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.
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
- Andre Aciman, Call Me by Your Name
- Carmen Maria Mochado, In the Dream House
- Casey McQuiston, Red, White and Royal Blue
- Daniel Lavery, Something That May Shock and Discredit You
- David Levithan, Every Day
- Dean Atta, The Black Flamingo
- Emma Donoghue (ed), What Sappho Would Have Said: Four Centuries of Love Poems Between Women
- Gaby Dunn, Bury the Lede
- Hugh Ryan, When Brooklyn Was Queer
- Jeanette Winterson, Oranges are Not the Only Fruit
- Jeanette Winterson, Why be Happy When You Could be Normal
- 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
- Sarah Gailey, Upright Women Wanted
- Sarah Waters, Tipping the Velvet
- Timothy Conigrave, Holding the Man
If there's a LGBTIQ work you think should be in our catalogue, suggest an item. 🏳️🌈
Peak behind the curtain and discover amazing things about the world we inhabit and beyond. Each text can be accessed via our catalogue.
- Karl Kruszelnicki, Dr Karl's Random Road Trip Through Science
- Luke A.J. O'Neill, Humanology: A Scientist's Guide to Our Amazing Existence
- Marcus Chown, Quantum Theory Cannot Hurt You
- Charles Darwin, On the origin of species
If there's a scintillating piece of science fact (or fiction) that you think should be in our catalogue, suggest an item. 🔬
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
- Anita Heiss, Am I Black Enough for You?
- Anita Heiss, Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia
- Ali Cobby Eckermann, Ruby Moonlight
- Boori Monty Pryor and Jan Ormerod, Shake a Leg
- Bruce Pascoe, Dark Emu
- Bruce Pascoe, Fog a Dox
- Clare Atkins, Nona & Me
- Doris Pilkington Garimara, Follow the Rabbit Proof Fence
- Henry Reynolds, Forgotten War
- Jane Harrison, Becoming Kirrali Lewis
- Jared Thomas, Calypso Summer
- Kevin Gilbert, Because a White Man'll Never Do It
- Kim Scott, Taboo
- Marcia Langton, Welcome to Country
- Melissa Lucaschenko, Mullumbimby
- Ruby Langford Ginibi, Don't Take Your Love to Town
- Stan Grant, Talking to My Country
- Sally Morgan, My Place
- Tara June Winch, The Yield
- Tony Birch, The White Girl
- Tyson Yunkaporta, Sand Talk
If you would like to see more literature written by Aboriginal Australians, we encourage you to suggest an item. 
Get your little one prepared for starting school with these great reads available via our catalogue.
- Helene Hilton, Stuff to know when you start school
- Sue deGennaro, School days
- Jane Godwin and Anna Walker, Starting school
- P. Crumble and Dean Rankine, On the first day of school
- Simon Philip and Ged Adamson, I have to start at school today
- Jedda Robaard, Silly Lily and the first day of kindergarten
- Penny Matthews and Liz Anelli, Maddie's first day
- Kate Berube, Mae's first day of school
- Andrew Daddo and Jonathan Bentley, Old friends, new friends
- Andrew Daddo and Jonathan Bentley, First day
- Nic Naitanui and Fatima Anaya, Little Nic's big day
- Eric Hill, Spot goes to school: a lift-the-flap book
- Ted Prior, Grug goes to school
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
- Graeme Simsion, The Rosie Project
- Sophie Jenkins, A Random Act of Kindness
- Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman, Good Omens
- William McInnes, Fatherhood
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.