Diversify your bookshelf: recommendations from the Penguin team

Every book offers the chance to see the world a little differently. Some of the most memorable books are the ones that introduce us to people, places and perspectives we might never have encountered otherwise. We are proud to publish books representing diverse and emerging voices, celebrating all that makes us human.

More and more readers are looking to diversify their bookshelves and discover new authors. We asked the team at the heart of our work championing diverse authors and stories for their recommendations.

Read on to discover the books that deserve a spot on every bookshelf.

The Clinging Thing by Munira Tabassum Ahmed

Recommended by: Holly Toohey - Adult Publishing and Audio Director

'Aside from its stunning cover and the fact that the author is only in her early twenties, this remarkable debut novel made a strong impression on me. It is a story of daughters, sisters and mothers – what is owed and what is given. Just as Iqra's hometown pulls her back into the past, into dreams and memories, the writing draws you in until you find yourself enmeshed in her world. The writing is fluid yet sharp, lyrical without ever losing its edge. Munira is definitely an author to watch!'

After the Siren by Darcy Green

Recommended by: Christine Ebbs - Publishing Executive and Optimisation Manager

'After the Siren is the perfect book to read after watching Heated Rivalry. It has the sweetest enemies-to-lovers romance (with actual stakes for being enemies), excellent jokes that will have you laughing out loud, and a really lovely sensibility that goes beyond being a love letter to AFL to being a love letter to Australia, full stop. If you’re looking for something completely joyful that’s easy to read but has a deeper meaning, look no further!'

The Yield by Tara June Winch

Recommended by: Chi Chi Zhu - Marketing Executive

'I was inspired to re-read The Yield by Tara June Winch once I saw it made its rightful place in the stunning Penguin Modern Australian Classics collection. I mean, look at it! Such a beautiful take on the original cover.

The Yield is an evocative and harrowing story told through the perspectives of three people and their own distinct narrative styles:

1. Albert ‘Poppy’ Gondiwindi, who is nearing the end of his life and dedicates himself to compiling a personal dictionary of the Wiradjuri language.
2. August Gondiwindi, Poppy’s granddaughter, who in the present day has returned home from France to attend his funeral and is confronted by a mining company threatening to take over their land.
3. Reverend Ferdinand Greenleaf, a 19th Century Lutheran missionary, who writes a letter in hopes of shedding light on the horrific acts committed against the Aboriginal people of his mission, but in the end is faced with how his own well-intentioned actions have impacted them.

Tara June Winch expertly weaves these different perspectives and timelines together and shows how Australia’s colonial history and cultural dispossession have affected generations of Indigenous Australians. It’s confronting at times, but a rewarding read as there’s still a sense of hope and resilience. 

My favourite chapters remained those of Poppy’s, which are told in the form of a Wiradjuri dictionary and in which he reflects upon his life. It’s such a unique form of storytelling, one that I’ve never come across before, filled with lyrical prose and highlights the importance of the preservation and passing down of language.

Read this book! You won't regret it. I can’t wait to see it in the hands of many new readers.'

The Vape Lord of Queanbeyan by Omar Musa

Recommended by: Hannah Ludbrook - Senior Publicist 

'Urgent and wildly imaginative, The Vape Lord of Queanbeyan uses the local to confront the global. A scholar of lost languages meets an AI-generated YouTuber. A government censors an author for writing about the wrong colours. A returning expat communes with a holy mountain. And across the collection, Musa explores Muslim identity, memory, diaspora and spiritual longing with rare complexity and force. The result is a body of work that feels both grounded and expansive, reaching across continents, histories and imagined futures.'

My Dear You by Rachel Khong

Recommended by: Caitlin Lang - Account Manager

'A playfully absurd short story collection that twists reality in ways sometimes unsettling and always revealing. These stories touch on identity, difference, belonging, capitalism, and the fate of humanity. This was a rare collection in which all of the stories were memorable, and I would particularly recommend it to any fans of Black Mirror, both for its ability to play with perception and for the questions it provokes about the nature of our world.'

Heavenly Bodies and Fallen Stars by Imani Erriu

Recommended by: Sheree Pirrone - Digital Marketing Executive

'Imani Erriu’s Heavenly Bodies is EVERYTHING. I am genuinely obsessed with this book and could go on forever about it. If you love fantasy but have been looking for something that feels fresh and different, this is for you.

When the Star of Wrath and War descends to hunt Elara, the neighbouring Kingdom, Helios sees an opportunity to take her from her home, Asteria. There, Elara is forced to either let Prince Lorenzo (who is very dreamy and arrogant) train her into a weapon worthy of battling against the tyrannical reign of the Stars, or to accept her fate.

There are so many secrets and plot twists and no matter how many times I tried to guess what would happen they just threw a reverse uno card down and I was left shocked.

I loved how the world feels inspired by Greek mythology, but instead of gods, the Stars hold the power. It’s also one of the most visually stunning books that I’ve ever read. And somehow Fallen Stars, book two, is proving to be EVEN BETTER? I literally gave both books infinity stars.'

Middle Eastern Simple by Fatimah Omran

Recommended by: Jodie Ramodien - Editorial Assistant, Adult Publishing

'On the heels of working on another standout cookbook, Tom’s Diner, came the opportunity for me to be the editor of Fatimah Omran’s Middle Eastern Simple. In between drafting mood boards and page plans and liaising with the typesetter, photographer and food stylist, I had spent two weeks travelling through Egypt, eating my way down the Nile from Cairo to Luxor to Aswan. When I returned to Sydney, I found myself missing both Egyptian and Middle Eastern food more broadly. Fatimah has done a phenomenal job of making Middle Eastern recipes feel achievable and easy to recreate at home. Since returning to Sydney, I’ve used her cookbook to make some of my favourites:

• Koshary (pg. 90). Koshary is Egypt’s national dish. You can find it on most street corners and can even order it in fast-food joints.
• Basbousa (pg. 166). Basbousa is a nutty rose water-soaked semolina slice cut into diamonds. It’s known in this book by its Lebanese name, Namoura.
• Karkadeh (pg. 199). This is THE DRINK to order in Egypt. It’s a perfectly balanced mix of sweetness and tartness.

Fatimah has included recipes passed down through the generations, many of which come from her home city of Tripoli, Lebanon but also ones that traverse far more of the region with:

• Arayes (pg. 26): Jordanian meat-stuffed pita.
• Emsakhan (pg. 117): a Palestinian dish of sumac-infused chicken.
• Cocktail al-Fawakeh al-Saudi (pg. 188): a non-alcoholic drink sometimes called Saudi Champagne.

I was fortunate enough to spend a couple of days on the photoshoot tasting the very dishes Fatimah had cooked for this book, so I know firsthand how special these recipes are.'