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The Secret Chord (Geraldine Brooks, Hachette)
Released October 2015
When Geraldine Brooks’ young son Nathaniel wanted to play the harp, she wondered where his desire came from. The only harpist she knew was the shepherd David in the Bible,... Read more
Not Just Black and White (Lesley & Tammy Williams, UQP)
Released September 2015
This is a most unusual, and very welcome, addition to the growing number of memoirs of Indigenous Australians. Unusual in that it is in the form of a ‘conversation in... Read more
More to the Story: Conversations with Refugees (Rosemary Sayer, Margaret River Press)
Released November 2015
‘If the Taliban caught me they would slowly cut off my body parts: one finger one day, another one tomorrow, an ear the next day, a hand a few days... Read more
How to Be Happy: A Memoir of Love, Sex and Teenage Confusion (David Burton, Text)
Released September 2015
‘I think we all know how to make ourselves happier, it’s just getting there that’s the trouble.’ David Burton’s memoir, a frank look at the path to happiness via adolescence,... Read more
Cloudwish (Fiona Wood, Pan Macmillan)
Released September 2015
Vân Uoc doesn’t believe in magic wishes. So when her long-time crush Billy notices her for the first time after she makes a wish on a weird glass vial from... Read more
Pig Dude (Michael Wagner, illus by Adam Nickel, Billy Goat Books)
Released September 2015
Most of us will remember feeling inadequate when we were children, especially when we were trying to keep up with other kids our age or do the things everybody else... Read more
The Cat with the Coloured Tail (Gillian Mears, illus by Dinalie Dabarera, Walker Books)
Released September 2015
Gillian Mears is a highly acclaimed author of novels and short stories for adults, including the Prime Minister’s Literary Award-winning Foal’s Bread. This is her first book for children, written... Read more
Suri’s Wall (Lucy Estela, illus by Matt Ottley, Viking)
Released September 2015
Lucy Estela’s debut picture book Suri’s Wall is a standout. This imaginative story explores the strength of the human spirit in the face of isolation and destruction, and is inspired... Read more
The CrocoDolly (Martin McKenna, Omnibus)
Released September 2015
Martin McKenna has previously produced The Octopuppy so he has form in unlikely pairings. Here, he presents another odd pairing: a crocodile and a doll. It all begins when young... Read more
Belinda the Ninja Ballerina (Candida Baker, illus by Mitch Vane, Ford Street Publishing)
Released September 2015
This is probably the first time the word ‘ninja’ has been paired with ‘ballerina’ so bravo to Candida Baker for her imaginative title. The cover too, thanks to illustrator Mitch... Read more
Rush Oh! (Shirley Barrett, Picador)
Released September 2015
Screenwriter and director Shirley Barrett has mixed fact and fiction to tell the story of the whaling community of Eden in New South Wales in the early years of the... Read more
Resurrection Bay (Emma Viskic, Echo Publishing)
Released September 2015
Caleb Zelic’s deafness has made him an astute observer of the minute details of the world around him, and of people in particular, a skill he has parlayed into a career... Read more
Please Don’t Leave Me Here (Tania Chandler, Scribe)
Released August 2015
Tania Chandler’s debut novel centres on one woman’s hallucinations and nightmares about Kurt Cobain. It’s an unusual premise, and before long it’s apparent that the Kurt Cobain of Brigitte’s visions is not... Read more
A Crucible of Souls: Sorcery Ascendant Sequence Book One (Mitchell Hogan, HarperVoyager)
Released September 2015
A Crucible of Souls is the first book in a new series that was previously self-published and, after reading it, I’m not at all surprised that HarperVoyager decided to add... Read more
Wild Man (Alecia Simmonds, Affirm Press)
Released September 2015
In 2012, 33-year-old Ryan Pringle—mentally ill, under the influence of drugs and armed with a crossbow—was shot dead by police after threatening a group of hippies at a remote site... Read more
Warrior Elite (Robert Macklin, Hachette)
Released September 2015
Warrior Elite is a history of Australia’s special forces and intelligence services, from the commandos in WWII to today’s SAS and intelligence organisations. Written for the educated reader—a basic familiarity... Read more
The Landing (Susan Johnson, A&U)
Released September 2015
The Landing is a boutique Queensland suburb full of summer houses for the financially comfortable with all their associated dramas. After his wife leaves him for a woman, Jonathan Lott... Read more
The Promise Seed (Cass Moriarty, UQP)
Released September 2015
When a lonely 10-year-old boy gets caught stealing flowers from his elderly neighbour’s garden, it heralds the start of an unlikely friendship. Both the boy and the man (neither of... Read more
Flesh Wounds (Richard Glover, ABC Books)
Released September 2015
In this amusing but serious autobiography, writer, radio personality, parent and worrier Richard Glover looks at his startling family and asks the question—could it be the weirdest on the planet?... Read more
Fever of Animals (Miles Allinson, Scribe)
Released September 2015
The protagonist of Fever of Animals is Miles, a young Australian artist and writer who is chain-smoking his way across Europe, seeking to uncover the fate of an obscure Romanian... Read more
