Explore the program
It could be said that the days counting down to the Festival and the height of the office's TBR piles are inversely related – as one dwindles, the other soars!
Enjoy a special look at the handpicked and precariously balanced books that we cannot wait to devour.
A shock of colour, Sarah’s TBR pile is a round up of newcomers and literary greats. She’ll be reading instant queer classics Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters and Dylin Hardcastle's A Language of Limbs. Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah and Catherine Chidgey bring unsettling speculative fictions to the table. Also on the list is Charlotte Wood’s 2024 Booker Prize–shortlisted newest release.
Julia’s round-up features two veritable tomes from non-fiction heavy weights Philippe Sands and Anne Summers, as well as an appearance from the inimitable feminist philosopher Judith Butler. Rounding out the list are acclaimed writers of fiction George Eliot, Jorge Luis Borges and Festival favourite Charlotte McConaghy.
Jen’s TBR stack features an absolute feast of Festival fiction including, Samantha Harvey, Sayaka Murata and Melanie Cheng. True to her word (check out our 2025 reading goals), she’s queued up non-fiction with 12 Bytes by Jeanette Winterson and Hannah Ferguson's Taboo. Plus, she’s sprinkled in some crime from international sensation Ian Rankin and local fave Shankari Chandran for good measure.
Viv has a pile teeming with Australian favourites, including literary luminaries Charlotte Wood and Michelle de Krester – plus Rick Morton’s latest non-fiction offering. She’s chosen two very different debuts, BRAT from Gabrielle Smith and All I Ever Wanted Was to Be Hot by Lucinda Price (AKA the one and only Froomes). Works from Dylin Hardcastle and Tessa Hadley strike a tender note, exploring how one choice can change a life.
Short but sharp, Connor’s minimalist stack contains two Irish writers: the acclaimed Claire Keegan and debut novelist Ferdia Lennon. Their list draws from the catalogues of experience and an exciting emerging voice with Rumaan Alam and Erin Riley.
Soy milk and Tuesday night dinner not withstanding, Jack's round-up features some of the brightest names in Australian fiction, Charlotte Wood, Michelle de Kretser and Emily Maguire. For a touch of the uncanny, Jack is also exploring Japanese translated fiction with Asako Yuzuki and Sayaka Murata. With the searing works of Jess Hill and Hannah Ferguson on the list, we predict outrage in Jack's future.
Brooke’s TBR spread tackles classics from the pioneering Jeanette Winterson and Joan Didion’s seminal memoir The Year of Magical Thinking. She rounds out her list with debutante Yael van der Wouden’s 2024 Booker Prize–shortlisted historical fiction with a sapphic twist.