Your essential reading list for May

Australian fiction is experiencing a surge in popularity with our readers, and as always we’re on the forefront with showcasing the new talent. 

Check out our extensive list of our top 20 favourite books for new release fiction this month. 

The Jade Lily by Kirsty Manning

In 2016, fleeing London with a broken heart, Alexandra returns to Australia to be with her grandparents, Romy and Wilhelm, when her grandfather is dying. With only weeks left together, her grandparents begin to reveal the family mysteries they have kept secret for more than half a century. Check out our review.

Six Tudor Queens: Jane Seymour, The Haunted Queen by Alison Weir

The third stunning novel in the Six Tudor Queens series by foremost and beloved historian Alison Weir.

The Book of Colours by Robyn Cadwallader

London, 1321: In a small stationer’s shop in Paternoster Row, three people are drawn together around the creation of a magnificent book, an illuminated manuscript of prayers, a Book of Hours. Even though the commission seems to answer the aspirations of each one of them, their own desires and ambitions threaten its completion. As each struggles to see the book come into being, it will change everything they have understood about their place in the world.

Bloodtree River by Sarah Barrie

In Bloodtree River, with its fish-out-of-water representations of small town Australia, there are unmistakable echoes of Kenneth Cook’s eerie classic Wake in Fright. Barrie’s novel however, is far less claustrophobic, and instead employs an ensemble cast of suspects and roadblocks that make this thriller deliciously hard to predict.

Monash’s Masterpiece by Peter FitzSimons

The Battle of Le Hamel on 4 July 1918 was an Allied triumph, and strategically very important in the closing stages of WWI. A largely Australian force, commanded by the brilliant Sir John Monash, fought what has been described as the first modern battle – where infantry, tanks, artillery and planes operated together as a coordinated force.

The Last of the Bonegilla Girls by Victoria Purman

For readers of The Woolgrower’s Companion and The Three Miss Allens… Their friendship transcends nationality and background, but can it overcome the horrors of the past? A post-Second World War story of strong female ties and family, secrets and lies, set in the multicultural Australia of the fifties. Can the Bonegilla girls defeat their past? Or will it come to claim them?

Hot Pursuit by Rebecca Freeborn

Sarah is a former beauty therapist who doesn ‘t wear make-up. She ‘s a wannabe journo for gossip magazine Women ‘s Choice, but she knows nothing about celebrities. And now the love of her life has run out on her leaving her with a mortgage to handle on her own.

The Greater Good by Tim Ayliffe

Battered war correspondent John Bailey is a man living on the edge. He’s haunted by nightmares of being kidnapped and tortured in Iraq and he’s drinking too much to drown the memories. As he battles to get his life back together, a story breaks that will force him back into the spotlight – and into the crosshairs of a deadly international player.

The Yellow Villa by Amanda Hampson

‘People come to France to reinvent themselves…’
Mia and Ben, an Australian couple in their early thirties, have relinquished one dream and embraced another, selling their Sydney flat and purchasing an old yellow house in the picturesque village of Cordes-sur-Ciel in South-West France.

The Colour of Bee Larkham’s Murder by Sarah J. Harris

Jasper is not ordinary. In fact, he would say he is extraordinary…

Synaesthesia paints the sounds of his world in a kaleidoscope of colours that no one else can see. But on Friday, he discovered a new colour – the colour of murder.

Butterfly on a Pin by Alannah Hill

Alannah Hill, one of Australia’s most successful fashion designers, created an international fashion brand that defied trends with ornamental, sophisticated elegance, beads, bows and vintage florals. But growing up in a milk bar in Tasmania, Alannah’s childhood was one of hardship, fear and abuse.

You, Me, Everything by Catherine Isaac

You, Me, Everything is a heartfelt and unforgettable story about the lengths we are prepared to go to for those we love. Guaranteed to make you laugh and cry, this is novel you will never forget. Rights have sold in over twenty-two countries internationally and a film is in progress with Lionsgate.

Death is Not Enough by Karen Rose

A ruthless gang leader. A deadly vendetta. A dark past exhumed… Karen Rose returns with the break-neck follow-up to Monster In The Closet, and the sixth book in the heart-pounding Baltimore Series.

The Ship That Never Was by Adam Courtenay

In 1823, cockney sailor and chancer James Porter was convicted of stealing a stack of beaver furs and transported halfway around the world to Van Diemen’s Land.

The Love That I Have by James Maloney

Margot Baumann has left school to take up her sister’s job in the mailroom of a large prison. But this is Germany in 1944, and the prison is Sachsenhausen concentration camp near Berlin.

The Way Things Should Be by Bridie Jabour

Claudia is getting married in a week. Well, she’s 85% sure she is getting married in a week. Maybe 75%…
First, she must return home to spend the week with her siblings Zoe, Phinn and Poppy who, despite their best intentions, are quick to return to long-established battle lines. The arrival of her best friend Nora, desperately trying to keep her own demons quiet, does nothing to soothe the possessive sisters.

Queen of The North by Anne O’Brien

1399: England’s crown is under threat. King Richard II holds onto his power by an ever-weakening thread, with exiled Henry of Lancaster back to reclaim his place on the throne. For Elizabeth Mortimer, there is only one rightful King – her eight-year-old nephew, Edmund. Only he can guarantee her fortunes, and protect her family’s rule over the precious Northern lands bordering Scotland.

Waiting for Elijah by Kate Wild

In 2009, in the NSW country town of Armidale, a mentally ill young man is shot dead by a police officer. Senior Constable Andrew Rich claims he ‘had no choice’ other than to shoot 24-year-old Elijah Holcombe — Elijah had run, roaring at him, with a knife, he tells police.

Slow Cooker Central: Kids by Paulene Christie

From the trusted bestselling Slow Cooker Central series comes a book packed with more than 200 recipes that your kids will love to eat and are simple enough for them to help cook! How do we know that? Because these are recipes from real mums and dads, who’ve road-tested these dishes in their own families, with their own kids.

Into The Night by Sarah Bailey

The riveting follow-up to The Dark Lake, acclaimed debut novel and international bestseller. Into the Night is her stunning new crime novel featuring the troubled and brilliant Detective Sergeant Gemma Woodstock. This time Gemma finds herself lost and alone in the city, broken-hearted by the decisions she’s had to make.