The Most Anticipated Books of Spring 2025
The Most Anticipated Books of Spring 2025
As Spring approaches, excitement is building in the book world for a seriously fantastic line up of new releases. There is truly something for everyone on this list: new mysteries from Australia’s best crime writers, intriguing novels from promising newcomers, fresh fiction from literary legends, alongside a stack of exquisite memoirs and tempting cookbooks. Take a sneak peek at these upcoming books and pre-order your favourites below!
August - September
Katabasis by R. F. Kuang
Out 26th August 202
From the bestselling author of Yellowface and Babel comes a brilliant new dark academia fantasy novel with grand themes and an enthralling story. Two graduate students must put aside their rivalry and journey to Hell to save their professor’s soul—perhaps at the cost of their own. With classical allusions and modern fantasy tropes, Katabasis is sure to lure you to the Underworld!
Linger by Hetty Lui McKinnon
Out 26th August 2025
With the subtitle Salads, sweets and stories to savour, together, the new cookbook from one of our all-time favourites, Hetty Lui McKinnon, is one to share with friends! McKinnon has long believed in the power of a salad shared to bring people together, as her first cult-favourite cookbook Community proved. To create Linger she has invited friends into her home to share salads, sweets and stories around her dining room table. The recipes in this book are the result of these special gatherings.
Tenderfoot by Toni Jordan
Out 26th August 2025
Set in 1970s Australia, Tenderfoot is a moving coming-of age story from the author of Nine Days and Addition. Growing up in Brisbane, Andie lives with her mum, her dad and the kennel of racing greyhounds that live under their house. Andie is a serious girl with plans: finish school with her friends, then apprentice to her father until she can become a greyhound trainer, with dogs of her very own. But real life rarely goes to plan…
Strange Houses by Uketsu
Out 2nd September 2025
Strange indeed! Mysterious Japanese writer Uketsu’s cult crime novel Strange Pictures has been a surprise word-of-mouth hit this year and both our staff and our Crime Book Club are eagerly awaiting the sequel, Strange Houses.
A sinister hidden room. A dead space between two walls. A sealed cellar. A child's face glimpsed at a window. Every house hides secrets. But some secrets are far darker than others. With diagrammatic clues, these books are chillingly fun to read!
All the Way to the River by Elizabeth Gilbert
Out 9th September 2025
In this intimate and revealing memoir, Elizabeth Gilbert weaves a tale about love and loss, addiction and recovery, grief and liberation. Elizabeth met Rayya Elias in 2000. Over the years they became friends, then best friends, then in the midst of a tragedy realised they were in love. But the relationship ultimately ended in heartbreak. This no-holds barred account by Gilbert of her subsequent search for peace and freedom promises to be every bit as insightful as her previous books, Eat Pray Love and Big Magic.
Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy
Out 9th September 2025
Arundhati Roy, the Booker Prize-winning author of The God of Small Things and The Ministry of Utmost Happiness, here explores her own life in her first work of memoir. It’s a soaring account, both intimate and inspiring, of how the author became the person and the writer she is, shaped by circumstance, but above all by her relationship to her extraordinary, singular mother Mary, who she describes as ‘my shelter and my storm’.
Clown Town by Mick Herron
Out 9th September 2025
Jackson Lamb and his ragtag crew of Slow Horses are back in the latest installment of Herron’s fantastic Slough House series. If you haven’t yet read any of this particularly entertaining espionage series, go back and start with Slow Horses. You won’t regret it. Old fans will be pleased to drop into Slough House and catch up with the crew as Taverner’s latest Machiavellian plot provokes Lamb into sending in the proverbial clowns.
What We Can Know by Ian McEwan
Out 16th September 2025
Already generating buzz as one of McEwan’s most ambitious novels yet, What We Can Know promises to be one of the season’s must-read new releases. Taking place from the year 2014 to the year 2119 in a world submerged by rising seas, What We Can Know spans the past, present and future to ask profound questions about who we are and where we are going. But rather than prophesying doom, the novel aims to redeem the present from our sense of looming catastrophe, and imagine a future world where all is not quite lost.
House of Day, House of Night by Olga Tokarczuk
Out 16th September 2025
Mid-September look out for this freshly-translated novel from the Polish Nobel Prize winner, Olga Tokarczuk. Written in the same mode as her International Booker Prize–winning Flights, this is another brilliant ‘constellation novel’ that expands upon a seemingly humble place.
A woman settles in a remote Polish village. It has few inhabitants now, but it teems with the stories of its living and its dead. Intriguing!
Among the Burning Flowers by Samantha Shannon
Out 16th September
Fans of Shannon’s epic femisist fantasy saga, The Priory of the Orange Tree will need no convincing that this prequel is one of this month’s most exciting new releases!
A story of human resilience in the face of dire circumstances, Among the Burning Flowers leads readers through the gripping and tragic events that pave the way for the opening of the million-copy bestseller The Priory of The Orange Tree. Richly illustrated with magical artwork by Rovina Cai.
The Impossible Fortune by Richard Osman
Out 23rd September 2025
The gang from the Thursday Murder Club are back with a brand-new cosy mystery that will both satisfy old fans and enchant new readers!
It’s been a quiet year for the Thursday Murder Club. Joyce is busy with table plans and first dances. Elizabeth is grieving. Ron is dealing with family troubles, and Ibrahim is still providing therapy to his favourite criminal. But when Elizabeth meets a wedding guest who fears for their life, the thrill of the chase is ignited once again.
Circle of Days by Ken Follett
Out 23rd September 2025
No one does epic historical fiction quite like Ken Follett. This year the bestselling author of The Pillars of the Earth is turning his pen to the deeply human story of one of the world’s greatest mysteries: the building of Stonehenge. A master storyteller, a fascinating historical mystery: Circle of Days is a book for those who like their summer reading to be both informative and immersive.
We LoveYou, Bunny by Mona Awad
Out 23rd September 2025
The Bunnies are back and they have a score to settle in this sequel/prequel to Mona Awad’s outrageously entertaining cult fave Bunny.
Samantha Mackey’s debut novel based on her time at a highly selective New England writing program has been published to great acclaim and fanfare, but some people feel that only one side of the story got told. And that’s really not fair, is it Bunny? When Samantha returns to her alma mater for an event she finds herself once again in the Bunnies’ grip as they attempt to set the story straight.
Cursed Daughters by Oyinkan Braithwaite
Out 23rd September 2025
Oyinkan Braithwaite’s debut thriller My Sister the Serial Killer was a word-of-mouth hit and a big favourite amongst the Mary Martin staff. Pitch black humour and a killer story are Braithwaite’s trademarks and she has brought both to her follow up novel, Cursed Daughters.
No man will call your house his home. And if they try, they will not have peace... So goes the family curse, long handed down from generation to generation, ruining families and breaking hearts. And now it's Eniiyi's turn…
Gravity Let Me Go by Trent Dalton
Out 30th September 2024
The bestselling author of Boy Swallows Universe and Lola in the Mirror returns with a brand new novel. Gravity Let Me Go has everything we’ve come to expect from a Dalton offering: a gripping and unexpected story, unforgettable characters, a gritty setting, colourful, expressive language, plenty of humour and a touch of magic realism.
At its heart Gravity Let Me Go is a deeply personal exploration of marriage and ambition, truth-telling and truth-omitting, self-deception and self-preservation.
A Great Act of Love by Heather Rose
Out 30th September 2025
Heather Rose is an indie bookseller favourite. Her books The Museum of Love and Bruny have been much read and much loved by Mary Martin staff and customers alike.
For her latest novel Rose has drawn on her own family’s history for inspiration. A Great Act of Love is the story of a family with champagne in their blood and a fearless daughter determined to rewrite their fate. Largely set in Van Diemen’s Land in the early 19th Century, it’s an immensely beautiful and heartrending saga of a father and daughter, and the enduring power of familial love.
Pictures of You: Collected Stories by Tony Birch
Out 30th September 2025
From Australia’s master storyteller comes a retrospective of stories from the past two decades. Pictures of You: Collected Stories brings together the best of acclaimed writer Tony Birch’s short fiction from the last twenty years. Cherrypicking from across his oeuvre, this anthology showcases his skills at finding the extraordinary in ordinary lives, and the often-unexpected connections and kindnesses between strangers.
Will There Ever be Another You by Patricia Lockwood
Out 30th September 2025
Lockwood is one of the most original, inventive and prodigiously funny authors writing today. Will There Ever Be Another You is a wildly creative account of one woman’s attempt to hold on to sanity in crazy modern times. The writing reflects her spiralling thoughts as she contends with family dramas, personal illness, global pandemics and other uncertainties. A novel for our times.
Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth
Out 30th September 2025
Sally Hepworth fans rejoice! A brand new novel is headed your way and it sounds like a ripper.
In 2025, on a quiet Melbourne lane, an elderly man is found dead by his neighbour, 81-year-old Elsie Fitzpatrick. No one suspects any foul play. Until they discover Elsie's past. In the 1950s, her name was not Elsie. It was Mabel. Mad Mabel.
New York Times bestselling author Sally Hepworth is at her finest in this twisty, compulsive thriller of friendship, family and murder.
The Four Spent the Day Together by Chris Kraus
Out 30th September 2025
Since the publication of her wildly influential semi-autobiographical novel I Love Dick, Chris Kraus has cultivated a devoted following of readers. No doubt they will be excited for what is to be her first new novel in many years.
“In three interconnected parts, Kraus traces the fault lines of class and identity in American society across three generations. The third part reads like a true crime novel as the narrator becomes obsessed with a senseless killing committed by three young people in a rural backwater near where she lives. Experimental, but as readable and fascinating as Kraus always is.” - Reviewed by Kat
Seed by Bri Lee
Out 30th October 2025
This new novel by the bestselling author of Eggshell Skull and The Work is already getting a lot of buzz. Here’s an early review from our bookseller Mel:
“Deep in Antarctica, biologists Mitchell and Frances are working on a seed vault in an isolated, secret location when their ride back fails to collect them. A chilling and atmospheric read that explores humanity’s impact on the environment, the climate crisis, and reproductive ethics, as well as morality, forgiveness, faith, and love. Through Lee’s sharp and thoughtful writing, you'll be completely transported into this tense, icy world.” - Mel
Legacy by Chris Hammer
Out 30th September 2025
Along with Jane Harper and Garry Disher, Chris Hammer makes up one third of a Holy Trinity of Australian rural crime novelists with new books coming out this spring. In Legacy his long-suffering hero Martin Scarsden faces his toughest assignment to date. After a failed assassination attempt at his book launch, Scarsden is on the run. Fleeing for his life, he learns that nowhere is safe, not even the outback. The killers are closing in, and it's all he can do to survive.
Mischance Creek by Garry Disher
Out 30th September 2025
Jaye recently finished reading an advance copy of Garry Disher’s latest rural crime thriller and can’t wait until it hits our shelves so she can start putting it people’s hands.
“Disher had long been acknowledged as the writer’s writer of rural noir. I finally plunged into my first Disher novel and it is a credit to the author that I became immediately immersed in Hirsch’s daily routine despite not having read the preceding four books. You don’t need to, but long before this one satisfyingly wraps up, you’ll be wanting to. Disher is THAT good.”
October
Shadow Ticket by Thomas Pynchon
Out 7th October 2025
At 88 years old the enigmatic and reclusive Thomas Pynchon is now more of a legend than a man. Shadow Ticket is his first novel in 15 years, and from early descriptions it sounds as timeless and intriguing as its author.
A noir caper set during the Great Depression’s big band era, the novel follows a detective in search of a cheese heiress. Hicks McTaggart, a onetime strikebreaker turned private eye, thinks he’s finally found job security – until he’s catapulted onto a riotous, continent-hopping journey that proves difficult to escape.
Heart the Lover by Lily King
Out 14th October 2024
Written with the precision of poetry and the emotional tide of an epic, Heart the Lover is a celebration of literature and the life-long echoes of young love.
The book follows the narrator across three decades of life from college first loves to middle-aged regrets. Written with the superb wit and emotional sensitivity fans of Lily King have come to adore, Heart the Lover is a deeply moving story that celebrates love, friendship, and the transformative nature of forgiveness.
Last One Out by Jane Harper
Out 14th October 2025
Yes, you read that correctly, it’s a brand new Jane Harper novel! The queen of Australian crime writing is back this October with Last One Out. Harper’s 6th novel is a classic mystery with the signature rural setting she is such a master of. We’re looking forward to reading this one on a beach this summer.
In a dying town, Ro Crowley waits for her son on the evening of his 21st birthday. But Sam never comes home. His footprints in the dust of three abandoned houses offer the only clue to his final movements. One set in. One set out. Five long years later, Ro returns to Carralon Ridge for the annual memorial of Sam's disappearance. Can she finally discover the truth of what happened to her son?
The Detective by Matthew Reilly
Out 21st October 2025
Speaking of masterful Australian crime writers, Matthew Reilly also has a new book coming out this spring. The Detective is suspenseful storytelling at its very best, with that special Reilly twist applied to a classic plot.
For 150 years, women have been going missing. And all of the investigators who went in search of them - from 1877 to the present day - have disappeared too. Now Sam Speedman, a most unique private detective, is on the case. Brilliant, direct and disarming, Sam is ... different. He's not your average private detective. But then again, this isn't your average case.
The Underworld by Sophie Laguna
Out 28th October 2025
The Underworld is the much awaited new novel from the Miles Franklin Award-winning author Sofie Laguna. Full of heart, this quirky literary novel is one for readers who like to both feel and think their way through books. It’s a heartbreaker, but one with a happy ending.
Martha Mullins is a misfit. Her mother is glamorous, aloof and judgemental. Her father, mostly absent. Academic and shy, Martha finds herself fascinated by the underworld, a place she learns about in Roman mythology classes at school. Funny, brave, insightful and clever, Martha will break your heart – then mend it – many times over
Finding My Way by Malala Yousafzai
Out 28 October 2025
Thrust onto the world stage at fifteen after surviving a brutal attack by the Taliban, Malala Yousafzai became an international icon, famous for her bravery and resilience. Speaking out publicly for the rights of women and children, Malala became a role model to people around the world, even winning the Nobel Peace Prize.
In Finding My Way Malala takes readers along with her on a journey away from the limelight, reflecting on the years she spent finding her place in the world while dealing with PTSD, anxiety and many outside voices telling her who to be. Vulnerable, surprising and uplifting, this memoir of friendship, first love and self-discovery will be an inspiring read for people from all walks of life.
Mary Penfold by Grantlee Kieza
Out 28th October 2025
Prolific biographer Grantlee Kieza is a genius at finding the most fascinating hidden stories in Australia’s history and bringing them to life. Although he is a meticulous researcher his books often feel almost like novel, as he shines a light on extraordinary lives.
In his latest, Kieza tells the tale of Mary Penfold, the mother of the Australian wine industry - a self-taught vintner and business genius who emigrated to a frontier settlement and built her family's small vineyard into one of the world's most respected winemakers
Seasons Where the River Bends by Jane and Jimmy Barnes
Out 28th October 2024
Join Jane and Jimmy Barnes at their kitchen table in Seasons Where the River Bends, the eagerly awaited follow-up to their bestselling cookbook Where the River Bends. Inspired by the vibrant produce from their cherished Southern Highlands garden, this new volume features more than 60 recipes, sumptuous photography and more stories from Jimmy and Jane that celebrate seasonal cooking, family and entertaining. A beautiful book that will make a great Christmas gift to a loved one or to yourself!
Chosen Family by Madeline Grey
Out 28th October 2024
Sydney author Madeline Grey’s debut novel Green Dot was a big word-of-mouth hit with both our booksellers and our customers when it cam out a couple of years ago so we are all very excited for her sophomore novel, Chosen Family.
Billed as ‘A sexy, queer, epic literary novel for all readers’, Chosen Family is a love story between two friends, Nell and Eve. Set in Sydney over 18 years it follows the duo from school, to university, to careers and motherhood, tracing the changing contours of thier relationship as they grow and change.
NOVEMBER
Wings:The Story of a Band on the Run by Paul McCartney
Out 4th November 2025
Possibly this year’s biggest music release, Wings is landmark account of Paul McCartney's triumphant musical reinvention in the 1970s and the subsequent rise of one of the decade's most iconic bands. Featuring over 100 photographs, many previously unseen, Wings weaves together the improbable trajectory of Paul McCartney and his newly formed band across the technicolor 1970s until their dissolution in 1981.
The Mushroom Tapes by Helen Garner, Chloe Hooper and Sarah Kransnostein
Out 4th November
For those fascinated by the Erin Patterson trial, there’s an avalanche of books about the Mushroom Murders on the way but THIS is the one we are most excited about at Mary Martin.
Three award winning authors of true crime, each renowned for their in-depth research and intelligent analysis, come together to discuss the trial of the decade. We know it will be well written, considered and sensitive to the broad range of issues that the trial has brought up. We can’t wait!
Book of Lives by Margaret Atwood
Out 4th November 2025
Every writer is at least two beings: the one who lives, and the one who writes.
How does one of the greatest writer of our time tell her own story? Find out in The Book of Lives as Margaret Atwood shares stories from her peripatetic childhood in the Canadian far north, through the writing of The Handmaid's Tale, to her position today as a literary icon. As she explores her past, Atwood reveals more and more about her writing, the connections between real life and art – and the workings of one of our boldest imaginations.
Bread of Angels by Patti Smith
Out 4th November 2025
A new literary offering from the beloved icon and iconoclast Patti Smith. The author of Just Kids returns with a radiant new memoir. Smith shares memories of a post–World War II childhood unfolding in a condemned housing complex before taking readers through her teenage years when the first glimmers of art and romance take hold.
God whispers through a crease in the wallpaper, writes Patti Smith in this indelible account of her life as a burgeoning artist. Described as her most intimate book yet, Bread of Angels is sure to enchant fans both new and old.
Not Quite White In the Head by Melissa Lucashenko
Out 4th November
Miles Franklin Award winner Melissa Lucashenko is one of our most admired and awarded novelists. This timely collection brings her searing essays and journalism together for the first time, spanning two turbulent decades. With her trademark wit and wisdom, Lucashenko reflects on being caught in a siege, on the marginalised lives of prisoners and the urban poor, on Blak identity, Australian literature and on meeting her writing idol. Essential reading!
Murder in the Cathedral by Kerry Greenwood
Out 4th November 2025
The indefatigable Miss Phryne Fisher returns to solve what may be her most puzzling murder yet. When Phryne is invited to Bendigo to witness the investiture of her old friend Lionel who is being made a Bishop, her expectations of the solemn and dignified ceremony do not include a murder. But when duty calls Phryne quickly involves herself in the case with perspicacious local Constable Watson and eagle-eyed Detective Inspector Mick Kelly.
Sadly, Miss Fisher’s wonderful creator, Kerry Greenwood, passed away earlier this year but she leaves behind a lasting legacy in her charming and vibrant historical mysteries.
The Strength of the Few by James Islington
Out 11th November 2025
This highly anticipated follow-up to The Will of the Many (one of 2023’s most lauded and bestselling fantasy novels) follows Vis as he grapples with a dangerous secret that could change the course of history across alternate dimensions. The Strength of the Few picks up with intensity where The Will of the Many left off and doesn't let go. Here’s what Lindsay had to say about the first novel in this great series.
“This is the type of fantasy novel I love best; it's broad and immersive taking you to a world that is familiar yet magical. This world is one you can live in while following an exciting story with changing alliances, subterfuges, hidden secrets – all the good action and spectacle.” - Lindsay