Lifestyle
Book club: 10 books about late bloomers, reinventions and second chances
.png)
Looking for proof that it’s never too late to begin again? For this month’s book club, best-selling author Allison Tait invites you to explore the joy and drama of life’s many possibilities.
By Allison Tait
Have you ever dreamed of changing your life entirely? Perhaps you’re ready to start something new as you ease into a different phase of life? Or perhaps transformation has been foisted upon you?
With Australians living longer than ever, there’s no doubt that there’s room in one life for many different chapters – something that novelists have long been aware of. Reading fictional stories about late bloomers, reinventions and second chances can be a great way to test the waters and gain inspiration for our own lives.
For book club this month, I’ve found 10 new novels to give you a taste of what might be out there. And hopefully the inspiration to go tackle a big life change yourself.
The Midnight Estate by Kelly Rimmer
Fiona Winslow, a heritage architect, has fled her Sydney life and a failed marriage for the large rural estate owned by her beloved late uncle, who was an author. She is hoping that restoring the sprawling house, where she grew up with her single mother, will also restore a sense of home. But as the long-hidden history of the rundown estate begins to emerge, so too do family secrets – and a book, the last written by her uncle. Kelly Rimmer weaves a story within a story to create a gothic tale of family and community. The first six months of The Midnight Estate’s Australian sales are being donated by the author to domestic violence charity Birds In The Bush.
The Healing Hippo of Hinode Park by Michiko Aoyama, Takami Nieda (trans)
Nestling at the bottom of a five-storey apartment block is the children's playground, Hinode Park. If you look to the side, standing on stubby legs, is a hippo. Its upturned eyes give it a teary look, yet for decades, its quiet power has sustained the hearts of one community. For people say that Kabahiko is a healing hippo – if you touch the area on his body that you want to make better on yours, he’ll provide a cure. In this whimsical, heartwarming ‘slice of life’ novel, we meet five distinct characters who each take their own concerns, anxieties and worries to Kabahiko.
The Life Experiment by Jess Kitching
When OPM Discoveries puts out an ad seeking participants for The Life Experiment, a study that claims it can predict when people will die, two strangers searching for meaning apply. Layla, a corporate lawyer, has foregone all relationships for her career, stuck in an endless cycle of late nights, impossible deadlines and the London rat race. Angus, son of the esteemed Fairview-Whitley family, is struggling with his family’s expectations after the death of his brother and a failed investment. Layla and Angus meet by chance in a café on the day they get their results, though neither is aware the other is part of the experiment. Will they open their hearts when their time together may be brief?
Lessons In Love at the Seaside Salon by Sophie Green
Popular author Sophie Green is back with a feel-good novel about four women who are all at different stages in their lives, including Trudy, 57, owner of the Summertime Salon in Terrigal. Trudy loves her job and her clients, but since her beloved Laurie died, life hasn’t been the same. Then there’s Anna, 42, who brings her mother to the salon every Monday, but never has time to get her own hair done. When she finally kicks out her absent husband, will she also rediscover the joys of caring for herself? Sophie Green is expert at crafting characters that you’ll care about on journeys you’ll find uplifting.
Eva Reddy’s Trip Of A Lifetime by Fiona McKenzie Kekic
When Eva Moore wakes up on her 50th birthday, her drab middle-class life begins to unravel. She receives an anonymous Facebook message claiming her husband is having an affair. Then, she is restructured out of her job and, just when she thinks things can’t get worse, her elderly parents wilfully go missing from their group tour of India. As Eva undertakes a rescue mission, determined to find her parents, she discovers a lot about herself along the way.
Think Again by Jacqueline Wilson
The first adult novel from beloved English children’s novelist (Dame) Jacqueline Wilson, ‘Think Again’ revisits Ellie Allard from Wilson’s series the Girls. Now aged 40, Ellie isn’t quite where she thought she’d be in her life and she feels like she’s been living on auto-pilot. When everything suddenly changes, Ellie discovers that life will never stop surprising you – if only you let it.
The Whisky Widow by Karen Brooks
This historical novel is set in the Scottish Highlands in 1780,and follows the story of Greer MacAlister and her young daughter Fen. When Greer’s despised husband dies, she and Fen find themselves in a remote whisky smuggling community, where illicit whisky is a means of survival. The villagers are suspicious of the widow, but when Greer tricks the excise officers away from their illegal stills, they warm to her. But smuggling is a dangerous business, and Greer and Fen have no choice but to fight for the life they want.
Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty (new edition)
If you knew you were going to die, what would you do differently? This novel by international bestselling author Liane Moriarty was first released in hardback in 2024, and now there’s a new paperback edition. It all begins on a flight from Hobart to Sydney – everyone who gets on the plane will get off safely, but almost all of them will be changed forever. For on this ordinary flight, ‘a lady’, unremarkable until she isn’t, predicts how and when many of the passengers will die.
Lyrebird by Jane Caro
A cold case murder mystery with a strong hook, this is also a great portrait of a woman finding her way back after grief and retirement. Twenty years ago, ornithology student Jessica Watson heard what she thought was a woman screaming for her life – but Jessica soon realises it’s a lyrebird making the sounds and captures it on video. Lyrebirds are mimics – whatever the bird had heard, must have happened nearby. But when she takes the video to newly minted detective Megan Blaxland, the case quickly goes cold due to lack of evidence. Now a body has been unearthed and the case is reopened. Megan, recently retired, is brought back to head up the investigation.
Daughters of Batavia by Stefanie Koens
This historical debut novel won the Banjo Prize for fiction and manages to weave together past, present and a compelling mystery. In 2019, a family crisis sends hard-working English teacher Tess McCarthy to WA’s remote Abrolhos Islands in search of answers. In Amsterdam, 1628, young orphaned Dutchwoman Saskia boards the ship Batavia, bound for a new life in the East Indies. With lives linked by secrets that span generations, this dual timeline story creates an engrossing mystery amid themes of faith, acceptance and love.
Allison Tait is a bestselling author, dedicated reader and co-founder of the Your Own Next Read and Your Kids Next Read Facebook groups. Find her on Instagram.
All book images sourced from Amazon, used with permission. Citro may receive a small commission at no cost to you when you make a purchase using the links in this article.
More Citro Book Club lists for you: