Best of books: Australia's secret army, Indigenous astronomy, animal intelligence and a love affair remembered

Meanwhile, there is always something new to learn about Australia's involvement in World War II, or about the Indigenous perspective of the stars.

You can find all the books we've reviewed this week below.

And I welcome your thoughts and feedback on what we've been reading. You can reach me by email at sally.pryor@canberratimes.com.au.

Stephanie Owen Reeder knows better than most how to push kids' buttons when it comes to books - she has written several herself, and her latest, Swifty: The Super-fast Parrot, follows a year in the life of the endangered swift parrot.

This week, she rounds up the best picture books about birds, and finds plenty on offer, from swooping magpies to nesting peregrines in the city.

"Picture books featuring birds allow young readers to learn about our unique avian neighbours through narrative tales, nonfiction titles, real-life retellings and even fantasy stories featuring anthropomorphised creatures," she writes.

It's tempting to assume there can't be much more to say about Australia's exploits during the Second World War, but in Australia's Secret Army: the story of the coastwatchers, the unsung heroes of Australia's armed forces during World War II, Michael Veitch - once a comedian, now a military historian - has found an untold story.

It's one that surprised even our reviewer Michael McKernan, himself an eminent historian.

"Readers may think every aspect of the Australian story at war has been well covered in exhaustive detail," he writes.

"Telling the story of the establishing of the coastwatchers, their recruitment, their work, their dangers and their substantial successes is as important as it is necessary."

A new book about Indigenous astrology, Sky Country, by Karlie Noon and Krystal De Napoli, is filled with revelations.

For instance, Indigenous Australians have, for millennia, used different shades of darkness, as well as individual stars, to define the shapes and stories of the night sky.

It's just one fact that captivates our reviewer, Russell Wenholz.

"Sky Country contains excellent descriptions of many basic principles of astronomy - descriptions that can be understood by readers with little or no knowledge of the field," he writes.

The natural world is so intricately connected we barely have the patience to notice. But Kristin Ohlson, in her new book Sweet in Tooth and Claw, examines the many ways in which nature cooperates.

And reviewer Penelope Cottier - herself a poet who notices things - is equally entranced.

"It is fascinating to read that the carcasses of salmon, discarded by fussy bears during the glut caused by the fishes' migration to spawn, have a profound effect on forests even some distance from streams," she writes.

"This is a great book for the non-scientist interested in how we humans live, how we produce our food, and our relationship with the rest of the natural world, from forests to coral to the microbiota of our guts."

Still on the intelligent animal theme, Danielle Clode has a fascinating take on a beloved Aussie symbol, Koala: A Life in Trees.

Reviewer Suzannah Marshall Macbeth says the book is timely and important.

"The book is a journey at multiple scales: through time and perspective, and from the breadth of landscape to the detail of microbiology," she says.

"Koala helps to unpick the mystery of koalas through a richly layered but completely accessible exploration of this unique mammal and its complex ecology."

There's a new one out from one of Australia's best - Alex Miller's novel A Brief Affair, the story of a woman haunted by a brief but dazzling love affair.

Reviewer Christine Kearney is also somewhat dazzled, especially by Miller's depiction of his female characters.

"Elements of the novel have an almost dream-like inevitability to them, and the weaving together of seemingly disparate plot strands is immensely assured," she writes.

"Miller's treatment of female characters is flawless both here and in earlier novels, and this is one of the pleasures of reading this masterful Australian novelist."

New Zealand author Tom Baragwanath has always thought his hometown, Masterton, is "rich with narrative possibility". His new book, Paper Cage, uses this town as its setting.

Reviewer Anna Creer finds his novel a "compelling crime thriller" that succeeds in its mission.

"When Bradley goes missing, the novel, that has focused on social issues and tensions within families, shifts gear into a compelling crime thriller with Lorraine discovering a courage and resilience born of love and desperation," she writes.