Notable Books: what to read this week

A love letter to Palestine, a guide to retirement and a lonely hearts club novel make this week’s list of Notable Books.

Notable Books: our guide to what to read this week

How do we make peace with the past? That’s the question beating through this large-hearted debut novel from Mark McAvaney. In 1990 small town Australia, two best friends are dreaming of their future when one night changes everything. Thirteen years later they are forced to think about what could have been. But how do you make peace with the past? The past unfolds through a unique dual narrative which cleverly shifts between timelines, building to an emotional punch that will leave you reeling. Along with a poignant, tender story and beautiful writing, you will be left to wonder about the past you cannot change, and the future you can.

 

 

Nabila Yasmeen, in her eighties, lives alone, surrounded by potted plants that she can’t bear to put in the ground. The Sunbird is told across two timelines: modern day Australia, and in 1948, when Nabila’s family were expelled from their village in Palestine. Now, for Nabila, her past and present are one. Author Sara Haddad is Australian-Lebanese. She wrote The Sunbird because “in telling the story of Nabila it is my hope that people will begin to learn about Palestine and have important conversations.” The cover has Tom Keneally, Bruce Pascoe and Michelle de Krester singing its praises. After reading, you will, too. It is an exquisitely written tale of loss and ­dispossession.

 

Modern retirement can span 30+ years, which is where planning comes in. The Golden Years is written by Jamie Nemtsas and Drew Meredith, the founders of a financial advisory firm that specialises in retirement. They believe the focus on financial preparations for retirement means that many other important things are overlooked, including how you want to spend your days and what you want to achieve. This is a great guidebook that covers it all, from how much super you will need to maintain the lifestyle you would like, to how you want your days to look. They break retirement into different stages, covering everything you need to consider from pre to post and then late-stage retirement.

 

Alexander McCall Smith is the author of the hugely successful No.1 Ladies Detective Agency series. With 24 novels in the series, 25 million copies sold, and a television series, to say McCall Smith is loved by readers is an understatement. Both the long running series, and his romantic stand-alone novels are devoured the minute they hit the shelves. Now he is merging both in a new series. The Perfect Passion Company is the first novel about Katie, who runs a dating agency and has a knack for bringing people together. This is a perceptive, delightfully playful read about love and the yearning for connection, that bodes well for another best-selling series.

 

Rachael Treasure is renowned for her novels set in rural Australia, often revolving around themes of farming, love, and community. Treasure’s last book was her 2020 White Horses, where she made it clear that although her novels contained romance, what she really wanted to write about was regenerative agriculture and healing. On her website, she states that, “the biggest ‘romance’ I want people to have is with our land and with our own selves. In Milking Time I’m saying what I need to say. It’s set to challenge and surprise the reader and hopefully alter the status quo of farming.” And she does. Milking Time puts social rebellion ahead of romance, without being preachy or losing the charm of the genre, and paints a vivid portrait of the challenges and triumphs of small-town farming community. Filled with authentic, gutsy characters Milking Time is a brilliant return to writing for Treasure.

 

As a global No.1 best-selling author and creator of the hit Netflix drama Stay Close, Harlen Coben needs no introduction. Think Twice is the latest in the Myron Bolitar series, about the ex-NBA basketball star turned sports agent. Always funny, thrilling, and with killer twists, this latest also has Myron and Win ageing, a refreshing choice in this long-running series. As Coben says, ‘When I wrote the first book, Myron was in his twenties – now he’s in his forties.’ As the character has matured, so has Coben’s writing. He is a master at his craft, and this latest novel is as entertaining as it is thrilling. If you are looking for a brilliant thriller, start here.

 

With Winter Comes Darkness is Robbi Neal’s third novel and is a tender, unique read. Set in 1975 in Ballarat, the reader is completely immersed in this small-town community, with a foreboding sense of the dark side of the period: the drinking and drug usage of the 70s, with the strain of the Vietnam War pending in the background. Reeled in, readers are introduced to journalist Alice, and her idyllic life with her lawyer husband Liam, and their two children. But all of that tranquillity is destroyed when her three family members are involved in a tragic car accident. Psychological suspense and profound family drama meet in this heart-rending novel.

 

While most of Australia has forgotten about the 2022 floods in the Northern Rivers of NSW, the aftermath continues to be very real for many residents there. Annika Johansson’s debut novel, Downstream draws attention to the devastating impact the floods had, but also looks to tell a positive story from that time. Lismore residents and happily married empty nesters Rob and Sal lose their home and find themselves sharing a Ballina flat with an older hippie couple, also impacted by the flood. This is a wonderful warm read while also sharing the ongoing reality of the trauma and devastation countless people in the region experienced, and continue to experience.