Better Reading

Launched by a group of local fiction authors, the Northern Beaches Readers Festival (NBRF) is back for its biggest event yet in Avalon from 25–27 September 2026. With 100% focus on fiction and 100% on Australian authors, NBRF brings together readers with authors in diverse genres, from crime to romance, historical fiction, rural noir, mystery and women’s fiction – genres that are often excluded by other literary festivals.

What’s the series about? A hilarious junior fiction series that reimagines Greek mythology for early readers, and we’ve never had so much fun learning about the ancient world. Hector and his best friend, a centaur named Hylo, are about to be tested on Greek mythology by their teacher Mr Socrates.

Just finished a book you adored and don’t know where to turn next? We’ve paired six much-loved favourites with a read-alike we think you’ll love just as much. Tartt’s novel more or less invented dark academia as we know it, and Rio’s debut captures the same heady mix beautifully. Seven Shakespearean actors at an elite conservatory let their onstage rivalries spill into real life, and it all builds to a death that unravels the group a decade later. Wonderfully atmospheric, and just as morally knotty.

We’re firm believers that there’s a romance for every mood, and we’ve pulled together seven of our favourites to prove it. Whether you’re after happy tears, a slow-burn small town swoon, or something with a bit of a twist, here’s our pick of what to reach for next. We loved this one. ER doctors Briana and Jacob get off to a rocky start, and Jacob does something rather lovely about it: he writes Briana a letter.

What’s the series about? A warm, funny junior fiction series about friendship, family and figuring out where you fit, one relatable disaster at a time. Amira Swift has three favourite things: her best friends Ellie and Naya, and dancing. When her school holds a talent show, the three of them team up as a dance group. Easy, right? Not when everyone wants something different, and perfect isn’t as fun as it sounds.

Amira Swift is a chatty, dance obsessed seven-year-old with a Lebanese mum, an Anglo-Australian dad, and a little brother named Zayn. Author Sarah Ayoub has built a warm, funny early readers series around her, with illustrations by Niña Nill, and the first two books are the perfect place to jump in.

There’s nothing quite like a thriller that steals your evening and doesn’t give it back. Whether you’re after a slow-burn psychological unravelling or a page-turning whodunit from page one, these eight books are the ones our readers can’t get enough of. The Wife and the Widow (Christian White) Two women, two husbands, one shared and terrible truth. Kate’s husband never came home from a work trip he wasn’t actually on, and Abby’s husband has gone quiet and strange in ways she can’t explain.

Some books just don’t age. The below are a selection of special stories that middle-grade readers keep discovering, generation after generation, often because a parent or teacher pressed them into their hands the same way someone once did for them. Here’s a look at some of the fan favourites still winning over readers today. The Chronicles of Narnia (C.S. Lewis) There’s a reason “the wardrobe” has become shorthand for portal fantasy itself.

Hannah Richell joins Cheryl Akle to talk about grief, love, writing and the unexpected ways life can transform after loss. Hannah shares how writing her memoir after the death of her husband Matt became an act of release, remembrance and connection, and reflects on rebuilding a life that holds both profound grief and new joy. A moving conversation about the love we carry, the stories that shape us, and finding the courage to keep living. Hannah’s latest memoir, An Ocean and a Day, is out now.

Starving and alone, Louis Taylor considers his options. He could try climbing up the cliff again, find a stick and use it as a stepladder to reach a foothold. That might work. Wiping a muddy hand across his eyes, Louis tries to think clearly. He could push himself into the river. It looks deep enough – it could take him somewhere fast. He might not smash into the rocks on the way down. He might float to safety. The thought of each option exhausts him. He can’t think of another.