Billie King, Bondi Literary Salon Book Club

Join the Bondi Literary Salon for our next book club, hosted by Nikki Diaz. In our gathering, we will discuss Shannon Kelly-White's debut novel, Billie King.

WHEN: Wednesday, 7th October 2026, at Gertrude & Alice Cafe Bookstore; please arrive at 6.45pm for a prompt 7pm start.

TICKETS: Admission: $25.00 (excluding external fees). Your ticket includes a drink on arrival and nibbles during the evening.

An endearing, rollicking, funny and original debut novel, perfect for fans of Boy Swallows Universe and The Dressmaker.

The Book:

1918: Australia's last bushranger, Dulcie James, holds up Anna King's falling-down farmhouse. There's a scrawny unloved infant on the floor, Anna seems more furious than frightened, and it's the bushranger who's left shaken. And the next day, Anna disappears.

Twelve years later, Anna's daughter, Billie King, is a girl ready to explode. With a missing mother, the rent in arrears and her alcoholic father's gambling debts to cover, she has no time for school. But when child services threaten to remove Billie from her father, she must decide between continuing her search for her missing mother and keeping what's left of her family together. If she fails to hold onto her father, she'll be taken away and placed in a children's home, but if she doesn't find her missing mother, who will?

The Host: Nikki Diaz

A reader since she learned her alphabet in Spanish, Nicole (Nikki) grew up in Sydney with a lifelong love of stories. She holds a Bachelor of Communication with a major in Creative Writing and now gets to combine her passion for books and literature with her work at Gertrude & Alice Bookstore. Outside of work, she enjoys sharing her latest reads on Bookstagram, attending book events, and connecting with fellow readers over all things books.

The Author:

Shannon Kelly-White is a powerful new voice in fiction - irreverent and honest. She has a fearless approach to women's stories and has built an incredible platform with her three nonfiction books. We just LOVE her writing.

A blisteringly fast, fresh, funny and hugely entertaining novel of mothers, daughters and one gutsy wild colonial girl who gets caught up in Australia's last female bushranger's quest for revenge.

About The Bondi Literary Salon

Bondi Literary Salon was established in 2018, it is the in-house book club of beloved Bondi institution, Gertrude & Alice. The group endeavours to explore the vast world of literature each month, with a selection that reflects a focus on diverse writers and stories; delving into both classic and contemporary fiction, as well as non-fiction. 

Our philosophy has always been to use language and literature not only as a tool for connection and community, but as an insight into worlds we have not had the pleasure of visiting ourselves. We welcome all - young and old, those with a life-long love of literature, or whose relationship may be only beginning. Join us in the unmatched comfort of an after-hours bookstore, accompanied by wine and cheese, for an evening spent discussing books and building community.

About Gertrude & Alice Cafe Bookstore:

Rated as one of the top 10 bookstores in the world by National Geographic, Gertrude & Alice Cafe Bookstore is an oasis for writers, readers, and coffee lovers. Books overflow from the shelves of their store, featuring a mix of new, second-hand, antiquarian and rare books. Stay a while & enjoy some homemade chai, and amazing coffee, and unearth a book treasure or two. Read more about the bookstore's story here, and about the real Gertrude & Alice here.