Dream State, Eric Puchner
A month before her wedding to a perfect match Cece dives into a perfectly blue lake, careening towards a decision that will reverberate for 50 summers to come. Through an age-old tale of enduring friendship and love lost, Dream State reimagines the great American novel.
See Eric in conversation at the State Library of NSW on Thursday 9 October.
One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This, Omar El Akkad
How do we carve out a sense of possibility in these devastating times? From award-winning author and journalist Omar El Akkad comes a blistering debut that wrestles with the broken promises of the West.
See Omar in conversation at the State Library of NSW on Tuesday 21 October.
Emma, Jane Austen
The beautiful, clever and rich Emma Woodhouse is delighted by nothing more than interfering in the romantic lives of others. Cue chaos. Set amongst the rolling hills and manicured grounds of Highbury, Jane Austen’s fourth novel Emma is a most fitting springtime companion.
Head to the State Library of NSW on Thursday 30 October for two sessions on Jane Austen's rich literary afterlives, Wild for Austen and Austen's Powers.
Endling, Maria Reva
Longlisted for the 2025 Booker Prize, Maria Reva’s absurdist road-trip novel follows three women fleeing Ukraine’s booming marriage tourism industry with war on their heels – all while harbouring a critically endangered snail.
Theory & Practice, Michelle de Kretser
Set in 1986 Melbourne, Michelle de Kretser’s Stella Prize–winning novel Theory and Practice combines fiction, essay and memoir to land somewhere altogether new.
See Michelle in conversation at the State Library of NSW on Thursday 18 September.
Girl on Girl, Sophie Gilbert
Four waves in, why do the gains of feminism feel as fragile as ever? Sophie Gilbert's Girl on Girl is essential reading for anyone who wants to unpack the toxic legacy of pop culture on women today.
See Sophie in conversation at the State Library of NSW on Thursday 16 October.
Seed, Bri Lee
Hitting bookstores next month and aptly titled for the season, Bri Lee's Seed is a nail-biting literary-thriller-cum-apocalyptic-love-story about two scientists stranded in a top-secret seed bank on the brink of an Antarctic winter. This is a book sure to spark a conversation over the dinner table or, dare we say, picnic blanket.