This week in Aus Lit #3 – Reading Matters

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News & Updates

True crime books about the mushroom trial are on their way: Following Erin Patterson’s conviction for poisoning three relatives with death-cap mushrooms in a beef wellington (in the rural town I called home for many years), publishers have been rushing to announce upcoming books about the trial. Hachette is bringing out  Recipe for Murder by journalist Duncan McNab in October; Allen & Unwin is publishing The Mushroom Murders by Greg Haddrick in November; and Text has announced a slam dunk, with a trio of powerhouse writers — Helen Garner, Chloe Hooper and Sarah Krasnostein — working together on a book called The Mushroom Tapes.

Melbourne’s oldest bookstore moves address: Many hands, they say, make light work — and that was certainly true on 10 July, when around 300 volunteers formed a human chain on Bourke Street to move 17,000 books from the historic Hill of Content bookstore to its new location just 120 metres up the road. Read more.

Allen & Unwin turns 35: Congratulations to independent publisher Allen & Unwin, which celebrated its 35th birthday last week. Some of Australia’s most celebrated contemporary authors — including Christos Tsiolkas, Helen Garner, Richard Flanagan, Geraldine Brooks and Charlotte Wood — have been published by the company. It has also published numerous Miles Franklin Award winners and shortlistees, including authors Alexis Wright, Michelle de Kretser and Melissa Lucashenko. Read more.

Call for national reading strategy: Australia Reads, a book industry initiative, is calling for a national strategy that reminds people of the fun and comfort that reading can bring. This follows data collected by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) that shows Australians, especially men, are reading less than ever before. Read more.

Shortlist for 25th Davitt Awards announced: Fiona McFarlane’s Highway 13 continues its run of prize shortlistings with a spot on the 2025 shortlist for the Davitt Awards, Australia’s premier book awards celebrating crime writing by Australian women. The awards, presented by Sisters in Crime Australia, are divided into four categories: adult fiction, non-fiction, children’s, and young adult. The winners will be announced on Friday, 5 September. View the full shortlist.

Submissions open for Poetry in Translation Prize: This new biennial award honours an outstanding poetry collection translated into English. Submissions close 15 August and will be read concurrently by Giramondo Publishing, Fitzcarraldo Editions and New Directions. The winner will receive a $5,000 advance (split between poet and translator) and simultaneous publication in Australia, North America and the UK. A shortlist will be announced in late 2025. Read more.

Winning book hits shelves: The 2024 Penguin Literary Prize winner, The Occupation by Chloe Adams, was published earlier this week. The prize was established in 2017 to nurture emerging Australian talent. Read more.

Glee Books Gleaner June-July issue: NSW-based independent bookstore Glee Books has published its latest issue of Gleaner magazine. Check it out here. (Hat tip: Brona)

Love to Read Local Month returns, bigger than ever: Western Australia’s Love to Read Local Month is back this August – and instead of being a single week, it has been extended to a full month of literary celebration! Now in its sixth year, this beloved state-wide campaign by Writing WA showcases the incredible talent of Western Australian writers and illustrators. This year’s program will feature author events, competitions, publishing opportunities, and more. For details, keep an eye on the official website.

New lit festival announced in Sydney: Parramatta’s Lit! festival will run throughout September as a bold new addition to the Sydney Fringe Festival. It has been billed as “a city-wide celebration of stories, poetry, plays, books and readers”. Read more.

Indigenous Literary Foundation (ILF) rebrands: The not-for-profit charity ILF has launched a new look and feel to reflect its community-led values, celebrate First Nations storytelling and honour the more than 500 remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities it works with. In a statement, it said: “While our current branding has become widely known and synonymous with the positive impact we create, we felt we needed a brand that better represents the people, stories and cultures at the heart of our work”.  Read more.

New & Noteworthy Releases

Here’s a quick round-up of freshly pressed Australian books that have caught my eye. To learn more about each title, just click on the cover to visit the publisher’s website.

Interviews & features

With several new books on Erin Patterson’s mushroom poisonings on the way (see story above), The Conversation warns of “the risks and rewards of fast books on big news”. Tighter publishing timelines, writes Alice Grundy, “can bring greater potential for errors” — and if Patterson’s conviction is overturned, those books may need to be recalled and pulped. Still, publishers chasing mass appeal see the chance to land a bestseller. Read more.

WA crime writer Fleur McDonald discusses her latest book, The Prospect — set in the gold mining town of Kalgoorlie — on ABC Radio National’s The Book Show. Listen here.

Journalist and writer Jana Wendt reflects on her stellar career and her new work of fiction — on ABC Melbourne radio. Listen here.

Perth emergency doctor-turned-author Michelle Johnston discusses her new novel, The Revisionists — in The West Australian. Read more.

Retiring WA Corruption and Crime Commission Commissioner John McKechnie discusses his autobiography and recounts some of the cases and criminals that have stuck with him — on ABC Radio National Hour. Listen here.

Book & journal reviews

Ruins by Amy Taylor: Melbourne author Amy Taylor’s second novel is about a couple whose affair with a young Greek woman threatens to crack their relationship wide open. The Guardian describe it as an “addictive, soapy thriller”, adding: “Some of the big plot twists are obvious; one in particular is revealed at such a melodramatic moment that the suspension of disbelief is difficult. But Taylor is a beautiful, sensitive writer – she imbues even the more outlandish parts of the story with care”. Published by Allen & Unwin. (The Guardian)

Overland (No, 256; Spring 2024 issue): Blogger Jonathan Shaw reviews the Spring 2024 issue of Overland, now in its 70th year. Founded in Melbourne in 1954, Overland is one of Australia’s longest-running and most influential literary journals, known for publishing bold fiction, poetry, essays, and cultural commentary. (Me fail? I fly)

Pissants by Brandon Jack: This debut novel by the former Australian Football League (AFL) player is an insider’s glimpse into an anonymous footy club and all the shenanigans that happen on and off the field. Alison Huber’s review on the Readings website describes it as a “raw, honest, and audacious take on the AFL machine that churns through so many young people in our community, and is eye-opening, eye-watering, and surprisingly emotional”. Published by Simon & Schuster Australia. (Readings.com.au)

The Haunting of Mr & Mrs Stevenson by Belinda Lyons-Lee: This historical novel is about the people, objects and events that inspired Robert Louis Stevenson to write The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and is written from the perspective of Stevenson’s wife, Fanny. Reviewer Thuy On says it’s ideal for readers “who like to be transported into an 1880s world of cobblestones, Spiritualism and hansom cabs”, adding that it’s a literary mystery comprising “an enjoyable mix of research and imagination”. Published by Transit Lounge. (ArtsHub)

My Life in Crime by John McKechnie: This memoir by former head prosecutor, senior judge and corruption czar in Western Australia is garnering plenty of attention. Reviewer Jeremy Gans says it’s a book in three parts: “McKechnie’s life story, his quirky legal cases and — in the lengthy middle — his accounts of criminal cases he was involved in”. He says most of the stories “evoke compassion towards the many people touched by the justice system” but — perhaps unsurprisingly — doesn’t extend the courtesy to “the people he prosecuted”. Published by Upswell Publishing (Inside Story)

The Buried Life by Andrea Goldsmith: This new novel, the ninth by Goldsmith, is centred on a trio of characters — a scholar, an artist and a town planner — and “explores big themes encompassing friendship, love and death”. Published by Transit Lounge. (Whispering Gums)

Ocean of Story by Christina Stead: This essay, part of a collected volume published posthumously in 1985, is a deeply personal reflection on the nature and power of short stories. It was originally published as a contribution to ‘The International Symposium of the Short Story’ for the Kenyon Review in 1968. Stead, who died in 1983, is probably best known for her classic 1940 novel The Man Who Loved Children. (ANZLitLovers)

Upcoming Literary Festivals

Plan your literary calendar with these upcoming festivals (in date order):

Events & Author Spotlights (in Perth)

• Book Launch: Foreign Country by Marija Peričić. The Seasonal Brewing Company, Mayland — 23 July. Find out more.
• Susan Midalia’s Book Club: Universality by Natasha Brown, The Lane Bookshop, Claremont, Perth — 24 July. Book online.
• Author in Conversation: celebrated author Helen Garner talks about her non-fiction book, The Season, with literary critic and contributing writer at The New Yorker, Merve Emre. WA Museum Boola Bardip, Perth Cultural Centre — 27 July. Book online.
• Author In Conversation: Michelle Johnston discusses her new novel The Revisionists with Susan Midalia. The Lane Bookshop, Claremont, Perth – 28 July. Book online.
• Perth Literary Lounge: Amanda Curtin discusses her book Kathleen O’Connor of Paris with Karen Whittle-Herbert, the Deputy Chair of Writing WA Board of Management. City of Perth Library, 573 Hay Street, Perth. Book online.
• Author in conversation: Michael Robotham discusses his latest crime novel, The White Crow, with Dervla McTiernan. State Library Theatre, Perth – 29 July. Book online.
• Strange Editions Book Club: WA writer Josh Kemp will discuss and answer questions about his newly released novel, Jasper Cliff. Strange Company, 5 Nairn St, Fremantle — 29 July. Book online
• Author in conversation: ABC broadcaster and foreign correspondent Geoff Hutchison discusses his debut book How Not to Become a Grumpy Old Bugger. with fellow ABC broadcaster Nadia Mitsopoulos. WA Museum Boola Bardip, Perth Cultural Centre – 4 August. Book online.
• August Book Club: Nock Loose by Patrick Marlborough, Boundless Books, 121 Oxford Street, Leederville, Perth — 4 August. Book online.
• WA Poetry Month Showcase: Featuring top poets Jo Giles, Joni Boyd, Megan Ugle, Alan Fyfe, and more, with music by Anna Schneider; hosted by Manveen Kohli. Fremantle Library – 7 August. Book online.
• Book launch: Daughters of Batavia by 2023 Banjo Prize winner Stefanie Koens. Bar Orient, Fremantle – 7 August. Book online.
• August’s Non-Fiction Book Club: Doppelganger by Naomi Klein, The Lane Bookshop, Claremont, Perth — 7 August. Book online.
• Author in conversation: Holden Sheppard discusses his new novel, King of Dirt, with Gillian O’Shaughnessy. Fremantle Library — 14 August. Book online.
• Crime With Wine Vol.1: WA crime writers Holly Craig, Deb Jordan and Alexander Thorpe discuss their new books with Amanda Walsh. The Red Room, Leederville — 20 August. Find out more.

Deals & Offers

• Dymocks has a 3 for 2 offer on winter reads. See offer.
• Boffins Books has an EOFY sale while stocks last. See offer.
• Abbey’s bookshop in Sydney has 20% off its entire stock of French books until 21 July. See offer.

That’s it for this week! If you have a news item to share, such as an upcoming event or festival, or maybe an interesting feature or review you’ve seen online, just ping me an email and I’ll try to include it in the next issue.