Winter is here. Log fires, hot water bottles and warm soups are delightful, but the seasonal scene won’t be complete without a good read to warm the soul. Here are 10 great new books to look out for in June.
Heartsease, Kate Kruimink
The Tasmanian author’s first novel, A Treacherous Country (2021), won the Vogel Literary Award and nominations for the Prime Minister’s Literary Award for Fiction and Britain’s Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction. Kruimink was also named an SMH Best Young Australian Novelist. In her second book, Kruimink tells the story of two sisters, still grappling with their mother’s death, who meet at a silent retreat in an old house in the Tasmanian countryside. Pan Macmillan, $16.99
The Forever War, Nick Bryant
The former BBC correspondent and author of When America Stopped Being Great makes the case that America’s current polarisation should come as no surprise, as its roots lie in the nation’s unresolved past. As the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence nears, Bryant argues that the political violence of the present is woven into the fabric of American history, with the country’s future captive to its past. Penguin Random House, $36.99
Everything is Water, Simon Cleary
Novelist Simon Cleary (The Comfort of Figs, Closer to Stone, The War Artist) walks the banks of the Brisbane River, over four weeks and 344 kilometres, during the wettest autumn on record. His pilgrimage prompts an exploration of our relationship with the natural world, now and over time. “I want to go with the river’s flow, not against it. I want to follow where the river leads – to listen, to observe, hopefully to learn,” he writes. UQP, $34.99
Authors with new fiction and non fiction out in June.
Parade, Rachel Cusk
The author of the acclaimed literary trilogy Outline continues her interest in creativity, gender and art in her latest novel. Cusk treads the line between fact and fiction, moving between stories and perspectives over four sections, to examine how we perform ourselves. As with her previous novels, Cusk upends narrative conventions such as plot and character to share her distinct worldview. Parade is her first novel since 2021’s Second Place, and her second since she completed the Outline trio. Faber, $32.99
Mrs Hopkins, Shirley Barrett
The acclaimed director and writer was adding the final touches to Mrs Hopkins when she passed away in August 2022 aged 60, after a long battle with metastatic breast cancer. The story follows a schoolmistress tasked with transforming a girls’ school on Cockatoo Island in Sydney Harbour in 1871. Her third and final novel (after Rush Oh! and The Bus on Thursday), Mrs Hopkins reminds us of the unique voice and creative vision that the world has lost. Allen & Unwin, $32.99
The Skeleton House, Katherine Allum
Set in a small Mormon community in the Nevada desert, The Skeleton House follows Meg as she starts to question her role as mother and wife, forcing a reckoning with her husband and the emergence of a secret from her past. The tension-filled novel won the 2023 Fogarty Literary Award. Born in the United States, Allum now lives in Perth. The Skeleton House is her debut novel. Fremantle Press, $34.99
Living Hot: Surviving and Thriving on a Heating Planet, Clive Hamilton and George Wilkenfeld
Academic Clive Hamilton and policy consultant George Wilkenfeld lay bare the climate change challenges we face and make a case for leaving behind naive optimism or doomsday thinking to make meaningful change now for the future. The pair argue that we should shift focus from merely reducing carbon emissions to creating a program of ongoing investment and social change to ensure Australia’s resilience and adaptability in dealing with rising temperatures. Hardie Grant, $27.99
Fragile Creatures: A Memoir, Khin Myint
A moving debut from Burmese-Australian writer Khin Myint that explores family, identity and memory as the writer leaves his unwell sister in Australia and heads to the United States, where things take an unexpected turn and he ends up in court. Myint proves himself a voice to watch, with Helen Garner, the doyenne of creative non-fiction, saying: “The miracle of this book is the writer’s tone: calm, patient, and searching, steadfast in the face of unthinkable suffering.” Black Inc, $34.99
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I Want to Die but I Still Want to Eat Tteokbokki, Baek Sehee (translator Anton Hur)
Who would have thought that reading someone else’s conversations with their psychiatrist could be so engaging and enlightening? Baek Sehee started taping her sessions to keep a record for herself, but her account of depression, anxiety and healing in book form became a runaway bestseller, I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki. In this sequel, Baek’s mental health struggles continue, but her sharing of her despair will no doubt bring much-needed comfort to many around the world. Bloomsbury, $14.99
Under a Rock, Chris Stein
Strap in for a wild ride as the guitarist takes us into 1970s New York’s East Village and the making of New Wave superstars Blondie. The bond (professional and personal) between Stein and Debbie Harry shines in this rollicking autobiography, which details the creation of Blondie, their rise to pop stardom, and the hazards of fame. Pop on Parallel Lines and get up close and personal with the world of rock stars. Hachette, $34.99, available June 11
The Booklist is a weekly newsletter for book lovers from books editor Jason Steger. Get it delivered every Friday.
