Three new books to look out for by writers appearing at the Canberra Writers Festival -

We’re deep in October now (how is it the 18th already?) which means the weather is warming up, the pollen count is high, and it’s Canberra Writers Festival season! The program this year is incredible – I’ve had such a hard time narrowing down the session I want to see (I think on Sunday there are literally twice as many sessions I’d love to see than I actually physically can be at unless we discover cloning in the next week). October/November is also a busy time for new releases, and there are three books in particular that I’m looking forward to getting my hands (and eyeballs) on by writers appearing at the festival – check them out below (descriptions/synopses from publisher websites).

Beautiful Changelings by Maxine Beneba Clarke

beautiful changelings is an incantation, a song, a war cry, a testimonial, a lament, a reckoning and a welcoming. Wrecking-ball revisitings of the myths, mantras and fairy tales fed to girls. Poignant, unashamed tributes to ageing, womanhood, motherhood, and reclaiming your dreams, your boundaries and your time.

This explosive new collection celebrates women and girls as the enigmatic wonders they are: beautiful changelings.

Out 28 Oct 2025 from Ultimo Press

The Hiding Place by Kate Mildenhall

When Lou sees an ad for a long-abandoned mining town up for sale, it doesn’t take her long to convince her sister and their oldest friends to go in on the idyllic property buried in the bush – a place where the four families can hide away on weekends, get back to nature and unstick the kids from their screens.

But things start to go wrong before they even arrive for their first camping trip – a rogue deer sends a trailer off the road, a neighbour complains about the fence line and squatters have set up camp down by the river. Soon none of that will matter, though, because by the end of the first night someone will be dead.

At first it seems that hiding a body is easier than keeping other sorts of secrets: a lost job, an illegal crop, an outrageous affair, a little embezzlement. But what’s buried has a way of coming to the surface, and even in the bush, it’s hard to remain unseen.

Out 28 Oct 2025 from Simon & Schuster.
Keep up with Kate on her website here.

Kill Your Boss by Jack Heath

Detective Sergeant Kiara Lui has just broken up a loud brawl between two blokes in front of the Warrigal Public Library. But just as she’s about to leave the scene, a man inexplicably plummets from the sky and slams into the bike rack right in front of her, dead.

Neville Adams was the head of library services, hated by staff, borrowers, and in fact anybody who had ever met him. Kiara quickly seals the building, trapping everyone who might have pushed him off the roof. She expects to have someone in custody within minutes.

Instead, the investigation becomes the most challenging and dangerous of her career as it spirals outward, ensnaring half the town. It seems that Neville was connected to the disappearance of Emmylou Chisholm – a case that Kiara could never solve, and that has haunted her ever since.

If the killer isn’t found fast, the first two victims won’t be the last …

Out 4 Nov 2025 from Allen & Unwin

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There you have it – my Canberra Writers Festival book shopping list – let me know in the comments if any of these hve caught your eye too!

xo Bron