Melanie Kembrey
Melanie Kembrey is Spectrum Editor at The Sydney Morning Herald.
On a bench by the beach, one of Australia’s funniest writers is working it out
Steve Toltz’s fourth novel dwells on some hefty subjects - AI, alienation, consciousness - but it all started with a joke.
- Melanie Kembrey
Latest
‘It’s going to get weird’: How this reporter helps the real-life subjects of his books cope with sudden exposure
The celebrated New Yorker writer talks about solving mysteries others haven’t, reporting on people with a tendency for violence – and why he’d love to tell an Australian story.
- Melanie Kembrey
‘The logic of the mob’: Why Zadie Smith withdrew from Adelaide Writers’ Week
The acclaimed novelist explains her decision and why she believes writers have a duty to speak.
- Melanie Kembrey
Inside the mind of a billionaire who helped ruin everything
In his first novel in nearly a decade, George Saunders enters the consciousness of a dying oil magnate.
- Melanie Kembrey
The first great book club novel of 2026 is here
This is adultery, rebranded for people who have air fryers and money anxieties.
- Melanie Kembrey
- Exclusive
- Literature
What Australians read in 2025 – and the one book that ruled them all
Nearly 70 million books were bought, but one viral hit sat far ahead of the pack.
- Melanie Kembrey
Sixty books to look out for in the first half of 2026
The fiction and non-fiction titles set to dominate group chats, book clubs and bedside tables in the months ahead.
- Melanie Kembrey
Best reads of the year: The books writers loved most in 2025
From bold fiction to quiet gems, authors share the stories that stayed with them.
- Melanie Kembrey and The Visual Stories Team
Forty books for 10 types of reader – here’s what to read this summer
Our pick of standout summer reads matched to every mood, habit and beach-bag alter ego.
- Melanie Kembrey
Reese Witherspoon has just supercharged this Aussie debut novel
The Hollywood star has chosen a Tasmanian author’s royal romp for her December pick.
- Melanie Kembrey