22 Dec 2025
Yay! The holidays have arrived!
If you missed our in-person Staff Picks session, this post is a dedicated eBook-only roundup so you can still explore the recommendations online.
Each title comes recommended by a member of Library staff (turns out we’re big readers - the list of recommendations was so long we couldn’t possibly include them all here) to hopefully take some of the guess work out of choosing your holiday entertainment.
Classics & gothic (and other eerie favourites)
- The war of the worlds
Join actors from Star Trek and Star Trek: The Next Generation in this audio drama adaptation of H. G. Wells’ classic tale… - The picture of Dorian Gray
Oscar Wilde’s enduring tale of beauty, corruption, and the price of eternal youth… - Dracula
Bram Stoker’s iconic gothic horror, filled with suspense, superstition, and shadowy intrigue…
Fiction & speculative reads
- Severance
A darkly funny, unsettling novel about work, routine, and what’s left when life unravels… - Intervals.
A contemporary fiction pick with sharp observations, emotional turns, and plenty to talk about… - Daimon : The prequel to half-blood.
A prequel adventure that expands the Half-Blood world with myth, momentum, and mystery… - My teacher is an alien
A fun, classic kids’ sci-fi story with humour, surprises, and a teacher who’s not what he seems… - The secret diaries of Miss Anne Lister
A fascinating, vivid selection from Anne Lister’s diaries—witty, candid, and historically rich…
Ideas, society & politics
- Tell me again : a memoir
For years, Amy Thunig thought she knew all the stories of her life… - The Teal Revolution : Inside the Movement Changing Australian Politics.
A timely, smart take on the changing face of Australian politics… - Sludge : what stops us from getting things done and what to do about it
“A short manifesto on sludge, the goo that gums up our lives…” - How local art made Australia's national capital
A fresh perspective on Canberra’s story through the art, artists, and place-making that shaped it… - How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy
A thoughtful, practical counterpoint to the always-on attention economy—slow down and reclaim focus… - Allyship actually : why it's 'we' and not 'me'
A clear, grounded guide to allyship that centres action, humility, and shared responsibility…
Craft, making & creative industries
- The Writing Thief: Using Mentor Texts to Teach the Craft of Writing
Mediocre writers borrow. Great writers steal."… - Animation Craft: For 3D and 2D Animators
Practical craft-focused advice for animators—timing, performance, workflow, and sharpening your eye… - The Material Landscapes of Scotland’s Jewellery Craft, 1780–1914
A deep dive into jewellery craft, materials, and making traditions across Scotland’s history… - Craft Economies
How craft works as culture and economy—skills, labour, value, and creative communities… - Vintage Knits: 25 Classic Patterns for Modern Knitters
A gorgeous collection of classic knit patterns with a modern twist—great “project” reading… - Vintage crochet : classic Australian patterns
A nostalgic, practical set of Australian crochet patterns—perfect for relaxed holiday making… - Knitting and crochet, tales and poetry : a melange of instructi...ing the year's volume of the Ladies' needlework penny magazine.
A charming mix of needlework and crochet instruction, with stories and poetry woven through…
Photography
- The Art, Science, and Craft of Great Landscape Photography, Third Edition
A practical guide to making stronger landscape photographs—from planning and capture to finishing…
Happy holidays — and happy reading!
