From the New York Times and internationally bestselling authors of the Illuminae Files comes a new science fiction epic.
Life Before
by Carmel Reilly
Suspense and family secrets surround a pair of estranged siblings in a compelling debut thriller.
Normal People
by Sally Rooney
Sally Rooney set the books world buzzing in 2017 with her debut Conversations With Friends; Normal People is a girl-meets-boy story with a difference, interrogating the difficulties of sincere communication in a complicated, post-ironic world.
Losing the Plot
by Elizabeth Coleman
Funny, charming and captivating, with a plot within a plot, and a girl who is looking for love in all the wrong places.
Islands
by Peggy Frew
A stunning literary novel from the author of the Stella Prize shortlisted Hope Farm.
The Promised Land
by Barry Maitland
Brock and Kolla return in an enthralling new mystery from a master of the genre.
Unsheltered
by Barbara Kingsolver
The international bestselling author of The Lacuna, Flight Behaviour and The Poisonwood Bible and recipient of numerous literary awards - including the National Humanities Medal, the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, and the Orange Prize - returns with a timely novel that interweaves past and present to explore the human capacity for resilience and compassion in times of great upheaval.
Lenny's Book of Everything
by Karen Foxlee
A multi-award-winning book about finding good in the bad that will break your heart while raising your spirits in the way that only a classic novel can.
The Wolf Hour
by Sarah Myles
A gripping thriller set in Africa about a young aid worker in danger and the lengths to which her family will go to save her. Edge-of-your-seat suspense combines with a compelling family drama in this story of power, greed and salvation.
Scrublands
by Chris Hammer
Set in a fictional Riverina town at the height of a devastating drought, Scrublands is one of the most powerful, compelling and original crime novels to be written in Australia.
We See the Stars
by Kate van Hooft
A haunting and deeply moving novel with a brilliant voice in the tradition of The Eye of the Sheep and Jasper Jones.
Bluebottle
by Belinda Castles
With sea-salt authenticity, Belinda Castles sets the Bright family in the sprawling paradise of Bilgola Beach. But darkness is found both in the iconic setting as well as in the disturbing behaviour of one of the family.
Conversations with Friends
by Sally Rooney
A sharply intelligent novel about friendship, lust, jealousy, and the unexpected complications of adulthood in the 21st century.
Heather, The Totality
by Matthew Weiner
The explosive debut novel - about family, power and privilege - from the creator of the award-winning Mad Men.
The Life to Come
by Michelle de Kretser
The dazzling new novel from Michelle de Kretser, author of Questions of Travel, bestseller and winner of the Miles Franklin Award.
Fearless
by Fiona Higgins
What happens when six pampered Westerners on a spiritual retreat in Bali end up fighting for their lives? A gripping novel from the bestselling author of The Mothers' Group.
The Choke
by Sofie Laguna
The Choke is a mesmerising, harrowing and ultimately uplifting novel from the 2015 Miles Franklin winner.
The Way Back
by Kylie Ladd
All she wanted was to escape. But why does she still feel trapped. A gripping psychological drama by the author of Mothers and Daughters and Into My Arms.
Bridget Crack
by Rachel Leary
Van Diemen's Land, 1826. A desperate convict flees into the wilderness. But the land that hides her will show her no mercy. A brilliant literary debut from a writer of rare talent.
Hello, Goodbye
by Emily Brewin
It's 1968 and free-thinking country girl May Callaghan's world is turned upside down when she finds out she's pregnant to her boyfriend Sam, who is awaiting draft orders. A profoundly moving story of love during a time of great social change, with an ending that will leave you cheering.
To Become a Whale
by Ben Hobson
The story of a young boy who has recently lost his mother, trying to make sense of the world of men and then embarking on a breathtaking adventure of his own - a stunning literary debut in the tradition of Favel Parrett's Past the Shallows and Tim Winton's An Open Swimmer.
Blame
by Nicole Trope
A tender and terrifying page-turner from the master of white-knuckle suspense and searing family drama.
The Wonder Lover
by Malcolm Knox
What's the worst thing that can happen to a man who has not one, not two, but three secret families on the go? A spectacular new work of imagination and audacity from one of our finest writers.
The Last Painting of Sara de Vos
by Dominic Smith
A dazzling and mesmerising story that charts the collision course between a rare landscape by a female Dutch painter of the golden age, an inheritor of the work in 1950s Manhattan, and a celebrated art historian who painted a forgery of it in her youth. A literary novel of breathtaking scope, ambition and achievement.
Merciless Gods
by Christos Tsiolkas
A collection of thrilling, original and imaginative stories from the award-winning, bestselling author of The Slap and Barracuda - a showcase all of his immense and unique story-telling talents.
Wife on the Run
by Fiona Higgins
When social media and a mobile phone expose a high school scandal and a husband's shameful secrets the only thing left to do is run. In the remarkable new novel from the bestselling author of The Mothers' Group a beleaguered wife and mother escapes it all on a family road trip - without technology - to reclaim her life and rebuild her family.
The Lovers' Guide to Rome
by Mark Lamprell
A gorgeous multi-stranded love story set in Rome. One Day meets Roman Holiday!
Bad Behaviour
by Rebecca Starford
It should have been a time of acquiring confidence, building self respect and independence, of fostering a connection with the natural world through long hikes. A gripping, compulsively readable memoir of bullying at an elite country boarding school.
The Danish Girl
by David Ebershoff
A shockingly original novel based on the true story of the first first man to undergo a sex-change operation and the woman who loves him. One of the most passionate and unusual love stories of the 20th century, now a major motion picture starring Academy Award-winner Eddie Redmayne and directed by Academy Award-winner Tom Hooper.
The Eye of the Sheep
by Sofie Laguna
Told from the mesmerising point of view and in the inimitable voice of Jimmy, this is an extraordinary novel about a poor family who is struggling to cope with a different and difficult child.
Half the World in Winter
by Maggie Joel
In 1881 in London, everything changes for the wealthy Jarmyn family. The misfortunes on the railway the family had built echoes the shocking death of nine-year-old Sofia Jarmyn. And at the heart of this family, a terrible secret is tearing their lives apart.
Swimming Home
by Mary-Rose MacColl
In London in the mid-1920s, a young Australian and her aunt are each on a journey of self-discovery - one by attempting to swim the English Channel the other to rediscover the woman she used to be. From the bestselling author of In Falling Snow.
Barracuda
by Christos Tsiolkas
Tender and brutal and blazingly brilliant, the new novel from the acclaimed author of the international bestseller The Slap takes an unflinching look at modern Australia - at our hopes and dreams, our friendships and our families - and asks what it means to be a good person, and what it takes to become one.
The Secret Son
by Jenny Ackland
An Australian historian determined to find the truth, a stolen inheritance, a wishing tree, a long-lost grandmother, and an unlikely sweetheart come together in a dazzlingly original, audacious and exhilarating novel about love, honour and belonging, and what it means to be a good person.
A Good Place to Hide
by Peter Grose
They kept their heads down, they kept their mouths shut and they stuck together to offer sanctuary and shelter to over 3500 Jews in their small villages in the isolated upper reaches of the Loire. This is one of the great modern stories of unknown heroism and courage.
Dangerous Games
by Larry Writer
A team of thirty-three Australian athletes competed in the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. Poorly prepared and with limited support, they bravely faced formidable competition. Larry Writer recreates their experience so vividly we can imagine ourselves in the famous stadium surrounded by swastikas.
Mothers and Daughters
by Kylie Ladd
A clear-eyed, insightful and wildly entertaining look into the complicated, emotional world of mothers and their teenage daughters by the acclaimed author of Into My Arms, Last Summer and After the Fall.
Cicada
by Moira McKinnon
A stunning novel of terror, love and survival in the most inhospitable country on earth. A white-knuckle chase story like no other - suspenseful, lyrical and breathtaking in equal measure. The literary debut novel of 2014.
The Power of Bones
by Keelen Mailman
A heartbreaking tale of childhood poverty, abuse and racism that happily becomes an inspiring story of an extraordinary woman's strength through adversity.
The Grass Castle
by Karen Viggers
The story of two remarkable women and their stories of courage, forgiveness and acceptance from the bestselling author of The Lightkeeper's Wife.
Goodbye Sweetheart
by Marion Halligan
From the author of Valley of Grace comes a powerful novel of love, the desire for understanding, and the inevitable messiness of life.
The Yellow Eyes of Crocodiles
by Katherine Pancol
A warmly funny story about love, friendship, betrayal, money, dreams and a little white lie and its hilarious, life-changing consequences.
In Stockmen's Footsteps
by Jane Grieve
Featuring many of the legends of the Australian outback, this is the extraordinary true story of how one ordinary woman grew up to champion Australia's outback heritage.
Call Me Sasha
by Geena Leigh
Told with raw honesty, this is the true story of one woman's life as a callgirl - and her ultimate redemption.
Chocolate Cake for Breakfast
by Danielle Hawkins
A wry, entertaining story about falling in love with a man whose shirtless picture adorns every second lunchroom wall and then doing your best when the relationship takes an unexpected turn .
To Name Those Lost
by Rohan Wilson
From the bestselling author of The Roving Party, comes a moving father and son story set amidst the beauty and the violence of the poor and preyed upon of our colonial past.
Tumbledown Manor
by Helen Brown
A witty, entertaining novel about a woman who leaves the rat race for a quiet life restoring an old mansion from the bestselling author of Cleo.
Coal Creek
by Alex Miller
The new novel from Australia's highly acclaimed literary treasure is an extraordinarily powerful exploration of tragedy, betrayal, the true nature of friendship and the beauty of lasting love.
We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves
by Karen Joy Fowler
Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2014
By the author of worldwide bestseller The Jane Austen Book Club: you can't choose your family, but they can make choices for you. Big, life-defining choices. Winner of the 2014 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction.
Drive By
by Michael Duffy
A searing, revealing, white-knuckle ride into the heart of a crime family straight out of tomorrow's headlines.
The Word Ghost
by Christine Paice
Funny, moving, romantic, and a little bit spooky - a brilliantly told story of love, family and the occasional ghost.
The Railwayman's Wife
by Ashley Hay
An acclaimed, heartbreaking novel of love and loss, and the healing power of memory and words.
Into My Arms
by Kylie Ladd
When Skye meets Ben their attraction is instantaneous and intense. Niether of them has ever felt more in synch - or in love - with anyone in their lives. What happens next will tear them both apart. Into My Arms is a searing love story and a gripping family drama - a shocking, haunting novel in the tradition of Jodi Picoult and Caroline Overington.
Autumn Laing
by Alex Miller
Autumn Laing has long outlived the legendary circle of artists she cultivated in the 1930s. Now 'old and skeleton gaunt', she reflects on her tumultuous relationship with the abundantly talented Pat Donlon and the effect it had on her husband, on Pat's wife and the body of work which launched Pat's career. A brilliantly alive and insistently energetic story of love, loyalty and creativity.
Safe With Me
by Amy Hatvany
A provocative and compelling novel about two mothers and one daughter who are linked by tragedy and bound by secrets.
Plain Truth
by Jodi Picoult
Jodi Picoult explores the complex choices of the heart for a young Amish woman - and the compelling journey of discovery for an urban lawyer who befriends and protects her.
My Sister's Keeper
by Jodi Picoult
With her penetrating insight into the hearts and minds of real people, Jodi Picoult's My Sister's Keeper examines what it means to be a good parent, a good sister, a good person, and what happens when emotions meet with scientific advances.
On the Noodle Road
by Jen Lin-Liu
On honeymoon, a food writer questions how had food and culture moved along the Silk Road, the ancient trade route linking Asia to Europe - and what could still be felt of those long-ago migrations and discovers some surprising truths about commitment, independence, and love.
The Secret Keeper
by Kate Morton
In a bucolic English summer at the end of the 1960s, a young girl witnesses a shocking crime. Fifty years later, she sets out to find out the truth, uncovering layers of mystery and deception. Moving from London during the Blitz to the present day, this is classic Kate Morton: a compulsively-readable, entrancing mystery with a long held secret to be uncovered at its heart.
Infamy
by Lenny Bartulin
Kate Grenville meets Cormac McCarthy in a hugely enjoyable rollicking, literary western set in the most isolated and feared penal colony of the British Empire. A novel full of breathtaking action, cut-throat villains and corrupt and deadly officials, you'll never think of Tasmanian history in the same way again.
In Falling Snow
by Mary-Rose MacColl
A vivid and compelling story of love, war and secrets, set against the backdrop of WWI France
Floodline
by Kathryn Heyman
On the eve of a huge gay mardis gras a city is destroyed by a flood - a moving, passionate, original and utterly fresh novel from the acclaimed author of Captain Starlight's Apprentice.
Buddhaland Brooklyn
by Richard C Morais
From the author of The Hundred-Foot Journey comes a fish-out-of-water story of a Japanese monk who unexpectedly finds his community in bustling Brooklyn.
Game
by Trevor Shearston
A moving and brilliant literary novel about the last days of legendary bushranger Ben Hall.
Questions of Travel
by Michelle de Kretser
Questions of Travel is a dazzling, compassionate and deeply moving novel from one of world literature's rising stars.
The Son-in-Law
by Charity Norman
A heart-catching, riveting and extremely engaging family drama for readers who love Joanna Trollope and Jodi Picoult.
The Last Days of the National Costume
by Anne Kennedy
Narrated by one of the funniest, wisest literary observers of all time this is a brilliant, charming and heartwarming novel about illicit love, sewing, blackouts and Belfast.
The Avalon Ladies Scrapbooking Society
by Darien Gee
A poignant and heartwarming story about a group of women who form deep friendships through their love of scrapbooking - as memories are preserved, dreams are shared, and surprising truths are revealed. A novel about heart, about family and finding ourselves in places where we least expect from the bestselling author of Friendship Bread.
The Mothers' Group
by Fiona Higgins
The acclaimed bestseller about a remarkable group of mothers and their trials, joys and secrets.
The Town that Drowned
by Riel Nason
When fourteen-year-old Ruby Carson takes a tumble through the ice she nearly drowns. Coming to, she has a vision of her town under water that she shares with the assembled crowd. Already something of an oddity, the vision solidifies her status as an outcast. But as it turns out, she was right . . . A tender, funny and charming coming-of-age tale that will steal your heart.
Grace Grows
by Shelle Sumners
'The first time I met Tyler Wilkie, I was dressed like a call girl. . '
And so begins the slow unravelling of the organised, responsible life of textbook editor girl, Grace, when she meets the super-charming, irresponsible, dogwalking boy. It's when all the trouble starts.
A Teaspoon of Earth and Sea
by Dina Nayeri
The heart-warming and uplifting novel about an Iranian girl who, separated from her mother and twin sister during the turmoil following the Iranian Revolution, invents a rich, imaginative world in which they live on. A book about identity - about finding your own and creating what you think you're missing.
The Shifting Fog
by Kate Morton
A rich and engrossing story of love, passion, secrets, and lies set in the gaiety, glamour, and grand country houses of post-war Edwardian England.
The Distant Hours
by Kate Morton
The discovery of a long-lost letter reveals an old secret and the truth behind a woman's mysterious past in the best-selling novel from international publishing sensation, Kate Morton, author of The Shifting Fog and The Forgotten Garden.
Lovesong
by Alex Miller
Seeking shelter in a Parisian cafe from a sudden rainstorm, John Patterner meets the exotic Sabiha and his carefully mapped life changes forever. Alex Miller's brilliantly realised, multi-award winning novel tells the deeply moving story of their lives together, and of how each came undone by desire. Now in paperback.
Ape House
by Sara Gruen
The wildly entertaining new novel from the bestselling author of Water for Elephants.
The Slap
by Christos Tsiolkas
To smack or not to smack is the question that reverberates through the interconnected lives dissected in Christos Tsiolkas' award-winning novel.
Wonders of a Godless World
by Andrew McGahan
Suspend disbelief and immerse yourself in an electrifying, tumultuous work of the imagination - a powerful and apocalyptic tale of madness and revenge, desire and devastation, you'll be swept from the beginning of time to the end of the earth.
American Rust
by Philipp Meyer
A heart-wrenching, unputdownable tale of redemption and survival in small-town America in the tradition of Richard Ford, Pete Dexter and Cormac McCarthy.
Jasper Jones
by Craig Silvey
Full of unforgettable characters, a page-turning pace and outrageously good dialogue, this is a glorious novel - thoughtful, funny, heartbreaking and wise - about outsiders and secrets, and what it really means to be a hero.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
A celebration of literature, love, and the power of the human spirit, this warm, funny, tender, and thoroughly entertaining novel is the story of an English author living in the shadow of World War II and the writing project that will dramatically change her life. An international bestseller.
Valley of Grace
by Marion Halligan
Much loved, award-winning author returns with a lyrical work full of hope and children set in modern-day Paris.
The Red Tent
by Anita Diamant
An international publishing phenomenon, this beautiful and thought provoking novel tells the story, lost to history by the chronicles of men, of Dinah, Jacob's only daughter in the Book of Genesis.
Landscape of Farewell
by Alex Miller
'Is it history that tells us who we are? Or is it the story we tell ourselves . that defines who we are?' (The Australian) A profound and moving story about the land, the past, exile and acceptance from the award-winning author of Journey to the Stone Country.
Turtle
by Gary Bryson
Set in Glasgow, Turtle is a blackly comic and compulsively enjoyable story about young Donald, who goes in search of his inner turtle. 'Turtle is one of the finest debut novels I've read in years. Bryson's storytelling is, quite simply, enchanting.' Mandy Sayer
The Children
by Charlotte Wood
From one of Australia's finest writers, a novel that exposes the tenacious grip of childhood, the way siblings seem to grow apart but never do, and the price paid for bearing witness to the suffering of others.
The Lost Dog
by Michelle de Kretser
'...the best novel I have read for a long time.' - A.S. Byatt, Financial Times Long-listed for the Man Book Prize and published to wide acclaim, The Lost Dog is a moving, funny and beautiful contemporary Australian novel filled with luminous writing and startlingly wise observations.
Water for Elephants
by Sara Gruen
A great, glorious, big-hearted novel set in a travelling circus touring the backblocks of America during the great depression of the early 1930s. It's a story of love and hate, trains and circuses, dwarves and fat ladies, horses and elephants - or, to be specific, one elephant, Rosie, star of the Benzini Bros Most Spectacular Show on Earth .
Underground
by Andrew McGahan
Blistering, brilliant, corrosively sharp and blackly comic - an unforgettable novel from the Miles Franklin Award winner, Andrew McGahan.
Lord of the Flies
by William Golding
First published in 1954, Lord of the Flies is one of the most celebrated and widely read of modern classics.
The Secret Familiar
by Catherine Jinks
Beautifully crafted historical fiction set in medieval France, The Secret Familiar is a page-turning murder mystery and a fascinating moral tale of betrayal, faith and ultimate truth.
Red Spikes
by Margo Lanagan
Margo Lanagan's electrifying stories are for anyone who loves to be surprised, touched, unsettled and dazzled by what a great writer can do in just a few pages.
Prochownik's Dream
by Alex Miller
From the award-winning author of Conditions of Faith and Journey to the Stone Country, Alex Miller's new novel reveals the inner life of an artist, torn between his obsession with his art and his love of his wife and daughter.
Tuvalu
by Andrew O'Connor
Winner of the 2005 The Australian/Vogel Literary Award, this is a pitch perfect, intriguing, artful novel about exile and apathy, attraction and isolation.
Death of a Whaler
by Nerida Newton
A simple, powerful story about death, grief, rebirth and reawakening - an Australian classic in the making from the award-wining author of The Lambing Flat.
A Long Long Way
by Sebastian Barry
The powerful and moving First World War novel, shortlisted for the 2005 Man Booker Prize.
Child of the Revolution
by Luis M. Garcia
What was it really like to grow up in Castro's people's paradise? With an evocative wide-eyed innocence, Luis M. Garcia takes us back to his childhood in this evocative memoir of growing up in 1960s Cuba.
The Red Shoe
by Ursula Dubosarsky
From one of Australia's finest writers for young people comes this evocative novel juxtaposing the inner life of three girls, the undercurrents of their parents' marriage and the political dramas of the adult world.
The Broken Book
by Susan Johnson
A remarkable story of one woman's struggle to become the artist she has passionately planned to be. Written with an awe-inspiring ability, it is one of the most powerful and moving Australian novels of recent times.
Last Drinks
by Andrew McGahan
It's closing time in the Queensland underworld. Last Drinks is brilliant, suspenseful and masterfully written.
Behind the Moon
by Hsu-Ming Teo
From Vogel award-winning author Hsu-Ming Teo, a powerful novel about the ties of friendship, love and history.
Road Story
by Julienne van Loon
This gritty, sun drenched novel about friendship, loneliness and addiction is the winner of 2004 The Australian/Vogel Literary Award.
The Point
by Marion Halligan
A beautifully crafted novel about appetite, desire and murder from award-winning writer Marion Halligan.
The Sunday Wife
by Cassandra King
A captivating novel about one woman's journey toward independence and the life-changing friendship that guides her there.
Mrs Cook
by Marele Day
A richly woven and evocative portrayal of Elizabeth Cook by the author of the acclaimed Lambs of God.
Journey to the Stone Country
by Alex Miller
Winner of the 2003 Miles Franklin Award. A superbly compelling work of betrayals, compassion, secrets and reconciliation.
The Alphabet of Light and Dark
by Danielle Wood
Melding personal, family and colonial history, Wood's evocative and lyrical prose explores the past and place, searching and belonging, love, loss and grief. The Alphabet of Light and Dark is more than an historical novel; it's a novel about history.
The Fog Garden
by Marion Halligan
A moving and eloquent novel that has confirmed Marion Halligan's status as one of Australia's finest writers.
Tender at the Bone
by Ruth Reichl
A beautifully written memoir (with recipes) of a life determined, enhanced and defined by food, by the chief restaurant critic for The New York Times.
Conditions of Faith
by Alex Miller
An amazing book; a compulsively readable story composed by an award-winning author of brilliant, subtle, compassionate and intelligent language.
