There are plenty of new books to read this July.
It’s difficult to believe we’re midway through the year already. Here are 10 books to add to the reading list for July − we hope they distract you from tax returns, the cold weather and the fear of how fast time flies!
Tintinnabulum by Judith Beveridge
One of Australia’s finest poets will release her first collection since 2018’s remarkable Prime Minister’s Literary Award-winning Sun Music. Tintinnabulum focuses on places, people, and the power of poetry. Using a range of styles and emotional tones, this will be a must-read, whether you consider yourself a frequent reader of poetry or not. Giramondo, $27
The Honeyeater by Jessie Tu
The writer made her mark with her bestselling debut A Lonely Girl is a Dangerous Thing, a coming-of-age that followed a former musical child prodigy taking up an internship with an orchestra in New York. Jessie Tu received a Sydney Morning Herald Best Australian Young Novelist prize in 2021. Her second novel, The Honeyeater, tells the story of a young academic and translator who heads to a conference in Taiwan. Allen & Unwin $32.99
Jessie Tu’s new novel is The Honeyeater.Credit: Steven Siewert
Growing Up Indian in Australia edited by Aarti Betigeri
The latest in the popular Growing Up series is edited by journalist Aarti Betigeri and explores the diversity of the Indian subcontinent challenging perceptions that there’s one “Indian Australian.” The anthology features contributors from both established and emerging writers, including Kishor Napier-Raman, Zoya Patel, Michelle Cahill, and Rakhee Ghelani. Black Inc. $32.99
Big Time, Jordan Prosser
Dubbed a “totally punk breakout novel,” Australian writer, filmmaker, and performer Jordan Prosser’s debut promises to be a hilarious and rollicking read. Set in an autocratic future, the story follows a bass player on a whirlwind tour who gets hooked on a new designer drug. UQP, $34.99
Jordan Prosser’s debut has been described as a “totally punk breakout novel”. Credit: Sarah Walker
The Heart in Winter, Kevin Barry
The Night Boat to Tangier novelist and short story writer returns with a funny and moving tale set in the Rocky Mountains in 1891 where there is no shortage of debauchery among a hard-living crowd of immigrant Irish workers. In a city rich with mining and lasciviousness, the novel follows young poet and rabble-rouser Tom Rourke, who falls in love with a new bride and arrival in town, Polly Gillespie. The love-struck pair flee west on a stolen horse, but pursuers are hot on their heels. Canongate Trade, $32.99
Long Island Compromise, Taffy Brodesser-Akner
Fleishman Is in Trouble became a cult read and was turned into an equally beloved television series starring Claire Danes, Jesse Eisenberg and Adam Brody. Now, Taffy Brodesser-Akner, who made her name with profiles of the rich and famous, returns with a novel that spans generations and decades, focusing on a wealthy American family and the protection of its inheritance. No doubt this will be a book everyone is reading (and loaning to each other) this year. Wildfire, $32.99, July 9
Amy McQuire’s collection of essays examines the power of story.
Black Witness, Amy McQuire
A searing and important collection of essays from one of the country’s leading Indigenous journalists, Amy McQuire’s Black Witness is an essential examination of how the white-dominated media has covered and misrepresented Indigenous affairs, and the power that comes when First Nations people can tell their own stories. UQP, $34.99, July 16
The Lasting Harm, Lucia Osborne-Crowley
Lucia Osborne-Crowley, lawyer, reporter, and author of I Choose Elena and My Body Keeps Your Secrets, examines the trial of Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted of five counts of sex trafficking minors and sentenced to 20 years in prison. Osborne-Crowley was one of four reporters allowed in the courtroom every day, and her trauma-informed book covers the trial as well as critiques the criminal justice system’s ability to deliver justice. Allen & Unwin, $34.99, July 23
Girl Falling, Hayley Scrivenor
After her bestselling and award-winning debut Dirt Town, Hayley Scrivenor returns with a gripping new tale about two best friends who, now in their 20s, find their lives diverging. After a rock climbing trip goes wrong and a death results, there are questions to answer about where it was an accident, suicide, or something else. Macmillan, $34.99, July 30
Veronica Gorrie’s book details her experience working as a police officer in Queensland.Credit:
When Cops are Criminals edited by Veronica Gorrie
Gunai/Kurnai writer Veronica Gorrie’s award-winning memoir Black and Blue, about her experience working as a police officer in Queensland and raising her family as a single mum, was a powerful and important work. Now she edits When Cops are Criminals, an anthology exploring police brutality and corruption with contributions from Emma Husar, Jacinta Wyman, Amanda Porter, and Kate Pausina. Scribe, $36.99, July 30