Blog

If you haven’t listened to a podcast yet, you’re probably in the minority and if, like us, you’re addicted to them, you’re part of a growing trend. According to a recent article in the Sydney Morning Herald, we’re in the midst of an audio renaissance, with easy access to audio books and podcasts on our […] - Read more

Read some political bastardry here One of the greatest things about Australian literature is its ability to continually surprise and reinvent itself – in voice, subject matter, and timeliness. In Jock Serong’s On the Java Ridge, a range of familiar and exciting characters wrestle against the damp reality of the present, finding themselves dreaming of […] - Read more

Emma Viskic is the author of And Fire Came Down and Resurrection Bay, two clever and gripping crime thrillers that have taken Australia by storm. She talks to us about writing crime fiction, becoming attached to her characters, and the writing process. Better Reading: Your first novel, Resurrection Bay, did exceptionally well, winning the 2016 Ned Kelly Award for Best First Fiction, […] - Read more

In You Be Mother, Meg Mason has infused her domestic drama with humour, charm and a sense of longing that lingers well beyond the final pages. Jetting off from Heathrow and landing in Sydney, the book takes a cast of believably flawed characters, and follows the threads of small decisions and their sometimes devastating consequences. But the […] - Read more

Brendan James Murray’s latest book, Venom, is the fascinating story of taipan snake bite victim George Rosendale and the search for deadly snake bite antivenom. But it’s much more than that – it’s a story about the great turbulent relationship between Indigenous Australians and European settlers. Before the discovery of antivenom, people would do whatever they could […] - Read more

In You Be Mother, Meg Mason has infused her domestic drama with humour, charm and a sense of longing that lingers well beyond the final pages. Jetting off from Heathrow and landing in Sydney, the book takes a cast of believably flawed characters, and follows the threads of small decisions and their sometimes devastating consequences. But the […] - Read more

Imagine a world without bees. Maja Lunde’s sweeping novel, The History of Bees, envisions such a world. Following three different families in three different time periods, Lunde looks at the past, present, and future of beekeeping, and what we can do to save it. The History of Bees is set England in 1852, the US in 2007, and China […] - Read more

Start reading here Imagine a world without bees. Maja Lunde’s sweeping novel, The History of Bees, envisions such a world. Following three different families in three different time periods, Lunde looks at the past, present, and future of beekeeping, and what we can do to save it. The History of Bees is set England in 1852, the US in […] - Read more

Words || Meg Mason It is 10.37pm. I’ve been sitting at my desk for, let’s see, coming on four hours since the dinner dishes were washed and put away, the laundry folded and the children encouraged up to their bedrooms. A full day’s work of the paid kind has been done. This is the night […] - Read more

Start reading now There’s a hypnotic energy to Celeste Ng’s writing that picks you up on the first page and carries you at a sprint to the end. Her micro-universe is drenched with conflict and drama, and each character is memorable, not in the traditional sense of being outlandish, provocative, and “unforgettable” in their loudness. […] - Read more

Australian fiction matters. It just does. We (Australians) have a unique lifestyle and landscape that isn’t like any other country so it is imperative that our stories reflect that and be held in high regard. We need our own voice. We need our own stories. These will be the building blocks of our history and […] - Read more

      From a family with rich cultural heritage, a German mother and Italian father, stories have always been in Tania Blanchard’s blood. Following a career in physiotherapy, it was only when she had her family that Tania decided to return to her passion of writing. Her debut novel is The Girl from Munich, the story […] - Read more

Historical fiction lovers rejoice! Here’s a debut from an Australian author to set your heart racing. Tania Blanchard’s The Girl from Munich is a compelling love story set in Germany during the closing years of the Second World War. It’s moving, tense and deliciously gripping. Lotte is an intelligent and beautiful young German woman living in […] - Read more

Paul Field’s book Gimme Shelter is a collection of portraits of Australian men and women who have experienced significant trauma in their lives. What emerges from the fifteen compelling life stories is an inspiring and eye-opening depiction of resilience. It’s certainly not the book that springs to mind when thinking about Paul Field, member of […] - Read more

Start reading now! Paul Field’s book Gimme Shelter is a collection of portraits of Australian men and women who have experienced significant trauma in their lives. What emerges from the fifteen compelling life stories is an inspiring and eye-opening depiction of resilience. It’s certainly not the book that springs to mind when thinking about Paul […] - Read more

Start Reading Now Historical fiction lovers rejoice! Here’s a debut from an Australian author to set your heart racing. Tania Blanchard’s The Girl from Munich is a compelling love story set in Germany during the closing years of the Second World War. It’s moving, tense and deliciously gripping. Lotte is an intelligent and beautiful young German […] - Read more

We’re excited to announce that we will be discussing And Fire Came Down by Emma Viskic for the next Better Reading book club. It’s happening at 8pm (AEST) on Wednesday 27 September, streamed live to our Facebook page.  Cheryl Akle will be joined by special guests Emma Viskic and also novelist Fiona Higgins to discuss the […] - Read more

There’s a hypnotic energy to Celeste Ng’s writing that picks you up on the first page and carries you at a sprint to the end. Her micro-universe is drenched with conflict and drama, and each character is memorable, not in the traditional sense of being outlandish, provocative, and “unforgettable” in their loudness. But memorable in […] - Read more

Fiona Palmer is best known for her rural romance novels, usually set on farms in the outback. Secrets Between Friends takes her storytelling on a new literary journey, and we can’t help but love it, for it’s rich with beautiful scenery, strong women, enduring friendships, and secrets that threaten to change everything. The book has […] - Read more

Hachette Australia is saddened by the passing of activist and Love Your Sister head villager, Connie Johnson. The brave, feisty, fabulous and much-loved Connie Johnson died on Friday 8th September. Many at Hachette Australia were fortunate to meet and work with Connie when she published the bestselling Love Your Sister, written with her brother Samuel (aka Uncle Long […] - Read more

Thursday 14th September 2017: pick up a book and read for an hour. Find out more about the Australian Reading Hour here. What is Australian Reading Hour? It’s a reminder that Australian books are some of the most gripping and exhilarating stories around. What are some of the benefits of reading? Where do I begin? […] - Read more

Thursday 14th September 2017: pick up a book and read for an hour. Find out more about the Australian Reading Hour here. What is Australian Reading Hour? Australian Reading Hour is a fantastic initiative encouraging people everywhere to read for at least one hour during the day or night on the 14th of September. What […] - Read more

Thursday 14th September 2017: pick up a book and read for an hour. Find out more about the Australian Reading Hour here. What is Australian Reading Hour? The most wonderful concept I can think of, sort of like Earth Hour for the mind. I’m going to make sure that everyone I know is ready with […] - Read more

Thursday 14th September 2017: pick up a book and read for an hour. Find out more about the Australian Reading Hour here. What is Australian Reading Hour? It’s an opportunity for everyone in the book community from writers to readers and all the people who connect them to come together for one event – and […] - Read more

Thursday 14th September 2017: pick up a book and read for an hour. Find out more about the Australian Reading Hour here. What is Australian Reading Hour? It is the perfect opportunity, or excuse, to pick up and read an Australian book for at least an hour. It happens on Thursday the 14th of September. […] - Read more

Thursday 14th September 2017: pick up a book and read for an hour. Find out more about the Australian Reading Hour here. What is Australian Reading Hour? On Thursday 14th September, folks all around Australia will read for a least an hour. The idea is simple: to remind us of how awesome reading is. What […] - Read more

Thursday 14th September 2017: pick up a book and read for an hour. Find out more about the Australian Reading Hour here. What is Australian Reading Hour? Australian Reading Hour is where, on the 14th of September, you choose to read for one hour, any time, day or night. It’s encouraging people to read and […] - Read more

Thursday 14th September 2017: pick up a book and read for an hour. Find out more about the Australian Reading Hour here. What is Australian Reading Hour? It’s like the reverse of the Earth Hour concept. That asks us to turn off the lights for an hour to conserve ourselves and the planet. Reading Hour […] - Read more

  In the galaxy of mystery books it’s tough to shine above the rest, but A.J. Banner has done so with The Twilight Wife, offering a fresh take on psychological suspense. This novel doesn’t suffer from some of the human emptiness found in page-turning crime books because it is focused on those universal things – love and memory […] - Read more

Start Reading Here Anna by Niccolò Ammaniti is an exhilarating page-turner that masterfully dances between the familiar YA post-apocalyptic setting and the moral predicaments found in classics such as William Golding’s The Lord of the Flies. Many years after a virus killed all the adults, a ruined Sicily is entrapped by time: while children are […] - Read more

Anna by Niccolò Ammaniti is an exhilarating page-turner that masterfully dances between the familiar YA post-apocalyptic setting and the moral predicaments found in classics such as William Golding’s The Lord of the Flies. Many years after a virus killed all the adults, a ruined Sicily is entrapped by time: while children are unaffected by the […] - Read more

Start Reading Here! ‘The air hangs heavy in the house, thick with unspoken secrets.’ Why we love it: The way it’s written makes this an easily palatable story. Short, frequent chapters told from the perspective of evanescent Kyra offer mini explosions of conflict and drama every few pages. It is a story of psychological suspense with […] - Read more

‘The air hangs heavy in the house, thick with unspoken secrets.’ Why we love it: The way it’s written makes this an easily palatable story. Short, frequent chapters told from the perspective of evanescent Kyra offer mini explosions of conflict and drama every few pages. It is a story of psychological suspense with enough plot […] - Read more

Why we love it: This is a captivating and fascinating story of a weekend and a marriage; and how well we can know the people closest to us. The suspense is unrelenting, an utterly riveting tale that will have you devouring the pages to find out what lies at the end. Paul Strom has the […] - Read more

Start Reading Here! Why we love it: This is a captivating and fascinating story of a weekend and a marriage; and how well we can know the people closest to us. The suspense is unrelenting, an utterly riveting tale that will have you devouring the pages to find out what lies at the end. Paul Strom […] - Read more

Start reading here Why we love it: This story of three different bloggers is a sharp and funny look at the power of social media, and how the real story often differs from the filtered and idealised world presented. The Mummy Bloggers is (as the name suggests) a story about three mothers who blog. But […] - Read more

Start reading here One of the greatest things about Australian literature is its ability to continually surprise and reinvent itself – in voice, subject matter, and timeliness. In Jock Serong’s On the Java Ridge, a range of familiar and exciting characters wrestle against the damp reality of the present, finding themselves dreaming of a better […] - Read more

Why we love it: This story of three different bloggers is a sharp and funny look at the power of social media, and how the real story often differs from the filtered and idealised world presented. The Mummy Bloggers is (as the name suggests) a story about three mothers who blog. But there’s a lot […] - Read more

One of the greatest things about Australian literature is its ability to continually surprise and reinvent itself – in voice, subject matter, and timeliness. In Jock Serong’s On the Java Ridge, a range of familiar and exciting characters wrestle against the damp reality of the present, finding themselves dreaming of a better life in myriad […] - Read more

Philippa Gregory needs no introduction. Nearly everyone has encountered at least one of her novels. If you haven’t, The Last Tudor is a brilliant place to start. Philippa Gregory has written over thirty books since she began publishing in 1987. She’s best known for her historical fiction, particularly The Other Boleyn Girl, adapted into a film starring Scarlett […] - Read more

Start reading here Philippa Gregory needs no introduction. Nearly everyone has encountered at least one of her novels. If you haven’t, The Last Tudor is a brilliant place to start. Philippa Gregory has written over thirty books since she began publishing in 1987. She’s best known for her historical fiction, particularly The Other Boleyn Girl, adapted into a film […] - Read more

Poignant, hilarious, honest, surprising and moving, this collection of essays takes on the theme of fatherhood in all its many forms. From sons and daughters, to proud uncles, to ‘fathering’ with two mothers, Father Figures pulls together a diverse group of writers who together create an image of fatherhood that encompasses so much more than a […] - Read more

Read Four Seasons by Angela Pippos here Review of ‘Father Figures’ edited by Paul Connolly Poignant, hilarious, honest, surprising and moving, this collection of essays takes on the theme of fatherhood in all its many forms. From sons and daughters to proud uncles and ‘fathering’ with two mothers. Father Figures pulls together a diverse group […] - Read more

Click here to Tim Costello’s story Review of Things My Father Taught Me, edited by Claire Halliday ‘When his grandchildren are around, he is like the sun. He just sits there and all the kids get caught in his gravitational pull. They end up running in circles around him, laughing hysterically. He doesn’t need to […] - Read more

Click here to read Matthew Reilly’s story Review of Things My Father Taught Me, edited by Claire Halliday ‘When his grandchildren are around, he is like the sun. He just sits there and all the kids get caught in his gravitational pull. They end up running in circles around him, laughing hysterically. He doesn’t need […] - Read more

‘When his grandchildren are around, he is like the sun. He just sits there and all the kids get caught in his gravitational pull. They end up running in circles around him, laughing hysterically. He doesn’t need to do anything. Simply make funny faces or say silly, made-up words.’ – Danny Katz Things My Father […] - Read more

Australia Day by Melanie Cheng is many things, but at its core is a collection of moving short stories that forms a complete, tessellating portrayal of contemporary Australia, tackling as it does issues at the heart of our society: racial and cultural difference; cosmopolitan loneliness; and a realistic and sympathetic portrayal of modern love. It was […] - Read more

Start reading here! Why we love it: This is a beautifully written novel, set in the Northern Territory – where people are isolated, but still find ways to connect. In this book, five women from entirely different backgrounds discover that their connection will be what saves them, delivering characters that feel like real friends. The book opens in 1978, […] - Read more

Why we love it: This is a beautifully written novel, set in the Northern Territory – where people are isolated, but still find ways to connect. In this book, five women from entirely different backgrounds discover that their connection will be what saves them, delivering characters that feel like real friends. The book opens in 1978, on a remote […] - Read more

Read ‘Fracture’ by Melanie Cheng Australia Day by Melanie Cheng is many things, but at its core is a collection of moving short stories that forms a complete, tessellating portrayal of contemporary Australia, tackling as it does issues at the heart of our society: racial and cultural difference; cosmopolitan loneliness; and a realistic and sympathetic portrayal […] - Read more

Harry Blutstein is the author of ‘Cold War Games’, a thrilling and insightful book filled with stories about the people behind the games – revealing secret operations in Melbourne and showing just how pivotal the 1956 Olympic Games were for the super powers of the Cold War. We loved the book. You can read our […] - Read more

‘Would the Melbourne Olympic Games be remembered as the friendly Games, a sea of tranquillity in a stormy world, or would they become a victim of the Cold War?’ As Harry Blutstein expertly guides us through, the Olympic Games in 1956 were rife with submerged political tensions, becoming a proxy war of political propaganda, boycotting, […] - Read more

‘All Dora Judd ever told anyone about that night three weeks before Christmas was that she won the painting in a raffle.’ Keep reading here! The greatest attraction of Tin Man by Sarah Winman is that it’s populated by characters who find it supremely difficult to live in the modern world, and in that way – and […] - Read more

The greatest attraction of Tin Man by Sarah Winman is that it’s populated by characters who find it supremely difficult to live in the modern world, and in that way – and arguably like all great literary novels – it isn’t driven solely by plot. Instead, Winman enters the minds of her characters with a perceptiveness and sensitivity […] - Read more

‘Karin Slaughter’s most ambitious, most emotional, and best novel. So far, anyway.’ James Patterson. The Good Daughter is a psychological thriller with enough moral complexity to make Foucault scratch his head. For most crime novels there’s a fine line between a storyline being complicated and compelling; Karin Slaughter nails the sweet spot between the two, […] - Read more

Start reading here! ‘Karin Slaughter’s most ambitious, most emotional, and best novel. So far, anyway.’ James Patterson. The Good Daughter is a psychological thriller with enough moral complexity to make Foucault scratch his head. For most crime novels there’s a fine line between a storyline being complicated and compelling; Karin Slaughter nails the sweet spot between […] - Read more

Emma Viskic took the Australian crime fiction scene by storm in 2015 with her thrilling, multi-award winning debut novel, Resurrection Bay. Now she’s back with her latest thriller And Fire Came Down, along with her loveable, flawed creation, private investigator Caleb Zelic. This time Caleb, out for a jog on the streets of Melbourne, is collared […] - Read more

Words || Emma Viskic  I often wonder what happens to characters after I’ve finished reading their stories. Do Mr Darcy and Lizzy live happily ever after? Will Jack Reacher ever settle down? I wrote And Fire Came Down because I wanted to know what was going to happen to my own character, the profoundly deaf […] - Read more

Start reading here! Emma Viskic took the Australian crime fiction scene by storm in 2015 with her thrilling, multi-award winning debut novel, Resurrection Bay. Now she’s back with her latest thriller And Fire Came Down, along with her loveable, flawed creation, private investigator Caleb Zelic. This time Caleb, out for a jog on the streets of […] - Read more

LoveYourBookshopDay on August 12 is an Australia-wide celebration of local bookstores. Bookstores across the country are holding celebratory events to mark the day, including giveaways, dress-ups (feel like dressing up as your favourite literary hero?), writing competitions, treasure hunts, author talks, and musicians in store. (Find a full list of events happening on the day here.) […] - Read more

Beautiful Messy Love is warm and uplifting, like any good romance novel. But it’s more than just boy-meets-girl; Tess Woods has written a compelling and complex book that really makes us think about what matters. Beautiful Messy Love tracks four characters through chapters written in their perspective on their intertwining and, well, messy search for love. […] - Read more

Words || Tess Woods I don’t write to create beautiful prose. I write for people to turn pages. I write to shake and stir. My first novel, Love at First Flight, was lauded for its honesty but I was also widely criticised for so flagrantly writing about an affair. And not just any affair but […] - Read more

Start reading here! Beautiful Messy Love is warm and uplifting, like any good romance novel. But it’s more than just boy-meets-girl; Tess Woods has written a compelling and complex book that really makes us think about what matters. Beautiful Messy Love tracks four characters through chapters written in their perspective on their intertwining and, well, messy […] - Read more

Start reading here Friend Request plays the ultimate Catfishing game with the reader. Who is really behind a dead woman’s Facebook profile? Can the things we thought were buried eventually track us down? And what will it mean when they do? Laura Marshall’s gripping debut twists and turns into the darkly personal – friendship, love, […] - Read more

Friend Request plays the ultimate Catfishing game with the reader. Who is really behind a dead woman’s Facebook profile? Can the things we thought were buried eventually track us down? And what will it mean when they do? Laura Marshall’s gripping debut twists and turns into the darkly personal – friendship, love, sex and the […] - Read more

Kylie Ladd has a gift for weaving together multiple perspectives and having them collide at the searing height of their disagreement. Not only is The Way Back an empathetic portrayal of trauma and convalescence, it’s also incredibly erudite in its ability to capture the minds of its characters. Child-abducting psychopaths, worrisome mothers, traumatised daughters, and […] - Read more

Start reading here! Kylie Ladd has a gift for weaving together multiple perspectives and having them collide at the searing height of their disagreement. Not only is The Way Back an empathetic portrayal of trauma and convalescence, it’s also incredibly erudite in its ability to capture the minds of its characters. Child-abducting psychopaths, worrisome mothers, […] - Read more

Start reading here “Home is where the heart is – but where exactly is home?” Leaving Ocean Road is a warm, funny, intelligent novel that starts in South Australia and ends up in Ireland and Greece. For fans of Maeve Binchy, Cathy Kelly, and Monica McInerney, Esther Campion has woven a poignant story about treasuring our […] - Read more

Start reading here! It begins with murder. An old man, Josef Engel, is assassinated for crimes he did many years ago in Nazi concentration camps, and his killer wants information on the pale man – the mysterious leader behind it all. Seventy years after the Second World War, Josef Engel’s murder sets in motion a catastrophic […] - Read more

“Home is where the heart is – but where exactly is home?” Leaving Ocean Road is a warm, funny, intelligent novel that starts in South Australia and ends up in Ireland and Greece. For fans of Maeve Binchy, Cathy Kelly, and Monica McInerney, Esther Campion has woven a poignant story about treasuring our memories while celebrating […] - Read more

Written by Shari Low Sitting down to write The Story Of Our Life required three things: coffee (tick), a packet of chocolate digestives (tick) and a large box of tissues (sob). The latter was a new addition to my writer’s resources, but, by the end of the book I’d dipped into it more than a […] - Read more

Start reading here! Why we love it: Shari Low brings us a story of grown-up love and relationships, with all their highs lows and surprising entanglements. Flipping between past and present, his perspective and hers, The Story of Our Life is a funny, wry and poignant journey from the heady joy of young love to the complications of […] - Read more

Why we love it: Shari Low brings us a story of grown-up love and relationships, with all their highs lows and surprising entanglements. Flipping between past and present, his perspective and hers, The Story of Our Life is a funny, wry and poignant journey from the heady joy of young love to the complications of married life. Shari […] - Read more

The Good Teacher by R. M. Anderson is a tongue-in-cheek rural romance that tells the story of a small community that is arrested by scandal when two teachers from the local school have passionate, unexpected sex. Everyone always says that a child’s education should not be compromised and nothing about this scandal will end well for the […] - Read more

Some cities beg for stories to be written about them. Court of Lions by Jane Johnson, is one of those stories and pays homage to Granada’s rich history in her daring and gripping new novel. The southern Spanish city has been the centre of one of the most fascinating land ownership conflicts in history. At times occupied by Jews, Moors, […] - Read more

Start reading here! Some cities beg for stories to be written about them. Court of Lions, by Jane Johnson, is one of those stories and pays homage to Granada’s rich history in this daring and gripping new novel. The southern Spanish city has been the centre of one of the most fascinating land ownership conflicts in history. At times occupied by […] - Read more

It’s Number 1 on the Australian Bestselling Fiction Top Ten and has been the novel on everyone’s lips since release, so we are excited to announce that Monica McInerney’s The Trip of a Lifetime is the book for our August Book Club. If you haven’t already read it, check out our full review here or purchase a copy. We […] - Read more

Start reading here In this morally hazy neo-noir, Iain Ryan portrays an immaculate vision of hardboiled regional crime. Ryan is a compelling storyteller who balances stunning prose and a level of suspense that shares the robustness found in top-shelf thrillers. But that’s not all – Ryan has a gift for stylising his angsty protagonist’s voice, echoing a modern Holden […] - Read more

In this morally hazy neo-noir, Iain Ryan portrays an immaculate vision of hardboiled regional crime. Ryan is a compelling storyteller who balances stunning prose and a level of suspense that shares the robustness found in top-shelf thrillers. But that’s not all – Ryan has a gift for stylising his angsty protagonist’s voice, echoing a modern Holden Caulfield. In Queensland […] - Read more

It begins with murder. An old man, Josef Engel, is assassinated for crimes he did many years ago in Nazi concentration camps, and his killer wants information on the pale man – the mysterious leader behind it all. Seventy years after the Second World War, Josef Engel’s murder sets in motion a catastrophic series of events […] - Read more

Equal parts disturbing, thrilling and enthralling, Karen Dionne has created a satisfyingly complicated, multilayered character in the eponymous Marsh King’s Daughter. Helena’s very existence challenges the reader to look at the monstrous act of a child abductor from the point of view not of his original victim, but her child. Add into the mix a […] - Read more

Equal parts disturbing, thrilling and enthralling, Karen Dionne has created a satisfyingly complicated, multilayered character in the eponymous Marsh King’s Daughter. Helena’s very existence challenges the reader to look at the monstrous act of a child abductor from the point of view not of his original victim, but her child. Add into the mix a […] - Read more

The Party is a dark and compelling domestic drama. It’s the story of one family’s unravelling after an innocent birthday party goes wrong; a page-turner that will keep you both appalled and engrossed to the end. Click here to read our full review.  Check out a conversation with Robyn Harding all about her latest book […] - Read more

Start reading here! The Party is a dark and compelling domestic drama. It’s the story of one family’s unravelling after an innocent birthday party goes wrong; a page-turner that will keep you both appalled and engrossed to the end. On the face of it, Kim is a very lucky woman. She lives in a beautiful […] - Read more

‘The people, they don’t know what it takes sometimes to keep them safe and it’s better that they don’t.’ The Force has Don Winslow coming out swinging with yet another exhilarating and epic crime novel. In this tale of corruption and moral murkiness, crooked cop Denny Malone must make the toughest decision of his life: […] - Read more

Start reading here! ‘The people, they don’t know what it takes sometimes to keep them safe and it’s better that they don’t.’ The Force has Don Winslow coming out swinging with yet another exhilarating and epiccrime novel. In this tale of corruption and moral murkiness, crooked cop Denny Malone must make the toughest decision of […] - Read more

The Party is a dark and compelling domestic drama. It’s the story of one family’s unravelling after an innocent birthday party goes wrong; a page-turner that will keep you both appalled and engrossed to the end. On the face of it, Kim is a very lucky woman. She lives in a beautiful home in one […] - Read more

Start reading here! It’s a familiar story: three generations come together in rural Australia and realise aspects about themselves and their histories that will change their family forever. It could be trite, but it’s not. Jarulan by the River uses that familiarity to draw you in and lull you into a rhythm, before through its epic […] - Read more

It’s a familiar story: three generations come together in rural Australia and realise aspects about themselves and their histories that will change their family forever. It could be trite, but it’s not. Jarulan by the River uses that familiarity to draw you in and lull you into a rhythm, before through its epic family saga, startling […] - Read more

Start reading here! Why we love it: Plumbing the dark realities beneath the teething necklaces and turmeric lattes of the mummy-blogger set, Michael Robotham has dropped a psychological thriller deep into the heart of modern domesticity. Two women from incredibly different pasts are joined by a shared deadly secret that threatens to desolate everything they […] - Read more

Why we love it: Plumbing the dark realities beneath the teething necklaces and turmeric lattes of the mummy-blogger set, Michael Robotham has dropped a psychological thriller deep into the heart of modern domesticity. Two women from incredibly different pasts are joined by a shared deadly secret that threatens to desolate everything they cherish and love. […] - Read more

Start reading here! You might already know Lizzie Velasquez from her TEDX talk ‘How Do You Define Yourself?’, where she tells us that it’s essential to see yourself as what you want to become. This message forms the foundation for her book, Dare to be Kind. It’s a book that’s uplifting and inspiring, even as […] - Read more

You might already know Lizzie Velasquez from her TEDX talk ‘How Do You Define Yourself?’, where she tells us that it’s essential to see yourself as what you want to become. This message forms the foundation for her book, Dare to be Kind. It’s a book that’s uplifting and inspiring, even as it documents her cruel mistreatment […] - Read more

The intimate literary celebration will see a bounty of the best and brightest of Australian writers gathered in the tiny historic town (population 158) for a weekend rich with talks and ideas surrounding the theme of ‘Escape and Explore’. For the third year in a row, St Albans Writers’ Festival is back, showcasing writers such […] - Read more

Words || Monica McInerney As a reader, I love visiting new places via the fiction I read. As a writer I enjoy it just as much. Researching the locations of my books is one of my favourite parts of the writing process. For my novel The House of Memories, for example, I spent many days […] - Read more

Better Reading: Hi Monica, first off congratulations for the publication of The Trip of a Lifetime. Could you tell us what the book is about? Monica McInerney: Thank you very much. It’s the story of an unexpected homecoming – 85-year-old Irishwoman Lola Quinlan returning to Ireland after 65 years in Australia. It’s also about the drama and […] - Read more

Why we love it: Hugely anticipated, Monica McInerney’s latest novel The Trip of a Lifetime has just hit bookshelves all across Australia, and its bittersweet, life-affirming story is a see-saw of emotion – you’ll be laughing in one breath, crying in the next. If you don’t already know the Quinlans, then get ready to befriend an eccentric, surprising, […] - Read more

Shades of Thor Heyerdahl’s classic The Kon-Tiki Expedition flit around the edges of this incredible tale of survival against the odds. But unlike the almost superhumanly resourceful Heyerdahl, Holly Fitzgerald and husband Fritz are much more relatable heroes. An ordinary, if adventurous, young couple who must dig deep to find inner reserves they never thought […] - Read more

Fitzgerald’s story of surviving a crash in Peru – only to wind up trapped on a raft in a swamp somewhere off the tumultuous Madre de Dios river – is the stuff fictional epics are made of. But this story is all too real. Fitzgerald’s is a tale that must be read to be believed. […] - Read more

Start reading here! One major accident, two life-changing stories. Mary Kubica’s latest thriller probes at just how well a wife knows her husband, what a couple may keep from one another – and why. In Every Last Lie, Clara Solberg’s life is torn apart after her husband Nick dies shockingly, his car smashing into a […] - Read more

One major accident, two life-changing stories. Mary Kubica’s latest thriller probes at just how well a wife knows her husband, what a couple may keep from one another – and why. In Every Last Lie, Clara Solberg’s life is torn apart after her husband Nick dies shockingly, his car smashing into a tree on his […] - Read more

Start reading here! A quiet Australian town is rattled when local teenager Daisy Wolfe hangs herself from the clothesline in her parent’s backyard. Nobody seems to know why. But it doesn’t take long for the winds of change to sweep through, and soon the Wolfe family leave Wimmera – and Ronnie, a stranger, moves into […] - Read more

A quiet Australian town is rattled when local teenager Daisy Wolfe hangs herself from the clothesline in her parent’s backyard. Nobody seems to know why. But it doesn’t take long for the winds of change to sweep through, and soon the Wolfe family leave Wimmera – and Ronnie, a stranger, moves into their old house. […] - Read more

Scandinavian noir wrapped in a British coat, Fatal Crossing has all the satisfying twists and turns of a slow-burn thriller, with a smart, relatable lead in Nora Sands. It’s an exciting and well-turned-out debut by a writer who knows her craft. As London-based foreign correspondent for Danish news weekly Gobalt, Nora Sands isn’t easily rattled. […] - Read more

Start reading here! Scandinavian noir wrapped in a British coat, Fatal Crossing has all the satisfying twists and turns of a slow-burn thriller, with a smart, relatable lead in Nora Sands. It’s an exciting and well-turned-out debut by a writer who knows her craft. As London-based foreign correspondent for Danish news weekly Gobalt, Nora Sands […] - Read more

Why we love it: Susie Steiner’s follow-up to the incisive, page-turning Missing, Presumed, is another stunning achievement. Persons Unknown is scintillating, funny, clever, and features the sort of feisty female detective we adore. When we last met Manon Bradshaw, she was portrayed as a dysfunctional but high-achieving Detective Inspector, looking in all the wrong places for […] - Read more

Start reading here! Why we love it: Susie Steiner’s follow-up to the incisive, page-turning Missing, Presumed, is another stunning achievement. Persons Unknown is scintillating, funny, clever, and features the sort of feisty female detective we adore. When we last met Manon Bradshaw, she was a dysfunctional but high-achieving Detective Inspector, looking in all the wrong places […] - Read more

We’re excited to announce our next Book Club will be streamed live on Facebook at 8pm (AEST) Wednesday, 5 July 2017. We will discuss Benjamin Ludwig’s Ginny Moon. You can read our review here. Ginny Moon is a compulsively readable and touching novel about being an outsider trying to find a place to belong and making sense of a […] - Read more

Start reading here! Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate packs an emotional punch and is a book you won’t easily forget. Born into a privileged political family, lawyer Avery has a glittering future path all carved out for her, alongside her US Senator father, and sporting her childhood sweetheart Elliot’s diamond ring on her finger. But an unusual […] - Read more

Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate packs an emotional punch and is a book you won’t easily forget. ‘The story she tells is heartbreaking and mesmerizing,’ muses key character Avery Stafford in the novel – those words could equally describe the writing of Lisa Wingate, in this compelling and powerful story, somewhat inspired by true events. Born into […] - Read more

Written by Eliza Henry-Jones Bushfires have always been in my life, but peripheral. The fires of my life have been ghosts, rather than monsters. Light and ephemeral. Not consuming. I’ve driven through them in the bush and watched television footage of my family’s house engulfed by smoke in the hills. I’ve evacuated and I’ve watered […] - Read more

Start reading here! Why we love it: On its surface the storyline is simple, but underneath that simplicity is a collision of deafening conflicts, catastrophe, and regenerations. Eliza Henry-Jones stunned the Australian literary world with her debut novel In the Quiet, and this much-anticipated second novel Ache is a refinement of Eliza’s beautiful poetic voice. A bushfire […] - Read more

Why we love it: On its surface the storyline is simple, but underneath that simplicity is a collision of deafening conflicts, catastrophe, and regenerations. Eliza Henry-Jones stunned the Australian literary world with her debut novel In the Quiet, and this much-anticipated second novel Ache is a refinement of Eliza’s beautiful poetic voice. A bushfire ravages Annie’s mountain […] - Read more

On May 24 2017 the NSW Coroner Michael Barnes handed down his report into the 2014 Sydney Lindt cafe siege, in which cafe manager Tori Johnson and Sydney barrister and mother-of-three Katrina Dawson lost their lives. A subsequent ABC Four Corners program made for painful viewing, as it revealed many systemic and procedural failures had occurred. Following the inquest, Better […] - Read more

Start reading here! In a plot worthy of the grand dame of crime herself, Andrew Wilson conjures a delightfully chilling explanation for an event that has intrigued Agatha Christie biographers for close to a century: what happened to the mother of mystery when she disappeared for 11 days in 1926? This novel dares to answer […] - Read more

In a plot worthy of the grand dame of crime herself, Andrew Wilson conjures a delightfully chilling explanation for an event that’s intrigued Agatha Christie biographers for close to a century: what happened to the mother of mystery when she disappeared for 11 days in 1926? This novel dares to answer that question. And in […] - Read more

Start reading here! Why we loved it: These days it’s tough to find a thriller that’s fast-paced, prophetic and erudite, without using familiar tricks of genre or storytelling along the way. Joseph Kanon’s latest offering, Defectors, is rich with nostalgia, reminiscent of the Cold War paranoia that characterised John le Carré’s spy novels, while offering […] - Read more

Why we loved it: These days it’s tough to find a thriller that’s fast-paced, prophetic and erudite, without using familiar tricks of genre or storytelling along the way. Joseph Kanon’s latest offering, Defectors, is rich with nostalgia, reminiscent of the Cold War paranoia that characterised John le Carré’s spy novels, while offering a dramatic family […] - Read more

Start reading here Enter a darkly humorous world of magical realism and juxtaposition in Sharon Pywell’s The Romance Reader’s Guide to Life. This novel compares the lives of sisters Lilly and Neave with the plot of The Pirate Lover, a book Neave stole and read secretly as a child. It made her dream of a world […] - Read more

Make sure you have a free evening, because after you’ve read the heartrending Stars Across The Ocean by talented Kimberley Freeman, you’re going to want to jump in your car, drive to your mother’s house and give her the longest hug. Stars Across The Ocean is a stunning accomplishment from prolific author Kimberley Freeman. Under this […] - Read more

Why we love it: The Lucky One is a gripping psychological crime thriller set in the heart of Californian wine country. The Alden Castle Estate, an old rich house, reminiscent of English Gothic castles, has ominously overlooked the sleepy little town of Paso – quickly becoming a hipster little town – for over one hundred years. The […] - Read more

Start reading here! Why we love it: The Lucky One is a gripping psychological crime thriller set in the heart of Californian wine country. The Alden Castle Estate, an old rich house, reminiscent of English Gothic castles, has ominously overlooked the sleepy little town of Paso – quickly becoming a hipster little town – for over one […] - Read more

Start reading here! Make sure you have a free evening, because after you’ve read the heartrending Stars Across The Ocean by talented Kimberley Freeman, you’re going to want to jump in your car, drive to your mother’s house and give her the longest hug. Stars Across The Ocean is a stunning accomplishment from prolific author Kimberley […] - Read more

‘That night, I understood how I had been able to withstand the oppressive atmosphere of those last years in Berlin . . . I loved my bookstore, the way a woman loves, that is to say, truly.’ Initially published in Geneva 1945, Frenkel’s memoir was forgotten and only discovered many years later in a second […] - Read more

Start reading here! ‘That night, I understood how I had been able to withstand the oppressive atmosphere of those last years in Berlin . . . I loved my bookstore, the way a woman loves, that is to say, truly.’ Initially published in Geneva 1945, Frenkel’s memoir was forgotten and only discovered many years later […] - Read more

Enter a darkly humorous world of magical realism and juxtaposition in Sharon Pywell’s The Romance Reader’s Guide to Life. This novel compares the lives of sisters Lilly and Neave with the plot of The Pirate Lover, a book Neave stole and read secretly as a child. It made her dream of a world more exotic than […] - Read more

We were at the biggest night of the year in the Australian book industry last night. It’s like the Academy Awards for books, with all the shortlisted authors arriving on the gold carpet in anticipation of the results. Among the stellar cast of presenters were international guests Pulitzer Prize winner 2017 Colson Whitehead and Man Booker […] - Read more

- Read more

Start reading here! Using a backdrop of death, J.D. Barrett has created a wonderful story about life, love, and music. Zoe Wylde is a harpist who plays music for the dying. She lives with her brother Tom in the family house at Bondi, until her estranged father and stepmother decide to sell the place. Zoe has […] - Read more

Using a backdrop of death, J.D. Barrett has created a wonderful story about life, love, and music. Zoe Wylde is a harpist who plays music for the dying. She lives with her brother Tom in the family house at Bondi, until her estranged father and stepmother decide to sell the place. Zoe has found her soul […] - Read more

Start reading here! Why we love it: What would you do if you lost everything in one night? That’s the question Anita Shreve invokes in her newest masterpiece The Stars are Fire. The Stars are Fire focuses on heroine Grace Holland, a pregnant mid-20s mother who flees with two toddlers from her home right before it burns […] - Read more

Why we love it: What would you do if you lost everything in one night? That’s the question Anita Shreve invokes in her newest masterpiece The Stars are Fire. The Stars are Fire focuses on heroine Grace Holland, a pregnant mid-20s mother who flees with two toddlers from her home right before it burns to the ground. […] - Read more

Start reading here! If you could somehow peel back the headlines of a horrific crime and see what lurks beneath, weave through the courtroom drama to reach the accused as she sits in the dock . . . Who would you find? A callous monster? A prisoner of circumstance? Or a story so complex it […] - Read more

If you could somehow peel back the headlines of a horrific crime and see what lurks beneath, weave through the courtroom drama to reach the accused as she sits in the dock . . . Who would you find? A callous monster? A prisoner of circumstance? Or a story so complex it would take a […] - Read more

Her Mother’s Secret is the latest book from Australian author Natasha Lester, which is a sweeping story of love, ambition, and courage in the face of society’s disapproval. In England 1918, Leonora secretly makes cosmetics in her father’s chemist shop, until a series of tragedies force her to board a ship to New York City. Along […] - Read more

One of Australia’s best loved authors, Di Morrissey, will be awarded a lifetime achievement award at the Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA) on May 25. Morrissey is to be the well-deserved recipient of the Lloyd O’Neil Award, an award that recognises the long service of individuals in the Australian book world. Di Morrissey is one of the Australia’s […] - Read more

Written by Katherine Scholes An ordinary family photo – the kind we pin on our fridges – was one of the inspirations for Congo Dawn. The people in the picture are strangers to me but I’ve been haunted by their faces for as long as I can remember. The photo, showing two adults and four […] - Read more

Read A Chapter Here You may know Tracey Spicer from her time at the news desk, but when she steps out from behind it you’ll look into the life of an intelligent, funny feminist who is willing to share her toughest moments alongside her biggest achievements. Starting out as a self-admitted bogan from Brisbane, Spicer […] - Read more

Reviewed by Kassie Bush You may know Tracey Spicer from her time at the news desk, but when she steps out from behind it you’ll look into the life of an intelligent, funny feminist who is willing to share her toughest moments alongside her biggest achievements. Starting out as a self-admitted bogan from Brisbane, Spicer […] - Read more

‘People couldn’t care less. They get plenty of fables and characters, they’ve got adventures and plot twists coming out their ears. People have had enough of well-constructed intrigue, clever plot hooks, and denouements. . . . they want to be told about life, don’t you see?’ Why we loved it: Whether you agree with Delphine or […] - Read more

Start reading here! ‘People couldn’t care less. They get plenty of fables and characters, they’ve got adventures and plot twists coming out their ears. People have had enough of well-constructed intrigue, clever plot hooks, and denouements. . . . they want to be told about life, don’t you see?’ Why we loved it: Whether you agree […] - Read more

Touching, humane and compelling, Benjamin Ludwig has created a complex portrait of a young girl who sees the world so very differently from those around her – and, at times, far more painfully clearly. Readers will warm to this atypical heroine, who will break your heart and give you unexpected insights into some of society’s greatest […] - Read more

Start reading here! Touching, humane and compelling, Benjamin Ludwig has created a complex portrait of a young girl who sees the world so very differently from those around her – and, at times, far more painfully clearly. Readers will warm to this atypical heroine, who will break your heart and give you unexpected insights into some […] - Read more

Everyone knows at least one. Maybe not personally, but maybe they’re always at a bar you frequent, or they catch the same bus, or they’re the receptionist at your work. You might not talk to them all that much, but you can never really resist letting your eyes linger just a little longer than they […] - Read more

Start reading here Everyone knows at least one. Maybe not personally, but maybe they’re always at a bar you frequent, or they catch the same bus, or they’re the receptionist at your work. You might not talk to them all that much, but you can never really resist letting your eyes linger just a little […] - Read more

Sarah Wilson’s motivational memoir First, We Make the Beast Beautiful has dominated the Top Ten Non-Fiction charts all year long, and now we are giving you a chance to win 1 of 5 x double passes to see Sarah at the Sydney Writers’ Festival. To win, comment on the Facebook post, explaining in 25 words or less […] - Read more

Wow, 5 x doubles passes to giveaway to see Aussie legend Jimmy Barnes discuss his bestselling memoir ‘Working Class Boy.’ To win, comment on the Facebook post, explaining in 25 words or less why you love Jimmy Barnes, then tag the friend you want to bring along. Winners announced 11am Monday 15 May. When: Friday, 26 […] - Read more

We have 5 x double passes to giveaway for the Sydney Writers’ Festival event Reworking the Classics. To win, comment on the Facebook post, explaining in 25 words or less why you want to go, then tag the friend you are going to bring along. Winners announced 11am Monday 15 May. Don’t miss your chance to […] - Read more

We are giving a way 5 X double passes to see Di Morrissey at the Sydney Writers’ Festival. All you have to do is comment on the Facebook post and explain in 25 words or less why you deserve to win, then tag the friend you want to bring along. Winners announced 11am, Monday 15 […] - Read more

We are giving away 5 double passes to see Ian Rankin at the Sydney Writers’ Festival! He will be in conversation with much-loved Australian crime novelist, Candice Fox. To enter the competition, comment on the Facebook post and explain in 25 words or less why you love Ian Rankin’s novels so much, then tag the friend you’re […] - Read more

Start reading here Rural Australia, 1895. The Flinders Ranges are a harsh and unforgiving place for the British pastoralists recently moved in. They’ve built up their properties from scratch, but three generations of working the land is not very long at all. It’s a beautiful but difficult landscape down in South Australia, and the Baker […] - Read more

Rural Australia, 1895. The Flinders Ranges are a harsh and unforgiving place for the British pastoralists recently moved in. They’ve built up their properties from scratch, but three generations of working the land is not very long at all. It’s a beautiful but difficult landscape down in South Australia, and the Baker family have been […] - Read more

Why we love it: If Australian classic Picnic at Hanging Rock didn’t already have you fascinated, you sure will be left wondering after Janelle McCulloch’s analysis of author Joan Lindsay. After the now-iconic novel was released in 1967, and subsequently turned into a film of the same name eight years later, there was one prominent […] - Read more

The Red Hunter is a deftly layered, thought-provoking psychological thriller that cuts deep into the hearts and minds of its well-drawn characters – as each is drawn closer to the dark events that connect them. Lisa Unger raises haunting questions of justice versus revenge, and her masterful grip on suspense will leave you on edge until the […] - Read more

Read the opening chapter! The Red Hunter is a deftly layered, thought-provoking psychological thriller, that cuts deep into the hearts and minds of its well-drawn characters – as each is drawn closer to the dark events that connect them. Lisa Unger raises haunting questions of justice versus revenge, and her masterful grip on suspense will leave you […] - Read more

Start reading here! The Shadow Land by Elizabeth Kostova is a staggering, atmospheric, and mysterious novel, hitting the sweet spot between literary fiction and page-turner by portraying one woman’s fight to redeem with the backdrop of a mystical Bulgaria. It’s contemporary writing at its finest. It evokes the bestselling achievements of other works of literature […] - Read more

Reviewed by Jack Stanton The Shadow Land by Elizabeth Kostova is a staggering, atmospheric, and mysterious novel, hitting the sweet spot between literary fiction and page-turner by portraying one woman’s fight to redeem with the backdrop of a mystical Bulgaria. It’s contemporary writing at its finest. It evokes the bestselling achievements of other works of […] - Read more

Start reading here If you’re staying on Galapagos and notice a plume of smoke rising above the national park headquarters or the sickly smell of gas, here’s what it probably is: Ecuadorian riot police firing tear gas canisters to stop local residents assaulting park rangers. Hang on . . . what? Eric Campbell’s latest book […] - Read more

If you’re staying on Galapagos and notice a plume of smoke rising above the national park headquarters or the sickly smell of gas, here’s what it probably is: Ecuadorian riot police firing tear gas canisters to stop local residents assaulting park rangers. Hang on . . . what? Eric Campbell’s latest book Silly Isles is […] - Read more

Click here to join our live audience ‘A classic is a book which with each rereading offers as much of a sense of discovery as the first reading.’ – Italo Calvino Our next Better Reading Live Book Club is on Wednesday, 31 May at the usual time, 8pm (AEST), on our Facebook page. Can you […] - Read more

Written by Nikki Gemmell You know, it feels like transgression to say what I am going to say: My mother was the love of my life, but she was also the hate of it. She knew my Achilles heel like no one else, and oh my God she went for it. No one could fell […] - Read more

Listen to Tracey Spicer on the Better Reading Podcast Tracey Spicer’s debut ‘femoir’ – part memoir, part manifesto – The Good Girl Stripped Bare is all about the institutionalised barriers facing women in the workplace and encourages us all to shake off the shackles of the good girl. With idiosyncratic wit, humour, and sensibility, Tracey reflects […] - Read more

A small girl, the apple of her father’s eye. A small wooden doll. Romany ways. The power of an ancient river. A house with its own tide. The strength of a mother’s love. Sandra Leigh Price’s The River Sings packs an emotional punch. In her second novel, there’s no escaping the emotion sewn into each […] - Read more

Written by Sandra Leigh Price Who can say what sparks the idea for a book? For me, it’s not just one idea – rather, it’s a kind of a weaving of many ideas, many inspirations, until it is hard to find the first thread. One such thread was the memory of Dickens’s character Fagin, who […] - Read more

Start reading here A small girl, the apple of her father’s eye. A small wooden doll. Romany ways. The power of an ancient river. A house with its own tide. The strength of a mother’s love. Sandra Leigh Price’s The River Sings packs an emotional punch. Her second book with HarperCollins, there’s no escaping the […] - Read more

Reviewed by Jack Stanton Walkaway is one of the most original, entertaining, and imaginative books I’ve read in ages. Cory’s characters are wild, hilarious, and acerbic, and his prose is effortlessly readable and engaging. I couldn’t stop reading this book until the end. And like all good fiction it gives you an afterglow, where certain […] - Read more

Start reading here Reviewed by Jack Stanton Walkaway is one of the most original, entertaining, and imaginative books I’ve read in ages. Cory’s characters are wild, hilarious, and acerbic, and his prose is effortlessly readable and engaging. I couldn’t stop reading this book until the end. And like all good fiction it gives you an […] - Read more

Start reading here! Reviewed by Jack Stanton Folks, this is a big one. Go to your local bookstore. Cancel any weekend plans. Assemble your reading comforts. Why? Because Jeffery Deaver is one of the masters of crime and mystery writing, and his latest book The Burial Hour is an absolute treat. Actually, everything Jeffery Deaver writes […] - Read more

Reviewed by Jack Stanton Folks, this is a big one. Go to your local bookstore. Cancel any weekend plans. Assemble your reading comforts. Why? Because Jeffery Deaver is one of the masters of crime and mystery writing, and his latest book The Burial Hour is an absolute treat. It’s another instalment in his most popular and well-regarded […] - Read more

Australian Book Industry Awards 2017 – Shortlist Announced One of the most significant events in the book publishing calendar is the announcement of the Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIAs) and today the 2017 shortlist has been revealed, with winners announced on 25 May at gala event at the Art Gallery of NSW, featuring 2016 gold […] - Read more

After is a profound and moving portrait of a difficult mother-daughter relationship by novelist and columnist Nikki Gemmell. It’s also a searing, heartfelt examination of how we treat the elderly in our society and the urgent issue of euthanasia. As Gemmell said in a recent podcast interview with Better Reading, this memoir is also a […] - Read more

The Fall of Lisa Bellow by Susan Perabo is a thoughtful and powerful novel about the spiraling effects of two random calamities on one ordinary family. With her insightful depiction of growing up and parenting, written with delicate humour and skillful characterisation, Susan Perabo delivers a touching, elegant story in an original way.Susan Perabo is the […] - Read more

Why we loved it: Any Australian who hasn’t yet heard about one of America’s most well-known historical ‘murderers’ will soon become familiar with Lizzie Borden after reading this much praised debut by Australian author Sarah Schmidt. It is the breathtaking fictional account of this murder, a mysterious unsolved case in the popular imagination. If you love crime and […] - Read more

Start reading here! It can be difficult to put aside time for what you really love. We have work to do, bills to pay, and if you’re living a hectic city life, it can be hard to get a breather when you really need one. Add to that kids, and the equation gets even more […] - Read more

It can be difficult to put aside time for what you really love. We have work to do, bills to pay, and if you’re living a hectic city life, it can be hard to get a breather when you really need one. Add to that kids, and the equation gets even more difficult. City lives […] - Read more

A thoroughly researched, beautifully wrought journey through the fascinating history of the real and mythical Timbuktu – and the modern day story of a brave librarian who saved a priceless collection of manuscripts from destruction. Charlie English pulls the threads of the past and the present, colonial forces and modern extremism, to create a compelling story […] - Read more

Start reading here! Isolde Martyn’s new book Troubadour proves one thing: women have been strong and fierce forever. In the tradition of Philippa Gregory, Troubadour follows Adela in 1208, the time of the Crusades. The book is compelling, dramatic, and suspenseful, with a healthy dose of romance to keep readers engaged. We are introduced to Adela in […] - Read more

Isolde Martyn’s new book Troubadour proves one thing: women have been strong and fierce forever. In the tradition of Philippa Gregory, Troubadour follows Adela in AD 1208, the time of the Crusades. The book is compelling, dramatic, and suspenseful, with a healthy dose of romance to keep readers engaged. We are introduced to Adela in the English […] - Read more

Start reading here! A thoroughly researched, beautifully wrought journey through the fascinating history of the real and mythical Timbuktu – and the modern day story of a brave librarian who saved a priceless collection of manuscripts from destruction. Charlie English pulls the threads of the past and the present, colonial forces and modern extremism, to create […] - Read more

Katherine Scholes’ enchanting novel Congo Dawn is our Book of the Week. Why do we love it so much? Congo Dawn is an emotionally powerful and richly evocative novel from one of Australia’s best-loved writers. African-born Katherine Scholes transports us from 1960s Melbourne to the jungles of Africa in this epic story of one young woman’s quest to find […] - Read more

Why we love it: Congo Dawn is an emotionally powerful and richly evocative novel from one of Australia’s best-loved writers. African-born Katherine Scholes transports us from 1960s Melbourne to the jungles of Africa in this epic story of one young woman’s adventure-filled quest to find her heritage. Anna Emerson is a 21-year-old secretary, fresh from jilting […] - Read more

Start reading here! Why we love it: Congo Dawn is an emotionally powerful and richly evocative novel from one of Australia’s best-loved writers. African-born Katherine Scholes transports us from 1960s Melbourne to the jungles of Africa in this epic story of one young woman’s adventure-filled quest to find her true heritage. Anna Emerson is a 21-year-old […] - Read more

Read Emily Bitto’s Letter Here! We are thrilled to give you a glimpse into Letters of Love, a collection of words from the heart penned by prominent Australians. This excerpt is a letter written by Emily Bitto, award-winning Australian novelist who won the Stella Prize in 2015 for her breathtaking debut The Strays. She pens a wonderful and […] - Read more

Letters of Love is a not-to-be-missed collection of inspiring words from the heart penned by prominent Australians. Letter writing certainly feels like a bygone tradition, but in the spirit of Letters of Note, the Alannah and Madeline Foundation brings us a wonderful collection of letters that revolve around different experiences of love. There is something very […] - Read more

Monday Morning Cooking Club have delivered us another wonderful cookbook, It’s Always About the Food! There are plenty of incredible recipes inside, so here’s a free sneak-peak to get you started. Click here to read our full review and find out why we loved it so much! Sumac-Crusted Snapper with Roasted Chickpea Salad One of the […] - Read more

- Read more

Maggie Alderson has a light touch, a well-sharpened wit and lots of heart. If The Scent of You were a fragrance, it would be a fresh floral perfume, with spicy undertones – and surprising depth. An aroma that lingers, pleasantly, leaving you keen for the next light-yet-heartfelt tale Alderson concocts. It’s New Year’s Eve, and as […] - Read more

Start reading here! Maggie Alderson has a light touch, a well-sharpened wit and lots of heart. If The Scent of You were a fragrance, it would be a fresh floral perfume, with spicy undertones – and surprising depth. An aroma that lingers, pleasantly, leaving you keen for the next light-yet-heartfelt tale Alderson concocts. It’s New Year’s […] - Read more

We’re excited to give you a sneak peek into our Book of the Week ‘Masterchef Street Food of the World’ with this exclusive, delicious recipe! Not only does this splendid cookbook tantalise the taste buds, it opens up a new whole world of adventurous eating from around the globe. It takes us on a culinary tour, as it celebrates […] - Read more

Just when we thought we didn’t need another cookbook, along comes an entirely different sort of recipe collection to blow our socks off. Not only does MasterChef Street Food of the World by Genevieve Taylor tantalise the taste buds, it opens up a new whole world of adventurous eating from around the globe. MasterChef Street Food takes us […] - Read more

We’re excited to give you a sneak peak into our Book of the Week ‘Masterchef Street Food of the World’ with this exclusive, delicious recipe! Not only does this splendid cookbook tantalise the taste buds, it opens up a new whole world of adventurous eating from around the globe. It takes us on a culinary tour, as it celebrates […] - Read more

We’re excited to give you a sneak peak into our Book of the Week ‘Masterchef Street Food of the World’ with this exclusive, delicious recipe! Not only does this splendid cookbook tantalise the taste buds, it opens up a new whole world of adventurous eating from around the globe. It takes us on a culinary tour, as it celebrates […] - Read more

Quick fish curry Serves 4 1 onion, roughly chopped 2 garlic cloves 2cm piece ginger 1 long red chilli, seeds removed (leave the seeds in if you like it hot) 1 bunch coriander, washed, leaves picked and chopped, stem and roots finely chopped 1 tbs olive oil or ghee 12 curry leaves 1 tsp panch […] - Read more

Japanese risotto with tempura squid Serves 4 4 cups (1 litre) chicken stock 2 tbs olive oil 2 red (Asian) eschalots, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 8 shiitake mushrooms, sliced 300g arborio rice 1/2 cup sake 1 tbs mirin 1 1/2 tbs white miso 8–10 baby squid, cleaned, tentacles intact Plain flour, to coat […] - Read more

Valli Little’s latest cookbook My Kind of Food offers 100 all-new recipes from one of Australia’s most trusted and inspirational cooks. Inside Valli’s cookbook you will find the sort of foods that really shine when cooked at home. If you’re entertaining, My Kind of Food has an exquisite selection of recipes that appeal from the […] - Read more

Start reading here! What do you think of when you hear the word ‘stepmother’? A snaggle-toothed hag from a fairy tale? A scheming, greedy, and cruel temptress attempting to get everything for her own children, at the expense of the children that came before? Or perhaps you’re a stepparent yourself and you’re only too keenly […] - Read more

What do you think of when you hear the word ‘stepmother’? A snaggle-toothed hag from a fairy tale? A scheming, greedy, and cruel temptress attempting to get everything for her own children, at the expense of the children that came before? Or perhaps you’re a stepparent yourself and you’re only too keenly aware of the […] - Read more

Yes, you read that correctly: we are giving you the chance to win one of 10 double passes to see BERLIN SYNDROME in cinemas from Thursday, 20 April. All you have to do to enter the competition is comment on our Facebook post, explaining in 25 words or less why you deserve to win, then tag the friend […] - Read more

We hope you’re hungry, because the Monday Morning Cooking Club is at it again with their third stunning book containing heirloom recipes and new classics! The Monday Morning Cooking Club went on a global search for this one, finding family and friends in communities all around the world. From Cardiff to Nova Scotia to New […] - Read more

We’re proud to announce the launch of our very own Podcast sessions. We listened to your feedback following our popular live ‘Meet the Author’ sessions on our Facebook page. You asked for longer talks with authors to get to the heart of their fascinating stories and, with the Better Reading Podcast sessions, we bring you those longer, in-depth […] - Read more

Start reading here! Vicious Circle has readers engrossed from the first page. It has everything you could want: sharp, well-drawn characters, crystalline prose and a narrative that winds more and more tightly, until it’s coiled to spring an explosive conclusion. It’s easy to see why CJ Box is a New York Times bestseller. Game Warden […] - Read more

Better Reading: Juliet’s Answer is a poignant and intimate memoir about losing – and finding – love. How difficult was it to open up and write such a personal memoir? Glenn Dixon: It wasn’t easy, that’s for sure. When I first started writing Juliet’s Answer, I had no idea of the things that were about to happen to […] - Read more

Vicious Circle has readers engrossed from the first page. It has everything you could want: sharp, well-drawn characters, crystalline prose and a narrative that winds more and more tightly, until it’s coiled to spring an explosive conclusion. It’s easy to see why CJ Box is a New York Times bestseller. Game Warden Joe Pickett is […] - Read more

Reviewed by Jack Cameron Stanton But it’s nonsense! No one kills himself for abstract principles like that. Not even my brother. Principles are a thing to live for, not reasons to die. The Zero and the One, Ryan Ruby’s debut novel, has been dubbed a philosophical thriller. Featuring plenty of twists in the story and style, it offers […] - Read more

Start reading here! But it’s nonsense! No one kills himself for abstract principles like that. Not even my brother. Principles are a thing to live for, not reasons to die. The Zero and the One is Ryan Ruby’s debut novel, which has been dubbed a philosophical thriller, and has plenty of twists in the story […] - Read more

The Zero and the One is Ryan Ruby’s debut novel, which has been dubbed a philosophical thriller, and has plenty of twists in the story and style, offering moments of Gothic storytelling, mystery suspense, and the wise contemplations of fine fiction. It is a brilliant story told by a shy intellectual, Owen Whiting, who is recovering […] - Read more

Start reading here! Why we love it: Coming fast on the heels of her last compelling thriller, All That is Lost Between Us, Western Australian author Sara Foster delivers again with another suspenseful and poignant novel, The Hidden Hours. This time she transports us from hot and dusty remote Australia to the trendy townhouses of West London in the […] - Read more

Click here to join our live audience! We are excited to announce that the next Better Reading Book Club will be discussing the exhilarating, bestselling thriller The Girl Before by JP Delaney! It will be hosted at 8pm (AEST) on Wednesday 26 April. Not only will it be streamed live on our Facebook page but we will […] - Read more

Why reading groups are still going strong in the west, and Australia-wide  By Kassie Gadeke There’s something about sharing a book that brings people together. In the libraries and lounge rooms of Western Australia, book clubs are meeting to discuss everything from literary treasures to current day conversation-starters. There are different ways of doing things […] - Read more

Sometimes the biggest step to healing comes from the smallest of things . . .  Fiona McCallum takes us on a heart-breaking and ultimately heartwarming journey from grief and loss to acceptance, renewal and what lies beyond. Finding Hannah will tug readers along by the heartstrings from the opening lines to the final pages. Hannah […] - Read more

Start Reading Here! Sometimes the biggest step to healing comes from the smallest of things . . .  Fiona McCallum takes us on a heart-breaking and ultimately heartwarming journey from grief and loss to acceptance, renewal and what lies beyond. Finding Hannah will tug readers along by the heartstrings from the opening lines to the […] - Read more

Reviewed by Jack Cameron Stanton ‘Remember. You are a patient here. Taking part in our Storyland Project.’ There’s nothing quite like Storyland when it comes to Australian fiction. Its vision is unprecedented, and Catherine McKinnon has launched herself fearlessly with ambition, vigour, and grace. She succeeds in telling five stories that span across genre and […] - Read more

Start reading here! ‘Remember. You are a patient here. Taking part in our Storyland Project.’ There’s nothing quite like Storyland when it comes to Australian fiction. Its vision is unprecedented, and Catherine McKinnon has launched herself fearlessly with ambition, vigour, and grace. She succeeds in telling five stories that span across genre and style – […] - Read more

Why we loved it: Any Australian who hasn’t yet heard about one of America’s most well-known historical ‘murderers’ will soon become familiar with Lizzie Borden after reading this much praised debut by Australian author Sarah Schmidt. Murderer is in quote marks because Lizzie Borden was acquitted of the 1892 murder of her father and stepmother, but she was […] - Read more

Start Reading Here! Why we loved it: Any Australian who hasn’t yet heard about one of America’s most well-known historical ‘murderers’ will soon become familiar with Lizzie Borden after reading this much praised debut by Australian author Sarah Schmidt. Murderer is in quote marks because Lizzie Borden was acquitted of the 1892 murder of her father and stepmother, […] - Read more

Start reading here! Megan McDonald was kidnapped, and after two weeks of captivity she manages to escape. She staggers away from the abandoned bunker, through the rainy forest that’ll forever plague her nightmares, and when she finds a highway she’s saved by a man on a late-night drive. When he recognises, through all the blood […] - Read more

Reviewed by Jack Cameron Stanton “I know you think everyone has forgotten about Nicole. But I never have.’ – Megan McDonald Megan McDonald was kidnapped, and after two weeks of captivity she manages to escape. She staggers away from the abandoned bunker, through the rainy forest that’ll forever plague her nightmares, and when she finds […] - Read more

Grantlee Kieza is a critically acclaimed Australian author and historian. He focuses primarily on Australian history, and has a knack for breathing life into the past. His recent book Mrs Kelly continues its run in the top ten bestselling list since its publication and displays no signs of going away. At Better Reading, we had to know […] - Read more

All Ned Coleridge has ever wanted to do is to make people laugh. Now he’s about to do something he never thought he was capable of . . . Powerful tides of desperation, corruption, political intrigue, blackmail and love all work their way through this well-crafted crime. Capp’s superb prose blends the action into the […] - Read more

Start reading here! All Ned Coleridge has ever wanted to do is to make people laugh. Now he’s about to do something he never thought he was capable of . . . Powerful tides of desperation, corruption, political intrigue, blackmail and love all work their way through this well-crafted crime. Capp’s superb prose blends the […] - Read more

Start reading here! It’s not surprising to learn that author Jane Casey has an inside track on some of the most dangerous minds around – from her criminal barrister husband she gleans many juicy and authentic details about real-life cases. Her latest, Let the Dead Speak, is a deeply creepy crime novel that will chill you to the […] - Read more

Start reading here! If you are looking for the perfect blend of friendship, war and uplifting storytelling, look no further. The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir draws you into a community of wonderful, inspiring women that you will want as real-life friends. The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir opens in 1941 when most of the men in Chilbury village […] - Read more

If you are looking for the perfect blend of friendship, war and uplifting storytelling, look no further. The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir draws you into a community of wonderful, inspiring women that you will want as real-life friends. The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir opens in 1941 when most of the men in Chilbury village have been called […] - Read more

Why we love it: it’s not surprising to learn that author Jane Casey has an inside track on some of the most dangerous minds around – from her criminal barrister husband she gleans many juicy and authentic details about real-life cases. Her latest, Let the Dead Speak, is a deeply creepy crime novel that will chill you to […] - Read more

Would you like to win two free passes to see the fabulous Ruby Wax? We have 2 X double passes for Ruby’s comedy shows in Sydney, Brisbane, and Melbourne to give away. At 12:30pm AEST this Friday 23rd March, tune in to the Better Reading Facebook page for our live interview with Ruby Wax and […] - Read more

Written by Nicola Cayless How we read has been a debate for as long as people have been writing. From the transition from tablets to papyrus, from papyrus to parchment, parchment to the printing press, humans have argued about how we should read literature. Catholic priests in the 1600s were adamant on the Bible being […] - Read more

In a regular new series on Better Reading – Behind the Scenes – we put the spotlight on the people who bring you the best stories. We will talk to the publishers, the librarians, the booksellers, the people with a passion for books, about working behind the scenes with books. (If you know someone who loves and works with […] - Read more

Start reading here! ‘Before we even laid a finger on the door, a 40-something woman rather spookily yanked it open and beckoned us into what seemed like her living room. Except unlike an ordinary living room (oh, I suppose it depends on whose living room you’re talking about), there were about 13 hip, hepcat daddy-o’s […] - Read more

Reviewed by Nicola Cayless To be honest, if you haven’t heard of the fantasy series by Samantha Shannon taking the world by storm, you’ve been living under a rock. The three book series, comprising The Bone Season, The Mime Order, and now The Song Rising, has taken the world by storm and captured the hearts […] - Read more

There are so many wonderful things in Kayla Rae Whitaker’s The Animators that we had to find out more about everything from animation to tragedy and the eternal struggle between reality and art. Check out our interview below: Better Reading: Hi Kayla, congratulations on the publication of your debut The Animators. Could you briefly tell […] - Read more

For more than two decades Barbara Arrowsmith-Young was trapped in a confused fog. Until, as a young adult, she hit upon a mental technique that would alter the course of her life – and the lives of countless others with severe and little-understood learning disabilities. Arrowsmith-Young’s account of her transformation, and the stories of those […] - Read more

Start reading here! For more than two decades Barbara Arrowsmith-Young was trapped in a confused fog. Until, as a young adult, she hit upon a mental technique that would alter the course of her life – and the lives of countless others with severe and little-understood learning disabilities. Arrowsmith-Young’s account of her transformation, and the […] - Read more

Why we love it: Is there be a better place to search for the true meaning of love than the birthplace of those most famous of lovers, Romeo and Juliet? In the Italian city of Verona, there’s a whole tourist industry based around Shakespeare’s famous tragedy and a society dedicated to replying to the letters addressed […] - Read more

Start reading here! Could there be a better place to search for the true meaning of love than the birthplace of those most famous of lovers, Romeo and Juliet? In the Italian city of Verona, there’s a whole tourist industry based around Shakespeare’s famous tragedy and a society dedicated to replying to the letters addressed […] - Read more

Tonight the Australian Independent Booksellers announced The Dry by Jane Harper as their favourite Australian book of last year and the winner of The Indie Book Awards 2017 Book of the Year. They also announced the individual category winners in fiction, non-fiction, debut Fiction, children’s and Young Adult categories  from which the overall winner was chosen.  The […] - Read more

Reviewed by Jack Cameron Stanton  ‘Before we even laid a finger on the door, a 40-something woman rather spookily yanked it open and beckoned us into what seemed like her living room. Except unlike an ordinary living room (oh, I suppose it depends on whose living room you’re talking about), there were about 13 hip, […] - Read more

Start reading here! Mrs Kelly: The astonishing life of Ned Kelly’s mother by Grantlee Kieza is a staggering accomplishment that can’t be missed by history buffs and story lovers alike. Recently, the right history books have enjoyed serious commercial success – the likes of Richard Fidler’s Ghost Empire, The Silk Road by Peter Frankopan, and […] - Read more

Start reading here! Reviewed by Jack Cameron Stanton ‘My body runs ice-cold with the knowledge of all I didn’t see, the things I hadn’t known . . .’ When I finish Kayla Rae Whitaker’s debut novel The Animators I feel as though my heart’s been jammed into a washing machine and spun around full cycle, […] - Read more

- Read more

Why we love it: The Fall of Lisa Bellow is a thoughtful and powerful novel about the spiraling effects of two random calamities on one ordinary family. With her insightful depiction of growing up and parenting, written with delicate humour and skillful characterisation, Susan Perabo delivers a touching, elegant story in an original way. The […] - Read more

What we love about it: The Hope Fault is a novel about a modern family – all the exes and steps and fairy godmothers, the in-laws and outlaws who don’t fit at all in the family tree, but who make us what we are. In a rambling old house in Geologue Bay, Iris gathers with members […] - Read more

Start reading here The Hope Fault is a novel about a modern family – all the exes and steps and fairy godmothers, the in-laws and outlaws who don’t fit at all in the family tree, but who make us what we are. In a rambling old house in Geologue Bay, Iris gathers with members of […] - Read more

Reviewed by Jack Cameron Stanton ‘My body runs ice-cold with the knowledge of all I didn’t see, the things I hadn’t known . . .’ When I finish Kayla Rae Whitaker’s debut novel The Animators I feel as though my heart’s been jammed into a washing machine and spun around full cycle, but even after […] - Read more

Read a sample right here! In Nicola Moriarty’s latest novel, The Fifth Letter, a group of female friends’ annual beach holiday goes crazy after secrets from the past, dark desires from the present, and old dynamics rise to the surface. It’s a hilarious, often poignant novel that reveals the reality that friends don’t always like […] - Read more

Reviewed by Jack Cameron Stanton Mrs Kelly: The astonishing life of Ned Kelly’s mother by Grantlee Kieza is a staggering accomplishment that can’t be missed by history buffs and story lovers alike. Recently, the right history books have enjoyed serious commercial success – the likes of Richard Fidler’s Ghost Empire, The Silk Road by Peter […] - Read more

Start reading here! The Fall of Lisa Bellow is a thoughtful and powerful novel about the spiraling effects of two random calamities on one ordinary family. With her insightful depiction of growing up and parenting, written with delicate humour and skillful characterisation, Susan Perabo delivers a touching, elegant story in an original way. The Lisa […] - Read more

“It’s comforting to know that no matter how creepy I am as a person, there are thousands upon thousands of crime readers out there who dig what I do because they have a secret little part of themselves that’s exactly the same. ” – Candice Fox She’s undoubtedly Australia’s hottest crime writer now. At the tender […] - Read more

    It’s one of Australia’s most prestigious prizes. The Stella Prize is presented annually to one female Australian author in recognition of their contribution to the literary landscape. The first Stella Prize was awarded in 2013 and previous winners represent some of Australia’s best contemporary women writers, including Mateship with Birds by Carrie Tiffany (2013), […] - Read more

Start reading here! What do you do if you’re on the killer’s hitlist? And he’s told you when you’re going to die . . . Debut author Daniel Cole arrives at the crime fiction scene with his exhilarating murder mystery, Ragdoll, demonstrating a screenwriter’s flair for drama and a novelist’s masterful control of character. It […] - Read more

Start reading here! Looking for a great weekend read? Look no further than Jørn Lier Horst’s latest, Dregs. From the first pages to the final reveal, this freshly translated Norwegian crime offers that much-sought-after quality: authenticity. Jørn Lier Horst knows his stuff, and readers will be drawn into this darkly believable plot. There is no doubt that […] - Read more

Looking for a great weekend read? Look no further than Jørn Lier Horst’s latest, Dregs. From the first pages to the final reveal, this freshly translated Norwegian crime offers that much-sought-after quality: authenticity. Jørn Lier Horst knows his stuff, and readers will be drawn into this darkly believable plot. There is no doubt that with Inspector Wisting […] - Read more

Why we love it: In Nicola Moriarty’s latest novel, The Fifth Letter, a group of female friends’ annual beach holiday goes crazy after secrets from the past, dark desires from the present, and old dynamics rise to the surface. It’s a hilarious, often poignant novel that reveals the reality that friends don’t always like each […] - Read more

What do you do if you’re on the killer’s hitlist? And he’s told you when you’re going to die . . . Debut author Daniel Cole arrives at the crime fiction scene with his exhilarating murder mystery, Ragdoll, demonstrating a screenwriter’s flair for drama and a novelist’s masterful control of character. It is gripping from […] - Read more

We at Better Reading are thrilled to announce that our next monthly Book Club will host bestselling crime writer Candice Fox and we’ll discuss her latest nail-biting book, Crimson Lake. Hades, Candice Fox’s first novel, won the Ned Kelly Award for best debut in 2014 from the Australian Crime Writers Association. The sequel, Eden, won the […] - Read more

Homegrown talent Candice Fox has taken the bookstores by storm with her latest thriller Crimson Lake. She recently collaborated with number 1 crime author James Patterson in the book Never, Never, and also enjoyed roaring independent success with Eden and Hades. Here is a Q & A with Candice that addresses some of the dark and troublesome […] - Read more

The Story behind A PIECE OF THE WORLD by Christina Baker Kline   “The world of New England is in that house – spidery, like crackling skeletons rotting in the attic – dry bones. It’s like a tombstone to sailors lost at sea, the Olson ancestor who fell from the yardarm of a square-rigger and […] - Read more

When the bestselling author of Orphan Train, Christina Baker Kline, cast around for the subject of her next novel, inspiration struck in the form of a famous painting by the great American artist, Andrew Wyeth, hanging in New York’s Museum of Modern Art. The result is her latest book: a sublimely beautiful and deeply moving meditation on the human condition. In a […] - Read more

Start reading here! When the bestselling author of Orphan Train, Christina Baker Kline, cast around for the subject of her next novel, inspiration struck in the form of a famous painting by the great American artist, Andrew Wyeth, hanging in New York’s Museum of Modern Art. The result is her latest book: a sublimely beautiful and deeply moving meditation on the human […] - Read more

Why we love it: Fiona Lowe draws us into a world of deception, betrayal, and family secrets. From the moment you open this book until the last page, you’ll be swept up in the obstacles, heartache, and twists that will leave you on the edge of your seat. Daughter of Mine is a great read […] - Read more

Start reading here! Why we love it: Fiona Lowe brings us a world of deception, betrayal, and family secrets – you won’t put this down. Harriet has the perfect life – a successful career as a doctor, an attractive husband who loves her, a daughter who excels in everything she puts her mind to, and […] - Read more

Erin Kelly’s newest page-turner, He Said/She Said, is not your average thriller. There’s no murder mystery, no missing persons, no detectives – but you’ll still be utterly gripped by the psychological drama and questioning the characters, and yourself, at every turn. It’s 1999. Laura is young, free-spirited, and on her way to watch a total eclipse […] - Read more

Erin Kelly’s latest book He Said/ She Said isn’t your ordinary psychological thriller. Not only does it broach deeper social and legal subjects, including faults in the justice system and serious issues such as sexual violence and crime, but also plays with the implications of uncertainty. This mind puzzle carries the book and makes it […] - Read more

Why we love it: She’s taken the Australian crime fiction world by storm in recent years and the latest, highly anticipated thriller from Candice Fox does not disappoint. With an intricately woven, thrilling but believable plot, combined with complex, likeable characters and a vividly drawn location at Australia’s top end, Crimson Lake will delight Fox […] - Read more

Read an extract here She’s taken the Australian crime fiction world by storm in recent years and the latest, highly anticipated thriller from Candice Fox does not disappoint. With an intricately woven, thrilling but believable plot, combined with complex, likeable characters and a vividly drawn location at Australia’s top end, Crimson Lake will delight Fox […] - Read more

Why we loved it: From the first devastating blast, to the cast of odd-ball agents and darkly hilarious writing, this is a thriller with all the thrills – and plenty of character to boot. Jackson Lamb’s young crew of screw ups are starting to get frustrated. Just days after the Westacres shopping centre bombing killed […] - Read more

Start reading here Why we loved it: From the first devastating blast, to the cast of odd-ball agents and darkly hilarious writing, this is a thriller with all the thrills – and plenty of character to boot. Jackson Lamb’s young crew of screw ups are starting to get frustrated. Just days after the Westacres shopping […] - Read more

Masterly plotting, grisly murders and chilling suspense: Stefan Ahnhem keeps the threads of this complex, two-country narrative pulled tensely across more than 500 pages. A crime wave that will satisfy even the most exacting of Scandi-noir devotees. When the Swedish Attorney General inexplicably vanishes in a snowstorm, criminal investigator Fabian Risk knows he can kiss […] - Read more

What we love about it: Goldie Goldbloom’s fictional biography Gwen will transport you to Paris in the early 20th century where the painter Gwen John is living the true bohemian life and losing her heart to one of the most influential artists of the modern age. You may know Gwen John as sister of the […] - Read more

Start reading here! What we love about it: Goldie Goldbloom’s fictional biography Gwen will transport you to Paris in the early 20th century where the painter Gwen John is living the true bohemian life and losing her heart to one of the most influential artists of the modern age. You may know Gwen John as […] - Read more

Sasha Torte is locked up in jail – for murder – but that doesn’t stop her living in luxury and running her world-famous pastries from her cell. Set in 1912, written from the perspective of a 22-year-old heiress with a troubled past and even more troubled future, Lesley Truffle’s The Scandalous Life of Sasha Torte transports […] - Read more

Why we love it: Behind her Eyes is the latest spellbinding psychological thriller that’s got everyone talking. It’s fast-paced, cleverly written, creepy, sometimes funny, and delivers an extraordinary twist  – hence the publisher’s hashtag, #WTFthatending. Louise is a single mother working at a psychiatric clinic in North London. Life is a struggle sometimes, but she likes her […] - Read more

Start reading here Why we love it: Behind her Eyes is the latest spellbinding psychological thriller that’s got everyone talking. It’s fast-paced, cleverly written, creepy, sometimes funny, and delivers an extraordinary twist  – hence the publisher’s hashtag, #WTFthatending. Louise is a single mother working at a psychiatric clinic in North London. Life is a struggle sometimes, but […] - Read more

Wendy James is the Australian author of latest release The Golden Child, a story that grapples with modern-day spectres of selfies, selfishness and cyberbullying. It plays with our fears of parenting, social media and Queen Bees, and asks the question: just how well do you know your child? Have a read of some of Wendy […] - Read more

Start reading here Why we love it: it’s a hot topic right now – teenage girls, bullying, and the perils of social media – a topic nailed by Aussie author Wendy James in her latest novel. The Golden Child is a disturbing yet funny look at the age-old problem of teenage girls and the very […] - Read more

Why we love it: it’s a hot topic right now – teenage girls, bullying, and the perils of social media – a topic nailed by Aussie author Wendy James in her latest novel. The Golden Child is a disturbing yet funny look at the age-old problem of teenage girls and the very modern problem of […] - Read more

Looking for a disturbing and realistic thriller that will have you hooked until the last page? The Caller by Chris Carter is what you’re looking for. Imagine a video call from your loved one, except it’s not them: it’s someone who’s tied them up. Imagine you hear a low voice asking two questions. Answer correctly, […] - Read more

Start Reading Here! Why we love it: Andy Muir’s cracking crime yarn Something for Nothing is filled with wry humour, cagey crooks and a hapless, down-to-earth hero—who somehow finds himself adrift in the dark waters of bikie gangs, drug deals, and murder. This page-turning romp introduces a great new voice in the Australian crime landscape. […] - Read more

Why we love it: Andy Muir’s cracking crime yarn, Something for Nothing, is filled with wry humour, cagey crooks and a hapless, down-to-earth hero – who somehow finds himself adrift in the dark waters of bikie gangs, drug deals and murder. This page-turning romp introduces a great new voice in the Australian crime landscape. Lachie Munro […] - Read more

Better Reading had the pleasure of chatting to James Phelan, the bestselling, award-winning author of twenty-eight novels, including his latest, Dark Heart.  The page-turning thriller Dark Heart brings the Jed Walker Zodiac Quartet to a close. We talk series, thrillers, politics, and terrorism with James Phelan: Better Reading: Congrats on the release of Dark Heart! This is the last book […] - Read more

Start reading here! For anyone who loves to spend the weekend being whisked back in time to an entirely unfamiliar world of intrigue – steeped in history, romance, and conspiracy – this is the weekend read for you. The house of the title is on the outskirts of early 17th Century London; the reign of […] - Read more

  Start reading here! Why we love it: JP Delaney delivers a disturbing and utterly addictive psychological thriller about the price of perfection and the enduring power of obsession. After a failed burglary attempt left her shaken, Emma is determined to move out of the apartment she shares with her boyfriend Simon to feel safe again. […] - Read more

For anyone who loves to spend the weekend being whisked back in time to an entirely unfamiliar world of intrigue – steeped in history, romance, and conspiracy – this is the weekend read for you. The house of the title is on the outskirts of early 17th Century London; the reign of Elizabeth I is […] - Read more

Start reading here!   There’s nothing better than lying on the beach with a great book and bestselling author Jill Mansell brings us an addictive, plot twisting, humorous novel about two sisters, one handsome man and a tiny town where everyone is keeping a secret.  Warning:  Meet Me at Beachcomber Bay by Jill Mansell is the ultimate […] - Read more

There is nothing better than lying on the beach with a really good book and bestselling author Jill Mansell brings us an addictive, plot twisting, humorous novel about two sisters, one handsome man and a tiny town where everyone is keeping a secret.  Warning:  Meet Me at Beachcomber Bay by Jill Mansell is the ultimate summer […] - Read more

Why we love it: JP Delaney delivers a disturbing and utterly addictive psychological thriller about the price of perfection and the enduring power of obsession. After a failed burglary attempt left her shaken, Emma is determined to move out of the London apartment she shares with her boyfriend Simon to feel safe again. After none of […] - Read more

Author of The Florentine Bridge, our current Weekend Read, chatted to the Better Reading team what inspired her book, her writing process, favourite character and her three tips to help you keep writing: What was the inspiration behind your book? In my early twenties, I spent several years living in Florence, Italy where I fell […] - Read more

Be whisked to the back streets of Florence this weekend in a novel about second chances, love, and most importantly – hope. Nine months after getting the all clear from her doctors, Mia, who is in remission for lymphoma, steps off a plane in Florence with nothing but a one way ticket, her painting supplies and […] - Read more

Why we love it: Find Me is an intriguing thriller, at times heartwarming and at times deeply disturbing, and it will keep you on your toes until the final pages. Rosa is a gifted Cambridge student, with a promising life ahead of her, but her mother took her own life when Rosa was just a […] - Read more

Love Chinese food? Try Cooking up your own flavoursome, easy-to-make dishes from this amazing cookbook. Written by Kei Lum and Diora Fong Chan, a married couple who both came from families with a deep appreciation for fine food and culinary culture, their goal for China: The Cookbook was to present a collection of recipes that would […] - Read more

“I have to mentally and emotionally transport myself there in my imagination, calling up every one of my senses in order to have the reader feel in their marrow what the characters are going through in the story…” We talked to US writer Erica Ferencik about the challenges of transporting her readers to an untamed […] - Read more

Start reading here!   Four women, a terrifying whitewater rafting adventure and a desperate struggle for survival in the Maine wilderness, The River at Night is a thrilling read, as wild and twisting as the river it’s set on. Win is almost forty, living at home with her cat in Boston, mourning the death of […] - Read more

Four women, a terrifying whitewater rafting adventure and a desperate struggle for survival in the Maine wilderness, The River at Night is a thrilling read, as wild and twisting as the river it’s set on. Win is almost forty, living at home with her cat in Boston, mourning the death of her brother and the […] - Read more

Start reading here!   Why we love it: A heady blend of historical fiction, crime and romance, The Liberation is a page-turning read that’ll transport you to the post-war streets of 1940s Italy. It’s 1945 Italy, the war has ended and Caterina Lombardi is struggling, like many Italians, to survive in a country ravaged by […] - Read more

Why we love it: A heady blend of historical fiction, crime and romance, The Liberation is a page-turning read that’ll transport you to the post-war streets of 1940s Italy. It’s 1945 Italy, the war has ended and Caterina Lombardi is struggling, like many Italians, to survive in a country ravaged by Mussolini’s dictatorship, his unholy […] - Read more

Australian independent booksellers have announced their shortlist for The Indie Book Awards 2017. The Indie Book Awards, chosen by independent booksellers, members of Leading Edge Books, reward and promote excellence in Australian writing. Affectionately termed ‘indies’, many of the shortlisted books in previous years went on to be bestsellers and win other major literary awards. Since its […] - Read more

Start reading here! Why we love it: Packed with affirmations, recipes, wellness tips, down to earth advice and beautiful images, Happy Healthy Strong will help you feel all three. If your resolution for 2017 was to be inspired to start feeling amazing inside and out, Rachael Finch is here to help. Rachael is a lot […] - Read more

If your resolution for 2017 was to be inspired to start feeling amazing inside and out, Rachael Finch is here to help. Rachael is a lot of things – a model, a TV personality, a certified health coach and a mother, and in her first health and lifestyle book Rachael shares everything she’s learnt from […] - Read more

Why we love it: Packed with affirmations, recipes, wellness tips, down to earth advice and beautiful images, Happy Healthy Strong will help you feel all three. If your resolution for 2017 was to be inspired to start feeling amazing inside and out, Rachael Finch is here to help. Rachael is a lot of things – […] - Read more

  Start reading here!   Why we love it: Hilariously funny and wickedly insightful, Crazy Busy Guilty is a fast-moving novel about the pitfalls of juggling a dream career with parenting, and the perils of modern dating. Thirty-something Georgie Henderson is deep into single motherhood with her beloved six-month-old Pippa, a baby she never yearned […] - Read more

Crazy Busy Guilty author Lauren Sams on why new mums shouldn’t look at Instagram. Whenever a friend has a baby, I buy them a bottle of champagne for their baby shower gift (babies get enough presents. Also, all those sh*tty plastic toys you’re given? Your baby will never use them. He will play with a cardboard shoe […] - Read more

Why we love it: Hilariously funny and wickedly insightful, Crazy Busy Guilty is a fast-moving novel about the pitfalls of juggling a dream career with parenting, and the perils of modern dating. Thirty-something Georgie Henderson is deep into single motherhood with her beloved six-month-old Pippa, a baby she never yearned for, but she’s now besotted […] - Read more

Forget diets, detoxing, saving etc. Do yourself a favour and make all your resolutions bookish ones in 2017. Here are some ideas:     Make more time for reading. Easier said than done you think but this really is a worthwhile use of your time. Have you noticed the many articles this year about how good […] - Read more

We get so, so excited when Australian books we love hit the big screen (or small screen, of course – looking at you, Big Little Lies), and in 2017 we’re in for a treat. The first full length trailer has been released for Jasper Jones, Craig Silvey’s heartbreaking coming of age story that’s been called an Australian […] - Read more

The writer Nikki Gemmell pens a tribute to her beloved publisher, HarperCollins’ Shona Martyn, who has resigned after seventeen years at the helm of the Sydney office and is heading off for a new adventure in life. So. The shoes. Always fabulous. Always unique. And always so very, very, Shona. The shoes that are vivid and […] - Read more

A poignant and searingly honest memoir about love, loss and life. Spartacus and Me is a heartbreaking but uplifting biography by Vashti Whitfield about life with her actor husband Andy, known for his role as Spartacus in the Hollywood television series, who lost his battle with cancer five years ago. Vashti revisits her time with Andy […] - Read more

  Click here for chapter one!   Mackenzie Crossing by Kaye Dobbie follows Skye Stewart, a photographer on a mission to seek her long lost grandfather. What she didn’t expect to find is a past she would have preferred stayed forgotten… It’s 1939 and photographer Neville Darling is hoping to escape an unhappy marriage and […] - Read more

Mackenzie Crossing by Kaye Dobbie follows Skye Stewart, a photographer on a mission to seek her long lost grandfather. What she didn’t expect to find is a past she would have preferred stayed forgotten… It’s 1939 and photographer Neville Darling is hoping to escape an unhappy marriage and the dreams that haunt him after the […] - Read more

Why we love it: There are cookbooks and then there are food… ‘bibles’. Those books about food that deserve a prominent fixture on every serious cook and food-lover’s kitchen shelf. Books like Stephanie Alexander’s The Cook’s Companion and that most famous French culinary classic, Larousse Gastronomique. Now there’s River Cottage A-Z, from world-renowned food writer and […] - Read more

There are cookbooks and then there are food… ‘bibles’. Those books about food that deserve a prominent fixture on every serious cook and food-lover’s kitchen shelf. Books like Stephanie Alexander’s The Cook’s Companion and that most famous French culinary classic, Larousse Gastronomique. Now there’s River Cottage A-Z, from world-renowned food writer and campaigner Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and […] - Read more

The Loss of a Great Australian Writer We were deeply saddened to hear of the death of Australian novelist Georgia Blain who was diagnosed with a brain tumour last year. The author of Closed for Winter, Candelo and most recently Between a Wolf and a Dog holds a special place in our hearts at Better Reading, mine […] - Read more

Start chapter one here! A sporting biography like no other, My Family’s Keeper sees Brad and Karina Haddin share their family’s story for the first time, from Brad’s rising career in Australian cricket to their young daughter Mia’s heartwrenching battle with cancer. The book opens with Brad receiving a call from Karina in the middle of […] - Read more

START READING HERE! Are you after a fun, holiday read that’ll make you laugh out loud? Look no further. Incredibly fast paced with effortlessly flowing witty dialogue, it’s hard to believe The Pretty Delicious Cafe is a book and not a television series – this is a book fans of Bridget Jones’ Diary and Offspring will […] - Read more

“I thought Roger had retired and was doing a bit of fishing from a tinny on the Central Coast – boy was I wrong!” – Duncan McNab It was a crime that had a nation on the edge of its seat, now there’s a book that will have you on the edge of yours. On […] - Read more

Start reading here!   Why we love it: The author who had us in tears in P.S. I Love You captivates once again with the magical story of a woman named Lyrebird. The novel starts with a funeral in the mountains of Ireland. Tom Toolin, who together with his twin Joe were the focus of an […] - Read more

Why we love it: The author who had us in tears in P.S. I Love You captivates once again with the magical story of a woman named Lyrebird. The novel starts with a funeral in the mountains of Ireland. Tom Toolin, who together with his twin Joe, was the focus of an acclaimed documentary by production […] - Read more

Are you after a fun, holiday read that’ll make you laugh out loud? Look no further. Incredibly fast paced with effortlessly flowing witty dialogue, it’s hard to believe The Pretty Delicious Cafe is a book and not a television series – this is a book fans of Bridget Jones’ Diary and Offspring will love to sink […] - Read more

A sporting biography like no other, My Family’s Keeper sees Brad and Karina Haddin share their family’s story for the first time, from Brad’s rising career in Australian cricket to their young daughter Mia’s heartwrenching battle with cancer. The book opens with Brad receiving a call from Karina in the middle of the night, on the […] - Read more

The Perfect Pavlova from Donna Hay’s new book Basics to Brilliance   1 x quantity no-fail meringue mixture (see basic recipe below) 1½ cups (375ml) single (pouring) cream, whipped raspberries, passionfruit pulp and sliced peaches, to serve Preheat oven to 150°C (300°F). Using a pencil, draw a 20cm circle on a sheet of non-stick baking […] - Read more

People are talking down 2016, but as the year draws to a close we can’t help wonder if it’s really been an especially sad one for the deaths of so many varied artistic talents or if every year naturally has its share of losses. It would certainly seem that way with the recent losses in […] - Read more

Start reading here!   Why we love it: Beyond the Orchard is a richly woven tale of family secrets and a haunting coming-of-age story as Anna Romer weaves together many different threads that finally come together in a dramatic conclusion. After receiving a cryptic letter from her aged grandfather promising to ‘explain everything’, Lucy Briar […] - Read more

Why we love it: Beyond the Orchard is a richly woven tale of family secrets and a haunting coming-of-age story as Anna Romer weaves together many different threads that finally come together in a dramatic conclusion. After receiving a cryptic letter from her aged grandfather promising to ‘explain everything’, Lucy Briar suddenly returns to Melbourne […] - Read more

What an amazing couple of years it’s been here at Better Reading. Through our website and Facebook page we have grown an engaged community of avid readers – people who are passionate about all kinds of books and who love to talk about them. We offer a space where Australians can discover new reads, talk about […] - Read more

For our next Better Reading Book Club Live on the 30th of November we’ll discuss Holding by Graham Norton. Set in the small fictional town of Duneen, Graham Norton’s tender debut novel will draw you in with a mystery, but you’ll stay for the genuinely sincere and well-rounded characters. We have two great book-lovers joining us on […] - Read more

START READING HERE!   Chocolate and romance ­– what more could we ask for?  Set in York in 1915, The Chocolate Tin by Fiona McIntosh immerses us in a world of war where one woman’s dream to create her own chocolate leaves her entangled in the most unexpected love triangle. Alexandra Frobisher is a woman […] - Read more

Chocolate and romance ­– what more could we ask for?  Set in York in 1915, The Chocolate Tin by Fiona McIntosh immerses us in a world of war where one woman’s dream to create her own chocolate leaves her entangled in the most unexpected love triangle. Alexandra Frobisher is a woman who knows what she […] - Read more

  START READING HERE!   Why we love it: Tricia Stringer takes us to outback Australia in a page-turning rural romance with characters we invest in wholeheartedly. Paula, an independent Sydney girl, has had a rocky past with men. Her ex took everything, leaving Paula feeling like a shell of the woman she used to […] - Read more

Why we love it: Tricia Stringer takes us to outback Australia in a page-turning rural romance with characters we invest in wholeheartedly. Paula, an independent Sydney girl, has had a rocky past with men. Her ex took everything, leaving Paula feeling like a shell of the woman she used to be. Then, at a friend’s […] - Read more

L.J.M. Owen is the author of Olmec Obituary and Mayan Mendacity, the first two in a series of nine novels. The series marks a new literary protagonist on the scene – Dr Elizabeth Pimms is a cat lover, foodie, introvert and, most importantly, an archaeologist in search of the truth. Both books follow a fascinating plotline […] - Read more

  Start reading here! We love nothing more than sinking our teeth into a really great series of novels – and when you know the author is planning nine novels in total, it’s even more enticing. This series marks a  a new literary protagonist on the scene – Dr Elizabeth Pimms is a cat lover, […] - Read more

We love nothing more than sinking our teeth into a really great series of novels – and when you know the author is planning nine novels in total, it’s even more enticing. This series marks a new literary protagonist on the scene – Dr Elizabeth Pimms is a cat lover, foodie, introvert and, most importantly, […] - Read more

Start reading here!   Why we love it: She’s back again, the unforgettable female detective Jane Tennison, immortalised by actress Helen Mirren in the hit television show Prime Suspect. Last year Tennison creator Lynda La Plante took us back to the 1970s, pre-Prime Suspect Days, with Tennison as a rookie cop in the novel Tennison. La […] - Read more

Why we love it: She’s back again, the unforgettable female detective Jane Tennison, immortalised by actress Helen Mirren in the hit television show Prime Suspect. Last year Tennison creator Lynda La Plante took us back to the 1970s, pre-Prime Suspect Days, with Tennison as a rookie cop in the novel Tennison. La Plante’s latest Hidden Killers […] - Read more

Last week, Better Reading visited our nation’s capital to chat with Canberra writers and readers! We chatted live via Facebook with Sally Thorne, Robert Macklin and more… Did you miss some of our live interviews? Don’t worry – we have the list of authors and links below for you to catch up on! L.J.M. Owen: […] - Read more

*Giveaway posted 15th November, enter by 17th November 2016* We’re reading Graham Norton’s wonderful new novel Holding for our next Book Club – and you could be too, as we have copies to GIVEAWAY! Head here to read more about the book and why we loved it, then join us on November the 30th for Better Reading […] - Read more

A collection of 24 stories written by talented authors. Serenity Press is a publishing company that endeavours to create opportunities for Australian authors and share inspirational stories with the world, bringing readers authors who write from the heart, with the truest of intention. Founder Karen McDermott has a passion for ‘making magic’ happen for authors. Starting from […] - Read more

“There must be something in the West Australian water because of late they’re producing some seriously good fiction.”                                                                            […] - Read more

Start reading here! Looking for some non-fiction this weekend? Julia Baird introduces us to Queen Victoria in an intimate and beautifully written biography. Fans of Memoirs of a Geisha and The Secret Chord will love this in-depth biography about a woman who changed the world. When we first meet Victoria, we see a mere teenager, […] - Read more

Looking for some non-fiction this weekend? Julia Baird introduces us to Queen Victoria in an intimate and beautifully written biography. Fans of Memoirs of a Geisha and The Secret Chord will love this in-depth biography about a woman who changed the world. When we first meet Victoria, we see a mere teenager, sitting on the […] - Read more

Ross King’s latest biography, Mad Enchantment: Claude Monet and the Painting of the Water Lilies, is an intriguing insight into the world of the French Impressionist artist Claude Monet and his best-loved works. Who, more than 100 years after their painting, isn’t aware of Monet’s Water Lilies, their distinctive mauve and green colours, the Japanese bridge, the […] - Read more

Why we love it: Ross King’s latest biography, Mad Enchantment: Claude Monet and the Painting of the Water Lilies, is an intriguing insight into the world of the French Impressionist artist Claude Monet and his best-loved works. Who, more than 100 years after their painting, isn’t aware of Monet’s Water Lilies, their distinctive mauve and green colours, […] - Read more

Actor, writer, and all-round entertainer William McInnes has been beloved by Australians for decades, and his new book Full Bore is packed with musings, anecdotes and reflections told with his warm and wry humour. He’s written a variety of both fiction and non-fiction before but like 2014’s Holidays, Full Bore is a collection of personal stories […] - Read more

Why we love it: The Birdman’s Wife is as gorgeously rendered as some of the stunning lithographs by artist Elizabeth Gould. It’s the story of a significant but little-known historical figure, a woman previously overshadowed by her better-known husband, John Gould, who was often known as Australia’s first ornithologist or the ‘Bird Man’. Around the […] - Read more

The Birdman’s Wife is as gorgeously rendered as some of the stunning lithographs by artist Elizabeth Gould. It’s the story of a significant but little-known historical figure, a woman previously overshadowed by her better-known husband, John Gould, who was often known as Australia’s first ornithologist or the ‘Bird Man’. Around the time Charles Darwin was […] - Read more

Start reading here! Why we love it: The Birdman’s Wife is as gorgeously rendered as some of the stunning lithographs by artist Elizabeth Gould. It’s the story of a significant but little-known historical figure, a woman previously overshadowed by her better-known husband, John Gould, who was often known as Australia’s first ornithologist or the ‘Bird […] - Read more

Start reading here!   Fantastic and gritty, fast-paced and thrilling, Resurrection Bay by Emma Viskic is homegrown Australian crime fiction at its best. It’s perfect to get stuck into on a Friday night; a compelling read that you’ll have no trouble devouring over the weekend Caleb Zelic is a profoundly deaf private investigator working in […] - Read more

Fantastic and gritty, fast-paced and thrilling, Resurrection Bay by Emma Viskic is homegrown Australian crime fiction at its best. It’s perfect to get stuck into on a Friday night; a compelling read that you’ll have no trouble devouring over the weekend. Caleb Zelic is a profoundly deaf private investigator working in Melbourne. His partner is […] - Read more

For our next Better Reading Book Club we’ll discuss Holding by Graham Norton – and you could join us LIVE! That’s right! For our next Book Club, Better Reading is going live – with an audience! You can join us at the Better Reading office in Camperdown for refreshments and be part of our live audience as […] - Read more

The winner of what is probably the world’s most anticipated literary award, the Man Booker Prize, has just been announced in London. The winner is The Sellout by Paul Beatty, published in Australia by Allen & Unwin. According to the Man Booker website: “The 54-year-old New York resident, born in Los Angeles, is the first American author […] - Read more

Start Reading Here! CIA operative Mitch Rapp is back in Order to Kill, and about to go deep, deeper than ever before. But when the mission is to go under cover as an American terror recruit, will he make it back in one piece? Or – literally – lose his head? Kyle Mills seamlessly picks up […] - Read more

CIA operative Mitch Rapp is back in Order to Kill, and about to go deep, deeper than ever before. But when the mission is to go under cover as an American terror recruit, will he make it back in one piece? Or – literally – lose his head? Kyle Mills seamlessly picks up where the late […] - Read more

Our next Better Reading Book Club Live on October 26 at 8pm AEST will discuss The Light Between Oceans by M. L. Stedman, winner of three ABIA awards for Best Newcomer, Best Literary Novel and Book of the Year! We have two great book-lovers joining us on the couch – Author Candice Fox and publisher Beverley Cousins. […] - Read more

Nujeen follows the incredible true story of Nujeen Mustafa: a young Kurdish teen, wheelchair bound with cerebral palsy, who is thrust from the protective circle of her large family into the horrors of the Syrian uprising. To escape she must face a grueling journey that will lead her to a perilously overcrowded dinghy to Greece, […] - Read more

Click here to start reading! Looking for a romance to indulge in for a few hours this weekend? Kate Kerrigan brings the 1950’s music scene to life in a novel that will have you flicking the pages to find out which point of the love triangle will triumph. The beautiful daughter of the doctor in […] - Read more

Looking for a romance to indulge in for a few hours this weekend? In It Was Only Ever You, Kate Kerrigan brings the 1950’s music scene to life with a novel that will have you flicking the pages to find out which point of the love triangle will triumph. The beautiful daughter of the doctor […] - Read more

The Better Reading team spoke to Donna about the inspiration behind Basics to Brilliance, advice she has for amateur and young cooks, and the food and books she loves. BR – What delicious recipes can we expect from Basics to Brilliance? What are your favourites to make from it? DH – I designed it specially so […] - Read more

Donna Hay has returned and this time, she’s taking us back to the basics. For years, Australians all over the country have been turning to Donna Hay for recipes they can trust. With her signature style and flavours, she’s helped us cook quickly and healthily, transforming old classics into modern day entertaining staples and given […] - Read more

Click here to start reading! For our next Better Reading Book Club Live we’ll discuss The Light Between Oceans by M. L. Stedman. 1926. Tom Sherbourne is a young lighthouse keeper on a remote island off Western Australia. The only inhabitants of Janus Rock, he and his wife Isabel live a quiet life, cocooned from […] - Read more

Why we love it: the newest novel from Australian bestseller Rachael Johns brings us an addictive plot and three very different women we can’t help but love. Felicity, Emma and Neve have been close for years. They do Friday Night Book Club, their sons are in school together, and they share all the ups and […] - Read more

Click here for chapter one! Why we love it: the newest novel from Australian bestseller Rachael Johns brings us an addictive plot and three very different women we can’t help but love. Felicity, Emma and Neve have been close for years. They do Friday Night Book Club, their sons are in school together, and they […] - Read more

Start Reading Here!  Set in the small fictional town of Duneen, Graham Norton’s tender debut novel Holding will draw you in with a mystery, but you’ll stay for the genuinely sincere and well-rounded characters. First of all, it’s refreshing to have a protagonist who isn’t a genius or a hunk. No, Duneen’s only police officer Sergeant PJ […] - Read more

Time didn’t pass in Duneen; it seeped away… We’re heading to rural Ireland in this weekend’s read. Set in the small fictional town of Duneen, Graham Norton’s tender debut novel Holding will draw you in with a mystery, but you’ll stay for the genuinely sincere and well-rounded characters. First of all, it’s refreshing to have a protagonist […] - Read more

Last week, Better Reading went to Western Australia to talk to writers, booksellers and booklovers about their work, their love of the story and why sense of place matters. We chatted live via Facebook with Liz Byrski, Brooke Davis, Tess Woods, Sara Foster, Natasha Lester, Rachael Johns, Madelaine Dickie and more… Did you miss some […] - Read more

Writer Lee Zachariah found his personal life crumbling around him and decided to focus on someone else’s turmoil: the government’s. Putting his life (and sleep) on hold to join the campaign trail for the 2016 Australian Federal Election, Lee spent months travelling around Australia, meeting politicians, volunteers and voters and trying to make sense of […] - Read more

We chatted with Annabel Abbs about her debut novel The Joyce Girl, her interpretation of Lucia’s story, her research and writing journey, and the theme of mental illness that runs through her book. Before reading your moving and heartbreaking book – The Joyce Girl – we knew nothing about the fascinating life of Lucia Joyce. How […] - Read more

We are very excited for HBO’s adaptation of Liane Moriarty’s bestseller starring Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon and Shailene Woodley, and now the first trailer is here ahead of the series’ release next February! If you haven’t read Big Little Lies yet, you are in for a treat. This book spent months on the Australian and US bestseller […] - Read more

Read the first chapter here! This weekend, we’re curling up with a novel that introduces us to an overlooked woman in literary history – Lucia Joyce. History had forgotten Lucia  – reduced her to a tragic footnote in the stories of two literary lions: her father, James Joyce, and erstwhile lover, Samuel Beckett. Annabel Abbs has […] - Read more

To celebrate their 40th anniversary, Alan Carter tells the story of unique WA publisher Fremantle Press.   “The first forty years of life give us the text: the next thirty supply the commentary.” – Arthur Schopenhauer   Tim Winton, Gail Jones, Kim Scott, Joan London, A.B. Facey, Craig Silvey, Elizabeth Jolley, Sally Morgan, John Kinsella […] - Read more

We love to escape into a gripping historical novel, and The Locksmith’s Daughter lures us into an Elizabethan England full of spies, secrets and seduction, where our heroine’s loyalty is tested and her heart is on the line. Author Karen Brooks told us about the inspiration and research behind the book, authors she admires, and her […] - Read more

This weekend, we’re curling up with a novel that introduces us to an overlooked woman in literary history – Lucia Joyce. History had forgotten Lucia  – reduced her to a tragic footnote in the stories of two literary lions: her father, James Joyce, and erstwhile lover, Samuel Beckett. Annabel Abbs has done what only a novelist […] - Read more

If you’re trying to be writer, you know there’s lots to learn – so why not take some cues from the master herself, Jane Austen? In this new writing guide by Rebecca Smith (Jane’s own great-great-great-great-great niece), you’ll gain helpful tips on all facets of the writing process from not one but two pros, as […] - Read more

Why we love it: Another book inspired by the one of the world’s best-loved authors, Jane Austen? Don’t roll your eyes – for this is a must-read for any budding writer, who will find invaluable gems of advice, as well as compelling reading. We don’t need to tell you how many spin-offs of Austen’s works […] - Read more

WA Readers: you could WIN an evening with Liz Byrski! ** Competition opens 11 October and closes 30 October 2016 **   Fremantle Press, Better Reading and the Esplanade Hotel Fremantle by Rydges are offering one lucky couple the chance to spend a deliciously bookish evening with author Liz Byrski. Brought to you as part […] - Read more

Every now and then a book comes along that makes you want to shout from the rooftops about just how wonderful it is. Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue is one such novel. Behold the Dreamers is a story about the ‘American dream’ told from the point of view of Jende Jonga, a recent immigrant to New York […] - Read more

Read Chapter One here! This weekend, we’ve chosen an eye-opening real-life read that will have you gripped from its defiant opening scene – the author dashing through the streets of Tehran, dressed in heels and a mini skirt, feeling liberated and invincible “despite the danger.” Fashion Is Freedom by Tala Raassi offers an account of a woman’s relationship with […] - Read more

This weekend, we’ve chosen an eye-opening real-life read that will have you gripped from its defiant opening scene – the author dashing through the streets of Tehran, dressed in heels and a mini skirt, feeling liberated and invincible “despite the danger.” Fashion Is Freedom by Tala Raassi offers an account of a woman’s relationship with fashion like no other. […] - Read more

They break the rules and follow their hearts. What happens next will break yours. For our next Better Reading Book Club Live we’ll discuss The Light Between Oceans by M. L. Stedman. 1926. Tom Sherbourne is a young lighthouse keeper on a remote island off Western Australia. The only inhabitants of Janus Rock, he and […] - Read more

Click here to read Chapter One! Why we love it: We adored The Rosie Project, and Graeme Simsion’s new novel The Best of Adam Sharp is told in his unique writing style with eccentric characters you’ll love – and a playlist to guide you through. Adam Sharp has the comfortable life he wants. A stable […] - Read more

Why we love it: We adored The Rosie Project, and Graeme Simsion’s new novel The Best of Adam Sharp is told in his unique writing style with eccentric characters you’ll love – and a playlist to guide you through. Adam Sharp has the comfortable life he wants. A stable (albeit boring) relationship with his partner […] - Read more

The team at Better Reading love to cook (and eat), and we were thrilled to chat to renowned chef Gennaro Contaldo. As well as appearing with Antonio Carluccio as Two Greedy Italians, he’s the author of several Italian cookbooks and his newest, Gennaro’s Italian Bakery, is full of mouthwatering recipes for Italian baked goods, whether it’s […] - Read more

Click here for the first chapter! In the mood for a modern gothic story with a touch of romance this weekend? Le Chateau is an absorbing, romantic and slightly creepy tale set in the wine regions of southern France, but with an Australian twist. Imagine waking up from a coma to find you don’t know […] - Read more

In the mood for a modern gothic story with a touch of romance this weekend? Le Chateau is an absorbing, romantic and slightly creepy tale set in the wine regions of southern France, but with an Australian twist. Imagine waking up from a coma to find you don’t know anyone; you live in a grand […] - Read more

Why we love it: Mention Ann Patchett to anyone and the response is always the same: “I love Ann Patchett!” She’s long been known as one of America’s great writers with such gems as Bel Canto and State of Wonder, but Commonwealth might just be her best yet. It starts with the Christening party of […] - Read more

It’s one of the most bizarre and intriguing stories to come out of rural Australia and it put Wagga Wagga on the world map. In the latter half of the 19th century an overweight rough-looking butcher, known as Tom Castro, emerged from the bush to claim he was not the man people thought him to […] - Read more

We’re all grown up now, aren’t we? Those of us born before the turn of this stunning century, who grappled with our awkward adolescence in the 1970s and 80s, maybe even the 90s. We’re all grown up. Whatever it was that worried us as teenagers — our parents getting divorced, that boy who didn’t love […] - Read more

We loved Jacinta Halloran‘s novel The Science of Appearances, an engaging and enthralling book set in 1950s Melbourne about twins Dominic and Mary, and the ways their lives diverge  – you can learn more about the book here. We spoke to Jacinta about writing two very different protagonists, how her work as a doctor can influence her […] - Read more

Read the first chapter here! Why we love it: A startlingly good thriller set not in Stockholm, the home counties of England or east coast USA, but in… Canberra, Australia. Yep, that’s right. Only Daughter is the stunning crime fiction from the new kid on the block, Australian debut author Anna Snoekstra. Told from the […] - Read more

Why we love it: A startlingly good thriller set not in Stockholm, the home counties of England or east coast USA, but in… Canberra, Australia. Yep, that’s right. Only Daughter is the stunning crime fiction from the new kid on the block, Australian debut author Anna Snoekstra. Told from the point of view of a […] - Read more

What is more important to a country’s heritage than its literary canon? Text Publishing has ensured that many of Australia’s greatest literary works – by both living and dead authors – will reach new readers for generations. It began with an old-fashioned idea: ‘To make great books available at a highly affordable price,’ says Text […] - Read more

It’s always fun to immerse yourself in someone else’s life – and a great escape – even more so when the subject is as fascinating as Céleste de Chabrillan, the 19th century French courtesan, dancer, writer, and wife of the first consul to Australia. Poor Céleste and her mother are living in poverty in Lyon […] - Read more

Why we love it: Jacinta Halloran’s The Science of Appearances is an exquisitely drawn and emotionally powerful novel about a pair of twins in 1950s Melbourne. In the years after World War 2, in a country town outside Melbourne, an Irish Catholic family is hit hard by the sudden death of their schoolteacher father. Twins […] - Read more

It’s been 100 years since Agatha Christie first introduced the world to her Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. Last year, bestselling crime author Sophie Hannah released The Monogram Murders: a brand new, entirely original Poirot novel, published with full permission from the Christie estate. The Monogram Murders was a huge success and now Hannah’s done it again with Closed Casket. […] - Read more

After the great success of the Top 100 last year, we asked you to vote again for your favourite novel of all time. We were delighted with your response as three and a half thousand people voted for their favourite books! We’ll be announcing the Top 100 list on the Better Reading website at the end […] - Read more

A powerful story of two families brought together by beauty and torn apart by tragedy. For our next Better Reading Book Club Live we’ll discuss Commonwealth by Ann Patchett. It’s 1964 and Bert Cousins, the deputy District Attorney, shows up at Franny Keating’s christening party uninvited, bottle of gin in hand. As the cops of […] - Read more

Judy Nunn is one of Australia’s best-loved writers and she’ll be appearing at the St Albans Writers’ Festival this September to talk about women’s fiction. However, Judy doesn’t see her fiction as appealing only to women, as she tells us in this candid interview. While Judy’s first three novels, The Glitter Game, Centre Stage and Araluen, are […] - Read more

Read Chapter One here! Weekend Read: A House Without Windows by Nadia Hashimi A House Without Windows is the perfect way to lose yourself over a whole weekend. It’s an intensely moving, deeply sad – sometimes funny – novel. In war-torn, poverty-stricken, modern day Afghanistan, Zeba has done a terrible thing. She’s been found with […] - Read more

Weekend Read: A House Without Windows by Nadia Hashimi A House Without Windows is the perfect way to lose yourself over a whole weekend. It’s an intensely moving, deeply sad – sometimes funny – novel. In war-torn, poverty-stricken, modern day Afghanistan, Zeba has done a terrible thing. She’s been found with the body of her […] - Read more

Start reading Chapter One here! Why we love it: In her latest novel, Southern Ruby, Belinda Alexandra transports us from Sydney to the seductive world of New Orleans. In her signature style, she teases out the long-held secrets of one family’s dark past. When Amanda, who was orphaned as a child, loses her dear grandmother, she finds a […] - Read more

Why we love it: In her latest novel, Southern Ruby, Belinda Alexandra transports us from Sydney to the seductive world of New Orleans. In her signature style, she teases out the long-held secrets of one family’s dark past. When Amanda, who was orphaned as a child, loses her dear grandmother, she finds a letter from her unknown family […] - Read more

‘I’ve tried to reimagine Sydney as a sort of noir, dastardly underworld version of itself.’  – Candice Fox This month one of Australian’s best crime fiction writers will be part of the illustrious line-up at the St Albans Writers’ Festival. Candice Fox’s first novel, Hades, won the Ned Kelly Award for best debut in 2014 from the Australian […] - Read more

Gayle Forman is well known for her bestselling books for young adults, including If I Stay, but her new novel Leave Me is very much for an adult audience. It’s the story of Maribeth, who has a heart attack at forty-four. At first she writes it off as bad Chinese food and gets on with her busy […] - Read more

‘I’ve tried not only to individualise asylum seekers, but to show that their suffering is only one aspect of their identities.’ When 24-year-old Sydneysider Adele Dumont volunteered to teach English to men in immigration detention on Christmas Island, she had no idea that the work would be so rewarding or the people she met so fascinating. […] - Read more

Read chapter one here! Our recommended weekend read is The Falls by B. Michael Radburn Looking for a shocking, page-turner this weekend? This spine-tingling sequel to The Crossing will have you enraptured. Aroha Ross and Dylan Franklin, after years of searching flimsy leads and dead ends, discover what they believe is the treasure trove of […] - Read more

Our recommended weekend read is The Falls by B. Michael Radburn Looking for a shocking, page-turner this weekend? This spine-tingling sequel to The Crossing will have you enraptured. Aroha Ross and Dylan Franklin, after years of searching flimsy leads and dead ends, discover what they believe is the treasure trove of  the Christiana Goldmine hidden […] - Read more

Read Chapter one here! Why we love it: Erik Storey’s first novel, Nothing Short of Dying, is a thrilling debut; a rollercoaster ride through the treacherous back country of the Colorado wilderness that will leave you breathless. Clyde Barr has seen it all. After a childhood filled with unimaginable violence at the hands of cruel […] - Read more

Why we love it: Erik Storey’s first novel, Nothing Short of Dying, is a thrilling debut; a rollercoaster ride through the treacherous back country of the Colorado wilderness that will leave you breathless. Clyde Barr has seen it all. After a childhood filled with unimaginable violence at the hands of cruel and violent stepfathers, he […] - Read more

Love at First Flight is one of those great holiday reads – take it on the plane or the beach and while away the time. Funny that, because the ‘first flight’ of the titles refers to the heroine Mel’s own flight from her home in Perth to Melbourne for a girls’ weekend with her best friend. […] - Read more

Read the first chapter here! Get ready for our next Better Reading Book Club Live as we will be discussing March by Australian writer Geraldine Brooks, winner of the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. From Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, Geraldine Brooks takes John March, the absent father and offers us his passionate story of […] - Read more

Read the first chapter here! Why we love it: Philippa Gregory encapsulates the strength, beauty and determination behind the women in the Tudor Court in a mesmerising historical fiction that takes you on an emotional rollercoaster. It is 1501 – Katherine of Aragon is brought to the Tudor court as a young bride. Margaret, a […] - Read more

Why we love it: Philippa Gregory encapsulates the strength, beauty and determination behind the women in the Tudor Court in a mesmerising historical fiction that takes you on an emotional rollercoaster. It is 1501 – Katherine of Aragon is brought to the Tudor court as a young bride. Margaret, a Tudor princess with the pride […] - Read more

Read chapter one here! Combining fast-paced drama with romance, Bronwyn Parry has crafted a book that’s perfect to curl up with and read over the weekend. Steve Fraser is a police officer from a long line of family dedicated to the force, but there’s a dark secret from his past that’s about to be blown […] - Read more

Our recommended Weekend Read is Sunset Shadows by Bronwyn Parry Combining fast-paced drama with romance, Bronwyn Parry has crafted a book that’s perfect to curl up with and read over the weekend. Steve Fraser is a police officer from a long line of family dedicated to the force, but there’s a dark secret from his […] - Read more

St Albans Writers’ Festival, held on the weekend of 16th to 18th September, is now in its second year of showcasing writers, books and writing of all styles, genres and forms. Based in the small and picturesque village of St Albans, just a two hour drive from Sydney, the festival was born when residents belonging to […] - Read more

War Child is a true story that spans 100 years, revealing agonising choices against the backdrop of Nazi Germany, the lingering effects of war, the 1950s Australian migration experience, and a modern day search. Magdalena (‘Leni’) is an illegitimate child born in a small town steeped in superstition in pre-World War II Germany. Denounced as […] - Read more

Charlotte Wood, Jane Harper, Candice Fox, Pamela Hart, Michael Robotham, Peter Fitzsimons, Annabel Crabb. What do they all have in common? Each of these authors is a unique Australian voice whose audiobooks are now available through Wavesound. Wavesound is an Australian based audiobook company that launched its own flagship imprint a year ago. As well […] - Read more

“It felt like somebody else’s book that I was listening to.” ­ – Charlotte Wood Ever thought about how an audio book is made? Who reads them? How do they choose a voice for a character? How much is the author involved, and what do they think about it? Charlotte Wood, Miles Franklin shortlisted author of […] - Read more

Click here for Chapter one!  From its opening pages The Toymaker chips away at the story of a family’s survival, each masterful stroke undercutting preconceptions to reveal layers of secrets and misdeeds that, slice by slice, peel back to humanity’s greatest crime: the Holocaust. Adam Kulakov is the destructive, self-involved scion of a successful toy […] - Read more

Our recommended Weekend Read is The Toymaker by Liam Pieper  From its opening pages The Toymaker chips away at the story of a family’s survival, each masterful stroke undercutting preconceptions to reveal layers of secrets and misdeeds that, slice by slice, peel back to humanity’s greatest crime: the Holocaust. Adam Kulakov is the destructive, self-involved […] - Read more

Click here for Chapter one! Why we love it: All Is Not Forgotten by Wendy Walker is a deeply chilling and utterly absorbing psychological thriller, an absolute must-read for fans of the genre. Alan Forrester is a brilliant psychiatrist whose latest patient is the 15-year-old victim of a brutal rape. Jenny Kramer has been given […] - Read more

Why we love it: All Is Not Forgotten by Wendy Walker is a deeply chilling and utterly absorbing psychological thriller, an absolute must-read for fans of the genre. Alan Forrester is a brilliant psychiatrist whose latest patient is the 15-year-old victim of a brutal rape. Jenny Kramer has been given a pioneering new treatment to erase […] - Read more

Click here for Chapter One! The Swedes do it better, don’t they? Scandi Noir, that is. And there’s a new kid on the block who is supremely talented, and an ex-cop to boot. The heroine of Anna Karolina’s debut is a cop too. Not that Amanda went into the force to combat the bad guys. […] - Read more

What we love about it: Before the road story there was the sea story. It’s 1825 when Wiremu Heke of Aramoana joins a sealing boat on a voyage from Tasmania to Western Australia. He is a man of conscience. Wiremu is on a quest to avenge the destruction of his village but soon finds himself […] - Read more

Why we love it: Caroline Brothers’ second novel, The Memory Stones, is a sublimely told and heartbreaking story. While devastating in its depiction of the depths to which humanity can sink, its evocative language and splendid characters make it a pleasure to read. It’s a hot summer in Buenos Aires, 1976, and Osvaldo and Yolanda […] - Read more

Click here for Chapter one! Why we love it: Caroline Brothers’ second novel, The Memory Stones, is a sublimely told and heartbreaking story. While devastating in its depiction of the depths to which humanity can sink, its evocative language and splendid characters make it a pleasure to read. It’s a hot summer in Buenos Aires, […] - Read more

Richard Fidler’s latest book Ghost Empire is “two-thirds history and one-third travel memoir” according to the ABC radio presenter.  A trip with his fourteen-year-old son Joe fired up Fidler’s passion for the city of Constantinople – as modern day Istanbul was called – and for the rich history that was the Byzantine Empire. See our interview with Fidler about […] - Read more

Our recommended Weekend Read is: Savage Congress by Anna Karolina The Swedes do it better, don’t they? Scandi Noir, that is. And there’s a new kid on the block who is supremely talented, and an ex-cop to boot. The heroine of Anna Karolina’s debut is a cop too. Not that Amanda went into the force […] - Read more

“Really, the best reason to explore the past is for the sheer pleasure of it…” “Two-thirds history and one-third travel memoir” is how the ABC radio presenter Richard Fidler describes his new book Ghost Empire. A trip with his fourteen-year-old son Joe fired up Fidler’s passion for the city of Constantinople – as modern day Istanbul […] - Read more

It’s 2016 National Bookshop Day this Saturday, August 13. A day when all around Austalia bookshops and their customers are encouraged to celebrate bookshops. The event is supported by The Australian Booksellers Association (ABA) and the aim is “to celebrate the role of your bookshop in your community,” according to the ABA website. “National Bookshop Day celebrates bookshops, promotes their […] - Read more

To read the first chapter of The Drowned Man click here Following a chance encounter with a navy veteran in a fish-‘n’-chip shop , writer and history teacher Brendan James Murray embarked on a quest to uncover the truth about a shocking murder on an Australian warship. The result is this intriguing and compelling book, The Drowned Man. We talked to […] - Read more

Here is our first Publisher’s Pick, and to kick start it off, we have a great book by Madelaine Dickie recommended by Fremantle Press, Penguin Australia. Why we love it: Troppo is a great Australian surf novel from a writer who has experienced surf culture in the world’s most remote regions. This is surfing from […] - Read more

Read an extract of Error Australis here ‘It’s hard for history to shock you once you understand that it’s every bit as nuts as modern life.’ We spoke to comedian and history buff Ben Pobjie about his new book ‘Error Australis: The reality recap of Australian history‘, an account of a young nation that’s both informative and […] - Read more

‘A moving and inspirational tour de force’ – Los Angeles Times Book Review ‘Compelling… March takes you on a fulfilling and engaging journey’ – Sunday Telegraph Our next Better Reading Book Club Live will discuss March by Australian writer Geraldine Brooks, winner of the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. From Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, […] - Read more

Visit our website for resources, updates and more! The Reading Hour is one of the most celebrated annual reading initiatives in Australia, and supports individuals, families and communities to discover and rediscover the joy of reading. This year the Reading Hour’s ambassador is comedian and author, Magda Szubanski! The Reading Hour emerged from the National […] - Read more

Click here for Chapter one! Why we love it: Bestselling Young Adult author Colleen Hoover has turned her skilled hand to adult fiction with a stunning debut – It Ends With Us is confronting, poignant, and deeply moving. Lily Bloom had a difficult upbringing; an only, lonely child witnessing her parents’ abusive relationship, she finds solace in […] - Read more

Why we love it: Bestselling Young Adult author Colleen Hoover has turned her skilled hand to adult fiction with a stunning debut – It Ends With Us is confronting, poignant, and deeply moving. Lily Bloom had a difficult upbringing; an only, lonely child witnessing her parents’ abusive relationship, she finds solace in growing things, the coincidence of […] - Read more

Following a chance encounter with a navy veteran in a fish-‘n’-chip shop , writer and history teacher Brendan James Murray embarked on a quest to uncover the truth about a shocking murder on an Australian warship. The result is this intriguing and compelling book, The Drowned Man. We talked to Brendan James Murray about the encounter that sparked the book […] - Read more

  Following a chance encounter in a fish-‘n’-chip shop with a navy veteran, writer and history teacher Brendan James Murray embarked on the quest to uncover the truth about a shocking murder on an Australian warship. The result is this intriguing and compelling book, The Drowned Man. We talked to Brendan James Murray about the encounter that sparked the book and […] - Read more

Read the first chapter of Music and Freedom now Our recommended Weekend Read is: Music and Freedom by Zoë Morrison Music and Freedom is a lyrical, heart-wrenching and, ultimately, uplifting novel that moves with an almost musical meter between the episodes of a life – through dark movements to the light. We meet 70-year-old Alice, […] - Read more

‘It’s hard for history to shock you once you understand that it’s every bit as nuts as modern life.’ We spoke to comedian and history buff Ben Pobjie about his new book ‘Error Australis: The reality recap of Australian history‘, an account of a young nation that’s both informative and hilarious. Better Reading: Congrats on Error Australis. […] - Read more

Why We Love It: Watching Edie is a gripping psychological thriller about friendship, jealousy, obsession, and lies that hooked us from the start. Heather was an overweight, friendless 16-year old, an academic achiever with strict parents who had moved to the good side of a rather grim English town. Heather struggled to fit in, hiding […] - Read more

Click Here for Chapter One! Why We Love It: Watching Edie is a gripping psychological thriller about friendship, jealousy, obsession, and lies that hooked us from the start. Heather was an overweight, friendless 16-year old, an academic achiever with strict parents who had moved to the good side of a rather grim English town. Heather […] - Read more

Our recommended Weekend Read is: Music and Freedom by Zoë Morrison Music and Freedom is a lyrical, heart-wrenching and, ultimately, uplifting novel that moves with an almost musical meter between the episodes of a life – through dark movements to the light. We meet 70-year-old Alice, alone in her grey, shadowy home, dividing her “dying […] - Read more

Who was behind the legendary Tupperware empire? Was it Earl Tupper who invented the plastic to make the product or was it single mother Brownie Wise who revolutionised the sales and marketing of the product? Life of the Party is an intriguing read about a trailblazing woman who changed the landscape of shopping in America, who […] - Read more

‘The more you read, the more things you will know… The more you learn, the more places you will go… ‘ Dr Seuss What a wonderful idea! Street Library is encouraging the free sharing of books with these little weather-proof houses for books planted on people’s front fences – little libraries that are popping up at front yards […] - Read more

Our next Better Reading Book Club Live on July 27 at 8pm AEST will discuss Out of the Ice, the second novel from Australian writer and filmmaker Ann Turner, and we have two great booklovers joining us on the couch – Suzanne Leal and Nicole Abadee! Suzanne Leal began her career as a criminal lawyer and has since […] - Read more

Click here for Chapter One! Why we love it:  Blame is an intense and shocking novel, a darkly humorous story that cuts straight into the broken lives of two suburban mothers whose experiences of motherhood are a far-cry from rosy social media stereotypes. Anna and Caro have been firm friends since they met at their […] - Read more

Why we love it:  Blame is an intense and shocking novel, a darkly humorous story that cuts straight into the broken lives of two suburban women whose experiences of motherhood are a far-cry from rosy social media stereotypes. Anna and Caro have been firm friends since they met at their local early childhood centre with their […] - Read more

Looking for a great weekend read? The sort of book that can absorb you totally and transport you to another world; one that you’ll have no problem starting Friday night and finishing by Sunday – if not sooner? Devour, the cracking new thriller from L.A. Larkin is one such book and is the first to kick […] - Read more

5 Minutes with L.A. Larkin British-Australian thriller author, L.A. Larkin, has been likened to Michael Crichton and Matthew Reilly. The Genesis Flaw was nominated for four crime fiction awards and Thirst described as ‘the best Antarctic thriller since Ice Station’. Her latest book Devour is our recommended Weekend Read. As a child my favourite book […] - Read more

Click here for Chapter One!  Looking for a great weekend read? The sort of book that can absorb you totally and transport you to another world; one that you’ll have no problem starting Friday night and finishing by Sunday – if not sooner? Devour, the cracking new thriller from L.A. Larkin is one such book and […] - Read more

Why we love it: In Breaking Cover, veteran MI5 insider and author Stella Rimington delivers a clever, fast-paced and timely espionage thriller that reflects up-to-the minute current events and her own insider knowledge of the intelligence services. Jasminder Kapoor is a human rights campaigner who’s been critical of the British government’s surveillance of ordinary citizens. One night Kapoor is […] - Read more

Love Wins: The Promise That Won The Landmark Case for Marriage Equality by Debbie Cenziper and Jim Obergefell Love Wins is a both a beautiful love story and an inspirational story of a David and Goliath legal battle that changed the course of US legal history. It’s the story of what happened after Jim Obergefell fell in […] - Read more

‘Malawi became a stage in which Banda was the star and his people the actors…’ PAINTING THE ROSES RED by Robert Glancy At the dawn of Zimbabwe’s independence, Samora Machel told Robert Mugabe, ‘You have the jewel of Africa in your hands.’ Tragically we know how that ended. But many forget that moment of hope. The […] - Read more

‘Bwalo is a thinly veiled version of Malawi. Tafumo, the fictional dictator, is based on Banda, Malawi’s real dictator. Power corrupted Banda completely. Near the end of his seemingly endless rule he was madder than a bag of snakes.’ Robert Glancy’s second novel is a wonderfully funny, often poignant book set in a fictional African […] - Read more

Why we love it: The Woman Next Door is a delightful new novel about friendship, marriage, identity and growing old, from one of Australia’s most beloved writers. Emerald Street, Fremantle, has for long been a place where a lovely and loving set of neighbours have been popping in and out of each other’s houses for cups […] - Read more

Click here for Chapter One! Why we love it: The Woman Next Door is a delightful new novel about friendship, marriage, identity and growing old, from one of Australia’s most beloved writers. Emerald Street, Fremantle, has for long been a place where a lovely and loving set of neighbours have been popping in and out of […] - Read more

Our next Better Reading Book Club Live on July 27 at 8pm AEST will discuss Out of the Ice, the second novel from Australian writer and filmmaker Ann Turner. Turner delivers another brilliant suspense novel with Out of the Ice, solidifying her position as one of Australia’s best thriller writers.  Turner has an unrivalled skill in creating intelligent characters […] - Read more

“I loved this wonderful book – its strangeness, its obsessiveness, its beautiful sentences.’ – Author Monica Ali There’s nothing like winning a Pulitzer Prize to get the world to take notice of your novels and Anthony’s Doerr’s beautiful, Pulitzer Prize winning, All the Light We Cannot See, certainly did that for him. If you’ve read All the […] - Read more