Seven books from Canberra authors you should read at least once
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Looking for your next great read? There are plenty of gripping and compelling stories by Canberra authors waiting for you to pick up their pages.
From award-winning fiction to a rom-com that’s taking the literary world by storm, curl up with these Canberra authors –every book on this list deserves to be read at least once.
The Last Love Note by Emma Grey
Emma Grey is no stranger to fiction writing – as the author of many YA novels, including Unrequited: Boy band meets girl and, Tilly Maguire and the Royal Wedding Mess, as well as the parenting memoir Wits’ End Before Breakfast! Confessions of a Working Mum, she’s well versed in putting her pen to the page. But The Last Love Note is her first adult novel and it’s making waves in the literary world.
Intertwining romance and humour, The Last Love Note was written in the wake of her husband’s death as a fictional tribute to their love. Leaving readers laughing, crying, and wanting more, it perfectly captures the magnitude of her grief and her commitment to hope.
Model Minority Gone Rogue by Qin Qin
Growing up in Canberra, Qin Qin would never have even dreamed of rocking the boat – but now her new book is all about just that. Describing Model Minority Gone Rogue as “#asianfail”, in the book Qin Qin shares her life story, and unpacks the “model minority” stereotype – a term invented in the 1960s to describe Asian migrants’ societal success and one that perpetuates the stereotype that Chinese Australians are all intelligent, polite, hardworking, and diligent.
Ideal for anyone who is feeling unfulfilled in life and needs a messy but relatable example of what it looks like to break free, it’s wry, humorous, and will leave you wanting to better yourself.
Love and Other Scores by Abra Pressler
A sweet tennis-player-meets-bartender-during-the-Australian-Open queer romance – what’s not to love? Exploring queer identity, celebrity, family ties, addiction, and the balance between greatness and happiness, Canberra author Abra Pressler’s first novel with Pan Macmillan, was inspired by her own experiences at the Open as a barista, her love of the ‘fun’ of romance as a genre and her love of tennis.
Full of swoon-worthy romance, it’s Australia’s answer to the 2024 film Challengers.
Untethered by Ayesha Inoon
The winner of the 2022 ASA/HQ Fiction Prize, Untethered is Sri Lankan-Australian writer Ayesha Inoon’s debut novel. Telling the story of a young Muslim woman’s experience of immigration to Australia (which has been partially taken from Ayesha’s own experiences), the thought-provoking story weaves together themes of family, culture, and tradition with the uncertainty and freedom of starting anew.
An eye-opening story spotlighting what it’s like for people migrating to Australia, it examines the ever-present question immigrants often ask themselves: did they do the right thing?
What Cancer Said And What I Said Back by Kellie Nissen
Short-listed for the 2024 ACT Literary Awards, Kellie Nissen’s What Cancer Said And What I Said Back is a brutally honest memoir about her cancer experience – including how the year she had breast cancer was the best year of her life.
Kellie’s debut novel gives a voice to cancer and takes the reader on a deeply personal journey, as she faces her emotions of that year and comes to a realisation: her year with cancer was ultimately what she needed.
A Blessing And A Curse by Jenna Lalor
For teacher Jenna Lalor, poetry has always been a medium for her to express her emotions – and while she never originally intended to publish the poems in A Blessing And A Curse, this raw and personal work is a testament to her passion.
Exploring themes of mental illness, abuse, and loss, through her work and her words, Jenna wants people to know that they’re not alone.
When Sleeping Women Wake by Emma Pei Yin
Written by local writer Emma Pei Yin, and set in 1941 Hong Kong, her historical fiction novel weaves together the stories and destinies of three remarkable women – a mother, her daughter, and their maid – as they embark on a journey of sacrifice, resilience, and survival.
Inspired by the stories she was told by her family and her Hakka heritage it’s set to be published in 2025. When Sleeping Women Wake is one to keep your eye out for.
Feature image: Paperchain Bookstore. Credit: Ash St George.
