Peer-recommended reads for 2026: historical and contemporary stories

Kosciuszko is Australia’s tallest mountain. Anthony Sharwood traces the life of the hero it’s named after, Tadeusz Kosciuszko. The journey takes him across continents.  

In Australia, he speaks with Traditional Owners to learn about the mountain’s ancient history. Is the man's legacy reason enough to keep his name on the mountain? 

On Freedom 

by Tory Shepherd  

Shepherd is another Australian journalist. This book challenges a pervasive stigma in Australian society. 

On Freedom is one of the Little Books on Big Ideas series. In it, Shepherd looks at how women's freedom to choose motherhood is reshaping their own lives as well as society. 

A Room Made of Leaves

by Kate Grenville 

This book is a historical fiction. Like Grenville's other works, it interrogates Australian colonial history.  

Elizabeth Macarthur was the wife of Sydney's notorious John Macarthur. What if she wrote a secret, shocking memoir? This is the premise of A Room Made of Leaves.  

You can listen to the ABC Radio audiobook for free. 

Contemporary Australian fiction

Modern Australian writers give insight into the ideas and issues shaping life in the country right now. Here are a couple of AWAG’s favourite literary fiction books by Australian authors of today: 

The Name of the Sister 

by Gail Jones  

This thrilling novel is set in Sydney and the Mars-red landscapes around Broken Hill. A young woman is found in a state of distress. She's lost the ability to speak. No one knows who she is, but the media speculates.  

The Name of the Sister explores the lines between the truth and the stories people tell each other. 

Cold Enough for Snow 

by Jessica Au  

This book was the inaugural winner of the Novel Prize in 2022. In it, an unnamed mother and daughter live in different cities in an unnamed Western country. They meet in Tokyo and travel together on holiday in Japan. The book follows the intense yet tender interactions that happen between them.  

Reading matters for healthy ageing

Reading is a dynamic process, handled by multiple brain areas. It’s a hobby that helps you keep your brain active and healthy as you age.  

Choose topics you find interesting and enjoyable. This makes it easier to read often and stay engaged. 

Looking for more ideas? AWAG’s top picks include ageing science and self-help books to challenge your thinking.  

If you prefer something fun and fictional, AWAG has a list for that, too. 

Did you know?

Reading fiction is just as much a workout for your brain as non-fiction. It has some unique social benefits, too. Research published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology (2024) shows that reading fiction can boost your: 

• Empathy (understanding others) 
• Theory of mind (thinking about other people’s thoughts) 
• Language skills 

Getting started

Join your local library for free, to start borrowing books today. 

You can also use LiveUp’s social activities finder to discover book clubs near you.  

If you need more information about healthy ageing, get in touch with one of our helpful site navigators on 1800 951 971. 

References

Chang, Y.-H., Wu, I.-C., & Hsiung, C. A. (2021). Reading activity prevents long-term decline in cognitive function in older people: Evidence from a 14-year longitudinal study. International Psychogeriatrics, 33(1), 63-74. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1041610220000812 

Woolnough, O., Donos, C., Murphy, E., Rollo, P. S., Roccaforte, Z. J., Dehaene, S., & Tandon, N. (2023). Spatiotemporally distributed frontotemporal networks for sentence reading. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), 120(17), e2300252120. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2300252120 

Wimmer, L., Currie, G., Friend, S., Wittwer, J., & Ferguson, H. J. (2024). Cognitive effects and correlates of reading fiction: Two preregistered multilevel meta-analyses. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 153(6), 1464–1488. https://doi.org/10.1037/xge0001583