If you wish you could avoid having to make a decision about what to read next and recreate the experience of a waiter telling you what wine to drink with your meal, then this is your lucky day! And if that's not a thought you've had before, then ... well, this post still has lots of great suggestions for what books you should pick up, and what (I think) is the best way to read them.

Read All I Ever Wanted Was to Be Hot by Lucinda Froomes Price

& Youthjuice by E.K. Sathue

Explore the dark underbelly behind the glowing skin of the beauty industry with this incisive duo! Looking at the physical and psychological toll of the social expectation to look 'good' from two different lenses – one a wry and insightful memoir and the other a dark cultural satire – this duo will put you in the perfect mindset to unplug from influencers and the inevitable talk of 'new year, new you'.

In All I Ever Wanted Was to Be Hot, Lucinda Price (known to the internet as Froomes) unpacks the years of social conditioning that make being beautiful and desirable the primary goal for girls and women, the world over. Exploring pop culture influences through the 90s and 2000s, and sharing her own struggle to overcome an eating disorder, it's an entertaining call to action, to step away from mirrors and take stock of where our value really comes from.

Youthjuice also explores the price of society's obsession with beauty, through a captivating story of horror and skincare. Sophia has curated her life to tick all the right boxes, but still feels there's something missing. When she starts working at HEBE, a luxury skincare & wellness company founded by the charismatic Tree Whitestone, she hopes this might finally be the answer to what she's been missing. But an all consuming friendship between the women and an experimental new product lead Sophia down a dark and unexpected new path ...

Read The Lost Recipes by Ross Dobson

& A Matter of Taste by Lauren Samuelsson

If you think your grandparents' cooking has nothing on Melbourne's modern foodie scene, then I recommend this pairing to give you a fresh perspective! They might not offer the kind of cooking you see on Masterchef, but understanding the techniques and resources that most Australians used to have to rely on will give you a fresh appreciation for the produce that can be found around the city today – and you might even come across a new (to you) recipe or seasoning that will lift your cooking to new heights!

The Lost Recipes is a nostalgic cookbook collecting common recipes from 20th century Australia that have fallen into obscurity, and exploring the history of these culinary main-stays. From celery salt to mushroom ketchup, this is a trip down memory lane and a guide to recreating these classics with updated methods and ingredients. There's no need to squint over a tattered recipe card anymore, or try to figure out what shortening is and how to find it at the supermarket – this little book will make it all easy.

To further your re-education in appreciating Australia's culture of home-cooking, follow it up with A Matter of Taste, examining the impact of the cookery section of The Australian Women's Weekly. While their birthday cakes have become cult-classics, the accesible recipes in the magazine covered everything from weeknight dinners to summer barbeques, and started ways of cooking and eating that shaped generations.

Read Prima Facie by Suzie Miller

& He Went Back for His Hat by Michael Lee

These are must-reads for anyone interested in law, politics or victim advocacy. Prima Facie, the novelisation of Suzie Miller's sensational play of the same name, follows Tessa, a brilliant and cut-throat young lawyer at the top of her game. But when she finds herself the victim of a sexual assault, she has to grapple with the law from a new side and sees the burden of proof placed on victims.

Complimentary, and similarly rage-inspiring, is He Went Back for His Hat, the published version of Justice Michael Lee's decision in the defamation case between Bruce Lehrmann and Channel 10. Reflecting on the defamation case and the inital assault charges from Brittany Higgins from a trauma-informed perspective, Justice Lee's findings have set a new precedent for future sexual assault and defamation cases, and reflect the nuanced understanding of trauma and victim's experiences explored in Prima Facie.

Read Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde

& Survival is a Promise: The Eternal Life of Audre Lorde by Alexis Pauline Gumbs

The perfect book to read alongside Survival is a Promise, Alexis Pauline Gumbs' new landmark biography of Audre Lorde, is Sister Outsider, a collection of Audre Lorde's own essays, speeches and letters.

Audre Lorde is known for being a revolutionary writer, who stood up against racism, sexism and all discrimination with her poetry and prose. Sister Outsider is a must-read collection of Lorde's prose that explores themes both political and personal through a mix of formats. This is a great introduction to Lorde's writing, and equally insightful for those already familiar with her poetry; read her letters, transcripts of speeches and interviews, as well as iconic essays like her seminal 'The Master’s Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master’s House’.

Then read Survival is a Promise, the penetrative new biography of Audre Lorde, which pulls on an archive of unpublished manuscripts that no biographer before has had access to. This book is full of accounts of Lorde's resilience in the face of challenges ranging from segregation laws to a cancer diagnosis, and her determination to fight for justice and improve the world for others. You might be familiar with Audre Lorde's name, but explore her incredible life and legacy with this moving book.

Read Tasmania by Paolo Giordano, translated by Antony Shugaar

& Flames by Robbie Arnott

Mainlanders love to make a joke at Tassie's expense, but it's an increasingly popular holiday destination that's visited by an impressive numbers of tourists from Australia and abroad. With this reading duo, you can compare how the island state is viewed by an international visitor – the Italian author Paolo Giordano – and how a born and raised local writes about it.

Tasmania is a novel about an italian journalist searching for meaning and significance in his personal and professional life. Across Europe, Japan and a UN Climate Change Conference we meet a wide ensemble of characters searching for a sanctuary to withstand the turbulence of global politics, the climate crisis and the looming threat of new wars and pandemics. To many in Giordano's international cast of characters, Tasmania seems to be the best possible haven and becomes a symbol of both hope and escape.

In contrast to this exploration of Tasmania as a metaphor, Flames by Robbie Arnott explores the truth of life in Tasmania. Following a young woman's journey across the state, this novel paints an insightful and captivating picture of both the people and the wildlife that call the island home.