Recommended Readings
Wollongong City Libraries will occasionally assemble a list of recommended texts on a topic or event. These are selected from staff and community suggestions and present a great opportunity to dip your toe into unfamiliar territory, or brush-up on a topic you are passionate about.
Check back regularly for new titles and lists.
In celebration of the annual NAIDOC Week and Indigenous Literacy Day, we have compiled a list featuring prize-winning and otherwise revered works by First Australians. You can find each text and more by searching the catalogue.
- Alexis Wright, The Swan Book
- Ali Cobby Eckermann, Ruby Moonlight
- Boori Monty Pryor and Jan Ormerod, Shake a Leg
- Bruce Pascoe, Fog a Dox
- Clare Atkins, Nona & Me
- Jane Harrison, Becoming Kirrali Lewis
- Jared Thomas, Calypso Summer
- Kim Scott, Taboo
- Melissa Lucaschenko, Mullumbimby
- Tara June Winch, The Yield
- Tony Birch, The White Girl
- Anita Heiss, Am I Black Enough for You?
- Anita Heiss, Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia
- Bruce Pascoe, Dark Emu
- Doris Pilkington Garimara, Follow the Rabbit Proof Fence
- Henry Reynolds, Forgotten War
- Kevin Gilbert, Because a White Man'll Never Do It
- Marcia Langton, Welcome to Country
- Ruby Langford Ginibi, Don't Take Your Love to Town
- Stan Grant, Talking to My Country
- Sally Morgan, My Place
- Tyson Yunkaporta, Sand Talk
If you would like to see more literature written by Aboriginal Australians, we encourage you to suggest an item.
Sometimes you just need a laugh. Explore these and many more comedic books by searching the catalogue
- Ali Wong, Dear Girls
- Darynda Jones, First Grave on the Right
- David Sedaris, Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk
- Enid Blyton, Five Forget Mother's Day
- Enid Blyton, Five Go Gluten Free
- Gail Honeyman, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
- Graeme Simsion, The Rosie Project
- Jerry Seinfeld, Is This Anything?
- Jenny Offill, Weather
- Judith Lucy, Drink Smoke Pass Out
- Kitty Flanagan, 488 Rules For Life
- Mikey Robins, Reprehensible
- Samantha Irby, Wow, No Thank You
- Sophie Jenkins, A Random Act of Kindness
- Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman, Good Omens
- William McInnes, Fatherhood
Know any sidesplitting stories we don't have yet? Why not head over and suggest an item.
Wollongong City Libraries is committed to providing a welcoming, supportive and inclusive environment for everyone. To celebrate our diverse community, our staff have curated a list of favourite and lesser-known LGBTQIA+ texts. Each is available for borrowing in our catalogue.
- Alice Oseman, Heartstopper
- Brontez Purnell, 100 Boyfriends
- Casey McQuiston, Red, White and Royal Blue
- David Levithan, Every Day
- Dean Atta, The Black Flamingo
- Gaby Dunn, Bury the Lede
- Krystal Sutherland, House of Hollow
- Madeline Miller, The Song of Achilles
- Mariko Tamaki, Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me
- Ocean Vuong, On Earth We are Briefly Gorgeous
- Rainbow Rowell, Carry On
- Robert Jr. Jones, The Prophets
- Sarah Gailey, Upright Women Wanted
- Sarah Waters, Tipping the Velvet
- Xiran Jay Zhao, Iron Widow
- Carmen Maria Mochado, In the Dream House
- Daniel Lavery, Something That May Shock and Discredit You
- Hugh Ryan, When Brooklyn Was Queer
- Jeanette Winterson, Why be Happy When You Could be Normal
- John Paul Brammer, ¡Hola Papi!: How to come out in a Walmart parking lot and other life lessons
- Timothy Conigrave, Holding the Man
If there's a LGBTQIA+ work you think should be in our catalogue, suggest an item. 🏳️🌈
Grounded science, or quirky speculation? Peak behind the curtain and discover amazing things about the world we inhabit and beyond. Each text can be accessed via our catalogue.
- Alan Lightman, The Accidental Universe
- Christopher Paolini, To Sleep in a Sea of Stars
- Cixin Liu, Hold Up the Sky
- Jo Marchant, The Human Cosmos
- Judy Mikovits, Plague of Corruption
- Kim Stanley Robinson, Red Mars
- Liz Hyder, The Gifts
- Patrick D. Nunn, Worlds in Shadow
- Simon Morden, The Red Planet
- Stephen Baxter, Obelisk
If there's a scintillating piece of science fact or fiction that you think should be in our catalogue, suggest an item. 🔬
Get your little one prepared for starting school with these great reads available via our catalogue.
- Andrew Daddo and Jonathan Bentley, First Day
- Andrew Daddo and Jonathan Bentley, Old Friends, New Friends
- Eric Hill, Spot goes to school: a lift-the-flap book
- Helene Hilton, Stuff to know when you start School
- Jane Godwin and Anna Walker, Starting School
- Jedda Robaard, Silly Lily and the First Day of Kindergarten
- Kate Berube, Mae's First Day of School
- Nic Naitanui and Fatima Anaya, Little Nic's Big Day
- P. Crumble and Dean Rankine, On the First Day of School
- Penny Matthews and Liz Anelli, Maddie's First Day
- Simon Philip and Ged Adamson, I have to start at school today
- Sue deGennaro, School Days
- Ted Prior, Grug Goes to School
Websites
Try one of these websites for help finding a good read:
- BookBrowse
- Fantastic Fiction
- FictionDB
- Good Reads
- Magpies: children's literature guide - please note, this site is for use on library computers only.
- GALE Books and Authors
- Reader's Advice
- Reading Ahead
- Readings
- whichbook
- Who Else Writes Like...? Use your library card number to access this website.
Join a book club
Book clubs are a great way to challenge yourself and read something you might not have thought to pick up. We have more than a dozen book clubs across most of our libraries. Visit our Book Clubs page to find a group.
You can also check out our Book Club Conversations page for posts about reading ideas, book recommendations and more.