Getting to Know the Birds in Your Neighbourhood by Darryl Jones

Getting to Know the Birds in Your Neighbourhood is the first complete beginners’ field guide to the birds you are most likely to see in the towns and cities of Australia. Much more than an identification tool, though, it opens the door to understanding the habits and behaviours of your suburb’s feathered locals.

Humpback Highway: Diving into the Mysterious World of Whales by Vanessa Pirotta

Acclaimed wildlife scientist Vanessa Pirotta has been mugged by whales, touched by a baby whale and covered in whale snot. In Humpback Highway, Pirotta dives beneath the surface to reveal the mysterious world of humpback whales — from their life cycle and the challenges humans present, to why whale snot and poo are important for us and the ocean. Whether you’re a whale lover or you’re simply curious about the underwater world, Humpback Highway will inspire and give you a new respect for these majestic, marine giants.

Dr Rip's Essential Beach Book by Rob Brander

Australia’s best-known surf scientist, Rob ‘Dr Rip’ Brander, takes you on a fascinating and entertaining journey to uncover how our beaches form and behave, the science of waves and currents, how beaches respond to storms and climate change, as well as some of the hazards to watch out for, from tsunamis to the (unlikely) event you find yourself swimming with a shark. This book is a must-read for all ocean lovers.

The End of the Morning by Charmian Clift, edited by Nadia Wheatley

The End of the Morning is the final and unfinished autobiographical novel by Charmian Clift. Published here for the first time, it is the book that Clift herself regarded as her most significant work. Although the author did not live to complete it, the typescript left among her papers was fully revised and stands alone as a novella. It is published here alongside a new selection of Clift’s essays and an afterword from her biographer Nadia Wheatley.

Silk & Venom: The incredible lives of spiders by James O'Hanlon

In Silk & Venom, James O’Hanlon takes us from his backyard to all corners of the globe (and even outer space!) to explore these fascinating creatures and show us why they’re not so scary after all. Clearing up spider myths and misconceptions, James O’Hanlon introduces readers to the beauty of their lives, including remarkable hunting techniques, the fascinating engineering of spider silk and the spiders that live in extremes — from underwater to the slopes of Mount Everest.

The Best Australian Science Writing 2023 edited by Donna Lu

Should we alter animals’ DNA to save them from extinction? What secrets will old ice reveal to us about the Earth’s deep past? How is the world’s most expensive — and explosive — substance made? This much-loved anthology — now in its thirteenth year — selects the most thought-provoking, poignant and dazzling science stories and essays from Australian writers, poets and scientists.

Saving Lieutenant Kennedy: The heroic story of the Australian who helped rescue JFK by Brett Mason

In Saving Lieutenant Kennedy, Brett Mason sets the heroic rescue of JFK by Australian Reg Evans and its colourful aftermath against the background of the Pacific war and the birth of the Australia–US alliance, which remains as vital today as when Kennedy and Evans first shook hands.

The Chipilly Six: Unsung heroes of the Great War by Lucas Jordan

The extraordinary feats of the Chipilly Six and the personal stories of these diggers have been overlooked. Historian Lucas Jordan weaves a compelling tale of the lives of the soldiers, chronicling their return home and years after service, through a pandemic, the Great Depression, another world war and the very first Anzac Day dawn service.

Rogue Corporations: Inside Australia’s biggest business scandals by Quentin Beresford

Award-winning author Quentin Beresford takes us inside corporate Australia’s highest-profile scandals and the factors that drive them — the rise of celebrity CEOs, timid regulators, inept boards, the murky links between big business, governments, banks, media and lobby groups — and explores a path towards higher ethical standards from organisations. It’s a wild ride into the heart of corporate Australia.

Kin: Family in the 21st century by Marina Kamenev

Written by journalist Marina Kamenev, Kin: Family in the 21st century is an incisive and powerful look at how families are created today, and how they might be created in the future. It delves into the experiences of couples without children, single parents by choice and rainbow families, and investigates the impacts of adoption, sperm donation, IVF and surrogacy, and the potential for a future of designer babies. Assisted reproductive technology has developed quickly, and the ways in which we think and speak about its implications — both legally and ethically — need to catch up.