Plan your reading in advance with our guide to new books published in Australia in September 2025. Have we missed some best books? Publishers, please send your advance book lists, in any genre, to our editor inbox and to our reviews inbox and we’ll include you next time!
Best new books: quick links
Fiction: new books
Tenderfoot, Toni Jordan – 26 August
A novel about coming of age in 1970s Australia: Andie Tanner’s world is small; her mum is complicated, but she adores her dad and the kennel of racing greyhounds that live under their house. Andie is a serious girl with plans: finish school with her friends, then apprentice to her father until she can become a greyhound trainer, with dogs of her very own.
The Watervale Ladies’ Writing and Firefighting Society, Mette Menzies – 26 August
It’s never too late to start over. This is a feelgood novel, where four very different women are thrown together in a creative writing course in the library of a small country town.
The Vanishing Place, Zoë Rankin – 26 August
An atmospheric thriller about family, love and loyalty, and the fight for survival in the beautiful but dangerous New Zealand wilderness.
Dust, Michael Brissenden – 1 September
Dust is a dark, gripping thriller that explores the complexities of identity, a search for truth, and the unyielding forces of corruption in a world where lives are lived on the fringe and nothing is as it seems.
Cannon, Lee Lai – 1 September
This graphic novel explores the intimacy of queer friendship and the weight of family responsibility and breaks open the question of what we owe both to each other and to ourselves.
Desolation, Hossein Asgari – 1 September
This is the story of Amin as he falls in and out of love and the choices he makes in the shadow of his brother’s death, lost in the tragic downing of Flight 655. Amid the chaos of 1980s Iran, he witnesses the senselessness of violence and the enduring power of sorrow.
Stray Cats and Bad Fish: Silence of the Eels, Rachel Coad – 1 September
Holborn tube station 1977, a fish called ‘Creasy’ lives in the cistern of the men’s room. He’s a key player in London’s underworld. His nemesis Ratty from Spitalfields is gaining power. Ratty’s money launderer disappears, all animal appendages’ point to Creasy. It’s war on the Thames.
Ash, Louise Wallace – 2 September
A multidimensional depiction of motherhood and female rage that traverses the terrain of domestic labour, marriage and the workplace.
The Stolen, Vikki Petraitis – 2 September
A crime fiction once again featuring Detective Antigone Pollard with her trained police dog, a black belt in judo, and the will to speak her mind in the case of a missing baby.
The Hollow Girl, Lyn Yeowart – 2 September
It’s 1973 and Detective Sergeant Eleanor Smith is finally assigned her first homicide case. A woman’s body has been discovered at Harrowford Hall, a home for unmarried mothers deep in the Victorian countryside.
Very Impressive for your age, Eleanor Kirk – 2 September
A debut about the crossroads in your late 20s and early 30s when reality starts to intrude on long-held dreams.
The Book of Lost Hours, Hayley Gelfuso – 2 September
A novel that moves from pre-WWII Germany to Cold War-era America to the mysterious time space, a library filled with books that contain the memories of those who bore witness to history.
Gunpowder Creek, Alex Dook – 2 September
A cat-and-mouse thriller and a debut book whose simple premise is to prevent a bad thing from happening.
Discipline, Randa Abdel-Fattah – 2 September
As Israel’s bombardment of Gaza intensifies into the final weeks of Ramadan, Ashraf and Hannah must reckon with their choices, values and places in their communities. Will they be prepared to make sacrifices in the pursuit of what is right?
Fireweather, Miranda Darling – 2 September
Life for Winona Dalloway is not as it should be. Her husband is no longer her husband, her children are not at home with her, and the city in which she lives is besieged by fires. Black ash falls like snow, songbirds screech like dinosaurs, and the doctors are calling her mad …
Anxious Hearts, Guy Sigley – 2 September
If crushing anxiety and an all-consuming drive to succeed rule your life, can there still be room for love?
Discipline, Randa Abel-Fattah – 2 September
With a focus on two of today’s most contested fields, academia and the media, Discipline tallies the price we all pay when those with privilege choose to remain silent.
The Wish, Heather Morris – 9 September
When Jesse is offered the chance to have her greatest wish fulfilled, she immediately knows what she wants: a digital 3D recreation of her life – something to be there for her friends and family to watch and relive … perhaps without her.
Honeyeater, Kathleen Jennings – 16 September
A richly imagined dark fantasy that pulses with the beautiful destruction of a town reclaimed by the natural world.
The Lightning Ridge Ladies, Fiona McArthur – 16 September
Set in the heart of Australia’s opal-mining district and imbued with the harsh beauty of that unique setting, The Lightning Ridge Ladies is arural romance and tale of outback community and female friendship.
Mischance Creek, Garry Disher – 30 September
The new book in the crime series. Hirsch is back and this time tackling a cold case. Beats the hell out of gun audits andadmin …
Twisted River, James Dunbar – 30 September
This crime fiction is full of sinister twists and turns, dark humour and a cast of supporting characters from society’s shadowy fringes.
Pictures of you: Collected short stories, Tony Birch – 30 September
From Australia’s master storyteller comes this retrospective of his best short stories from the past two decades
Non-fiction: new books
New Again, Geneva Vanderzeil – 26 August
For beginner and expert DIYers alike, this extensive guide covers everything from painting and timber restoration to tiling and upholstery.
Saffron Incorporated: The first King of the Cross and fifty years of sex, murder, music and mayhem, Stuart Coupe – 26 August
Stuart Coupe shows how showbusiness and the underworld are intrinsically linked: nightclubs, corrupt cops, drugs, vice, rock’n’roll promoters, dodgy accountants and gangland shootings. It was Abe Saffron, the original King of the Cross, who laid the foundations for more than 50 years of intrigue, murder and mayhem.
Borneo: The Last Campaign, Michael Veitch – 26 August
Borneo: The Last Campaign tells the story of Operation OBOE, the massive, three-pronged assault on the vast Japanese-held island of Borneo in 1945. It was one of the largest amphibious invasions of the entire war, and a virtually all-Australian operation.
Walking Sydney: Fifteen walks with a city’s writers, Belinda Castles – 1 September
Belinda Castles walks with Sydney’s (and some of Australia’s best) writers to explore how their journeys on foot have impacted their writing.
Woodside vs the Planet: How a Company Captured a Country; Quarterly Essay 99, Marian Wilkinson – 1 September
This is a story of power and influence, pollution and protest. How does one company capture a country? How convincing is Woodside’s argument that gas is a necessary transition fuel, as the world decarbonises? And what is the new ‘energy realism’ narrative being pushed by Trump’s White House?
Saving Elli, Doug Gold – 2 September
In Nazi-occupied Amsterdam, near Anne Frank’s house, another Jewish girl is hidden. Her name is Elli. Her father has been executed at Mauthausen concentration camp. Her mother is fleeing for her life. Elli is next.
Beyond Suburbia, Warren Kirk – 2 September
These photographs capture the overlooked buildings, people and landscape of rual and semi-rural Australia.
How Christians can succeed today, Greg Sheridan – 2 September
Rediscovering the radical, transcendent and downright weird message of Jesus, How Christians Can Succeed Today is the third title in Greg Sheridan’s trilogy about Christianity in the modern world.
Better Things are Possible, Jack Toohey – 2 September
From the housing crisis and climate change to gender inequity, Jack Toohey reveals how many of our social and political failure are interconnected, and how we can begin to fix them.
Snake Talk: How the world’s ancient serpent stories can guide us, Tyson Yunkaporta and Megan Kelleher – 2 September
In Snake Talk, Tyson Yunkaporta and Megan Kelleher follow tales about the serpent around the world from Kathmandu to Aotearoa, from Mesoamerica to China to northern Europe. The serpent in Aboriginal stories is both creator and destroyer, dwelling between physical and spiritual worlds.
The Rookie Gardener, Chloe Foster – 2 September
Passionate horticulturist Chloe Foster is on a mission to help novice plant parents. Packed with information,The Rookie Gardener will enable your transition from horticultural zero to green-thumbed hero.
Why do birds sing? Dr Gráinne Cleary – 2 September
Throughout our history birdsong has influenced art, poetry and music. It can elevate our mood and bring our backyards to life. We often hear birds singing as we go about our lives, but have you ever wondered who they are singing to and what they are singing about?
On Alexis Wright: Writers on Writers, Geordie Williamson – 15 September
Alexis Wright is the most eminent and influential Indigenous creative writer of recent times. In this eloquent essay, noted critic Geordie Williamson reflects with deep insight on Wright’s powerful work.
Playtime: A History of Australian Childhood, Emily Gallagher – 15 September
A history of the childhood imagination in Australia between 1890 and the outbreak of World War II. It is a story about the generations that grew up at a time when nation and empire were being reimagined amid the globalising currents of war, technology and trade.
Beyond the Meeting of the Waters, Wayne Atkinson – 16 September
Yorta Yorta Elder Wayne Atkinson reflects on his journey of activism and role in education – sharing his personal story alongside partner Cathy Guinness, and shedding light on the power of Indigenous knowledge.
The Chosen Few: A quest to name the ten greatest Australian and New Zealand racehorses of all time, Andrew Rule – 23 September
Who are the greatest Australian race horses? And what qualifies them for this honour? Racing enthusiast and award winning writer Andrew Rule has the answers.
Growing Up Wombat, Josh Neille – 30 September
Josh Neille and his family care for animals doing it tough – joeys, emus and wombats battling. This is a book about growing up around creatures that need and offer love, care and kindness.
Boobs, Dr Lisa Portolan and Amanda Goff – 30 September
Boobs is a wide-ranging conversation about the human and social-historical journey of breasts, illustrated with personal anecdotes and perspectives from co-authors at opposite ends of the bust spectrum.
Poetry: new books
As If I’m Really There, Emilie Collyer – 1 September
This second collection digs deeply into Emilie Collyer’s feminist interest in the place of the body: what it feels like to have one, how bodies are gendered, assessed, analysed and valued, how the body of an artist and a body of creative work is forged.
How to Emerge, Jill Jones – 1 September
This collection is filled with visions and ghosts, doubles and shadows. It also explores the living and damaged body, as it dances with humans, birds, animals, leaves, the weather, digital assemblage, sound and song, the elements and the planet.
Grief: Five sequences, Cassandra Atherton, Jen Webb, Oz Hardwick, Paul Hetherington, Paul Munden – 1 September
In this volume of prose poetry, five poets approach grief in different ways; the emotion sometimes recognisable, sometimes disguised. Their works grieve for those who are gone while they traverse the idea of the abiding presence of loss.
Lithosphere, Ben Walter – 1 September
Compelling and strange, Ben Walter’s debut poetry collection explores our eccentric connections to the natural world – the flora and fauna, water and wind that burst through the valleys and peaks of the lithosphere, the hard, rocky crust of the Earth that makes all life possible.
Tide of Tides: Poems 2011-2024, Paolo Totaro – 1 September
In the 13 years since his Collected Poems, Paolo Totaro has written as much poetry as he did in the sixty preceding years. This new book collates that remarkable yield.
DOGHOUSE, Holly Friedlander Liddicoat – 1 September
DOGHOUSE is a map of 20-something millennial Sydney, drawn with sharp lines and a rough hand. Against the backdrop of climate disaster, lockdowns, Black Summer, and floods, these poems punch down backstreets, trying to keep alive.
Too Much Light, Laurence Levy-Atkinson – 1 September
Born from lived experience, Too Much Night was written as a response to Laurence Levy-Atkinson’s collapse into and return from the depths of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, something he was unaware he had been suffering his entire life and whose eventual diagnosis was nothing short of a revelation.
màthair beinn, Eartha Davis – 1 September
This debut collection is an ode to healing and gentleness. It rustles with return: a return to body, to wildness, to the steadily beating heart of presence.
The Abandoned Room, Paul Carter – 1 September
The Abandoned Room is a diary of historical and personal homelessness. The title refers to Der Verlassene Raum, a Kristallnacht memorial located in central Berlin, whose bronze table and two chairs point to ‘the irretrievable losses that occurred when a people, their way of life and their culture went missing’.
The Wallace Line: A Poem, Jennifer MacKenzie – 1 September
The Wallace Line: A Poem honours co-existence, a world of merging borders, where the oud can resonate along with the bird of paradise, the blue pigment in a Titian painting with the sound of a Javanese gamelan in moonlight.
All Rage Blaze Light, Anna Jacobson – 2 September
All Rage Blaze Light is Anna Jacobson’s third illustrated poetry collection is for anyone who’s ever needed therapy from their therapy.
Poems & Prayers, Matthew McConaughey – 16 September
From the Academy-winning actor, a collection of personal poetry and prayers for finding purpose, hope, and satisfaction in a rapidly changing world.
Gold digger, Lisa Collyer –22 September
Gold Digger challenges the enduring myths of domesticity by portraying women as breadwinners, unearthing the realities of labour, aspiration and social mobility. Lisa Collyer reveals how women’s work – often overlooked or undervalued – has always been present, from the kitchen to the corridors of power. Motifs of unfair play and erasure echo throughout, reaching even the highest tiers of government, including Parliament House
Children’s and Young Adults: new books
If we were dogs, Sophie Blackall – 26 August
Join two friends as they bark and growl, woof and howl in a romp that makes room for everybody’s ideas. Sophie Blackall unleashes an exuberant game of pretend that explores navigating friendship and celebrates boundless imagination.
When the Mountain Wakes, Matt Shanks – 26 August
A powerful picture book on hope and healing: what happens when the mountain wakes after years of sleeping?
Dear Broccoli, Jo Dabrowski and Cate James – 26 August
A picture book that is sure to make even the pickiest of eaters look at their dinner in a new light.
How Big is Love?, Carl Merrison, Hakea Hustler, Jade Goodwin – 26 August
A young child and a loving family member sit on the porch at sunset watching a storm roll in. The adult whispers, ‘I love you,’ but the child needs reassurance: ‘How much?’ With each new declaration, we learn that the love between adult and child is boundless.
A Guide to Falling off the Map, Zanni L Arnot –26 August
A funny, tender, messy, and authentic story about two teens who fall in love on the precipice of things falling apart.
Promises and Other Lies, Sue Whiting – 1 September
A middle-grade mystery in which a small coastal town is torn apart by more than just a bushfire.
The Making of Martha Mayfield, Jo Dabrowski – 2 September
A middle primary school book about coming out of your shell, finding out what you’re capable of, and showing the world who you really are.
Maisy Hayes iIs not for sale, Allayne L. Webster – 2 September
Maisy Hayes is not for sale is a coming-of-age story about hardship, coping with anger and frustration, and being true to yourself.
I am me, Mitch Tambo and Carla Hoffenberg – 2 September
Yaama! Singer and musician Mitch Tambo celebrates the diversity of First Nations culture in this picture book about being true to yourself.
Songs of a Thousands Seas, Zana Fraillon – 2 September
A lyrical verse novel of homecoming and friendship by Zana Fraillon, the multi-award-winning author of The Bone Sparrow and The Way of Dog.
This Season’s Draft, Jason Dent – 2 September
Set in the year leading up to the AFL Draft and following the experiences of six teenagers who are in its orbit, this YA novel is unique, compelling, authentic and full of footy. Perfect for sporty kids.
Neighbourhood Nest, Sarah Jane Lightfoot – 30 September
Maggie the magpie is very surprised when she finds an extra egg in her nest. Whose egg could it be? Does it belong to the kookaburras or the galahs? Or maybe the rainbow lorikeets? Maggie is on a mission across the sky and through the neighbourhood to find the egg’s family.
The Peach King, Inga Simpson and Tannya Harricks – 30 September
A contemporary fable about the resilience of nature. When Little Peach Tree was just a sapling, all they could see was row upon row of other peach trees. And, on top of the hill, watching over the orchard – the Peach King.
International: new books
A Particularly Nasty Case, Adam Kay – 26 August
This debut novel is a deathly funny mix of mystery, murder and medicine.
Framed In Death: An Eve Dallas thriller, JD Robb – 2 September
Before dawn, Lt. Eve Dallas is speeding toward the home of the two gallery owners whose doorway has been turned into a horrifying crime scene overnight. A lifeless young woman has been elaborately costumed and precisely posed to resemble the model of a long-ago Dutch master. Can Eve unravel the twisted mind of a serial killer before he strikes again…
The Four Types of Human Behaviour (or, How to Understand Those Who Cannot Be Understood), Thomas Erikson – 2 September
Updated for 10th anniversary, Thomas Erikson has dedicated himself to understanding how people function and why we struggle to connect with certain types of people.
Lucky Thing: Lorraine Henry, Book Two, Tom Baragwanath – 2 September
In this follow-up to his award-winning debut novel Paper Cage, Tom Baragwanath delivers another bone-deep exploration of life in the margins of small-town New Zealand. Lucky Thing is a gripping new instalment in the Lorraine Henry series.
The Devil Takes Bitcoin: cryptocurrency crimes and the Japanese connection, Jake Adelstein – 2 September
The true story of cyber-era commerce, crime, cold-hard cash, and one of the greatest heists in history.
The Girl with Ice in her Veins, Karin Smirnoff – 2 September
The latest instalment in Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Series, Sweden’s greatest literary success ever, with more than 100 million copies sold worldwide.
Boudicca’s Daughter, Elodie Harper – 2 September
Boudicca. Infamous warrior, queen of the British Iceni tribe and mastermind of one of history’s greatest revolts. Her defeat spelled ruin for her people, yet still her name is enough to strike fear into Roman hearts. But what of the woman who grew up in her shadow?
Dirtbag Billionaire: How Yvon Chouinard Built Patagonia, made a fortune, and gave it all away, David Gelles – 2 September
Dirtbag Billionaire is the inside story of the founder of Patagonia, the successful producer and retailer of jackets, hats and fleece vests.
The Hallmarked Man: Cormoran Strike Book 8, Robert Galbraith – 2 September
The new instalment in the highly acclaimed international bestselling series, featuring Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott, written by Robert Galbraith, a pseudonym of J K Rowling.
Night of the Living Rez, Morgan Taity – 2 September
Set in a Native community in Maine, Night of the Living Rez is a debut short story collection about what it means to be Penobscot in the 21st century and what it means to live, to survive and to persevere after tragedy.
Watching over her, Jean-Baptiste Andrea, translated by Frank Wynne – 2 September
In an Italian monastery, an infamous sculptor lays on his death bed. During Mimo’s final hours, he reveals his life story: his impoverished childhood, his unlikely rise to fame and most importantly, his meeting with Viola, the daughter of a powerful aristocratic family.
All the Way to the River, Elizabeth Gilbert – 9 September
All the Way to the River is a memoir that will resonate with anyone who has ever been captive to love – or to any other passion, substance or craving – and who yearns, at long last, for liberation.
White Male Stand-Up, Alan Davies – 9 September
Following Just Ignore Him, the bestselling memoir of his traumatic childhood, White Male Stand-Up is what happened next to Alan Davies.
The Little Book of Miriam, Miriam Margolyes – 9 September
The Little Book of Miriam is a memory palace of Miriam Margolyes’s standout moments, opinions and conclusions.
In the Time of Five Pumpkins, Alexander MccCall Smith – 9 September
Book 26 in the multi-million copy bestselling No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series starring Mma Ramotswe.
Lin-Manuel Miranda, The Education of an Artist: Daniel Pollack-Pelzner – 9 September
How did Lin-Manuel Miranda become the preeminent musical storyteller of the 21st century? Daniel Pollack-Pelzner traces Miranda’s path from a friendly but isolated child to the winner of multiple Tonys and Grammys for his Broadway hits Hamilton and In the Heights and his songs in Disney’s Moana and Encanto.
House of Day, House of Night, Olga Tokarczuk. Translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones – 16 September
A woman settles in a remote Polish village. It has few inhabitants, now, but it teems with the stories of its living and its dead.
Alchemised, SenLinYu – 23 September
In this standalone dark fantasy debut, a woman with missing memories fights to survive a war-torn world of necromancy and alchemy, while navigating a complex relationship with the man tasked to unearth the deepest secrets of her past.
The Impossible Fortune, Richard Osman – 23 September
Who’s got time to think about murder when there’s a wedding to plan? It’s been a quiet year for the Thursday Murder Club. But when Elizabeth meets a wedding guest who fears for their life, the thrill of the chase is ignited once again.
Cursed Daughters, Oyinkan Braithwaite – 23 September
The follow-up to bestseller follow-up to My Sister, the Serial Killer. Is Eniiyi destined to live out the habitual story of love and heartbreak, or can she escape the family curse and the mysterious fate that befell her aunt?
Have we missed some best new books? Publishers, please send your advance book lists to thuyon@artshub.com.au and our editor inbox and we’ll include you next time!
