Christmas is a time to come together and spread love and good cheer. And what better way to do that than with freshly baked gingerbread and some handmade presents? This is a helpful guide of books to keep your Christmas homemade this year, from petite paper decorations to hand-poured candles.

Advent by Anja Dunk

If you're like me and love to show off your baking skills, then Advent is the cookbook you need this Christmas. It's filled to the brim…

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We’re sharing what we consider to be the best books of the year as well as a range of curated gift guides featuring hand-picked recommendations from our booksellers and online team. Keep an eye on this page as we’ll be adding to our list throughout the coming weeks.

Adult

Best of Australian fiction

Best of international fiction

Best of nonfiction

Must-read Australian debut fiction from 2023

Must-read international debut fiction from 2023

Great music books from 2023

10 booksellers share…

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These five festive reads are perfect for anyone who wants to bring a little bit of Christmas to their reading list.

Mistletoe Malice by Kathleen Farrell

The fire is going, sherry poured, presents wrapped, and claws are being sharpened. In a seaside cottage perched on a cliff, one family reunites for Christmas.

While snow falls, a tyrannical widowed matriarch presides over her unruly brood. Her niece tends to her whims, but fantasises about eloping; and as more guests arrive, each…

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Artichoke to Zucchini by Alice Oehr

No Brainer (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Book 18) by Jeff Kinney

If You Could See the Sun by Ann Liang

No Words by Maryam Master

Taylor Swift: A Little Golden Book Biography by Wendy Loggia & Elisa Chavarri (illus.)

Kimmi: Queen of the Dingoes by Favel Parrett

The Blunders by David Walliams & Adam Stower (illus.)

Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell

The Lost Library by Rebecca Stead & Wendy Mass

Completely Normal (and…

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Question 7 by Richard Flanagan

The In-Between by Christos Tsiolkas

Good Material by Dolly Alderton

Women & Children by Tony Birch

So Late in the Day by Claire Keegan

Wifedom: Mrs Orwell’s Invisible Life by Anna Funder

Lola in the Mirror by Trent Dalton

Bright Shining: How Grace Changes Everything by Julia Baird

Killing for Country: A Family Story by David Marr

All That's Left Unsaid by Tracey Lien

Quarterly Essay 92: The Great Divide: Australia’s Housing Mess and How…

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Joanna Di Mattia is a bookseller at Readings Carlton.

I made an early declaration this year that Jenny Erpenbeck’s Kairos would be the best novel I’d read in 2023, and as the year now comes to a close, that declaration still stands. For me, no other book has touched it – I love its emotional and psychological complexity, and the way it recreates the last days of life in a divided Germany so vividly and sensually. I think about it…

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These zany and engaging works explore history, nature, art, the future and even the mischief of magic! We've included them in this list because each offers something we find uniquely compelling, that we think kids will too! So read on to discover imaginative ways to save the planet, clues to some of our greatest unsolved mysteries, how illusions work, how to break a code, and even why your backyard is the perfect place to begin studying nature.

A Miscellany of…

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It is such a brilliant and exciting adventure to discover novels as a teen. After growing up on Tove Jansson, Enid Blyton and Harry Potter, I keenly await, as I get older, further broadening my tastes and knowledge, grappling with my mountainous to-read pile, and figuring out how on earth I’ll fit them on my bookshelf afterwards. I might have to resort to extreme measures, such as stacking them in great piles which intimidate visitors. Most of all, I’m…

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It’s KK time again! It feels as though we all like each other a bit more this year? Or perhaps we are getting better at hiding our indifference. Either way, we are moving away from bread bags and sustainable picnic items towards the fun, the practical and the indulgent, and all for under $20! Inflation doesn’t exist in the land of magic that is the office KK.

6 in 1 Pen Tool in a Tin – $14.99

We all know…

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It’s been a stellar year for First Nations publishing in Australia. Here are some of our favourite 2023 picture books by First Nations authors and illustrators that would make wonderful gifts or summer reading in your home.

Ask Aunty: Seasons by Aunty Munya Andrews & Charmaine Ledden-Lewis (illus.)

Have you ever been excited for the first day of summer, only to be disappointed when it arrives cold and rainy? For First Nations People, the seasons don't change when the calendar…

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