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Birth CanalDias Novita Wuri, Scribe, $24.99

Indonesian author Dias Novita Wuri is a rising literary star. Her novella Birth Canal writhes with talent compressed into a forceful and beguiling suite of interconnected stories. Id read anything by a writer who can describe the sky above Jakarta like this: [It] had a rosy nuance that somehow seemed both warm and sad, like a freshly slapped cheek. Wuris gift for metaphor is matched by a supple and sidewinding narrative construction that follows women across time and place. An unnamed narrator tells of his unrequited love for Nastiti, who suddenly disappears in present-day Indonesia. An Indo-Dutch girl is forced to become a comfort woman for the Japanese. Another strand emerges that takes us from US-occupied Japan post-WWII to a young Indonesian woman who becomes obsessed by a porn actor while living in contemporary Osaka.

The Ghost ShipKate Mosse, Mantle, $34.99

The history of piracy is epic and cruel and full of legends. Bestselling author Kate Mosse, co-founder of Britains Womens Prize for Fiction, sets her sails into it with a buccaneering novel of love and revenge. The Ghost Ship is the third book in The Joubert Family Chronicles series, and though it can be read as a standalone, its better not to miss the full backstory. In the opening decades of the 17th century, Louise Reydon-Joubert has escaped the gallows with her lover Gilles. Fleeing a fatal injustice, the pair head into the world of Barbary corsairs and their enemies. It is not for the faint of heart: slavers and privateers infest the waters off northern Africa, but not all beyond the reach of laws and convention are black-hearted, and among one crew, the bravest of men turn out to be women in disguise. The Ghost Ship rewrites nautical adventure fiction with a strong female protagonist and contains a spicy mix of intrigue, romance and daring on the high seas.

A Better PlaceStephen Daisley, Text, $32.99

New Zealander Stephen Daisley won the 2011 Prime Ministers Literary Award for Traitor, an elegiac novel about an Anzac soldier and a Turkish doctor wounded at Gallipoli. In A Better Place, another war looms large. Twin brothers Roy and Tony Mitchell fought in World War II. Only Roy returned. Tony was killed in action on Crete, his death recounted in visceral detail, and Roy came back to New Zealand forever changed. He built a lone hut near a creek, the broad verandah for his dogs an after-echo of a private pilgrimage undertaken years before in the North African desert. Daisley writes fiction with the economy and clarity of a poet and with deep empathy for the impact of violence. A Better Place contrasts brisk and often confronting accounts of military action and experience during wartime with elegy for a personal aftermath ghosted by trauma and loss.

The Art of Breaking IceRachael Mead, Affirm, $34.99

Snuck on to an Antarctic expedition led by her husband Phillip in 1961, Nel Law became the first Australian woman to set foot on Antarctica. Women were not allowed to do this at the time, and this historical novel imagines Nels pioneering journey, sharply capturing the misogyny of the male-dominated enterprise, as well as the scope of Nels achievement. Nel wasnt content with being relegated to or defined as an explorers wife.

She was an artist and the trip to Antarctica liberated her to paint more than 100 oils and watercolours of the icebound continent.

The plot has some pacing issues, but its great to read fiction based on polar expeditions (another male-dominated field) told from a different vantage. Its clear, too, from her vivid descriptions of its inhospitable beauty that Rachael Mead has made her own voyage to Antarctica.

NON-FICTION PICK OF THE WEEKBorder CrossingsMohammad Chowdhury, NewSouth, $34.99

Mohammad Chowdhury is being grilled at a border crossing between Jordan and the West Bank. Since the September 11 terrorist attacks, he has become all too familiar with this kind of prolonged interrogation. His subtle account of the 10 hours spent in this Israeli immigration hall is as tense as any thriller, encapsulating the many ironies of his status as both global citizen and perennial outsider.

Born in Britain to Bangladeshi parents and educated at Oxford, Chowdhury grew up caught between cultures.

For all the trials of being treated as a foreigner in his own country, it is apparent from this searching memoir covering decades of living and working in 85 countries, that outsiderdom has granted him enormous adaptability, tolerance and a deep understanding of cultural and religious complexity. A tale that is cosmopolitan yet down to earth, poignant yet comic, and above all, humane.

What An Owl KnowsJennifer Ackerman, Scribe, $35

If anyone knows anything about anything, says Winnie-the-Pooh, its Owl who knows something about something. Sadly, Owl cant tell us directly. But as scientists become more adept at interpreting owl behaviour, their unique evolutionary characteristics and habitats, the inner life of these haunting creatures is revealing itself.

As nocturnal predators, owls are known for their keen vision, but equally vital is their silent flight and acute hearing. Owls flat faces operate as feathered satellite dishs, enabling them to hunt hidden prey by homing in on their aural traces.

Scientists are also learning more about owl psychology, their subtle emotions, sensitivity, and stoicism. This enchanting exploration of the only bird with front facing eyes like our own is as much about ancient human fears, fascinations and desire to know, as it is about the birds themselves.

Rental Person Who Does NothingShoji Morimoto, Picador, $29.99

There is something very culturally specific about the concept behind this book. A Japanese man decides to rent himself out to people who want a neutral presence to accompany them somewhere, watch them do something or just listen to them. He refuses, however, to do anything that violates his do-nothing ethos. As Shoji Morimoto conceives it, this is his dream job because it involves no stress or obligation.

Its not until more than halfway through the book that we learn he does not take payment, as this would create expectation and therefore stress.

This is when Rental Person emerges as a quietly intriguing, egoless disruptor of the capitalist contract although he would probably contest this description. Much could be written about why he is in demand, but Morimoto is not interested in such reflection. He is not-doing what he pleases and he wishes everyone else could, too.

Living With AICampbell Wilson, Monash University Publishing, $19.95

If you are looking for a way to get your brain around the vast and bewildering field of artificial intelligence, this punchy essay is a good place to start. The engine of AI is the supercharged neural networks that enable deep learning: the solving of problems through computer analysis of vast amounts of data. While Campbell Wilson is upfront about the destructive potential of AI the most apocalyptic scenario being an artificial super intelligence that renders humans superfluous he puts the scaremongering in perspective. For the most part, these tools will be beneficial, he says, adding the proviso that this assumes developers, the public and governments are vigilant in monitoring how risks can be mitigated. But even the most constructive uses of AI, such as identifying illegal online imagery, exposing deep fakes, chatbots and so on, will invariably raise complex ethical dilemmas.

The Booklist is a weekly newsletter for book lovers from books editor Jason Steger. .

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What to read: Beguiling stories and a memoir of cultural complexity - Sydney Morning Herald