International fiction
Our July 2024 bestsellers
For the second month in a row, our bestseller list is topped by Miranda July's tender, hilarious and literary novel, All Fours, about a woman upending her life.
Newcomers this month include cookbooks from two amazing chefs who have made their mark on the Melbourne food scene and are must-haves for your collection: Tarts Anon's Gareth Whitton, winner of the first Masterchef: Dessert Masters last year, has released Tarts Anon: Sweet and Savoury Brilliance; and Andreas Papadakis…
Books set in the film industry
The 2024 Melbourne International Film Festival kicked off this week, so here are some great books set in the film industry to help you get extra excited about cinema and fill the time between screenings!
📽️Literary Fiction
The Whitewash by Siang Lu
It sounded like a good idea at the time: a Hollywood spy thriller, starring, for the first time in history, an Asian male lead. With an estimated $350 million production budget and up-and-coming Hong Kong actor JK Jr…
Books for when you need a cathartic cry
If you're in need of a real tear-jerker, then look no further than these emotional titles.
A Language of Limbs by Dylin Hardcastle
The first love of a teenage girl is a powerful thing, particularly when the object of that desire is her best friend, and another girl. On a quiet summer night in Newcastle, 1972, a choice must be made: to act upon these desires, or suppress them? To live an openly queer life, or to try desperately not…
Our top picks for Women in Translation Month
There's never a bad time to pick up one of these remarkable novels from women writers around the world. But since August is also Women in Translation Month, this is a particularly good time to seek out a writer you're not already familiar with.
Women in Translation Month was created in response to the dearth of women writers being translated into English. Ten years later, it's a growing movement to champion international writers and help readers discover books they might…
Sporty romances to get in the Olympic spirit
With the 2024 Paris Olympics fully underway, even those of us who don't normally follow sports are feeling the olympic spirit! Whether you've discovered a sudden new interest in a niche sport (sharp shooting, for instance . . . ), are obsessively tuning in to see a certain team, or are just enjoying the highlights and reactions on social media, these books are the perfect companions for your Olympic viewing.
Sports romance is an exploding subgenre that's been taking readers…
The 2024 Booker Prize longlist
The longlist for the 2024 Booker Prize has been announced! It features three debut novels and six previously nominated writers, plus the newest book from Australian author, Charlotte Wood. The novels include blackly comic page-turners, multigenerational epics, meditations on the pain of exile – plus a crime caper, a spy thriller, an unflinching account of girls’ boxing and a reimagining of a 19th-century classic.
Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange
Wild Houses by Colin Barrett
Held by Anne Michaels
Books for when you want to quit your 9 to 5
Stop fantasising about sending your boss that too-honest resignation letter, and try reading one of these books instead. Whether you're looking for joyful escapism or just want to put your own daily grind in perspective, reading a good book will be less work and stress than writing a new job application.
Workplace dramas, so your job doesn't seem so bad
The Opposite of Success by Eleanor Elliott Thomas
All Lorrie wants is to get promoted, accept her body and end…
Our Best of the New York Times' Best Books
To mark the first 25 years of the century, The New York Times Book Review sent a survey to hundreds of literary luminaries, asking them name the 10 best books published since Jan 1, 2000. They tallied the votes to create their list of The 100 Best Books of the 21st Century – and naturally book lovers around the world have been scouring the list to see how many they've read, and how many they have sitting untouched on a…
A beginner's guide to Russian literature
The monolith of classic Russian literature can be daunting and perhaps a tad depressing to look at, as under the wrong light it can seem grey and harsh. The stereotype of Russian literature may have a serious countenance to an outsider, but when you get to reading them, holding the books under the lamp of curiosity, you will find that these books do have a great sense of the absurd, a quotidian humour and a litany of unique characters.
You…
A spotlight on new translated fiction
The Third Love by Hiromi Kawakami, translated by Ted Goossen
Having married her childhood sweetheart, Riko now finds herself trapped in a relationship that has been soured by infidelity. One day she runs into an old friend who offers friendship, love and an unusual escape: he teaches her the trick of living inside her dreams. And so, each night, she sinks into another life.
As she experiences desire and heartbreak in the past, Riko comes to reconsider her 21st century…
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