Best books for readers short on time
Do you ever settle in with a book, ready to lose yourself in another world, only to find — just a few pages in — that this world is demanding your immediate return?
Your kids are screaming, your phone is buzzing, and once again reading falls by the wayside of a busy life.
We asked acclaimed writers, critics and book lovers to recommend great reads for those of us who are starved for time — books you can devour quickly, or dip in and out of easily, that still leave you feeling satisfied.
Johann Hari: Return to Uluru by Mark McKenna
A book cover shows a grainy-looking aerial shot of Uluru.
Johann Hari describes Return to Uluru as "extremely compelling".(Supplied: Black Inc Books)
In 1934, an Aboriginal man named Yokunnuna was shot near Uluru by Bill McKinnon, a white police officer.
Almost 90 years later, historian Mark McKenna set out to write a history of the centre of Australia, and found himself drawn to the case.
He spoke to the families of both men, and unearthed new evidence about the case, documenting the revelations in Return to Uluru (2021).
"What he discovers is remarkable," says British author Johann Hari (Stolen Focus; Lost Connections).
"What he uncovers offers a very different story about the history of Australia — one that's heartbreaking, but also, in a strange way I don't want to spoil, ultimately hopeful."
Hari is a fan of McKenna, having found his book From the Edge in a bookshop a few years ago — "in those happy pre-plague days".
"It blew my mind, so I have been looking out for his next book ever since. He's a model of a great public intellectual — he writes about serious questions in totally accessible ways," Hari says.
Return to Uluru is part detective story, part historical narrative, and part political discourse.
"It's a short book with so much history in it — and it's extremely compelling. In places it's like a thriller," Hari says.
Your kids are screaming, your phone is buzzing, and once again reading falls by the wayside of a busy life.
We asked acclaimed writers, critics and book lovers to recommend great reads for those of us who are starved for time — books you can devour quickly, or dip in and out of easily, that still leave you feeling satisfied.
Johann Hari: Return to Uluru by Mark McKenna
A book cover shows a grainy-looking aerial shot of Uluru.
Johann Hari describes Return to Uluru as "extremely compelling".(Supplied: Black Inc Books)
In 1934, an Aboriginal man named Yokunnuna was shot near Uluru by Bill McKinnon, a white police officer.
Almost 90 years later, historian Mark McKenna set out to write a history of the centre of Australia, and found himself drawn to the case.
He spoke to the families of both men, and unearthed new evidence about the case, documenting the revelations in Return to Uluru (2021).
"What he discovers is remarkable," says British author Johann Hari (Stolen Focus; Lost Connections).
"What he uncovers offers a very different story about the history of Australia — one that's heartbreaking, but also, in a strange way I don't want to spoil, ultimately hopeful."
Hari is a fan of McKenna, having found his book From the Edge in a bookshop a few years ago — "in those happy pre-plague days".
"It blew my mind, so I have been looking out for his next book ever since. He's a model of a great public intellectual — he writes about serious questions in totally accessible ways," Hari says.
Return to Uluru is part detective story, part historical narrative, and part political discourse.
"It's a short book with so much history in it — and it's extremely compelling. In places it's like a thriller," Hari says.
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