The Bloomsbury Publishing team share their favourite books of the year
Words by Maggie Zhou
Best of the best.
It’s been a good year for books – explosive celebrity memoirs, local contemporary fiction and high fantasy reads have clocked up big numbers and gained new fans. For better or for worse, book FOMO is at an all-time high. With your BookTok algorithm churning out new recommendations on the daily and your bookish friends raving about new titles weekly, it’s hard to know what’s really worth adding to your TBR stack.
Interested to hear how others navigate the world? Head to our Life section.
Why not ask people whose livelihoods revolve around selling books? We sat down with the Bloomsbury Publishing team and asked them to share their favourite reads of the year. Working in various departments, from publicity to trade sales to product, these are the reads that these book lovers vouch for.
The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon
Recommended by Alison Elzayed, Bloomsbury’s Sales Coordinator
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The Bone Season series has been an ongoing favourite of mine since it was originally published in 2013. A rich, action-packed adventure, brimming with exciting characters and plot twists to keep you on the edge of your seat.
I didn’t think one of my favourite books could get better, but the first book was recently re-edited by the author and published anew for the 10th anniversary. The new text is perfection elevated to greater levels. Samantha Shannon has spent the past 10 years honing her writing craft and it’s on full display in this 10th anniversary edition. Utterly brilliant.
Get it here.
West Heart Kill by Dann McDorman
Recommended by Adam Kirkman, Bloomsbury’s Head of Product
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An irresistible murder mystery set at a private club where everyone is a suspect, including the erratic detective on the scene – a remarkable debut that gleefully upends the rules of the genre! When Detective Adam McAnnis joins an old college friend for the holiday weekend at the exclusive West Heart club in upstate New York, he finds himself among a set of not-entirely-friendly strangers.
Then the body of one of the members is found at the lake’s edge; hours later, a major storm hits. By the time power is restored on Sunday, two more people will be dead. The action in West Heart Kill is tight, taking place over the course of two days. Everyone at the club is a suspect. Off we go.
But it’s also a homage to the whole crime genre, with frequent discourses on the nature of crime fiction, classic books in the genre, diversions into Agatha Christie’s disappearance and what makes a good story, often addressed directly to the reader. It’s a complete love letter to the whole genre, and I just know that crime readers will adore it as I did!
Get it here.
Go Lightly by Brydie Lee-Kennedy
Recommended by Natalia Facelli. Bloomsbury’s Marketing and Publicity Manager
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A cheeky one from me as this one is out in February next year. Brydie expertly explores the modern complexities of dating and relationships in all its forms. The novel follows Ada, an Australian living in London, as she navigates her love life, in a will-she-won’t she bisexual love story, identity and feeling homesick.
Loved that it made me question who we are, who we want to be and how we portray ourselves to others. I thought this book was raw and tender whilst still delivering on the humour. A great summer read for the New Year.
Get it here.
On Our Best Behaviour by Elise Loehnen
Recommended by Catherine Gunther, Bloomsbury’s Key Account Manager
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Elise boldly explores how the seven deadly sins have been used by the patriarchy for generations to control the behaviour of women and dares to ask ‘What if we stopped trying to be good?’. It’s a thought-provoking read that holds up a mirror to society, urging us to take a proper look and take action on how we treat ourselves and the women in our lives.
I devoured this book, even breaking out the highlighters and sticky tabs to mark my favourite quotes. It puts into words experiences I, and many other women, have known but may not have had the words to articulate until now. An absolute must-read piece of non-fiction this year.
Get it here.
Lioness by Emily Perkins
Recommended by Clare Meldrum, Bloomsbury’s Head of Trade Sales
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Lioness is one of those novels that makes you ponder ALL your life choices. There hasn’t been a day since I finished reading it that it hasn’t snuck out of my subconscious to say hello. Only a master storyteller can have that kind of impact… and Emily Perkins is a master.
Get it here.
House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas
Recommended by Genevieve Nelsson, Bloomsbury’s Deputy Head of Marketing and Publicity
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Is there anything quite like the torturous slow burn, will-they-won’t they of basically any Sarah J. Maas novel? There’s a reason she is often called the queen of romantasy. The Crescent City series has everything you want in the ultimate beach read – a fierce female protagonist, a smouldering love interest (ft. killer abs), fast and furious dialogue and an action-packed plot that will keep you turning the pages well into the night.
Plus, if you start book one now, you’ll finish book two just in time for House of Flame and Shadow to come out in January. Devour now, thank me later.
Get it here.
Unfinished Woman by Robyn Davidson
Recommended by Sonia Palmisano, Bloomsbury’s Marketing and Publicity Manager
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When I read Robyn Davidson’s first memoir Tracks as a teenager, it changed my life. But it turns out Robyn’s adventures did not stop at a solo trek across Australia with a team of camels! Unfinished Woman tells the rest of Robyn’s life story, from her tough outback childhood to 1960s bohemian Sydney (with actual gangsters!) to international globetrotting, and marrying an Indian prince. All while tragically haunted by her mother’s suicide. Every line in this book took my breath away. This is the must-read life of an incredible Australian.
Get it here.
The Dinner Party by Rebecca Heath
Recommended by Jasmine Aird, Bloomsbury’s Marketing and Publicity Coordinator
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Set in the tranquil town of Queen’s Point in South Australia, The Summer Party is a glamorous psychologist thriller, perfect for fans of Liane of Moriarty. Told in dual timelines, the novel follows 16-year-old Lucy Ross who attends a lavish party at the Whitlam family’s clifftop mansion after spending the summer hanging around the enigmatic Whitlam siblings. There, in the rose garden, Lucy stumbles upon something she shouldn’t have.
Two decades later, Lucy returns to Queen’s Point. She doesn’t plan on sticking around, but when human remains wash up on the beach, she’s forced to confront her past and the secret she’s been holding onto for all these years. Set against an atmospheric Australian backdrop, this is a gripping, twisty beach read that will keep you guessing from start to end.
Get it here.
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
Recommended by Cristina Cappelluto, Bloomsbury’s Managing Director
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A new book from Ann Patchett is always ‘a publishing event’ – and there’s a reason for that. Ann is, quite simply, one of the best writers of our time. Having closed the pages on Tom Lake, I found myself agreeing with a reviewer from The Sydney Morning Herald who called this the ‘Ann Patchett novel we need now.’ Of course, it is multi-layered and an absolutely great novel to read and discuss in book club. For me, though, it reminded me that family relationships and love nourish the soul. If you’re after a book that offers an antidote to the craziness of the world right now, Tom Lake is the story for you.
Get it here.
Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-reum
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Recommended by Hermione Davis, Bloomsbury’s Head of Marketing and Publicity
This quirky little Korean novel really is like a warm hug; it’s about finding comfort and acceptance in your life and the healing power of books. Yeongju did everything she was supposed to, go to university, marry a decent man, get a respectable job. Then it all falls apart.
Burned out, Yeongju abandons her old life, quits her high-flying career, and follows her dream: she opens a bookshop. This is the perfect gift for book lovers and a lovely comforting beach read for anyone who has ever had the urge to drop everything and open their own little bookshop (it can’t be just me?!). I adored this life-affirming story.
Get it here.
To sneak a peek at the most anticipated book releases of 2024, try this.
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