Literature
In crime fiction, where there’s Smoke there’s always fire
Former journo Michael Brissenden has written a cracking novel set in the aftermath of a Californian wildfire.
- by Sue Turnbull
Latest
Yes, it’s true. Reading really can affect the way you behave – in a good way
Studies show that reading can have a significant impact on your brain.
- by Jane Sullivan
The satire is as high as this novel’s anti-hero, but the dystopia is bleak
Jordan Prosser’s action-packed first novel will make you laugh but will unsettle you as well.
- by Justine Hyde
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Industrial relations
State Library cracks down on staff wearing ‘political’ items
Staff have been warned against wearing apparel with pro-Palestine symbols as part of a new dress code.
- by Meg Watson
The best celebrity memoirs have exactly what literature today lacks
As more and more crossed my desk, I found that the best of them were written with a robust, fearless honesty that I’ve almost given up looking for in current fiction.
- by David Free
Why do women fall for violent men in jail? This novel has an idea
Tasha Coryell’s main character is a young woman who writes increasingly intimate letters to a man facing charges of murdering several women.
- by Jessie Tu
Why adapting is the key to survival in the face of climate change
Clive Hamilton and George Wilkenfeld have written a necessary book for a world subject to the ravages of climate change.
- by Kurt Johnson
This beautiful memoir beats with a radically open heart
Ailsa Piper’s salts her sorrow with spiritual longing in this subtle book about living with grief.
- by Michael McGirr
A darkly funny debut novel and the inner life of teenage girls
Our reviewers cast their eyes over recent fiction and non-fiction releases.
- by Cameron Woodhead and Steven Carroll
Ten great books we’re excited to read in July
From a highly anticipated poetry collection to a mind-bending debut, here are the books we’re looking forward to this month.
- by Melanie Kembrey
For years, Michael Robotham was advised not to set novels in Australia
The celebrated crime writer’s new novel, Storm Child, is the fourth in a series featuring forensic psychologist Cyrus Haven.
- by Susan Turnbull