News & Reviews

The Prosecutor: One Man’s Battle to Bring Nazis to Justice by Jack Fairweather A profile in courage in a time of peril. Fritz Bauer, an irascible, German-Jewish lawyer jailed and torture by the Gestapo, was

Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy A remote island off Antarctica, a research station with an underground seed bank, for when civilization as we know it ends (by flooding, burning or starvation) is now abandoned —

Polis — between 650BCE and 350CE a loose collection of up to 1,500 self-governing city-states had a direct say in their government through philosophical debate and collaboration. The Polis was a resilient and adaptable

Were you a fan of Hamnet, or The Marriage Portrait, by Maggie O’Farrell. Perhaps you loved Matrix by Lauren Groff. If so you’re sure to love this detective novel set in renaissance Florence. Cosimo di Giovanni

NEXT ISSUE OF QUARTERLY ESSAY QE97 – 17 March 2025 JESS HILL Losing It – Can we stop violence against women and children? What went wrong? Australian governments promised to end violence against women

  Make the most of your next European holiday by polishing up your French language skills!  Join us for a delicious, interesting and lively immersion in French language, food and culture with Sandrine Iratchet

In February we will also collaborate with the Bob Brown Foundation to host four screenings of Takayna — the Heart of Lutruwita, an inspiring and hopeful film about the battle to defend Australia’s largest rainforest. Join

Dear Friends, Last minute and a rare opportunity: Geraldine Brooks was at Bookoccino last Friday to sign copies of Memorial Days, “a heart-rending and beautiful memoir of sudden loss and journey toward peace.” Geraldine and

From a ‘factory,’ with only cold showers, no air conditioning, and ferocious mosquitos, an enigmatic, reclusive former engineer in the People’s Liberation Army who grew up in poverty, Ren Zhengfei, built the technological behemoth,

I absolutely adore Lawrence Osborne. I know you will too.  Late last year I recommended The Forgiven to Julia, one of our most prolific staff readers. First published in 2012 it is just one

A soaring masterpiece by the Pulitzer-winning author of Overstory. From an island in French Polynesia, Makatea —  whose original inhabitants believed the world was created by Ta’aora dropping pieces of his shell — to the

This week we speak to local author Sarah Turnbull, whose best-selling memoirAlmost French is an enduring Bookoccino favourite. Hi Sarah, Thanks for joining us. We are so looking forward to your conversation with Catherine McKinnon at

The Chairman’s Lounge, The Inside Story of How Qantas Sold Us Out ‘Fearless resolve, razor-sharp intellect and remarkable writing,’ says Hedley Thomas, author of The Teacher’s Pet. ‘Aston’s rapier wit is both incisive and

Join us to discuss a rich, layered and thrilling novel of love, war and friendship with Cath McKinnon, in conversation with Sarah Turnbull. DECEMBER 1944. In New Guinea, a young Australian nurse chances upon

Join us for a tale of 52 swims in and around Sydney. From Palm Beach to Cronulla, Mount Druitt to Bondi, Chris Baker swims at iconic beaches, municipal pools, harbour baths, tidal rock pools,