The weather is getting chilly, and the nights are getting longer: it’s the perfect time to whip out a book and snuggle up under the covers!
And what better than to cozy up with a book penned by an Aussie author?
Here are some recommendations to keep you busy over the winter break.
Set against the backdrop of Tasmania, The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding is a tale about the importance of family, the weight of grief, and the bond of sisterhood, immersed amongst magical realism.
After grieving the mysterious loss of her sister, Aura, Esther Wilding travels from her home in Lutruwita/Tasmania to uncover the truth of her passing, discovering the stories left behind in her life.
Ringland’s style is eerily light, perfectly encapsulating the journey the readers are taken on with Esther.
Divided into seven parts, with a beautiful nod to Aboriginal Australian and Norwegian Indigenous culture, this spellbinding fairytale is the perfect read for the misty Melbourne winter weather.
A kingpin in Australian fiction, author Robbie Arnott’s debut novel, Flames, strikes the perfect balance between fantasy and existence.
Arnott has a distinctly cryptic style of writing, and this book is no exception, switching between a collection of different stories from a batch of characters.
Flames addresses grief, human connection, love and nature poetically and like no other.
Following the passing and "resurrection" of his mother, our main character, Levi McAllister, decides to build a coffin for his sister to keep her from rising from the dead (naturally…?).
This task takes the reader on a journey alongside an array of eccentric characters.
From a god of the river to talking water rats and strange cake recipes, there’s almost nothing this book doesn’t have.
And there is nothing more satisfying than finishing this novel and seeing all the storylines come together.
Doctor, we need three boxes of tissues and a hot choccie – STAT!
Having won multiple literary prizes since its debut and been a bestseller in Australia and in The New York Times, it’s no surprise that The Dictionary of Lost Words is one of a kind.
Set among a gloomy, war-stricken 19th-century England, readers follow the life of Esme, the daughter of a worker on the Oxford English Dictionary team, as she collects slips of paper containing forgotten and discarded words.
A fictional account of a true story, this novel is an exploration of the importance of language, words and the expression of self through a uniquely feminist lens.
The Dictionary of Lost Words has been adapted into a play since its release in 2020, but there’s no experience like reading the book.
Set in 2024, we journey with an unnamed protagonist in Brisbane, during the lead-up to the Olympic Games.
The protagonist lives with her mother in their car, as they continue running from the police for a crime her mother committed.
Reflecting upon similar themes from his previous novels, Dalton examines matters of addiction, abuse and criminality through the eyes of our mystery teenager.
Dalton is known for his semi-autobiographical writing style in his award-winning novel Boy Swallows Universe.
However, Lola in the Mirror is a comically toned, tragic novel that will appeal to Gen-Z readers.
