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Just a reminder that the median annual income for authors in Australia is less than $3K and our bookshops are struggling to survive, even more than usual. If you can, with Xmas coming, support your local bookshops and authors. Here's a thread of some I can personally vouch for:
Sand Talk, by Tyson Yunkaporta @text_publishing
I really enjoyed Yunkaporta's authorial voice and the relentless focus, as he describes it, on the “how” of Aboriginal and other indigenous thought systems rather than the superficial, product-oriented “what”.
I really enjoyed Yunkaporta's authorial voice and the relentless focus, as he describes it, on the “how” of Aboriginal and other indigenous thought systems rather than the superficial, product-oriented “what”.
Vanishing Point, by Felicity Plunkett @UQPbooks
I really loved this collection by @FelicPlunkett and, having waited what felt like years for it to arrive during lockdown, keep returning to it now, and am still very much in the obsessing-over-my-favourites stage of the journey.
I really loved this collection by @FelicPlunkett and, having waited what felt like years for it to arrive during lockdown, keep returning to it now, and am still very much in the obsessing-over-my-favourites stage of the journey.
Guwayu – For All Times: A Collection of First Nations Poems. Commissioned by @RedRoomPoetry and edited by Jeanine Leane @MagabalaBooks
Engaging and innovative poems by First Nations writers, several of which interlace English with First Nations languages.
Engaging and innovative poems by First Nations writers, several of which interlace English with First Nations languages.
How to Dress a Dummy, by Cassie Lane @AffirmPress
A super honest, sometimes shocking, frequently funny and always entertaining read by @casslane on her life as an international fashion model and humble upbringing in Melbourne.
A super honest, sometimes shocking, frequently funny and always entertaining read by @casslane on her life as an international fashion model and humble upbringing in Melbourne.
The Mother Fault, by Kate Mildenhall @SimonSchusterAU
An absolute page-turner combining an examination of motherhood with a terrifying vision of the near future. I particularly enjoyed how @katemildenhall forced me to wonder what I’d do in similarly dire straits.
An absolute page-turner combining an examination of motherhood with a terrifying vision of the near future. I particularly enjoyed how @katemildenhall forced me to wonder what I’d do in similarly dire straits.
The Girls, by Chloe Higgins @panmacmillan
Incredible writing about grief, family and sex/ sexuality, and the exploration of what it *means* to write about those things. Great memoir writing too by @Chlo_Higgs on fallibility of memory, particularly difficult memories.
Incredible writing about grief, family and sex/ sexuality, and the exploration of what it *means* to write about those things. Great memoir writing too by @Chlo_Higgs on fallibility of memory, particularly difficult memories.
Too Much Lip, by Melissa Lucashenko @UQPbooks
I’ve cited this as my favourite read so many times of late, and that probably won’t change. It does absolutely everything I want from a novel and more. You'll laugh, and almost certainly cry.
I’ve cited this as my favourite read so many times of late, and that probably won’t change. It does absolutely everything I want from a novel and more. You'll laugh, and almost certainly cry.
The Fogging, by Luke Horton @scribepub
A beautifully drawn portrait of a relationship in decline and a not-often-seen examination of contemporary male anxiety.
A beautifully drawn portrait of a relationship in decline and a not-often-seen examination of contemporary male anxiety.
The Animals In That Country, by Laura Jean McKay @scribepub
An intelligent, emotional, funny – and sometimes terrifying – story. It's definitely changed the way I think about animals and our relationships with them, and I think that change might be lasting, @laurajeanmckay
An intelligent, emotional, funny – and sometimes terrifying – story. It's definitely changed the way I think about animals and our relationships with them, and I think that change might be lasting, @laurajeanmckay
The Nancys, by R.W.R McDonald @AllenAndUnwin
Gutsy, sharp, sweet and full of heart ... I didn’t think a brutal murder mystery and examination of grief could, or would, lift my spirits and give me so much desperately needed laughter. A total winner by @rwrmcdonald
Gutsy, sharp, sweet and full of heart ... I didn’t think a brutal murder mystery and examination of grief could, or would, lift my spirits and give me so much desperately needed laughter. A total winner by @rwrmcdonald
The Swan Book, by Alexis Wright @GiramondoBooks
Mind-blowing prose. I’m on my third attempt with this novel now. What I’ve read each time, I’ve loved, but also, as Bowie once said: my brain hurts a lot.
Mind-blowing prose. I’m on my third attempt with this novel now. What I’ve read each time, I’ve loved, but also, as Bowie once said: my brain hurts a lot.
A Lonely Girl is a Dangerous Thing, by Jessie Tu @AllenAndUnwin
Exceptional. I loved every word, every sentence, @Jess_Tu2
Exceptional. I loved every word, every sentence, @Jess_Tu2
Mammoth, by Chris Flynn @UQPbooks
Terrific, odd, and really refreshing. A book that gets into your bones, and the bones of others, while see-sawing nicely between the prospect of life after death and the inevitability of extinction.
Terrific, odd, and really refreshing. A book that gets into your bones, and the bones of others, while see-sawing nicely between the prospect of life after death and the inevitability of extinction.
Throat, by Ellen van Neerven @UQPbooks
One to read quickly, then slowly, then dip in and out of at regular intervals. A sharp compendium of love, identity, loss and land.
One to read quickly, then slowly, then dip in and out of at regular intervals. A sharp compendium of love, identity, loss and land.
Blueberries, by Ellena Savage @text_publishing
Sorry for the food reference, but everything about this one is delicious. Essays on life and art that work on their own and work even better as a unified collection.
Sorry for the food reference, but everything about this one is delicious. Essays on life and art that work on their own and work even better as a unified collection.
The White Girl, by Tony Birch @UQPbooks
A story told so simply that you find yourself wondering how it can be so bloody moving and effective. A terrific achievement and wonderful read.
A story told so simply that you find yourself wondering how it can be so bloody moving and effective. A terrific achievement and wonderful read.
Almost a Mirror, by Kirsten Krauth @transitlounge2
I love how this book swings between the 1980s and 2010s, between unfolding experience and nostalgia, between life and death ... and music, lots of music – I love that too.
I love how this book swings between the 1980s and 2010s, between unfolding experience and nostalgia, between life and death ... and music, lots of music – I love that too.
Foreign Soil, by Maxine Beneba Clarke @HachetteAus
Short stories were a salve for my soul during lockdown – and those by @slamup in particular given they have as much life coursing through them as most novels.
Short stories were a salve for my soul during lockdown – and those by @slamup in particular given they have as much life coursing through them as most novels.
Wolfe Island, by Lucy Treloar @Picador_Aus
A rich, wonderful novel by @LucyTreloar with a protagonist – and a rapidly diminishing world – you're unlikely to ever forget. It’s not a dreamlike or nightmarish novel but both, all the time.
A rich, wonderful novel by @LucyTreloar with a protagonist – and a rapidly diminishing world – you're unlikely to ever forget. It’s not a dreamlike or nightmarish novel but both, all the time.
White Tears/Brown Scars, by Ruby Hamad @MUPublishing
I love books that confound the dominant narrative, and this one definitely does. Chock-full of insight and arguments you can’t ignore, even as you realise – grimly – that’s what you’ve been doing for most of your life.
I love books that confound the dominant narrative, and this one definitely does. Chock-full of insight and arguments you can’t ignore, even as you realise – grimly – that’s what you’ve been doing for most of your life.
The Trespassers, by Meg Mundell @UQPbooks
This novel by @MegMundell would have seemed purposeful and prescient in any case but in the midst of a pandemic, oh boy ... A terrifically drawn story about, yes, a pandemic and the social order that breaks down in its wake. Gripping.
This novel by @MegMundell would have seemed purposeful and prescient in any case but in the midst of a pandemic, oh boy ... A terrifically drawn story about, yes, a pandemic and the social order that breaks down in its wake. Gripping.
Little Gods, by Jenny Ackland @AllenAndUnwin
Exquisite childhood writing by @JennyAckland – a gorgeous second novel and a much-deserved shortlistee for @thestellaprize. I'm pretty sure I'll read every novel Jenny ever publishes.
Exquisite childhood writing by @JennyAckland – a gorgeous second novel and a much-deserved shortlistee for @thestellaprize. I'm pretty sure I'll read every novel Jenny ever publishes.
The Hot Guy, by Mel Campbell and Anthony Morris @echo_publishing @incrediblemelk
A romantic comedy that also manages to take the piss out of romantic comedies. Romantic, snarky, romantic, snarky, and consistently funny throughout.
A romantic comedy that also manages to take the piss out of romantic comedies. Romantic, snarky, romantic, snarky, and consistently funny throughout.
Shirl, by Wayne Marshall @AffirmPress
These stories are radical, surreal, rambunctious and a joy to read. An examination of Aussie masculinity that pokes fun at and undermines stereotypes without ever being disrespectful or obvious.
These stories are radical, surreal, rambunctious and a joy to read. An examination of Aussie masculinity that pokes fun at and undermines stereotypes without ever being disrespectful or obvious.
One Hundred Years of Dirt, by Rick Morton @MUPublishing
A lovely dissection by @SquigglyRick of poverty and how it's internalised, and how you need to have lived it to properly understand.
A lovely dissection by @SquigglyRick of poverty and how it's internalised, and how you need to have lived it to properly understand.
Young Dark Emu, by Bruce Pascoe @MagabalaBooks
May all of our children grow up with a more accurate, less bigoted version of Australian history.
May all of our children grow up with a more accurate, less bigoted version of Australian history.
The Yield, by Tara June Winch @penguinrandom
A story of good intentions gone wrong and bad intentions gone unpunished; and of language – in this case, of the Wiradjuri people – as a means of cultural resistance, survival and holding loved and lost ones close.
A story of good intentions gone wrong and bad intentions gone unpunished; and of language – in this case, of the Wiradjuri people – as a means of cultural resistance, survival and holding loved and lost ones close.
The Erratics, by Vicki Laveau-Harvie @HarperCollinsAU
A memoir about parents, and how the way we treat them at their end is wrapped up in our own beginnings. Poetic, funny, and grim as f%%% – which makes it just my kind of book.
A memoir about parents, and how the way we treat them at their end is wrapped up in our own beginnings. Poetic, funny, and grim as f%%% – which makes it just my kind of book.
A Constant Hum, by Alice Bishop @text_publishing
There’s so much to like about this book, and so much not to like about the Black Saturday fires that inspired it. A moving and complex study in complicated grief by @BishopAlice
No Friend But The Mountains, Writing from Manus Prison, by Behrouz Boochani, and translated (via WhatsApp messages) by Omid Tofighian @MacmillanAus @BehrouzBoochani
Amazing writing about Australia's inhumane and illegal detention of asylum seekers.
Amazing writing about Australia's inhumane and illegal detention of asylum seekers.
Dark Emu, by Bruce Pascoe @MagabalaBooks
I love everything about this book – not least the clear thesis and Bruce Pascoe’s friendly and intransigent tone, like a hand that might still slap you around a bit while hauling you out of a deep historic ditch.
I love everything about this book – not least the clear thesis and Bruce Pascoe’s friendly and intransigent tone, like a hand that might still slap you around a bit while hauling you out of a deep historic ditch.
Here Until August, by Josephine Rowe @BlackIncBooks
Absolutely sublime and haunting short stories by @josephinerowe, an absolute master of the form. I still think about these stories nearly every day, and read the book more than a year ago.
Absolutely sublime and haunting short stories by @josephinerowe, an absolute master of the form. I still think about these stories nearly every day, and read the book more than a year ago.
See What You Made Me Do, by Jess Hill @BlackIncBooks
Beautifully written, humane and extremely sobering – a comprehensive look at the psychology, patterns and repercussions of domestic abuse. A must-read by @jessradio
Beautifully written, humane and extremely sobering – a comprehensive look at the psychology, patterns and repercussions of domestic abuse. A must-read by @jessradio
Growing Up Queer in Australia, edited by Benjamin Law @BlackIncBooks @mrbenjaminlaw
Another great addition to the "Growing Up" series, with sad, hilarious, moving and eye-opening stories by a host of queer writers.
Another great addition to the "Growing Up" series, with sad, hilarious, moving and eye-opening stories by a host of queer writers.
The Mother Pearl, by Angela Savage @transitlounge2
Being led by @angsavage's deft crime-writing hands through the ethical and emotional minefield of international child surrogacy – what’s not to love!
Being led by @angsavage's deft crime-writing hands through the ethical and emotional minefield of international child surrogacy – what’s not to love!
Growing Up African in Australia, edited by Maxine Beneba Clarke @slamup @BlackIncBooks
These short memoirs by writers from Africa and the African diaspora are an eye-opening, often eye-watering experience. A reminder that kids can be the cruellest and most resilient among us.
These short memoirs by writers from Africa and the African diaspora are an eye-opening, often eye-watering experience. A reminder that kids can be the cruellest and most resilient among us.
Split, edited by @LeeKofman @ventura_press
Another terrific collection of short essays by a huge array of Australian writing talent, all focusing on the theme of a significant split in their lives.
Another terrific collection of short essays by a huge array of Australian writing talent, all focusing on the theme of a significant split in their lives.
A Superior Spectre, by Angela Myer @ventura_press
Two strong narrators whith interior lives are intimately, eerily connected. This one by @LiteraryMinded reminds me of Kafka in the the sense that the crystalline prose is a Trojan horse for an army of disturbing, unseen truths.
Two strong narrators whith interior lives are intimately, eerily connected. This one by @LiteraryMinded reminds me of Kafka in the the sense that the crystalline prose is a Trojan horse for an army of disturbing, unseen truths.
And a couple I haven't read yet but am very much looking forward to:
Gulliver's Wife, by Lauren Chater @SimonSchusterAU
When her husband is lost at sea, Mary Burton Gulliver is forced to rebuild her life without him. Looking forward to this one @WellReadCookie
Gulliver's Wife, by Lauren Chater @SimonSchusterAU
When her husband is lost at sea, Mary Burton Gulliver is forced to rebuild her life without him. Looking forward to this one @WellReadCookie
Also looking forward to Everything in its Right Place by Tobias McCorkell @MccorkellTobias @transitlounge2
Coburg, Melbourne. Ford McCullen is growing up with his mother Deidre and his Pop and Noonie in 'The Compound', a pair of units in the shadow of Pentridge prison.
Coburg, Melbourne. Ford McCullen is growing up with his mother Deidre and his Pop and Noonie in 'The Compound', a pair of units in the shadow of Pentridge prison.
Likewise, I'm champing at the bit to read The Morbids, by Ewa Ramsey @AllenAndUnwin
This novel, by @ewaeramsey, follows a young woman with a deep, unshakable understanding that she's only alive by mistake. It has been absolutely dominating my Insta feed for weeks @ewaeramsey
This novel, by @ewaeramsey, follows a young woman with a deep, unshakable understanding that she's only alive by mistake. It has been absolutely dominating my Insta feed for weeks @ewaeramsey
Books I have on my TBR and/ or Christmas list, include Cherry Beach by Laura McPhee-Browne ( @laurahelenmb), which I've only heard great things about; The Adversary, by Ronnie Scott; The Love That Remains, by Susan Francis ( @susanfranciswr1); There Was Still Love, by @FavelParrett
The Book of Dirt, By @BramPresser; The Palace of Angels, by Mohammed Massoud Morsi; The Pillars by @PeterPolites ...
Please feel free to add other reccos of work by authors published in Australia below ... I think I've only scratched the surface here.
Please feel free to add other reccos of work by authors published in Australia below ... I think I've only scratched the surface here.
You can also buy my novel Poly, of course, published by @ventura_press, which I worked really hard on for a long time and which, according to Penthouse at least, is "an entertaining, hot mess of an emotional rollercoaster from start to finish".
How to be Australian by Ashley Kalagian Blunt
@AffirmPress
There's so much to love about this creative nonfiction memoir by @AKalagianBlunt: it's consistently funny and insightful while also dealing with major themes such as isolation and anxiety. A wonderful read.
@AffirmPress
There's so much to love about this creative nonfiction memoir by @AKalagianBlunt: it's consistently funny and insightful while also dealing with major themes such as isolation and anxiety. A wonderful read.
Ordinary Matter, by Laura Elvery @UQPbooks
I've only just started this collection of short stories by @lauraelvery but am thoroughly enjoying it so far. Inspired by the twenty times women have won Nobel Prizes for science.
I've only just started this collection of short stories by @lauraelvery but am thoroughly enjoying it so far. Inspired by the twenty times women have won Nobel Prizes for science.
Imperfect, by Lee Kofman @AffirmPress
A personal and cultural investigation by @LeeKofman into what we perceive as deformity and how that gets represented in our stories and psyches. Utterly engrossing from start to finish.
A personal and cultural investigation by @LeeKofman into what we perceive as deformity and how that gets represented in our stories and psyches. Utterly engrossing from start to finish.
Oh, how could I forget Darkness for Light by Emma Viskic? @echo_publishing
This is the third in the Caleb Zelic series, so you should probably just buy all three if you haven't already. They're all great, and not least this one. @EmmaViskic
This is the third in the Caleb Zelic series, so you should probably just buy all three if you haven't already. They're all great, and not least this one. @EmmaViskic
The Spill, by Imbi Neeme @PenguinBooksAus
A moving portrait of two sisters falling out and back in line with each other, their lives forever altered by a car crash with their mother at the wheel many years ago. I started and finished this in one go. Terrific writing by @TheNDM
A moving portrait of two sisters falling out and back in line with each other, their lives forever altered by a car crash with their mother at the wheel many years ago. I started and finished this in one go. Terrific writing by @TheNDM
From the Wreck, by Jane Rawson @transitlounge2
Strange, sad, playful and exhilarating. This historical/ speculative novel by @frippet is a joyous reminder that the best books are often not like other books at all.
Strange, sad, playful and exhilarating. This historical/ speculative novel by @frippet is a joyous reminder that the best books are often not like other books at all.
