MPs and Senators across the country are talking to their communities about books and reading this summer.
Australian books were top of the pile for Independent senator for the ACT, David Pocock, who has been looking forward to getting stuck into books by Niki Savva, Melissa Lucashenko and Rick Morton over the holiday break.
Likewise, Kristy McBain MP was keen to highlight books by Australian authors Zoe Foster-Blake, Jacinda Ardern, Sally Hepworth, and Jelena Dokic as among her top 15 books of the last year.
Prolific reader Andrew Leigh shared his (53!) favourite books of 2025, with a wide-ranging spread of novels and non-fiction titles from the likes of Sally Rooney, Marcus Zuzak, Astrid Jorgensen, Nancy Pelosi and more. Similarly, Cameron Caldwell was looking forward to getting stuck into political biographies, alongside crime fiction books by Lee Child and David Baldacci.
Libraries were popular with MPs, with member for Brindabella, Caitlin Tough, saying “I read over 40 books this year, many of them borrowed from the Library.” Meanwhile, Dr Katrina Stratton stopped by her local Perth Library to pick up books by Geraldine Brooks and Mizuki Tsujimura among others for the break.
And it wasn’t just print books they were excited about getting stuck into. In interview with The Guardian Politics podcast, Federal Minister Chris Bowen said: “I’m always reading two books at a time. I’m listening to one and reading one,” while Meaghan Scanlon MP was also eager to highlight her favourite audiobooks for the year.
Other mentions of books and reading have been shared by Bisma Asif, Simone McGurk, and Jonty Bush.
We thank all these MPs and Senators for sharing the joys and benefits of reading with their communities, and look forward to continuing the conversation in Canberra later this year as part of the Parliamentary Friends of Books and Reading group.