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Was Hollywood legend Joan Crawford really a megalomaniac monster?

Biographer Scott Eyman reveals that there was much more to the star than what we think we know from Mommie Dearest and the Bette Davis “feuds”.

  • N. Smith

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Alan Fyfe’s novel has a Faulknerian quality to the structure and style.

This propulsive book captures what it means to become a young man in Australia

The action in Alan Fyfe’s novel takes place in one night, but is epic, in the true sense of the word.

  • Will Hunt
Bestselling author and Oprah favourite uthor Tayari Jones.

This tale of chosen family and motherhood fizzes and sings

Tayari Jones’ new novel examines the question of kinship – the kin you are born to and the kin you create.

  • Nicole Abadee

Cults, political thrills, ADHD and the Murdochs: 10 new books

Our reviewers cast their eyes over new fiction and non-fiction releases.

  • Cameron Woodhead and Fiona Capp
Windmill Off Leigh Creek Road, Between Leigh Creek & Hawker, Flinders Ranges, South Australia
SMH TRAVEL Pic supplied by South Australain Tourism Commission
MUST CREDIT PHOTO AS SOUTH AUSTRALIAN TOURISM COMMISSION ***FDCTRANSFER***

M.L. Stedman’s achingly human epic is like an Australian Gone With The Wind

A Far-Flung Life is cut from a similar cloth from Stedman’s bestselling debut The Light Between Oceans

  • Tom Ryan
Teachers, who strive to build trust with parents every day, will also be devastated by this case.

A sharp take on parenting culture and ‘mummy politics’

Lisa Moule’s novel circles the lives of four women navigating the emotional and psychological tumult of the school playground.

  • Jessie Tu
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Tech entrepreneur Bryan Johnson has a simple goal: don’t die.

The billionaire tech bros who think they can live forever. Seriously

Aleks Krotoski’s The Immortalists is a gory, slice-by-slice dissection of these wealthy maniacs’ obsession with the promise of eternal life. It’s like a train wreck.

  • Pat Sheil
Shirley Le, editor of Sweatshop Literacy Movement’s anthology about love.

Two new books to help you feel better about the world

Anthology Love celebrates love in all its guises and permutations, and a debut collection whole reflects on the lasting effects of colonialism through playful poetry.

  • Thuy On

Cynical vampires, gritty crime and Bob Carr’s moving memoir: 10 new books

Our reviewers cast their eyes over new fiction and non-fiction releases.

  • Cameron Woodhead and Steven Carroll
Author Gabriel Tallent

This thrilling book is a full-frontal attack on the senses

Set against a backdrop of high-risk rock climbing, Crux is as compelling as it is masterful.

  • Candida Baker