This Month
‘Word salad’: Claudia Karvan’s bumpy road to audiobook stardom
The actor has only her voice to rely on reading for Audible, including one book that tries to answer questions similar to those in Netflix’s “Adolescence”″
The 40 best books published so far this year
Curl up this winter with a gripping account of tech geniuses, tales of Russian arms deals or Xi Jinping’s father. There’s even a tome on our first and last words.
Frederick Forsyth, daredevil ex-spy and master of the thriller, dies
He wrote bestsellers such as The Day of the Jackal and The Dogs of War, often using material from his earlier life as a reporter and MI6 agent.
May
The novel (still) sparking female midlife crises
A year later, Miranda July’s novel “All Fours” continues to spark conversations about women’s societal roles and middle age.
After 60 years, media mogul Barry Diller bares his soul
The billionaire at the heart of some the biggest media deals of the past half century reflects on his dark childhood, his dazzling career, and Hollywood’s worst-kept secret.
‘Smash his camera and kill him’: A thriller writer’s scariest moment
Chris Hammer’s best-selling novels are inspired by his decades of writing and producing stories around the world as a journalist.
Follow in the footsteps of Jane Austen – and stay in her former home
Throughout the year of the author’s 250th birthday, the British spa town of Bath is celebrating its place as an Austen-lovers paradise.
Why you shouldn’t be a consultant when the world is on fire
Historian Rutger Bregman says meaningful global change can come from entrepreneurs who tackle problems that are sorely overlooked, solveable and sizeable.
April
This author’s sold 35m books, but still thinks she’s ‘rubbish’
Marian Keyes is one of Ireland’s best-known exports, but the writer still feels “abject terror” at the keyboard.
‘Articulate, charming, villain’: John Lithgow on playing Roald Dahl
The 79-year-old has been Winston Churchill and King Lear in a busy late career, but becoming the controversial children’s author proved particularly fraught.
What legal jargon taught this solicitor about translating literature
Stephanie Smee left corporate law to become a translator, where she says the ‘discipline of thought’ from her legal training remains influential.
March
‘No room for nuance’: Melbourne Writers Festival avoids Gaza
After the war in the Middle East tore apart the organisation last year, new artistic director Veronica Sullivan’s 2025 program has adopted a small target strategy.
February
Sydney Writers’ Festival ex-chair breaks silence on resignation
Kathy Shand says she was not aware of any plot to remove her from the Sydney author talkfest’s board, although sources said her pro-Israel views had left her “isolated”.
Sydney Writers’ Festival chair quits as culture war spreads
The proxy war being fought in Australia’s arts community over the Israel-Palestine conflict has claimed another high-profile representative.
January
How we misread ‘The Great Gatsby’
There are many theories about what makes the classic American novel so great, and its ability to keep producing different reasons is part of the answer.
December 2024
Formula 1 is booming. So are romance novels about the sport
The sports romance genre is seeing a new trend thanks in part to the popularity of the Netflix docuseries Drive to Survive.
What the Dickens have they done to the year 12 English syllabus?
Charles Dickens, George Orwell and Sylvia Plath will all disappear from the HSC English syllabus in NSW, but their replacements aren’t too shabby.
What our top CEOs read, watched and listened to in 2024
From business books to crime thrillers and podcasts, here’s what our CEOs did in their spare time this year.
You’ve seen this book everywhere. TikTok is responsible
The romance novel “Icebreaker” has sold almost 2 million copies since publisher Anthea Bariamis discovered it on BookTok, a forum turning the fiction industry on its head.
The year’s best books as chosen by the Financial Review newsroom
From highly anticipated novels to memorable memoirs, here are the top picks from our journalists to make your summer reading list sizzle.