Dispatch #025

We launched a new event this week, with Dr Lucy Hone, whose new book is called How Will I Ever Get Through This? She knows of what she speaks: Lucy’s daughter Abi was just 12 years old when she jumped into her friend Ella's car to go away on a summer holiday weekend, and both girls and the friend’s mother Sally were killed in an accident. Lucy writes:

“If you’re in Sydney and going through some form of unwanted change or loss right now, come and join me for a one-night-only event with Gertrude & Alice in August. You’ll pick up some practical tools and insights to reduce helplessness and overwhelm. Don’t think I’m inviting you to some awful morbid griefy event - it’s just me and Charlotte Ree talking. You’ll leave feeling lighter and better equipped to face the hard stuff. And if you know anyone who’s doing hard things right now, then be a good friend and bring them along to demonstrate your care.”

Take care, everyone; it can be rough out there, and we need all of you in the world, shining your light, as best you’re able. Grab a ticket here if you’d like to come along.

BOOK LAUNCH: We launched Teeth Kicker, the racy new crime thriller by Bondi’s own Glenn Orgias, at the bookshop last week, with champagne, sausage rolls, and lolly teeth. Why teeth? TEETH KICKER! It’s what they call the guys who come for you if you don’t pay back the loan shark. Speaking of sharks, Glenn lost his hand to one. He hasn’t let that hold him back. In fact, he’s used it as a trampoline, jumping straight into a brighter new life with his gorgeous wife, Lisa, and their two kids, who were right there beside him at the launch, cheering him on.

REBECCA F. KUANG: Hold onto your hats, because there’s a new book coming from Rebecca F. Kuang. It’s called Taipei Story, and it’s going to be released on 15 September 2026. The publisher says: “Taipei Story is a profoundly moving coming-of-age story that explores first love, second language and final goodbyes – all set against the backdrop of one unforgettable summer in Taipei.”

DAVID POCOCK: Penguin Random House Australia has announced the acquisition of a new children’s book from Australian Senator and former professional rugby union player, David Pocock, currently titled My Australian Bird Book. It will be written with ecologist Jess Ward-Jones (both pictured bottom left), and it’s a birdwatching field guide for kids, some of whom have probably gotten the bug from the smash hit, Eastern Rosella. David says: "Birds have been a constant source of wonder and excitement in my life, from my childhood in Zimbabwe to the extraordinary diversity of species here in Australia, they have deepened my sense of wonder and shown me how much beauty can be found simply by paying attention … This field guide for young people will help them identify and learn about the birds they see every day." Sounds like a ripper! We will try to get him in store for you!

TECH BROS: Also coming this week, the extraordinary story of Atlassian (bottom right) - two university friends with a billion-dollar idea created a global tech company. They met in a cramped share house in inner-city Sydney, and university classmates Mike Cannon-Brookes and Scott Farquhar couldn’t have been more different - Cannon-Brookes the son of a wealthy banker and educated in one of Sydney’s top private schools, while Farquhar’s western suburbs parents worked multiple jobs to make ends meet - yet together, they rode the software boom to unimaginable success, creating tools that reshaped how teams collaborate worldwide. Can’t wait for this one.

HORRIFYING: We hinted at this last week, and now we have some video confirmation, and it’s gut-churning. Artificial intelligence companies are bulk-buying old books, putting them under a guillotine to chop off the spine, scanning the pages, and then pulping the works, destroying millions of books in the process. They need the material for their so-called “large language models” because, so far, all they’ve got is what’s already on the internet and books they have stolen. Booksellers report getting bulk orders for literally thousands of old titles. If this starts happening in Australia, we are going to lose so much of our cultural heritage. Many, many books exist only in written form. There’s a video here. Watch it if you can bear it.

BOOKER: It was a tiny bit disappointing not to see any Australian books on the Booker long list this year, but it’s still such an interesting list. The chair of the judges this year is the magnificent Mary Beard, and she’s joined by the Pulp frontman, Jarvis Cocker, so it’s a diverse collection they’ve put together:

The 13 longlisted books are:

• The Shadow of the Object (Chloe Aridjis, Chatto & Windus)

• Switzy (Emma Cline, Chatto & Windus) (forthcoming)

• Helen of Nowhere (Makenna Goodman, Fitzcarraldo)

• The End of Everything (M John Harrison, Profile Books) (forthcoming)

• The Disappearers (Marlon James, Hamish Hamilton) (forthcoming)

• Black Bag (Luke Kennard, John Murray Press)

• The Renovation (Kenan Orhan, Hamish Hamilton)

• May We Feed the King (Rebecca Perry, Granta)

• The Palm House (Gwendoline Riley, Picador)

• The Things We Never Say (Elizabeth Strout, Viking)

• John of John (Douglas Stuart, Picador)

• All Them Dogs (Djamel White, John Murray)

• The Vivisectors (Missouri Williams, 4th Estate) (forthcoming).

They represent seven countries - Jamaica, Mexico, Turkey, England, Scotland, Ireland and the United States - but not us, this time. My money is still on previous winner Douglas Stuart (who won with Shuggie Bain in 2020). There are three debut novelists: Kenan Orhan, Rebecca Perry and Djamel White.

Ordinary Funny Tragic by Bridie Jabour: the next novel from the talented young Bridie, known to many from her columns in the Guardian.

Blackbirding by Ryan Butta: an examination of the slave trade, whereby young men from the Pacific Islands were brought to Australia to work in the cane fields, with no obvious way home.

Mire by Matt Nable: you may know Matt from his work on film and TV, but he’s also a cracking novelist. This one is set after the 1987 stockmarket crash.

Good Witch by Lucianne Tonti: a celebration of divine feminine power, with an absorbing look back at the witch trials.

Sophie, Standing There by Meg Mason: It’s out! The long-awaited follow-up to Sorrow and Bliss is set in the world of literary festivals.

So many fabulous events on the radar, including a Mary Oliver tribute night! Come along to any or all of these:

Dr Joanna McMillan, An Evening with the Author, Tuesday 11th of August: Join Dr Joanna McMillan for an author talk about her latest book The Fibre Factor at Gertrude & Alice Cafe Bookstore. Click here for tickets.

Angel Down, Bookclub, Bondi Literary Salon, Wednesday 12th of August: Angel Down by Daniel Kraus, hosted by Anna O’Rady at Gertrude & Alice Cafe Bookstore. Click here for tickets.

Remembering Babylon Bookclub, Bondi Literary Salon, Tuesday 18th of August: Remembering Babylon by David Malouf at Gertrude & Alice Cafe Bookstore. Click here for tickets.

Victoria Hannan, An Evening with the Author, Wednesday 19th of August: Victoria will be in conversation with Sophie Roberts to celebrate the launch of her new book ‘I Love the Whole World!’ at Gertrude & Alice. Click here for tickets.

Hannah Kent, Lunch with the Author, Friday, 21st of August: Hannah Kent is The Women’s Club guest speaker for the August Lunch Club. Gertrude & Alice are the official booksellers. Click here for tickets.

Dr Lucy Hone, An Evening with the Author, Wednesday 26th of August: an evening of insight and inspiration as bestselling author Charlotte Ree sits down with resilience expert Dr Lucy Hone at Paddington Uniting Church. Click here for tickets.

Dr Norman Swan, An Evening with the Author, Wednesday 2nd of September: Join us as Dr Norman Swan sits down with Fran Kelly to discuss his latest book ‘The Brain Cliff’ at Paddington Uniting Church. Click here for tickets.

Holly Ringland, An Evening with the Author, Monday 7th of September: Join Holly Ringland, in conversation with Michaela Kalowski, to celebrate the release of her new novel ‘The World Beneath Her Feet’ at Paddington Uniting Church. Click here for tickets.

Mary Oliver Tribute Night, Poetica Petit, Thursday 10th of September: Join Poetica for an open mic Mary Oliver tribute night at Woollahra Gallery at Redleaf. Gertrude & Alice are the official booksellers. Click here for tickets.

And that’s all for today, folks! Thank you for reading, and please do forward our newsletter to your friends so that we can build our community here. We have over 2200 subscribers. We would love to welcome more!

Have something you’d like to include? Our newsletter is compiled by a Bondi local, Caroline Overington. You can follow her on Instagram or Facebook, or get in touch here if you’ve got news to share.