This Month
The first Australian writer to make politics and sex sing
Frank Moorhouse was one of Australia’s most adventurous and productive authors. A new biography explains his rise.
- Andrew Clark
Author Anna Funder takes on her critics
Sydney Grammar School used Funder’s take on George Orwell’s wife to help its HSC students understand the author and his book,1984. Others are not so pleased.
- Emma Connors
Looking for a good book? Try these 10 chosen by foreign policy experts
Writers at Foreign Policy pick a selection of non-fiction titles, from AI’s hype and fear to one of the biggest financial scandals in world history.
- Foreign Policy
The year’s top 20 reads as chosen by the newsroom team
From cookbooks and design tomes to literary page-turners to savour, with subjects that include living longer, garden design and a fallen crypto king.
- Staff writers
November
- Christmas Gift Guide 2023
- Life & Leisure
You can’t go wrong with these beautiful books for time-poor people
We’ve selected 14 image-driven options in which the pictures do the talking.
- Stephen Clark
I survived the hell of Twitter 2.0 - then Elon Musk fired me
As the head of new products, Esther Crawford was one of the few Twitter employees prepared to say no to the company’s new owner. It went well, until it didn’t.
- Ben Mezrich
‘iPhone of the 19th century’: how an old curio inspires design today
What had people obsessed and bumping into walls in the 1800s? The kaleidoscope, says a British designer whose work will be on show at the NGV Triennial.
- Stephen Todd
October
How Michael Lewis made a fortune writing about money
The author’s nose for a story has made him a figure as influential in finance as most of the people in his books – and probably as rich.
- Jake Kerridge
Gut bacteria, psychedelics and the future of mental health treatments
This accessible book looks at how our brains work and evaluates hyped treatments for our most common psychological problems.
- Tanveer Ahmed
WWII started in Shanghai and Aussies were there to bear witness
Among the foreigners living large in the Chinese city was a young woman whose sympathies flew counter to her country’s world view.
- Nick Hordern
September
Why we can’t rely on our alliance with the US
A new book by Sam Roggeveen is bound to profoundly unsettle the Australian national security policy consensus.
- James Curran
Meet the writer who says men were not born to rule
British author Angela Saini’s enlightening trip through history and science reveals the truth about the patriarchy, and that it might not be males’ best option.
- Julie Hare
The author of feminist treatise The Beauty Myth is now a Trump fan
Writer Naomi Klein has suffered years of abuse after being confused with Naomi Wolf, a darling of the left who embraced the populist right.
- Michelle Goldberg
How AUSTRAC is saving kids from sexual abuse
The financial enforcer is ensuring banks report the kind of transactions that give away the activities of predators.
- Madonna King
August
- Opinion
- Opinion
Brilliant, but selfish and sexist: a new look at Orwell
Patriarchy is a giant Ponzi scheme, and author George Orwell was in the middle of it, Anna Funder says in a biography of the famous writer’s neglected wife.
- Andrew Clark
The secret area of Vietnam that even ChatGPT won’t tell you about
The existence of an African-American enclave in Saigon adds the spice of little-known fact to a work of fiction.
- Jimmy Thomson
What would you have done if the Nazis occupied your country?
Two new books reframe the decisions of those who chose to work with the Germans during World War II.
- Michael Ignatieff
It’s the royal gay romcom we’ve all been waiting for
The feverishly awaited Amazon Prime screen adaptation of a viral novel hits our screens on Friday.
- Claire Allfree
A fascinating insight into the world of owls (yes, owls)
A new book by expert Jennifer Ackerman reveals some surprising characteristics of these most enigmatic birds.
- Tanveer Ahmed
- Opinion
- Trump's White House
‘Trump’s Australia’ book predicts doom Down Under if he’s re-elected
In his new book, Bruce Wolpe speculates about the effects of a second Trump presidency on American democracy and the US-Australia alliance.
- James Curran
