Whew, it turns out we loved A LOT of books in 2024. Please enjoy this bumper edition of our annual deep-dive into the books that affected us deeply. Nearly the whole Words on the Waves committee pitched in to suggest a few, so there’s quite a range! And, as always, you might spy some festival guests past (and future!) in there… can you guess who?
Grabbing a tome or two for Christmas? Please support your local independent bookseller – for us, that’s our festival partner Umina Beach Book Nook (pro tip, they have lots of other incredibly cute gifty items in range at the moment too.) Enjoy!
Adult Fiction
Rapture by Emily Maguire
Somehow this reimagined tale of the mythical Pope Joan set in medieval Europe manages to ooze sex and cheeky humour. Motherless Agnes must carve her own path in the world after an earthquake dispatches her indulgent, powerful father – and her superlative smarts and curiosity ordain her for a life beyond the cage of womanhood. Somehow, a Pope she becomes. This author has turned her hand to crime in the past (with the anti-crime, An Isolated Incident) and class (in Love Objects), now faith and love and Rapture. Is there anything Emily Maguire can’t do? (Angela)
Wing by Nikki Gemmell
A group of girls from an exclusive Sydney school disappear into the bush while on a school hike. A teacher goes back to look for them. Days pass and no one returns, then four days later, the girls emerge …alone. A gripping literary thriller told from the perspective of the waiting Principal who fears her career may be lost over this. (Mandi)
The Honeyeater by Jessie Tu
Jessie Tu’s Honeyeater was exceptional. The world of Jessie’s main character Fay, who works as a translator, was fascinating, and the way she grapples with relationships, her mother, her boss and her own ambition and desires and self-worth made for compelling and thought-provoking reading. I loved the variety of settings too – so well written. (Mary-Jayne)
The Thinning by Inga Simpson
Simpson is a wonderful writer and this book is gripping, fast-paced and takes us forward slightly to an Australia where there have been more extinctions and we are losing the dark-sky needed for Astronomers as communication satellite needs are more important. I consumed this in two days – add it to your Christmas list! (Mandi)
The Rewilding by Donna M Cameron
I was immediately hooked in from page one, and found the plot and pace well executed. Partly set on the Central Coast, partly northern rivers, the author writes landscape beautifully and her sense of space and timing make for an excellent read. Characters are engaging, and flawed, and the baddies are nasty. A thriller with climate change as one of its central characters, I highly recommend this read. (Benny)
LIARS by James O’Loghlin
Sticking with the Central Coast, you will not be disappointed with this crime thriller. Fabulously engaging characters have been created by comedian and broadcaster, and CC weekender, James O’Loghlin. Set in fictional Buffs Point (i.e. Wagstaffe), you will recognise many landmarks, and there are many twists and turns that will keep you guessing ‘whodunnit’. I laughed out loud many times, and I just loved reading a book set in our own backyard. (Benny)
The Life Impossible by Matt Haig
Matt Haig’s The Life Impossible was exactly the read I needed this year – perfect for the times. This quote from it has stayed with me: ‘All reading, in short, is telepathy and all reading is time travel. It connects us to everyone and everywhere and every time and every imagined dream.’ (Mary-Jayne)
The Other Bridget by Rachael Johns
For a light, coffee-soaked read, dip into The Other Bridget by Aussie author Rachael Johns. This is a tale of Bridget Jones, librarian, book lover/book clubber and coffee drinker (amongst other drinks). Set in Fremantle, and involving two love interests. There’s a fun, memorable meet-cute with her neighbour and then there’s the cute, sexy Italian barista, whose coffees also make Bridget swoon. Some quirky characters, and a few gnomes make The Other Bridget a fun read with ‘Bridg’ getting her Mr Right in the end. (Rae)
This Kingdom of Dust by David Dyer
A clever and engaging read, by the author of The Midnight Watch. This novel is based around the 1969 moon landing, and follows a journalist; Buzz on the moon; and his wife watching from home. But in this version, something goes wrong and the lunar module can not leave the moon. (Mandi)
Juice by Tim Winton
I was daunted by the heft and implied moral weightiness of this tome, but I am so glad I pushed past my reservations (and end-of-year laziness). Set in an unnamed point in the future in what is clearly a mutated Australia, an unnamed narrator shares his Scheherazadian yarn with a hostile bowman (and, of course, the reader) in order to stave off death. It’s a ripper of a tale – with assassins, love, and betrayal – all taking place in a world where children are increasingly rare and animals extinct. It’s true this is ‘yet another’ climate change dystopia – but none other have felt so intensely real and possible. Blazing with heat, I urge you to find the juice for Juice this summer. (Angela)
Traced by Catherine Jinks
I loved Jinks’ teen fiction titles and I am enjoying her switch into adult thrillers. Jinks will be visiting as part of our Central Coast Reads Seniors Connect program in 2025 and people are going to enjoy this story of a Covid contact tracer from the Blue Mountains whose work brings her back into the view of someone she is hiding from in her past. (Mandi)
Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood
Charlotte Wood never disappoints and there is a very good reason why this book was short listed for the Booker. I found this book quite beautiful, and difficult, at the same time. I would often stop reading to think about the story and the main character. There is much to reflect on here. (Benny)
Lying Beside You by Michael Robotham
Another cracking story from Michael Robotham. This is the third book in the Cyrus Haven/Evie Cormac series. When Cyrus and his brother were teens, his brother killed their parents and his sisters while suffering a psychotic episode. Now, after 20 years, he will be released into Cyrus’ care. (Mandi)
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
A story about two friends who meet years after going to school together and start up a video game design company. The book spans decades of their lives and, jeez, does it grab you fiercely from the get go. And, it doesn’t let up until the last page. I’m not a gamer but I didn’t once feel alienated by ‘tech’ talk. I thoroughly enjoyed the trip down memory lane, especially the 90’s and also following these two friends on their life’s journey. There is joy, fame and tragedy and I have to admit, I cried a number of times. One of those novels that stay with you for a very long time. Not surprisingly, this novel won Goodreads Reader’s Favourite Award in 2022. Definitely a favourite of mine this year! (Marie)
Sulari Gentill
Okay so I was late to the Sulari Gentill party, but once I arrived, I really settled in! In 2024 I devoured all of her ‘meta-fiction’ series: After She Wrote Him (2020), The Woman in the Library (2022) and The Mystery Writer (2024). Each book is unrelated, apart from the common thread of Gentill’s smart, twisty inventiveness. I can’t wait to see what she does next. One (or all!) of these is the perfect stuffer for a Christmas stocking or beach tote. (Angela)
Limberlost by Robbie Arnott
Limberlost by Robbie Arnott: An enthralling, elegant and stunning story of family, love and land. (Lauren)
To Sing of War by Catherine McKinnon
This a multi-layered novel of war, love and the struggle for individual independence in the shadow of the war in the Pacific. Set in 1944/1945, we follow an Australian nurse in New Guinea, a team of soldiers struggling in the jungle, physicists in Los Alamos working with Oppenheimer, and a family struggling to survive on Miyajima in Japan. Connections run deep. (Mandi)
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Totally fascinating and hugely enjoyable. TJR’s writing always has me wanting to read just one chapter more. I loved it. (Lauren)
Sidelines by Karen Viggers
As the parent of two sports-mad kids, I see plenty of the behaviour Karen Viggers explores so powerfully in Sidelines – the story clips along and, via the perspectives of the various characters, Karen expertly brings up so many pivotal issues for consideration. (Mary-Jayne)
Adult Non-Fiction
Question 7 by Richard Flanagan
This was my favourite book this year, among an impressive list. This is a very difficult book to describe but it takes elements of Flanagan’s father’s story of labouring near Hiroshima as a POW, the life and imaginings of H.G. Wells and a contemporary story of wild river rafting and a near death experience to create something wonderfully imaginative and thought-provoking. (Mandi)
The Spy and the Traitor by Ben McIntrye
This was one of three spy books I read in 2024 (the other two were Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner and Gabriel’s Moon by William Boyd) and despite being true, it was probably the most outlandish. An eye-opening account of a KGB double agent who changed the course of history, this book is filled with intricate and deeply impressive details of spycraft and intergovernmental machinations alongside real historical tipping points. It has to be read to be believed. If you enjoy your borscht garnished with raw courage (and the crunch of good journalism), look no further. (Angela)
Uses for Obsession by Ben Shewry
Ryan Holiday and Brené Brown readers will find much to consider in Ben Shewry’s Uses for Obsession. It is accessible and open and Ben’s commentary on leadership and team culture particularly are insightful. His chapter on how people treat wait staff will have every hospitality worker (and retail staff member) cheering. (Mary-Jayne)
Saltwater Cure by Ali Gripper
The true stories in Saltwater Cure by Ali Gripper all beautifully highlight the healing power of the ocean – Ali’s writing is inviting and the stories are so varied, inspiring and moving (contributions include Tim Winton, Valerie Taylor and Layne Beachley). (Mary-Jayne)
Trust by Jeanne Ryckmans
I have known Jeanne for many years and have the highest respect for her as a publisher and now a literary agent. Smart, intelligent, and astute I was flabbergasted that this type of abuse, this break of trust, this deception, could happen to her. And yet it did. It happens to many women. Elegantly told, I could not put this one down. (Benny)
Youth Fiction
Thunderhead by Sophie Beer
Beloved author Sophie Beer’s first novel for 10 to 14 year olds, Thunderhead, is wonderful. Such a perfect, engrossing, narrative voice. Knowing that it was inspired by Sophie’s own experiences of disability and hearing loss makes it all the more impactful and real. It made me feel all the feelings! (Mary-Jayne)
Stickboy by Rebecca Young & Matt Ottley
Stickboy lived in wind and dust, where ancient rock loomed like waves waiting to break … From award-winning creators Rebecca Young and Matt Ottley, Stickboy is a tale about listening for the truth that lies within … and beneath. Matt’s illustrations are, as usual, breathtaking pieces of art for adults and children alike. (Fiona)
All the Beautiful Things by Katrina Nannestad
All the Beautiful Things is the fourth Second World War story by award-winning author Katrina Nannestad. Anna’s little sister, Eva, is frail and needs time to learn new things. She has a huge heart and a gift for loving, but Hitler doesn’t value such riches. And so, she’s hidden away. Safe for now, but with the threat of discovery always near. Another heart-warming and historically accurate tale for readers aged 11+. (Fiona)
Small Acts by Kate Foster & Kate Gordon
Josh and Ollie know that helping starts with one small act of kindness, but what they don’t know yet is that they need each other to make their plans work. Small Acts is an uplifting and inspirational book despite dealing with serious themes, appropriate for ages 8+. (Fiona)
Midwatch by Judith Rossell
Banished to the Midwatch Institute for Orphans, Runaways and Unwanted Girls, Maggie Fishbone is sure she’s in for a life of drudgery. But she quickly discovers there’s more to Midwatch than meets the eye … From author-illustrator Judith Rossell, creator of multi-award-winning Withering-by-Sea, this adventure mystery with atmospheric illustrations will appeal to fantasy readers aged 9+. (Fiona)
I’m Not Really Here by Gary Lonesborough
I adore Gary Lonesborough’s writing and I loved his new book I’m Not Really Here just as much as his previous two books! Gary so authentically captures the teen moments of trying to fit in, and juggling between what you want, and what you think you need to do to fit in, and working out who you really are. The exploration of grief and loss from a teen perspective is so beautifully handled. Gary is a stellar talent. (Mary-Jayne)
Birdy by Sharon Kernot
This is a beautifully written powerful verse novel about the pain of loss and shame, the healing power of small acts of kindness and the beauty of poetry. Alice waits for her daughter Birdy who disappeared forty-five years ago. Young neighbour Maddy is mute since The Incident. Amid the clutter of Alice’s home, Maddy and Alice become friends, until Maddy takes something that’s not hers. For readers 13+. (Fiona)
Curse of the Dragon Shadow by Selina Fenech
First in a series of six, Curse of the Dragon Shadow by Selina Fenech is a diverse sapphic YA fantasy. Orphaned and struggling to survive, Riony only wants to keep her adopted sister safe, but after she’s kidnapped, Riony sets out on a dangerous journey into the cursed overworld of the Shadow Dragon. A compulsive read recommended for fans of Priory of the Orange Tree and The Dragon Prince aged 17+. (Fiona)
Youth Non-Fiction
Cockatoo by Kaye Baillie & Max Hamilton
Cockatoo is the new Australian wildlife picture book from Kaye Baillie and Max Hamilton, the team behind the CBCA-shortlisted When the Waterhole Dries Up. In this beautifully illustrated book, we follow the journey of a yellow-tailed black cockatoo, from nesting to taking flight. For ages 3+ who enjoy information books. (Fiona)
The Grown Ups Guide to Picture Books by Dr Lara Cain Gray
The value of picture books is often underestimated so we loved The Grown Ups Guide to Picture Books as an essential guide for educators, authors, illustrators, and readers. Written by Dr Lara Cain Gray, this intriguing book takes you behind the scenes, empowering readers to dive deeper and fully understand the power of visual literacy. (Fiona)
