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The Trapeze Act (Libby Angel, Text)

Released January 2017

The Trapeze Act is a beautifully lyrical novel about the search for meaning and identity in 1970s Australia. This is quite a task for Loretta—daughter of a loose-cannon ex-carnie mother... Read more

The Unfortunate Victim (Greg Pyers, Scribe)

Released February 2017

The first book in a new crime series, The Unfortunate Victim follows Prussian detective Otto Berliner as he solves the murder of 17-year-old Maggie Stuart in 1860s Daylesford. This book... Read more

The Waterfowl Are Drunk! (Kate Liston-Mills, Spineless Wonders)

Released December 2016

Kate Liston-Mills’ debut collection of fiction is an astute, often moving study of three generations of a small-town family. Set in the author’s native Pambula in regional NSW, it captures... Read more

Wedding Bush Road (David Francis, Brio)

Released November 2016

Daniel, a 35-year-old Australian lawyer, leaves his LA base and girlfriend behind to return home upon hearing of the ill health of his mother Ruth. Upon arrival to the horse... Read more

Wild Gestures (Lucy Durneen, MidnightSun)

Released January 2017

This is an intriguing collection of short stories where things are seldom what they seem and characters are preoccupied by their past actions. Shaped less by plot than by precise... Read more

Everything is Changed (Nova Weetman, UQP)

Released October 2016

Nova Weetman established her ability to portray complex friendships with Frankie and Joely, and with Everything is Changed, she takes it to the next level. The story follows the devastating... Read more

The Sisters Saint-Claire (Carlie Gibson, illus by Tamsin Ainslie, A&U)

Released October 2016

The Sisters Saint-Claire by Carlie Gibson is a delightful story, enchantingly illustrated by Tamsin Ainslie. The whole production—from the neat little hardback to the detailed illustrations—is reminiscent of the popular... Read more

All I Want for Christmas is Rain (Cori Brooke, illus by Megan Forward, New Frontier)

Released November 2016

All I Want for Christmas is Rain is the first collaboration between author Cori Brooke and illustrator Megan Forward, though each have several previous picture-book credits. There are plenty of... Read more

Battle Royale: The Selwood Boys Book One (Tony Wilson, ABC Books)

Released November 2016

Footy fans will love ‘The Selwood Boys’. The series kicks off with great characters and fast-paced game-play, making it the perfect suggestion for readers of Specky Magee and Crawf’s Kick... Read more

Pocket Rocket: Ellyse Perry Book One, (Sherryl Clark & Ellyse Perry, Random House)

Released October 2016

Not content with being one of the youngest sports stars to have represented Australia in cricket and soccer, Ellyse Perry can now add author to her impressive CV. In Pocket... Read more

Girl Stuff 8-12 (Kaz Cooke, Viking)

Released October 2016

Girl Stuff 8-12 is a spin-off from Kaz Cooke’s 2007 book Girl Stuff, which was written for teenagers. It’s a different beast to the original: Cooke has written new material... Read more

A Most Magical Girl (Karen Foxlee, Piccadilly Books)

Released October 2016

Set in Victorian London, A Most Magical Girl tells the story of prim and proper Annabel Grey. One day Annabel’s mother goes away unexpectedly and leaves Annabel with her aunts,... Read more

Mrs Maver’s Magic Cat (Jacqueline Harris & Richard Ghent, illus by Don Ezard, Woodslane)

Released October 2016

Cats are vain, self-centred creatures. Anyone who’s ever owned one knows that they all think they are magical, that doors open for them and food appears when they need it.... Read more

The End of Patriarchy: Radical Feminism for Men (Robert Jensen, Spinifex Press)

Released November 2016

The End of Patriarchy by US academic Robert Jensen is a summary explanation of how radical feminism informs politics, written for an audience of men. Readers should bring an entry-level... Read more

Extinctions (Josephine Wilson, UWA Publishing)

Released November 2016

Josephine Wilson was named the recipient of the inaugural Dorothy Hewett Award for her manuscript ‘Extinctions’. Chosen unanimously by the judges, that manuscript is now published by UWA Publishing as... Read more

Victoria the Queen: The Woman Who Made the Modern World (Julia Baird, HarperCollins)

Released November 2016

Julia Baird’s excellent and sadly out-of-print first book, Media Tarts: How the Australian Press Frames Female Politicians, was an engrossing dissection of gender, politics and power with the pace and... Read more

All is Given: A Memoir in Songs (Linda Neil, UQP)

Released November 2016

Linda Neil’s beguiling memoir All is Given deserves to be read by anyone with an ounce of adventure or romance in their soul, albeit with a touch of caution. As... Read more

The Good People (Hannah Kent, Picador)

Released October 2016

Nóra Leahy has suffered great misfortune. It is 1825 in the far west of Ireland, and her beloved husband has just died, most ominously, at a crossroads, only a few... Read more

Murder at Myall Creek: The Trial That Defined a Nation (Mark Tedeschi, S&S)

Released November 2016

Massacres of Indigenous Australians were not unusual during the early colonial history of Australia. What sets the 1838 mass murder at Myall Creek in central New South Wales apart was... Read more

Cynthia Nolan: A Biography (M E McGuire, Melbourne Books)

Released October 2016

While many biographies have explored the story of Heide and its art community, M E McGuire takes a fresh look at that world and early 20th-century society through the eyes... Read more