From birds that sing to the original Mr Sin: eight new books to enjoy

"This book will forever change the way you listen to birdsong," TV and radio host Chris Bath, an avid birdwatcher, trills from the cover of this book. "Listening to the morning chorus will never be the same again." Dr Grainne Cleary digs deep into the fascinating world of bird communication in this follow-up to her 2022 book, Why Do Birds Do That? The Dublin-raised, Melbourne-based wildlife ecologist examines the anatomy of birds, the underestimated power of the "bird brain" and many of the scientific studies that have explored the behaviours of different species. The Australian magpie is a particular focus.

Stuart Coupe. Hachette. $34.99.

Writer, music promoter and rock 'n' roll brain Stuart Coupe, who founded the 1990s crime fiction magazine Mean Streets, is no stranger to accounts of dirty deeds. In this case, they are not made up, and the truth, as they say, can be wilder. Also, thankfully, the dead can't sue. The subject of Coupe's latest book is Abe Saffron, aka "Mr Sin", criminal, nightclub owner and the late and undisputed first king of Kings Cross, once Australia's epicentre of sex, drugs, gangsters and corrupt cops. If the names Bourbon and Beefsteak and Les Girls ring a bell, then this book will appeal.

Monisha Rajesh. Bloomsbury. $34.99.

The names of the trains featured in this book are intoxicating and evocative enough: The Nightjet. The Caledonian Sleeper. The Royal Scotsman. The Good Night Train. The Shalimar Express. The Silver Meteor. The Andean Explorer. In an era when budget airlines and their niggly rules have supplanted traditional train travel, British journalist Monisha Rajesh goes old school, taking some of the world's great train trips across countries and continents. Paris to Vienna is just the beginning (while reading Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express, of course). Rajesh's sleeper travels take her to Scandinavia, India, South America and the USA.

Richard Denniss. Australia Institute Press. $19.95.

Economist and executive director of The Australia Institute Richard Denniss sees a contradiction between political centrism and evidence-based policy. He argues in this essay that the image of centrism as a moderate middle-ground approach is an illusion; that the so-called "sensible centre" is defined by politics rather than evidence, and that it is stifling debate about the things that would make Australia "happier, healthier and richer". "The ultimate irony for proponents of evidence-based policy," Denniss writes, "is that there is no evidence in Australia that evidence ever defeats political power when it is time for hard choices to be made."

Toni Jordan. Hachette. $32.99.

A story about coming of age in 1970s Australia, this novel views the sometimes cruel adult world through the eyes of young Andie Tanner, who wants nothing more than to finish school with her friends and apprentice to her father until she can become a greyhound trainer just like him. Except, of course, chasing your dream is never going to be a race run in a straight line. Andie's life with her complicated mum, the dad she adores and the kennel of greyhounds living under their house is rich with the lived-in experiences and heartfelt emotions of Toni Jordan's childhood in suburban Brisbane in the '70s.

Ross Fitzgerald & Ian McFadyen. Hybrid Publishers. $24.99.

Former talkback radio stars Bill Bradley and Ben Curran have carried their career-long on-air rivalry into their 80s as residents of the same nursing home. Bradley is a conservative and Curran is a leftie, but cases of aged care neglect and elder financial abuse spark an unlikely collaboration. With the help of their grandkids, they launch a guerilla podcast championing the rights of the elderly and are soon making waves. Alas, authors Ross Fitzgerald, emeritus professor of history and politics at Griffith University, and Ian McFadyen, creator of TV's The Comedy Company, insist Bill and Ben are not based on actual ageing radio stars.

Rachel Givney. Ultimo Press. $34.99.

This is the third novel by Rachel Givney after 2021's Secrets My Father Kept and 2020's Jane in Love (which has been published in 14 countries, translated into eight languages and optioned for the screen by the producers of Little Women and Amazon Studios). Inspired by 1960s Sydney's unsolved Wanda Beach murders, Don't Say His Name follows Detective Sergeant Matt Stayer as he reluctantly seeks help from a local nun, Sister Catherine Kelley, when several women from the beach town of Thoorgala are found murdered in the sand dunes, their bodies marked with a strange symbol. Then Stayer's estranged sister goes missing.

Jason Gent. A&U Children. $19.99.

Jason Gent says he wrote his debut novel for young men who are reluctant readers, including his teenage self. His young adult novel for Aussie Rules fans follows six teens whose lives revolve around footy: best mates Zac and Fletcher are serious AFL draft prospects; team player Elias runs to keep calm; Mason always practices with his dad; Dane is a great footballer but a terrible boyfriend; and Beth is wondering what life looks like after "Dane and Beth". As an all-important year of footy unfolds, teen dreams and dramas play out on and off the field - life bouncing their hopes and hearts in unexpected directions.

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