Good Reading Podcast

The Australian Autism Handbook is the go-to guide for parents whose children have been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. It is a practical and comprehensive guide to every aspect of raising an ASD child, including early signs and symptoms, getting a diagnosis, the importance of early intervention, and expert advice on finding your way through the medical maze. This new edition book has b...

The Smash Hits Nick vs The World is the life and times of tennis bad boy Nick Kyrgios. With his unconventional playing style, constant battles with authority, a knack for bad behaviour and an uncontrollable temper, Nick continues to make headlines in sport whether he’s winning or losing. Kyrgios: The Smash Hits celebrates Australia’s ultimate tennis headliner featuring yarns, quotes, interviews an...

Aimee Maguire is about to lose everything because she can’t afford to pay the rent in her Byron Bay alternative book shop. Her engagement is also on an official time-out. Then the arrival of her micro-influencer niece, Freya, sets off a chain of events that ends with Aimee tangled up with a group of influencers-turned-reality TV stars, exposing her to the absolute worst of humanity. There just mig...

A Chinese astronaut is found dead in a NASA training environment in Houston, Texas. No one can explain how he got there. Amid fears of a diplomatic catastrophe, the CIA dispatches Timothy 'Hangman' Blake to investigate a convicted kidnapper who works in the facility. Blake is deeply insane, afflicted by terrible urges he can barely control - but he's also brilliant. A secret Chinese...

In this compelling and comprehensive work, renowned historian Frank Bongiorno presents a social and cultural history of Australia’s political life, from pre-settlement Indigenous systems to the present day. Depicting a parade of dreamers and schemers, Bongiorno surveys moments of political renewal and sheds fresh light on our democratic life. From local pubs and meeting halls to the parliament and...

Growing up Wiradjuri is a collection of personal stories by Wiradjuri Elders. The writers are Uncles and Aunties who came of age in New South Wales in the 1950s and 1960s. In a strong collective voice, they share their stories of the difficulties of marginal life, backbreaking labour and family separation, but also of fond memories of their own Elders, Aunts and Uncles who cared for them and taugh...

'The Passion of Private White' describes the meeting of two worlds: that of the intensely driven anthropologist Neville White, and the world of hunter-gatherer clans in remote northern Australia with whom he has lived and worked for half a century, mapping their culture and history in breathtaking detail. As White began to understand this ancient culture struggling between the demands of...

Tom Keneally is the winner of  the 2022 ARA Historical Novel Society's prize for his story 'Corporal Hitler's Pistol' How did Corporal Hitler's Luger from the First World War end up being the weapon that killed an IRA turncoat in Kempsey, New South Wales, in 1933? When an affluent Kempsey matron spots a young Aboriginal boy who bears an uncanny resemblance to her husband,...

Katrina Nannestad is the winner of the 2022 ARA Historical Novel Society's prize in the Children and Young Adult category for  Rabbit, Soldier, Angel, Thief It's spring, 1942. In an idyllic Russian village the sky is blue, the air is warm and sweet with the scent of flowers. But it's the height of World War II and the German Army are advancing on the Eastern Front and suddenly an en...

In 'Bear Learns How to be a Rainbow' winter is coming and Bear is feeling sad, lonely and scared. But Bear discovers he can be the sun and as bright as the daylight sky. But what will Bear do when the rainbow disappears and winter arrives? Bear loves eating blueberries and reading. In 'Do Bears Who Eat Blueberries Go Bananas?' Bear reads something that makes him feel worried. T...

In the midst of an unfolding disaster, seven people are trying to survive on a small boat in a world completely transformed by an apocalyptic flood. Haunted by entwined pasts, the characters must voyage from a small town through a world that seems increasingly fantastic. Each will face their past, some will die, and the boat will take some to a miraculous new world but only fifteen-year-old Charlo...

As heir apparent to his father’s global media empire, Lachlan Murdoch is one of the world’s most powerful people. Yet despite a life in the spotlight, Lachlan’s personality, politics and business acumen remain enigmatic. In this compelling biography, acclaimed journalist Paddy Manning explores Lachlan Murdoch’s upbringing, political beliefs and role as head of Fox Corporation – the man ultimately...

Allan Reader is one of the last traditional bat-makers and is struggling to keep the family business alive in a small workshop in Melbourne. When gifted young batter Todd Harrow catches Allan's eye, he selects the best piece of willow he's harvested in years to make a Reader bat for him. As Harrow charts a meteoric rise to the highest echelons of the sport, Allan's magical bat takes...

When Stephanie Plum turns up for work at Vinnie's Bail Bonds she finds office manager Connie hasn't shown up for work. Stephanie's worst fears are confirmed when she gets a call from Connie's abductor. He says he will only release Connie in exchange for a mysterious coin that was left as collateral at the Bail Bonds Office. The problem is the coin is nowhere to be found. Stepha...

K2 O'Hero is a seemingly ordinary boy from a truly extraordinary family - he and his twin sister Izzabird have been sworn to keep their family's history of magical explorers a secret. Not even their infuriating step-siblings, Theo and Mable, know magic exists. They believe K2 to be the most hopeless person they have ever known. But K2 has a secret gift. He draws maps of worlds that are b...

Twelve-year-old Billy Pyke has a talent for sorting things out, whether it’s his chaotic family home or the busy book stall at Paddy’s Market. In 1871, the market is the loud, smelly, marvellous heart of Melbourne, and Billy is delighted to work at the book stall there for the eccentric Mr Cole. When his new friend Kezia warns him of a sinister magician called the Obscurosmith, Billy can’t believe...

Mia Swainson is an environmental engineer and member of the ACT Climate Council. Happy Planet Living outlines achievable steps for change and the simple everyday things that can make a big difference. Learn how to make your home carbon positive, achieve zero waste living, and get more from reusing and recycling. Try the 'buy nothing new” challenge for a week or a month or even a year. Introdu...

In Search of Perfumes is a journey across the world in search of the beautiful, mysterious and exotic materials that go into creating perfume. Fruits, flowers, herbs, spices and tree bark are just some of the ingredients that are responsible for satisfying our insatiable appetite for beautiful fragrances. From labdunum cistis to lavender and the damask rose, from jasmine and vanilla to cedar and s...

It's the early 2000s and 9/11 is fresh in the world's memory. The Taliban have taken over Afghanistan, and a new threat is emerging: suicide bombings, ordered by military commander of the Taliban, Mullah Dadullah. The Hunt is a powerful retelling of a real-life Special Forces mission to catch Dadullah. Using classified sources and his unique insight into the way the SAS works, Andy McNab...

In The Superpower Transformation Emeritus Professor Ross Garnaut charts the course for Australia to become a leader in a world of zero-carbon emissions. He outlines new evidence that stronger and earlier action on climate change would be good for jobs and incomes and particularly in regional and rural Australia. Garnaut shows how Australia can meet its obligations set at the Paris and Glasgow clim...

Despite their iconic status in Australia koalas remain a mystery. As a species they are threatened in some states but dying from overpopulation in others. Koala A Life in Trees shines new light on the life and challenges facing this fascinating marsupial.  Fuelled by her background in biology, Danielle Clode delves into the world of koalas to discover what's behind that sweet face. From their...

A series of brazen, violent and ritualistic murders have police baffled and the killer leaves few clues as to their motive or identity. Inspector Eric Ringer is desperate for Dr Jane Halifax to profile the killer but memories of their last case make Jane hesitate to take on the case. But there's something about the killer that intrigues Jane and as more bodies join the list of violent murders...

April Clarke-Cliveden is vivacious, bright, and occasionally vicious—the ultimate 'It' girl, She quickly pulled Hannah Jones into her dazzling orbit. Together, they developed a group of devoted and inseparable friends—Will, Hugh, Ryan, and Emily. By the end of the year, April was dead. A decade later, Hannah and Will are expecting their first child, and the man convicted of killing April...

After twelve years in corporate banking, Michelle Lee gave up her career for a life beyond the office. Trekking the 100km Kokoda trail in 2012 sparked Michelle’s love for extremes adventure and she is now Australia’s first woman to row any ocean solo. In 2019 she completed a 68-day solo, unassisted row across the Atlantic Ocean, battling the elements, her own self-doubt and the obstacles she overc...

A mystery illness is making people bake ancient cakes, speak dead languages and then fall asleep and never wake up. When Trilby Moffat's mother Arwen catches this strange sickness, Trilby must find her only other surviving relative, a 300-year-old aunt who lives in a secret antique shop on the edge of time. The Dangerous Business of Being Trilby Moffat is the story of how one ordinary girl fi...