Books like Hollywood Down Under — picked by fans

This is an old but indispensable book that gives a panoramic overview of the history of Australian cinema, ending with the important cinema of the 1970s Film Revival.

I read this coffee table edition all the way through and loved the cinema stills and fabulous information on every page. One for the history of Australian cinema enthusiasts.

Two experts in the field provide a great account of Australian film that, at the time, uniquely took a genre approach. There are chapters on comedy, adventure, teen, horror, and art films, to name a few.

In discussing genres, this excellent account foregrounds the films themselves, rather than the history of the Australian film industry. To which genre does your favorite Australian film belong?

This rewarding little book asks and answers the question: what happened to Australian cinema after the landmark Mabo decision on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander land rights overturned the colonial doctrine of terra nullius?

Theoretically informed and sensitively written, this book is essential reading for anyone interested in the intertwined relationship between history and cinema following a pivotal event in the nation’s journey toward reconciliation.

Australian women have been involved in the creation of cinema from the beginning.

I loved this book because it was one of the few books around at the time that seriously examined this aspect of women in cinema from a range of different perspectives, including from the filmmakers themselves. Can you name the film referenced on the cover? (A: Looking for Alibrandi–a great school film and so much more!)

I’m Australian, and I really enjoyed this series that was based in a fictitious coastal town in Australia because the setting was so similar to a coastal setting close to where I grew up.

I thought that Joanne Speirs did very well navigating the difficult relationships some of her characters had, and believe that most readers will really connect with the characters and the obstacles they must overcome. Themes of healing and community were central to this series, and this is obvious from the very first book, Second Chance Love in Point Perry, where Erin comes to Point Perry for a fresh start.

I found Joanne Speirs has an engaging writing style that was very easy to read. Each story in the series is interesting and well-crafted. 

Chion’s book is seminal in the study of film sound (not just music). He challenges the orthodoxy of favoring the visual aspects of film when we talk about it, arguing that we need to consider the sound of a film as well as its images.

He says that we don’t just watch films; we “audio-view” them. Chion draws his examples from an extraordinarily wide range of films. On the same page he might go from Godard to Indiana Jones to Singin’ in the Rain.

He doesn’t judge: if a popular action film is the best example for a point about sound-image relationships, he uses it. Chion introduces a lot of new terminology, but it is all carefully explained and illustrated with examples.

No list of important books on Hollywood is complete without a reference to Kevin Brownlow.

Kevin was there in the 1960s and 1970s, when many of the silent-era Hollywood stars were still alive. He met and interviewed them all. His book brings that era to life in a way that no other book or film has been able to accomplish. Kevin is also a major supporter of other authors.

He was kind enough to blurb two of my books. He also read drafts of my Warner Brothers book – twice! Each time with increasingly helpful, thoughtful, and supportive feedback. Kevin is the one historian that every film historian is in debt to. I don’t think Kevin knows how important he is, but he certainly deserves a spot on my list. 

This personal finance classic teaches readers how to transform their relationship with money by defining what “enough” truly means and aligning spending with personal values.

Meaningful living begins with clarity, knowing what matters most, and freeing yourself from the pressure to constantly chase more. Robin’s framework helps readers build a life that reflects intention rather than expectations.

As an undergraduate at Harvard, I saw many peers trapped on the achievement treadmill. They were high-performing but often deeply unhappy. Reading this book helped me understand that fulfillment does not come from endless striving. It comes from identifying what is truly important and giving yourself permission to let “enough” be enough. That insight has shaped every major decision in my life.

One of the best ways to explore the fabulous, vast country of Australia is with a caravan or RV. I know, because we have a 26-year-old caravan and that has allowed us to see parts of Australia that have blown our socks off. When we discovered this book, it opened up a treasure trove of opportunities that made my mouth water. We put it to the test and have never looked back.

Every caravan park is listed and verified with contact details, amenties, and other essential information. We travel with our dog so we need to know which sites are pet-friendly. I really do recommend this book as a must-have travelling companion.

If you’re a lover of women’s literature – Austen, the Brontës, Woolf – you are in for an utterly original treat with this mother-daughter odyssey. Australian Indigenous lawyer, Jasmine, takes her mother, Della, to England, wanting to indulge her passion for literature with a tour of significant dead-white-author sites. But what is really found along the way are the rich veins of ancient stories and the essential power we all possess: listening. This is a moving and intricate portrait of intergenerational, post-colonial trauma that examines whose stories get to be told and whose need to be told. For me, as an Australian and a lover of English literature, After Story is a slice of necessary truth-telling, which I predict will become an Australian classic of the future.