October 2026 Book Club

October Book Club - The Chair Gods spoke... haha 

Taipei Story by Rebecca F. Kuang 

First love. Second language. Final goodbyes.

For Lily, mastering Chinese means connection:

To her family

Her heritage

To herself

But what if waiting for perfection means it's too late to get the answers she wants most?

‘Rebecca F. Kuang is about as accomplished as it’s possible to get’ VOGUE

‘An unstoppable force in the literary world’ NEW STATESMAN

‘A prolific maverick with rare satirical wit’GUARDIAN

The electrifying new novel from literary phenomenon, Rebecca F. Kuang.

Yale student Lily Chen arrives in Taipei hungry: for family, for culture, for connection.

But her summer of discovery quickly unravels. Her classes are grueling, her roommate unbearable, and a reckless, deeply awkward trip to the hot springs with a guy she barely knows soon ignites vicious gossip.

Then her grandfather dies.

Grieving and adrift, Lily must confront her own questions about the culture she inherited but never fully understood. She embarks on a wryly funny, often devastating search for understanding: of herself, her family, and the meaning of home.

All over one unforgettable summer in Taipei.

The Frock Shop by Sophie Green 

Australian bestseller Sophie Green returns with a sparkling story about the beauty of the second-hand, the power of second chances, and becoming who you were always meant to be (with a little help from your friends).

On Sydney's lower north shore, in the harbourside suburb of Mosman, there is a charity frock shop. For decades, it has clothed the women of this suburb, through good times and bad, for richer, for poorer.

Local resident Daphne has always worked at the frock shop. And she knows better than most how clothes are used by women as talismans, as armour, as beauty. Clothes are essential parts of women's stories, and those stories are now part of Daphne's life.

Daphne has her own stories, too. Some involve her old friend Adelaide, who still bears the devastating secret that caused her to flee Australia in her youth. Some involve a new friend, Christina, who has been forced to leave her glamorous Los Angeles life to rebuild in her childhood city. Then there is Margot, living a life that is far from what she had dreamed it would be, and Lucy, desperate for escape and the promise of tomorrow.

Not only does the frock shop give them purpose, but the clothes will help them become the women they were destined to be, because it is never too late for a transformation.

Praise for Sophie's novels:

'A heartwarming, feel-good novel bursting with charm, humour and seaside sunshine' THE AUSTRALIAN WOMEN'S WEEKLY

'Cosy, uplifting and entertaining, this is the perfect escape read' WOMAN'S DAY