David Gaunt

The Raving Party is one of the best first novels I've come across in Australia.

And while we're on the Tasmanian theme again, I'd endorse Bruni.

I mean, that's a political satire of the first order, really.

And, you know, what isn't up for sale is what it's all about.

Well, they're the goodies, but it's interesting because it's only the whatever, ASIO and the CIA, the real heroes in the book, because they're the ones who stop it happening.

I'd obviously give a yell for Helen Garner's Yellow Diaries.

I think anything she writes, shopping lists, whatever, are worth looking at just to see, and of course these, what particularly is of interest when you're in them.

Did she write them for herself only?

One assumes so because she chucked away the first lot, but she's just bitten the bullet here and said, I'll put it all out there and they're going to come out in year after year.

And the last one I'd mentioned, which is international, but which was my surprise pack of the year was the Faber and Faber, the untold story, which is a history of Faber and Faber in letters selected by the grandson, by Toby Faber.

grandson of the original founder of the press.

There was only ever one Faber, by the way.

He just decided quirkily.

It sounded better if there was Faber and Faber.

And apart from anything else, what those letters show you are that people used to write letters.

And aren't they good?

I mean, letters from T.S.

Eliot to W.A.

Jordan saying...

Keep it up, young fella.