For book clubs looking to read exciting emerging voices…

The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida by Clarissa Goenawan

Miwako Sumida has committed suicide. Now, those closest to her are attempting to piece together the fragments of her life. Ryusei, who has always loved her, follows Miwako’s trail to a remote Japanese village. He’s joined by Chie, Miwako’s best friend, who doesn’t know whether to share the truth of Miwako’s identity or not. Meanwhile, Fumi, Ryusei’s sister, is harbouring her own secret. Together, they realise that the young woman they thought they knew had more going on behind her seemingly perfect facade than they could ever have dreamed. The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida is a bewitching, haunting novel.

For book clubs who dig a good literary biography…

Only Happiness Here by Gabrielle Carey

Elizabeth von Arnim is one of the early 20th century’s most famous – and forgotten – authors. Born in Sydney in the mid-1800s, she went on to write many bestselling novels, marry a Prussian Count and then an English Lord, nurture close friendships with H.G. Wells and E.M. Forster, and raise five children. Intrigued by von Arnim’s extraordinary life and vibrant career, Gabrielle Carey sets off on a literary and philosophical journey to know more about this talented author. Only Happiness Here is part biography, part memoir and part reflection on human nature’s obsession with finding joy.

For book clubs who love immersive family dramas…

Where The Fruit Falls by Karen Wyld

Brigid Devlin, a young Aboriginal woman, and her twin daughters navigate a troubled nation of First Peoples, settlers and refugees – all determined to shape a future on stolen land. Leaving the sanctuary of her family’s apple orchard, Brigid sets off with no destination and a willy wagtail for company. As she moves through an ever-changing landscape, Brigid and her daughters search for self-acceptance, truth and justice. Spanning four generations, with a focus on the 1960s and 70s, Where The Fruit Falls is a reimagining of the epic Australian novel.

For book clubs who love a gossip…

Maiden Voyages by Sian Evans

Before convenient air travel, transatlantic travel was the province of the great ocean liners and never more so than in the glory days of the interwar years. Full of gossip, stories and intrigue, Maiden Voyages is the story of the women who undertook these extraordinary journeys. A diverse cast of women appear in its pages, including dancer and civil rights activist Josephine Baker, pioneering interior designer Sibyl Colefax, Violet ‘the unsinkable’ Jessop, a crew member who survived the sinking of the Titanic, and more. A compelling and highly entertaining account of life on board ocean liners: part dream factory, part place of work, independence and escape – always moving.

For book clubs looking for fiction that engages their intellect…

The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi

This is the tale of Vivek Oji. It begins with his end, his naked body shrouded on his mother’s doorstep, and moves backwards through time to unpick the story of his life and the mystery surrounding his death. The Death of Vivek Oji is the story of a Nigerian childhood quite different from those we have been told before. Teeming with unforgettable characters, it is as compulsively readable as it is tender and potent. This novel of family and friendship challenges expectations - it is a story of the innocence of youth that will move every reader.

For Mantel obsessees…

Mantel Pieces by Hilary Mantel

Calling all Hilary Mantel fans. This month sees a new collection of essays and memoir from the twice Booker Prize winning author! Her subjects range far and wide: Robespierre and Danton, the Hite report, Saudi Arabia where she lived for four years in the 1980s, the Bulger case, John Osborne, the Virgin Mary as well as the pop icon Madonna, a brilliant examination of Helen Duncan, Britain’s last witch. Constantly illuminating, always penetrating and often very funny, interleaved with letters and other ephemera gathered from the archive, Mantel Pieces is an irresistible selection from one of our greatest living writers.

For book clubs who are growing old together…

The Time of Our Lives by Robert Dessaix

What’s the key to the art of growing older well? Is it an art that anyone can cultivate? How should we confront dying and death in a secular age? What about sex when we’re older? What about loneliness? (And, for that matter, what about facelifts?) At the height of his powers in this remarkable (and often witty) book, Robert Dessaix addresses these increasingly urgent questions in inimitable prose and comes up with some surprising answers. Reflecting on time, religion, painting, dancing and even grandchildren, Dessaix takes us on an enlivening journey across the landscape of growing older.

For book clubs who like to ‘rediscover’ authors from the past…

Blue in Chicago by Bette Howland

Blue in Chicago collects together the sharp, bittersweet stories of Bette Howland and restores to our bookshelves an extraordinarily gifted writer. Howland was an outsider: an intellectual from a working-class neighborhood in Chicago; a divorcee and single mother, to the disapproval of her family; an artist chipped away at by poverty and perfection. Each of these sides of her life plays a shaping role in her work. Mining her most precarious struggles for her art in each of these stories, she chronicles the fears and hopes of her generation.