News  •  4 August 2026

 

August New Books

From rom-com to rural crime, and all points in between, our August new releases have something for everyone.

Stephanie MacFie’s Once Upon a Breakfast Show is a dazzling debut rom-com about the one that got away and second chances. Sunlight Finds You from bestselling author Laura Moriarty is a love story that explores female desire, motherhood and prejudice. The Wild Beneath by Kelly Anderson is a spellbinding story of soulmates and the ancient bonds that tie us to the natural world. Christopher Raja’s Eye of the Needle is a passionate story about the landscape of grief and the emergence of self by a distinctive new voice in Australian literary fiction. Lastly, Garry Disher’s bestselling Mischance Creek is out in a smaller format. 

Once Upon a Breakfast Show Stephanie MacFie

Emily Blake, known to listeners as the fearless, filter-less Blake from ‘Mack and Blake in the Morning’, has built a career out of turning her messy life into radio gold. But when a cheeky on-air stunt spirals out of control, Blake finds herself accidentally crowdsourcing her next date in this funny new debut rom-com perfect for fans of Beth O’Leary, Steph Vizard and Robinne Lee.

‘Sharp, funny, addictive and full of heart, absolutely nails the pressure, the tension, the vibes and the on-air chemistry of breakfast radio.’ Heidi Anderson

Buy now

The Wild Beneath Kelly Anderson

Set in the Pacific Northwest, The Wild Beneath is a sweeping love story that pulls Annie between a life of stability with her childhood sweetheart and a mysterious man washed ashore after a tsunami.

‘Anderson’s book is ethereal, languid, crafted of language that rushes and recedes like a tide, buoying a story that reminds us sometimes the impossible is possible.’ Jodi Picoult

Buy now

Sunlight Finds You Laura Moriarty

Postwar America is a time of rigid social rules. But when effervescent, seventeen-year-old Nora moves to Florida, she finds paradise – especially after she meets and wins over shy, brilliant Leonard. His mother is welcoming, but his father is suspicious of Nora and her lower-class family. From the New York Times bestselling author comes this compulsive love story that spins on the consequence of lies and our capacity for resilience.

‘Perfectly captures the joy and exquisite pain of first love, and the sacrifices that change our lives forever. I adored it.’ Toni Jordan, author of Tenderfoot

Buy now

Eye of the Needle Christopher Raja

In the late 1800s, young Afghan cameleer Kadir is hired to accompany a scientific expedition into central Australia; neither Kadir nor the scientists know anything of the world they will encounter. And in late 1990s St Kilda, young Kris comes of age in the shadow of his father’s death, finding himself adrift in a landscape of grief and addiction.

A passionate story about the landscape of grief and the emergence of self by a distinctive new voice in Australian literary fiction.

Buy now

Mischance Creek Garry Disher

Now in a smaller format paperback, Mischance Creek is the latest in the bestselling Australian rural crime series featuring beloved local copper Paul Hirschausen. When Hirsch meets a young woman who is searching a rural backwater for the body of her mother, it is a cold-case he can’t resist. 

Mischance Creek confirms Disher’s place as one of Australia’s great crime writers.’ Australian

Buy now

More features

See all
News
2026 Barbara Jefferis Award Shortlist Announced

Michelle de Kretser’s Theory & Practice has been shortlisted for the 2026 Barbara Jefferis Award!

News
Mark & Evette Moran Nib Literary Award 2026 Finalists Announced

The six shortlisted titles for the 2026 Mark & Evette Moran Nib Literary Award have been announced. Congratulations to Tyson Yunkaporta and Megan Kelleher on Snake Talk making the shortlist!

News
September New Books

Winter is over and spring is ahead! Congratulations on making it through the cold, dark months—why not reward yourself with a new book?

News
Golden is a CBCA Book of the Year Awards Honour Book!

Congratulations to Jade Timms! Golden has been recognised as an Honour Book for Older Readers in the 2026 CBCA Books of the Year Awards.

News
2026 Prime Minister's Literary Awards shortlists announced

Judith Brett and Miranda Luby have been shortlisted in the 2026 Prime Minister’s Literary Awards.

News
2026 Queensland Literary Awards shortlists announced

Lenora Thaker and Gail Jones have been shortlisted in the 2026 Queensland Literary Awards.

News
Chameleon shortlisted for 2026 National Biography Award

Robert Dessaix's funny, incisive and utterly compelling memoir, Chameleon, has been shortlisted for the State Library NSW 2026 National Biography Award.

News
Vale Sam Neill

1947–2026

News
July New Books

Congratulations, you’ve made it to the halfway point of the year. We suggest you celebrate with a few good books. Like what? you say. We’re glad you asked...

News
Gerald Murnane receives 2026 King's Birthday Honour

Gerald Murnane was announced an Officer of the Order of Australia, AO, in the General Division for distinguished service to literature as an author and novelist, and to tertiary education.

News
Indigenous Writer’s Mentorship Winner

Writing NSW and Text Publishing are delighted to announce the winner of the inaugural Boundless Indigenous Writer’s Mentorship: Allanah Hunt.

News
The Hierarchy Deluxe Editions are coming

The first two volumes in global bestselling author James Islington’s Hierarchy fantasy series are coming in July! Aurealis Award-winner The Will of the Many and New York Times No. 1 bestseller The Strength of the Few will be available in gorgeous deluxe hardcover editions from 14 July.

Looking for more news?

See all news