Visiting a State Library exhibition? Want to find books to match? Read along with the Stories and Ideas team’s hand-picked titles.

Discover <a href="https://www.slq.qld.gov.au/dearlydeparted">Dearly Departed</a>, an exhibition exploring the social, cultural, spiritual, historical and political forces that have shaped Queenslanders’ experiences and attitudes toward death and dying.The Stories and Ideas team has put together a list of books about death and loss, love and grief, including beloved author Cory Taylor's memoir, Dying, now a stage play adapted by Benjamin Law, plus the 20th anniversary edition of Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go.&nbsp;Read on for award-winning memoirs, children's titles, and adult fiction about living, dying, and remembering. And come visit State Library this autumn where Dearly Departed is giving life in the slq Gallery from 14 March to 23 August 2026.

Dearly Departed reads

Exhibition reads

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From the blog

Located on Level 2 of State Library, Queensland Writers Centre supports writers across Queensland with programs, resources and opportunities to develop their craft and build sustainable writing careers.

Queensland Writers Centre

Find your next favourite&nbsp;at the Library Shop in-store or online anytime.

Library Shop

State Library champions writers and fosters a vibrant and diverse reading culture. Discover&nbsp;blog posts, opportunities for awards, prizes for young storytellers, and writing fellowships, as well as videos of stimulating conversations with some of the country’s leading authors and thinkers.&nbsp;

Readers and writers

Exhibition reads

From the blog

Queensland Writers Centre

Library Shop