This week I flew to Sydney after receiving an invitation from Penguin Random House Australia to attend the launch of the Penguin Modern Australian Classics series. The event was held in the beautiful historic Mint Building on Macquarie Street in the evening.
Visit to Gleebooks
While I was in Sydney and before the launch, I took the opportunity to visit Gleebooks in Glebe, one of Australia's iconic independent bookshops. I had organised a meeting with Rachel Robson, Gleebooks' children's specialist bookseller and events manager extraordinaire (Winner of the 2023 Children's Bookseller of the Year). We spent the morning chatting about children's books, author events, and all things bookselling. It was an absolute pleasure spending time with Rachel. Thank you also to the Australian Booksellers Association for making all these bookish connections possible.
I also met the owner, David Gaunt, who has been at the helm for an incredible 50 years. He happened to have a copy of Barry Hill's book of poetry 'Eggs for Keeps' on his desk. The cover features a painting by Central Australian artist Rod Moss author of "Hard Light of Day", who, as it turns out, painted a portrait of David's granddaughter. It's a small world!
If you ever find yourself in Sydney, make time to visit Gleebooks. It's a fantastic bookstore with an incredibly welcoming team.
Book Launch - Penguin Modern Australian Classics
Arriving at the Mint for the launch, we were warmly welcomed by Janine Brown, Head of National Sales, Penguin Random House. It was great to meet so many members of the Penguin team, including CEO Julie Burland and Director of Sales and Operations Gavin Schwartz.
After a wonderful and thoughtful welcome to country by Yvonne Weldon, First Nations author of "Sixty-Seven Days", Johannes Jakob, commissioning editor facilitated an in-conversation with Richard Flanagan, Anna Funder and Steve Toltz. Sadly, Melina Marchetta and Morris Gleitzman were not able to make it to the event.
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Romantasy, fantasy and a podcast
After the launch, I met Adelaide Jensen from the Penguin Random House sales team. We chatted about the popularity of romantasy, what we're both currently reading, and our shared love of Melina Marchetta's magnificent Lumatere Chronicles. Adelaide also hosts the podcast Lit Witches where she explores the many corners of the fantasy genre. New episodes are released every Tuesday, making it well worth a listen for fantasy readers looking for their next great adventure.
It's always a pleasure catching up with fellow booksellers and publishers, sharing stories from our stores, and hearing how business is going around the country. And of course, it was a real honour meeting Richard Flanagan, Anna Funder and Steve Toltz.
 Image supplied by Penguin Random House
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A big thank you to Penguin Random House for the invitation to the launch of the Penguin Modern Australian Classics. I returned home with plenty of ideas and new connections. The Penguin Modern Australian Classics are available to pre-order at Red Kangaroo Books and online. The first 6 Modern Classic titles will be released on 14 July 2026 and the second release will be on 8 September 2026.
I am currently reading Elizabeth Strout's "The things we never say" and have just finished reading an advance copy of Meg Mason's "Sophie Standing There".
