Josh Frydenberg’s autobiography might be one of the longest job applications in historyJohn Hawkins, University of Canberra
Friday essay: forget Big Brother, propaganda is now a form of hybrid warfareJane Goodall, Western Sydney University
Guide to the classics: Machiavelli’s ‘audaciously honest’ The Prince reveals how politics worksIntifar Chowdhury, Flinders University
John A. Scott’s The Boy Who Loved Dolls is a surreal tale of figurative dismembermentsRobbie Moore, University of Tasmania
Why do we find certain things beautiful? A psychologist’s new book offers a bold answerNick Haslam, The University of Melbourne
Should Australians be preparing for disaster? Some are – but don’t call them ‘preppers’Jordan McKenzie, University of Wollongong and Fiona Whitelaw, University of Wollongong
Emma Cline is known for her troubled young women. In Switzy, she inhabits a man with dementiaCaitlin Macdonald, University of Sydney
Friday essay: AI is devastating higher education, but the system was already brokenJeff Sparrow, The University of Melbourne
Virginia Woolf’s Orlando, the ultimate shapeshifter, is now a madcap graphic novelYves Rees, La Trobe University
‘A hard, hard book to write’: Magda Szubanski on trauma, cancer and the cost of coming outKate Cantrell, University of Southern Queensland
What is Australia’s best book? Our experts pick their favouritesJo Case, The Conversation and Suzy Freeman-Greene, The Conversation
A new history of ‘blackbirding’ favours moral condemnation at the expense of complexityTim Rowse, Western Sydney University
Sally Rooney’s books are being withdrawn from sale in the UK, due to her support for Palestine ActionJulian Novitz, Swinburne University of Technology
Anne Carson has won the Nobel Prize for Literature for her bold, inventive, breathtaking workAlexander Howard, University of Sydney
Literary pioneer Hilary McPhee launched Helen Garner, published Cloudstreet – and inspired meAlice Grundy, Australian National University
Here are five of Australia’s top library influencers. One is a 72-year-old rare books librarianKrystal Gagen-Spriggs, Charles Sturt University
Reading alone, together is all the rage at book doofs and reading parties. What makes it social?Shakiba Barghi, The University of Melbourne
Australian poetry classics: Francis Webb, the 20th century’s ‘most unjustly neglected poet’, is our best kept literary secretToby Davidson, Macquarie University
Australian poetry classics: John Forbes’ On the Beach exposes the nation’s myths of convenienceAidan Coleman, Southern Cross University
Australian poetry classics: Kenneth Slessor’s Five Bells gives Sydney Harbour back its darknessBronwyn Lea, The University of Queensland
Australian poetry classics: Oodgeroo Noonuccal’s A Song of Hope created a legacy to build onTess Ryan, Australian Catholic University and Kelly Humphrey, Australian Catholic University
Friday essay: space was once a place of wonder – now it’s being bought and sold by powerful menElise Stephenson, Australian National University
Friday essay: The Catcher in the Rye is 75 – and every time I meet Holden Caulfield, I see him anewSascha Morrell, Monash University
Friday essay: how Australia’s ‘invasion novels’ have reflected our cultural anxieties around raceFelicity Castagna, Western Sydney University
Friday essay: Don Watson’s book on Paul Keating ended their friendship – is it our best ever political memoir?Joshua Black, University of Canberra
Friday essay: Jeff Sparrow on the radical hope of ‘forgotten’ Australian writer Lesbia HarfordJeff Sparrow, The University of Melbourne
What is the Socratic method? Could it be used to test students in an age of AI?Oscar Davis, Bond University
Truth, evidence and controversy: Richard Dawkins’ The God Delusion at 20Jamie Q. Roberts, University of Sydney
Waleed Aly believes liberalism is in trouble, but his argument leaves us in a bindRussell Blackford, University of Newcastle
How has evolution shaped men’s and women’s minds? A new book tells an outdated storyCordelia Fine, The University of Melbourne
Psychedelic drugs were once considered ‘revolutionary rocket fuel’, but could they be life-changing medicines?Marty Branagan, University of New England
Naomi Klein’s new book calls out end times fascism. What is this – and what’s the role of big tech?Luke Munn, The University of Queensland
Aboriginal historian Barry Corr vividly investigates colonisation – but is less convincing on politicsTim Rowse, Western Sydney University
Alice Duncan-Kemp was an empathetic observer of Mithaka culture, but her legacy is complicatedEve Vincent, Macquarie University
Lucianne Tonti’s deeply personal history of witch hunts overstates the role of misogynyNicole Kimball, University of Newcastle
Guide to the classics: bemused by the contemporary world? The Red and the Black might be just the friend you needJamie Q. Roberts, University of Sydney
Lust and power: Foucault’s The History of Sexuality at 50Matthew Sharpe, Australian Catholic University
Australian poetry classics: Les Murray’s The Broad Bean Sermon is inexhaustible food for contemplationDavid McCooey, Deakin University
Friday essay: I’ve been reading The Odyssey my whole life. Nolan’s film version is exhilarating – but not perfectAnthony Macris, University of Technology Sydney
The Founding Father of American literature, Charles Brockden Brown saw his nation’s dark sideHannah Lauren Murray, La Trobe University
Australian children’s classics: Seven Little Australians is our own Little Women – but naughty, not earnestJudith Ridge, University of Newcastle; University of Tasmania
Australian children’s classics: Shaun Tan’s essential migrant story still mesmerises, 20 years onPenni Russon, Monash University
Australian children’s classics: Playing Beatie Bow is a time-slip novel that makes Sydney strangeMonique Rooney, Australian National University
Australian children’s classics: Storm Boy’s tough, tender ode to wild childhood will make you cryMargot Hillel, Australian Catholic University
Swan Song: Diana’s brother flips the royal family the bird in his scathing new bookKate Cantrell, University of Southern Queensland
An Australian novelist’s ‘masterful’ memoir taught me more about my crippling hormonal mood disorderAdele Pavlidis, Griffith University
Catherine Chidgey’s The Starving Bride exposes the extremes of our always-performing worldJulian Novitz, Swinburne University of Technology
The Disappearers: Marlon James’s new novel gives voice to the gay men Jamaica erasedAlison Donnell, University of Bristol
A poetic meditation on the tongue also explores violence and silence within familiesJen Webb, University of Canberra
Written as a single sentence, Adam Ouston’s Mine is a novel under the influenceEmmett Stinson, Edith Cowan University
How do you satirise a self-satirising society? Jordan Prosser gives it a goLuke Johnson, University of Wollongong
Meg Mason’s novel about a sad, divorcing festival worker asks: can books save your life?Amber Gwynne, The University of Queensland
Amanda Curtin imagines fragile acts of care among the homeless in ParisCaitlin Macdonald, University of Sydney
From Mumbai to Perth and beyond, Neha Kale considers, art, colonialism and ideas of homeJoanna Mendelssohn, The University of Melbourne
Wild souls and irreverent humour enliven these timely award-winning booksEmma Kohen, Western Sydney University
Some speed-reading apps make big claims. But how fast can we actually read?Erik D. Reichle, Macquarie University
Do we absorb information better on paper, rather than screens? It depends on the screenErik D. Reichle, Macquarie University and Lili Yu, Macquarie University
How to read the classics in an age of distraction – and 3 short books to get you goingJohanna Harris, Australian Catholic University
More than 1 in 3 Australian adults are functionally illiterate. How can we fix this?Genevieve McArthur, Australian Catholic University
Does your child only read graphic novels? That’s OK – it’s helping them build literacy skillsJudith Ridge, University of Tasmania and Robyn Cox, University of Tasmania
5 great 9/11 novels grapple with grief, trauma and the ‘American dream’Jessica Gildersleeve, University of Southern Queensland
The wondrous history of fairy tale art – from wolves and witches to fallen princessesElena Sottilotta, University of Cambridge
Feminist icon Gloria Steinem lifted up women everywhere, leaving behind a more gender-equal worldSharon Crozier-De Rosa, University of Wollongong
