Perfect candle pairings for the Readings New Australian Fiction Prize shortlist
Treat yourself, or gift your friends a deluxe reading experience, with these book and candle pairings! We've carefully chosen a scented candle that will elevate the reading experience for each of the novels on the 2024 shortlist for the Readings New Australian Fiction Prize.
Trust our recommendations and order online, or if you'd rather make up your own mind you can head into shops and sniff your way through the candle range!
📖The Opposite of Success by Eleanor Elliott Thomas
🕯️Coffee Bean candle
Coffee: the fuel for countless office workers, whether they're trying to climb the corporate ladder or just make it through the day.
Burning this candle while reading The Opposite of Success will help put you in the right for mindset the frantic, deceptively commonplace drama. Plus, it smells great and will make your space both cosy and invigorating!
📖Salt River Road by Molly Schmidt
🕯️Seabreeze candle
Molly Schmidt's debut is a sensitive exploration of grief and isolation, set in Noongar country in Western Australia. Pair it with Koh Living's Seabreeze scented candle, which will evoke the novel's setting, and mirror the breath of fresh air Schmidt's protagonist finds through community and connection.
📖Thanks for Having Me by Emma Darragh
🕯️Beachside candle
This Beachside candle is a great accompaniment to Thanks for Having Me, because it will create an immersive sense of the setting in coastal Wollongong. Plus, the nostalgia for carefree summer holidays created by the scents of coconut and orange provide a delicious contrast to the painful reflections at the heart of this novel.
📖No Church in the Wild by Murray Middleton
🕯️Campfire candle
No Church in the Wild follows a diverse mix of Melburnians planning to hike the Kokoda Trail in an attempt to repair community relationships with police. It's a tense situation, ready to combust, so a campfire candle perfectly captures that explosive feeling. Plus . . . they're camping, so you know . . . campfires . . .
📖Ghost Cities by Siang Lu
🕯️Sage Cleansing candle
This cleansing sage candle is described as 'dispelling any negative energy' and providng a way to 'regain equilibrium', which is certainly something the characters in Siang Lu's Ghost Cities could do with. Let this candle calm and soothe you while Lu sucks you into the strange, speculative world of Ghost Cities.
📖But the Girl by Jessica Zhan Mei Yu
🕯️Lemon Hibiscus candle
But the Girl follows the protagonist, Girl, as she struggles with the growing chasm between her Malaysian heritage and the white world of academia, and how much she belongs to each. This fresh, floral candle helps to capture that vibe, pairing Malaysia's national flower, hibiscus, with cottage garden blooms like rose and lavender. The resulting candle is delightful, but also a satisfying echo of the dissonance Girl experiences.
