Better Reading’s Most Anticipated Upcoming Books for 2023

2023 is shaping up to be one of the best years we’ve seen for a while in publishing! We’ve already had so many memorable, standout books land on our bookshelves, from Australian authors and further afield. (Side note: how many ‘book-of-the-years’ is too many? Asking for a friend…).

As we hurtle into the second half of the year, we have our eyes on some very exciting upcoming releases! Book lovers know the lead-up to Christmas tends to accrue the year’s biggest titles, and this year is no exception!

Read on to discover the books we’re most excited to read each month for the remainder of 2023…

July

Wifedom by Anna Funder
Anna Funder is the author of novels Stasiland and All That I Am, and the novella The Girl with the Dogs. Stasiland, already hailed as a ‘classic’, told true stories of ordinary people who heroically resisted the communist dictatorship of East Germany. Now, with Wifedom, Funder is bringing us an electrifying biography of George Orwell’s first wife.

Southern Aurora by Mark Brandi
From the Dagger award-winning author of Wimmera, Mark Brandi, comes an unforgettable new novel. Southern Aurora shows small-town life is unforgiving if you’re from the other side of the tracks…

Killer Traitor Spy by Tim Ayliffe
Already set to be adapted for screen, Killer Traitor Spy uncovers new lines of espionage in the twenty-first century, from Canberra to Moscow to Beijing. It proclaims Tim Ayliffe as a master of the genre.

August

Halifax #2: Resurrection by Roger Simpson
Based on Australia’s hugely popular Halifax television series, this is the second book in the thrilling Dr. Jane Halifax series. It’s already taking our Preview readers by a storm!

Farewell to the Little Coffee Shop of Kabul by Deborah Rodriguez
Set against the terrifying fall of Kabul in 2021, Deborah Rodriguez concludes her bestselling Little Coffee Shop trilogy with a heart-stopping story of resilience, courage and, most importantly, hope.

September

The Wake-Up Call by Beth O’Leary
Beth O’Leary’s The Flatshare is now a TV series, and her latest novel is poised for equal success! It’s the busiest time of the year, and Forest Manor Hotel is quite literally falling apart. So when sworn enemies Izzy and Lucas are given the same shift on the hotel’s front desk, they have no choice but to put their differences aside. Love is the last thing they need…

Sleepless in Stringy Bark Bay by Susan Duncan
A page-turning, mysterious, funny and delightful story by the bestselling author of Salvation Creek, The Briny Cafe and Gone Fishing. Five couples pool their resources to live in a house where the only way in or out is by boat. And then one is found face down in the lagoon…

October

Lola in the Mirror by Trent Dalton
Bighearted, gritty, magical and moving, Lola in the Mirror is the irresistible new novel from international bestselling author of Boy Swallows Universe and All Our Shimmering Skies. A girl and her mother are on the lam. They’ve been running for sixteen years, from police and the monster they left in the kitchen with the knife in his throat…

The Seven by Chris Hammer
Get ready for the latest stunning thriller from the bestselling author of Scrublands and The Tilt. Yuwonderie’s seven founding families have lorded it over their district for a century, growing ever more rich and powerful. But now – in startling circumstances – one of their own is found dead in a ditch and homicide detectives Ivan Lucic and Nell Buchanan are sent to investigate. What secrets are The Seven so desperate to keep hidden?

Edenglassie by Melissa Lucashenko
In this expansive novel set in Brisbane when First Nations people still outnumber the colonists, Miles Franklin award-winning author Melissa Lucashenko tells two extraordinary stories set five generations apart. In this brilliant epic, Lucashenko torches Queensland’s colonial myths, while reimagining an Australian future.

Sisters Under the Rising Sun by Heather Morris
Sisters under the Rising Sun is the captivating new novel from multimillion-copy bestselling author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, Cilka’s Journey and Three Sisters. This is a story of women in war: a novel of resilience, bravery and friendship in the darkest of circumstances.

November and December

The Drowning by Bryan Brown
Iconic Australian actor Bryan Brown made a splash with his debut Aussie Noir crime thriller, Sweet Jimmy, back in 2021. With a Longford Lyell AACTA Award for contributions to Australian cinema under his belt, Brown knows what it takes to create compelling stories. Expect The Drowning to hit the shelves toward the end of 2023.

Also, keep your eyes peeled – and reserve a spot on your summer reading list – for the usual big names in the lead-up to Christmas. We’re expecting new releases from Rachael Johns, Michael Connelly, Fiona Palmer, Sarah Barrie and Tania Blanchard!