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Winter reading guide

Some might argue that winter is the perfect season for reading. Especially in the rainy weather we've been experiencing lately in Sydney, snuggling up with a warm blanket and a new book is incredibly tempting. Here are all the books we're eyeing in the new season including Festival titles and new and noteworthy publications across a range of themes, tones and genres.

Festival replay

Now that all the festivities are over, some of us in the office are picking up the books we didn't have the chance to read earlier or titles from sessions we particularly enjoyed.

Cannon by Lee Lai

Just named as the first ever graphic novel winner of the Stella Prize, Cannon by Lee Lai shot to the top of our reading lists. Set in the aftermath of an uncharacteristic scene of destruction, the story features the gamut of emotions wrapped in the close-knit friendship of two queer characters nearing the end of their 20s.

London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe

People all over the world have gotten swept up in Patrick Radden Keefe's masterful storytelling in twisting true stories of intrigue like Empire of Pain and Say Nothing. In London Falling, his incredible journalistic eye is on full display in a meticulously researched and craftily presented account of the decades-old events that led up to the mysterious death of a London teen.

The Trap by Fiona Kelly McGregor

In the follow-up to the Miles Franklin Literary Award–shortlisted Iris, The Trap takes us back to the grimy, shadowy streets of historical Sydney amongst tense confrontations between the queer community and the police. Under the cloud of wartime, this story illuminates the systems that target the marginalised and keep the truth buried deep.

Women Who Win by Antoinette Lattouf

Topping the list of our bestselling adult titles at the 2026 Festival, Women Who Win is on plenty of TBR piles this season. Intertwining Antoinette Lattouf's own story of triumph in a wrongful dismissal case with other examples of women taking on the status quo and winning, this book is full of powerful stories to keep you cozy all winter long.

Boy Friends by Michael Pedersen

The wild and delightful Scot Michael Pedersen endeared himself to audiences far and wide when he visited our stage in May. He made a particular impression in the stories of his dear friend Scott and their friendship, which he reflects on in the tender and true memoir Boy Friends.

Old favourites remixed

Winter this year brings a heap of new releases from some of our favourite authors from near and far.

Land by Maggie O'Farrell

Maggie O'Farrell continues her turn into powerful historical fiction, after Hamnet and The Marriage Portrait, with Land, an intergenerational tale of mapping, literally, the aftermath both national and personal of the Irish famine. It's fable and history, truth and magic woven together with Maggie's customarily deft touch.

Sophie, Standing There by Meg Mason

As soon as we heard that Meg Mason's latest was set in a literary festival, our ears were perked. In this funny, emotional and smart novel, a woman falls hard for a writer's work and discovers more of herself in the process. Once you've finished reading, be sure to join us at the State Library of NSW to discuss the novel with Meg in August.

The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout

While it's not another instalment in the acclaimed Amgash series, we'll read pretty much anything Elizabeth Strout writes, including this new novel about the lonely secret of a high school teacher and the healing power of friendship and connection.

John of John by Douglas Stuart

If you loved Douglas Stuart's exploration of family ties and young men struggling with their identities in Shuggie Bain and Young Mungo, you'll also love John of John, his latest epic of a young man caught between the fierce forces of his father and maternal grandmother.

Buzzy books

These titles are creeping out of the cultural consciousness and straight onto our shelves.

Taiwan Travelogue by Yáng Shuāng-zǐ, translated by Lin King

"Taiwan Travelogue pulls off an incredible double feat: it succeeds as both a romance and an incisive postcolonial novel," is how Natasha Brown, chair of the 2026 International Booker Prize judges, describes the winning novel, a metafictional, historical story of travel, national identity and good food.

Famesick by Lena Dunham

She's been all across the media sharing secrets and stories from her latest tell-all memoir and we cannot wait to dive into the juicy pages of Famesick by Lena Dunham. Fan or foe, this book is simply too delectable to walk past.

Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke

Speaking of buzzy books, there hasn't been a buzzier one this year than Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke. Taking on the controversial industries of trad wives and family vloggers, Yesteryear is a trippy and darkly funny novel that's splitting readers like Vegemite.

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

For something cozy and heartwarming, everybody seems to be picking up The Correspondent by Virginia Evans. Shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction, this novel in letters is a subtle, witty portrait of a woman reckoning with her life as she's lived it.

It's a hefty list but there are always so many books catching our eye and sneaking their way onto our TBR piles! This is what we'll be reading as the weather turns and the days shorten, what's on your radar this season?