The magnificent seven

Many people resolve to read more at the turn of the year, so here are seven books from 2025 offering fascinating glimpses into other cultures and people’s lives.

The snag

In her memoir The Snag, Tessa McWatt takes on themes of personal and collective grief in the near-future context of the climate crisis and the solace and inspiration we can find in connecting with nature and each other.

Dig your own grave

Melbourne-based publishers Black Inc has asked authors to sign AI agreements but why should writers – or anyone else – help AI learn how to do their job and ultimately replace them?

The joys of literary journeys

The best way to travel the world can be with the help of a few good books from the comfort of one’s armchair.

Juice it up

Tim Winton’s first novel in 6 years is set hundreds of years in the future when climate change has rendered large parts of the globe uninhabitable.

Werthermania!

This month marks the 250th anniversary of the publication of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s celebrated and controversial novel of unrequited passion “The Sorrows of Young Werther”.

Introducing Intermezzo

A new novel by the Irish writer Sally Rooney offers a moving story about grief, love and family through the stories of two brothers, Peter and Ivan Koubek.

In praise of Shirley Jackson

Three quarters of a century on, The Lottery and Other Stories remains the perfect showcase for one of the 20th century’s most original, and now, most justly celebrated, authors.

In praise of Stephen King

Stephen King has been pumping out horror fiction for over half a century, but Carrie, Pennywise and The Stand endure because his stories are grounded in an authentic depiction of modern suburbia.

Lives of girls and women

Alice Munro, who has died at the age of 92, was one of the world’s most beloved writers of tender, insightful short stories, a Nobel Prize winner, and a Canadian national treasure.

Only the astronauts

Adrift in outer space, a motley crew of human-made objects tell their tales, making real history a little sweeter and stranger, in the new collection of short stories by Ceridwen Dovey.

In praise of Paul Auster

The passing of Brooklyn novelist Paul Auster, who burst onto the literary scene with his ‘New York Trilogy’ in 1987, will sadden lovers of fine writing around the world.