What Am I Reading?
A Brief Affair – Alex Miller
Australian author Alex Miller has twice won the Miles Franklin Literary Award and yet I’m ashamed to say that his latest novel A Brief Affair (Allen and Unwin 2022) is the first of his I’ve read. (So many books! So little time!) But I’m very glad I did finally stumble...
Terms of Inheritance – Michelle Upton
Michelle Upton’s debut novel Terms of Inheritance (Harper Collins 2022) begins with a fascinating premise that diverges into the dynamics of a family struggling with secrets. The story is witty, warm-hearted and satisfying, the writing is well-crafted and the dialogue...
Drop Bear – Evelyn Araluen
Poets are special people. Artists that see the world differently, more clearly. Wordsmiths who can depict what they see or imagine or desire in a much more articulate manner than the rest of us. Reading good poetry unlocks some vital, unnameable instinct. Poetic...
Her Death Was Also Water – Allen C. Jones
Her Death Was Also Water (Midnight Sun Publishing 2022) is the debut fiction novel by renowned poet and writing teacher Allen C. Jones, an American who lives in Norway (it’s a long story…) In this richly imagined, well-crafted and evocative tale, Jones somehow manages...
Small Things Like These – Claire Keegan
Irish author Claire Keegan tells exquisite, compact stories in lilting language. Usually she condenses the power of a whole novel into a novella, with authentic dialogue and an unequalled mastery of every word. Her latest work Small Things Like These (Faber and Faber...
Day’s End – Garry Disher
Garry Disher is one of Australia’s most loved crime fiction writers, with dozens of bestsellers and a growing international reputation. His writing is assured and reliably of a high quality; his depiction of outback Australia is steadfastly immersive and evocative,...
The Last Reunion – Kayte Nunn
Author Kayte Nunn is adept at telling stories that are highly readable while highlighting a specific time or fact of history. Her latest novel The Last Reunion (Hachette 2021) focuses on a little-known historical detail – the women who served in Burma in World War Two...
Aue – Becky Manawatu
Aue is a Māori word that means to cry or wail, an expression of astonishment or distress. Aue (Scribe 2022) by Becky Manawatu is a novel with a raw voice – the entire book is a cry into the void. Featuring beautiful, lilting literary language hidden amongst the...
The Unbelieved – Vicki Petraitis
Author Vicki Petraitis has used her background in researching and presenting true crime through books, podcasts and TV shows to inform her writing of her debut fiction novel, The Unbelieved (Allen and Unwin 2022). Very much a police procedural, this book intersperses...
The Sun Walks Down – Fiona McFarlane
The Sun Walks Down (Allen and Unwin 2022) is the latest release by author Fiona McFarlane, who was shortlisted for her debut novel The Night Guest (I still think about that tiger…) and won the international Dylan Thomas Prize for her collection of short stories, The...
Exiles – Jane Harper
Author Jane Harper is the acknowledged queen of rural crime fiction and her latest (fifth) novel, Exiles (Pan Macmillan 2022) once again gives the reader a complex and intriguing crime, with plenty of twists and turns, this time set in country South Australia. Exiles...
Cautionary Tales for Excitable Girls – Anne Casey-Hardy
The title of this book Cautionary Tales for Excitable Girls (Scribner 2022) is exactly what is says: warning stories for adventurous females. In one sense it’s an old-fashioned expression but do not let that fool you! This collection of short stories by debut author...