November New Releases 2026

What made the Beatles so extraordinary? How did these four young musicians come together at exactly the right moment, and how did everything fall into place so perfectly that they became the most innovative and successful band that the world has ever seen, and a cultural phenomenon that still shapes the world today? Was it simply a series of lucky coincidences, or were there larger reasons for their success?

Steve Taylor, a renowned scholar of psychology and spirituality, and former professional musician, retells the story of the Beatles through the lens of their creativity and explains the secrets of their genius. He explores the synchronicities and synergy that generated their success, and the flow state they cultivated as a group, their relentless self-development, and their spontaneous and prolific creativity. He shows how their transpersonal creativity elevated them above their peers, and how they opened their minds to connect to the spirit of the 1960s, becoming transmitters of a creative energy that transcended themselves.

Across the Universe is a thrilling new look at the psychological, cultural, and spiritual forces behind the Beatles’ genius. Wildly enjoyable, and packed full of surprising insights into the Beatles’ story, this is an invitation to experience the Beatles’ brilliance anew.

The sweeping cultural history of a spice so coveted it launched empires across oceans, reshaped global trade, and bound generations of Sri Lankan peelers to colonial rule.

For millennia, cinnamon has been treasured for its healing powers and warm unmistakable aroma. But behind its familiar scent lies a tumultuous past steeped in conquest and rebellion. In Cinnamon, acclaimed historian Nira Wickramasinghe traces the remarkable story of this ‘queen of spices’, from ancient Egyptian embalming tables and medieval Mughal kitchens to disastrous expeditions to mythical cinnamon lands in the Americas and the fierce imperial rivalries of the Portuguese, Dutch, and British. She reveals how global demand for ‘true’ cinnamon transformed Sri Lanka, where an entire caste of peelers, neither enslaved nor free, were compelled to harvest the bark under systems of semi-servitude, at times rising up in rebellion.

Drawing from meticulously researched global history and mythology, Wickramasinghe brings to life the smugglers, merchants, cooks, botanists, conquerors, and peelers who built the cinnamon trade. A vivid journey across centuries and continents, Cinnamon is the definitive portrait of a spice through which the turmoil and richness of our world come alive.

The year in politics as observed by Australia’s funniest and most perceptive political cartoonists.

Featuring Dean Alston, Matt Bissett-Johnson, Peter Broelman, Harry Bruce, Mark David, First Dog on the Moon, Matt Golding, Megan Herbert, Fiona Katauskas, Mark Knight, Johannes Leak, Glen LeLievre, Alan Moir, David Pope, David Rowe, John Spooner, Andrew Weldon, and Cathy Wilcox