News
The 2024 ABIA winners
The winners of the annual Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIAs) were announced last night! Our congratulations to the winning authors, illustrators and publishers.
The 2024 ABIA Book Award winners are:
ABIA Book of the Year, General Nonfiction Book of the Year & Social Impact Book of the Year
The Voice to Parliament Handbook by Thomas Mayo & Kerry O'Brien
Indigenous leader Thomas Mayo and acclaimed journalist Kerry O’Brien have written this The Voice to Parliament Handbook easy-to-follow guide for the…
The 2024 Age Book of the Year winners
The 2024 Age Book of the Year winners have been announced! The awards celebrate outstanding Australian literature and include prizes for both fiction and nonfiction.
Tony Birch has won the Fiction prize for his novel, Women & Children, while Ross McMullin has won the Nonfiction prize for Life So Full of Promise.
The judges for this year’s awards included Readings own Mark Rubbo and writer and former publisher Louise Swinn (fiction); as well as writer Simon Caterson and…
Our books of the month, May 2024
Explore our books of the month for May; each of the below titles has been read and recommended by our booksellers before being selected as our book of the month for its category.
FICTION BOOK OF THE MONTH
Only the Astronauts by Ceridwen Dovey
Reviewed by Joe Murray, Readings Kids
'Where Only the Astronauts is most powerful is in the stories where Dovey almost dares you to care, reckoning with the absurd until she finds something beautiful.'What do…
Alexis Wright wins the 2024 Stella Prize
Alexis Wright has been named the winner of the 2024 Stella Prize for her novel, Praiseworthy.
Praiseworthy is an epic set in the north of Australia, told with the richness of language and scale of imagery for which Alexis Wright has become renowned.
In a small town dominated by a haze cloud, which heralds both an ecological catastrophe and a gathering of the ancestors, a crazed visionary seeks out donkeys as the solution to the global climate crisis and…
Debut fiction to read this month
What I Would Do to You by Georgia Harper
In a near-future Australia, the death penalty is back. But if the victim's family wants the perpetrator to die, they have to do it themselves. Twenty-four hours alone in a room with the condemned. No cameras. No microphones. Just whatever punishment they decide befits the crime.
Ten-year-old Lucy was murdered in bushland adjoining her family farm. Through counselling sessions with their court-appointed psychologist we learn the stories of her family members…
Dear Reader with Alison Huber
It should come as absolutely no surprise to anyone that this issue of our beloved Readings Monthly is an absolute cracker, because every issue is, ever since we began publishing it in its earliest form back in the 1980s. Each Readings Monthly showcases the deep book-love and expertise of our booksellers. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of working with many staff who pursue parallel lives as artists, musicians, academics, students, lawyers, actors, promoters, filmmakers, theatremakers, puppeteers, designers, sewers…
Writing Lives – an extract from Hazzard and Harrower: The Letters
Immerse yourself in literary days gone by in this preview of the sparkling correspondence between Shirley Hazzard and Elizabeth Harrower, as curated, introduced, and insightfully edited by Brigitta Olubas and Susan Wyndham in Hazzard and Harrower: The Letters. Below you will find an edited extract from the introduction to the book, and a glimpse of the letters it brings to light.
Shirley Hazzard and Elizabeth Harrower met in person for the first time in London in 1972, six years…
MWF events for Mother's Day
There's no more perfect gift than time shared together, especially when your quality time is taking place at one of this year's Melbourne Writers Festival events! Below is a selection of events we think are perfect to book in for you and a loved one this Mother's Day.
Prize-winning Gudanji and Wakaja writer Debra Dank (We Come With This Place) and bestselling Tracks author Robyn Davidson (Unfinished Woman) discuss their new memoirs…
Foreword, with Joe Rubbo
January and February always feel a bit slow in the world of bookselling, customer numbers dwindle and the number of books being published slows. It’s a good time to tidy up after Christmas, take a breath and plan for the year ahead. There isn’t much time for repose, however, as things start to pick up again in March.
We kicked off the month with the launch for Nam Le’s new poetry collection, 36 Ways of Writing a Vietnamese Poem…
A Q&A with Bri Lee
Many readers will be familiar with Bri Lee from her acclaimed nonfiction books, Eggshell Skull, Beauty, and Who Gets to Be Smart. Our events and programming manager Chris Gordon asks Lee about her debut novel, The Work, which is published this month and takes the reader into the art world, exploring the tensions between art and money, love and power, work and privilege.
First of all, thank you for writing this wonderful novel that talks about…
Our books of the month, April 2024
Explore our books of the month for April; each of the below titles has been read and recommended by our booksellers before being selected as our book of the month for its category.
FICTION BOOK OF THE MONTH
No Church in the Wild by Murray Middleton
Reviewed by Alison Huber, Readings head book buyer
'An outstanding book, from an emerging – no, strike that – a now-fully-emerged chronicler of our city.'Murray Middleton won the 2015 Australian/Vogel’s Literary Award…
Must-see panels this MWF 2024
Melbourne Writers Festival is just a month away, and if you're still considering which sessions to book we're sharing some of the fabulous panels and in-conversations that can expand your mind, without requiring any festival pre-reading! Browse the full MWF program here.
After 235 years of colonisation, who truly gets to be human in so-called Australia? Join Ziggy Ramo, Chelsea Watego and Lamisse Hamouda together in conversation with host Osman Faruqi.
When: Saturday 11…
The Stella Prize shortlist 2024
The shortlist for this year’s Stella Prize has been announced! The Stella Prize seeks to elevate the work of Australian women and non-binary writers. The $60,000 prize is awarded annually to one outstanding book deemed to be original, excellent, and engaging. This year’s prize saw over 224 entries.
Explore the 2024 Stella Prize shortlist below.
The Swift Dark Tide by Katia Ariel
What happens when, in the middle of a happy heterosexual marriage, a woman falls in love with another…
Books to inspire your autumn baking
We're at the beginning of Autumn, and Easter and the end of daylight saving are looming. This seems like the perfect time to have a baking project to look forward to. Here are a few new and old favourites we think will inspire and get you excited.
Beatrix Bakes: Another Slice by Natalie Paull
Sweet-toothed superstar and bestselling baker Natalie Paull returns with Beatrix Bakes: Another Slice, an all-new compilation of colourful, creative recipes to delight fans and newcomers…
The 2024 International Booker Longlist
The International Booker Prize has revealed the ‘Booker Dozen’ of 13 novels in contention for the 2024 prize, which celebrates the finest works of translated fiction from around the world.
The prize is awarded every year for a single book that is translated into English and published in the UK or Ireland. It aims to encourage more publishing and reading of quality works of imagination from all over the world, and to give greater recognition to the role of translators…
The Carol Shields Prize longlist 2024
The 2024 Carol Shields Prize for Fiction longlist has been anounced!
The Carol Shields Prize for Fiction is the first major English-language literary prize to celebrate creativity and excellence in fiction by women and non-binary writers in Canada and the United States, awarding $150,000 USD to its winner, and $12,500 USD to each of its four finalists.
Explore the 15 longlisted titles below.
Cocktail by Lisa Alward
Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton
Dances by Nicole Cuffy
Daughter by Claudia Dey
…
Best food and gardening books of the month, with Chris Gordon
The Mediterranean Cook by Meni Valle
Meni Valle is a teacher and a culinary tour guide in the Mediterranean. This is excellent news because it means her recipes are easy to follow, considered for a range of skill sets, and include a historical background to each dish. This is her sixth cookbook, and it captures the Mediterranean approach of dishes that spread from the early afternoon through to the evening. Imagine filo pastries, stuffed vegetables, grilled meats, and delicious fruit-based…
What we're reading: Okazaki, Scanlan & Blain
Each week our wonderful staff share the books and music that they've been enjoying.
Mark Rubbo is reading We All Lived in Bondi Then by Georgia Blain
I have been reading the posthumous collection of short stories by Georgia Blain, We All Lived in Bondi Then. It's an exquisite collection, moving, at times funny and so readable. I was reminded of Alice Munro and Tessa Hadley.
I've also just read Nicholas Jose's novel The Idealist. Think le Carré…
The Women's Prize for Fiction longlist 2024
The longlist for the 2024 Women’s Prize for Fiction has been announced! The Women’s Prize for Fiction celebrates excellence, originality and accessibility in women’s writing from throughout the world. The winner receives a cheque for £30,000 and a limited edition bronze figurine known as a ‘Bessie’, created and donated by the artist Grizel Niven. Both are anonymously endowed.
Below are the sixteen longlisted books.
Hangman by Maya Binyam
In Defence of the Act by Effie Black
We test recipes from Beatrix Bakes: Another Slice
Recently our office was blessed with a visit from legendary local baker Natalie Paull. The visit coincides with the publication of her second cookbook Beatrix Bakes: Another slice (yes, we have signed copies), and to celebrate our multi-talented staff participated in an in-house bake-off, where we trialled recipes from Paull's latest collection.
With Paull on-site to judge an array of delicious bakes including tarts, chiffon cakes, buns and pies – this was truly a taste test to relish…
Foreword with Joe Rubbo, March 2024
As regular readers of this publication will know, this is my first column in this space. At the end of last year Mark Rubbo decided to retire his regular column. Although, it won’t be the last you see of ‘Mark’s Say’, as I am told that he might submit a few words here and there, when the inspiration strikes.
In other news, we’re excited to announce The Readings Foundation 2024 recipients this month. The very worthy grassroots organisations will receive…
The Most Anticipated Books of 2024
It’s that time of year again which I approach with equal parts excitement and dread – when I sit down under the weight of a too-close deadline to a blank page plus an overwhelming number of forthcoming titles kindly furnished by our friends in publishing, and try to find a way to cram a year’s worth of output into a jaunty piece of – let’s call it – creative nonfiction (overreach? more likely creative summary?) that doesn’t feel too much…
Our books of the month, March 2024
Explore our books of the month for March; each of the below titles has been read and recommended by our booksellers before being selected as our book of the month for its category.
FICTION BOOK OF THE MONTH
Thanks for Having Me by Emma Darragh
Reviewed by Annie Condon from Readings Hawthorn
'This novel is for readers who enjoy writers who make the personal enjoyably political.'Thanks for Having Me is a novel told in interlinked stories, and even though…
Debut fiction to read this month
Greta and Valdin by Rebecca K Reilly
Siblings Greta and Valdin have, perhaps, too much in common. They're flatmates, beholden to the same near-unpronounceable surname, and both make questionable choices when it comes to love.
Valdin is in love with his ex-boyfriend Xabi, who left the country because he thought he was making Valdin sad. Greta is in love with fellow English tutor Holly, who appears to be using her for admin support. But perhaps all is not lost. Valdin…
Announcing The Readings Foundation’s 2024 grant recipients
We are delighted to announce the 10 not-for-profit organisations and programs that will be receiving $131,439 in funding from The Readings Foundation this year. The Foundation is passionate about supporting literacy, community integration, and the arts in Victoria. Funds are contributed from a percentage of all Readings Bookshop profits, as well as generous donations from Readings customers. The following organisations are all doing amazing work in their communities to support the most disadvantaged and vulnerable people within society. Readings is…
The inaugural Women's Prize for Non-Fiction longlist 2024
In its inaugural year, the Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction provides a platform for non-fiction written by women that has been previously overlooked and underestimated.
From gripping memoirs and polemic narratives, to groundbreaking investigative journalism and revisionist history, these 16 titles below will change the way you view the non-fiction section of the bookshop.
Whether you are a seasoned non-fiction reader or considering trying for the first time, with this list you have at your fingertips a breadth of titles that…
Recent Crime reads
The start to the year has seen an excellent array of Crime novels grace our shelves. From talented locals, the first English translation of an award-winning Korean writer, to a book whose authorship sparked a wave of speculation worldwide, there's something to appeal to all tastes. We've chosen some highlights below.
The Fury by Alex Michaelides
This is a tale of murder. Or maybe that's not quite true. At its heart, it's a love story, isn't it?
One spring morning…
What we're reading: Mayo & Sacco
Each week our wonderful staff share the books and music that they've been enjoying.
Katey Bellew is reading Dear Son by Thomas Mayo
This incredibly moving collection features twelve letters by Indigenous men addressed to their sons and fathers. What results is a desperately brave and tender demonstration of decolonising masculinity. The Northern Territory Intervention, and the racist dialogue surrounding it, is raised by several of the men as having a particularly harmful impact on their relationships and sense of…
Our books of the month, February 2024
Explore our books of the month for February; each of the below titles has been read and recommended by our booksellers before being selected as our book of the month for its category.
FICTION BOOK OF THE MONTH
We All Lived in Bondi Then by Georgia Blain
Reviewed by Aurelia Orr, Readings Kids
‘Imbued with loss, love, and a yearning for something beyond our grasp, We All Lived in Bondi Then is written with acuity and nuance’Shortly after…
Win a place at Faber Writing Academy
We're thrilled to be partnering with Faber Writing Academy to offer one lucky Readings Kids shopper the exclusive chance to win a place in their semester-long after-hours course, Writing For Kids: Picture Books and Children’s Fiction.
Taking place online from 20 February – 4 June 2024 (Tuesdays 6.30pm – 8.30pm), this is the perfect three-month course (usually $2,500) for people who wish to write picture books and children’s fiction.
The course will cover the elements required to create a stand-out…
What we're reading: Due, Paulsen and Armfield
Each week our wonderful staff share the books and music they've been enjoying
Jason Austin is reading The Reformatory by Tananarive Due
The last couple of weeks I have been loving Tananarive Due's amazing ghost story, The Reformatory, which is loosely based on experiences endured by the author's great uncle who died at the Dozier School for Boys in Florida in the 1930s.
With their mother deceased and their father having to flee town after being accused of raping…
Best of the Best 2023
Every year our staff vote for their favourite books of the past 12 months. From their votes, we uncover the titles they loved most. Across six categories – Australian fiction, international fiction, nonfiction & memoir, picture books, junior & middle books, and young adult books – we share with you our top ten bookseller-voted titles. This year we've taken it one step further and asked you, our customers, to nominate your top read from each list of ten. After tallying…
Winners of the Victorian Premier's Literary Awards 2024
Congratulations to all the winners of the Victorian Premier's Literary Awards 2024!
★ WINNER OF POETRY AND WINNER OF THE OVERALL VICTORIAN PRIZE FOR LITERATURE
Chinese Fish by Grace Yee
When Ping leaves Hong Kong to live in Aotearoa New Zealand, she discovers that life in the Land of the Long White Cloud is not the prosperous paradise she was led to believe it would be. Every day she works in a rat-infested shop frying fish, and every evening she…
25% off 25 personal development favourites
We’re offering 25% off a select range of our personal development favourites! Simply apply the code PD25 at checkout to receive a 25% discount on all participating titles.
If you've seamlessly slipped back into old habits and are already feeling an all too familiar lack of vigour and vitality, a change to your routine or mindset could be in order. But where to begin? We've brought together some of our favourite personal development titles – at 25% off! –…
10 booksellers share their personal favourite reads of 2023
Below 10 booksellers share which books stand out as exceptional amongst everything they’ve read this year.
Art Monsters by Lauren Elkin
Art Monsters is the highlight book for me this year – energising, fresh, and entirely well researched this book combines visual and performance art with a series of powerful essays on the body in feminist art and practice by Laura Elkin. For art lovers, feminists and anyone grappling with where and how their body fits.
– Bec Kavanagh
12 art and design highlights to gift this season
We consulted our most knowledgable art & design specialists to find out exactly what the art afficionado in your life may enjoy in their stocking this year! Below are 12 recommendations that include books on art, design, architecture and fashion.
The Japanese House Since 1945 by Naomi Pollock
Imagine a terraced house whose courtyard separates the kitchen from the bedroom. Or a tiny, triangular tower of rooms stacked one above another. Quirky, experimental and utterly fascinating, the houses produced in…
An Introduction to classics
by Ione Rawlings, Readings Teen Advisory BoardIt is such a brilliant and exciting adventure to discover novels as a teen. After growing up on Tove Jansson, Enid Blyton and Harry Potter, I keenly await, as I get older, further broadening my tastes and knowledge, grappling with my mountainous to-read pile, and figuring out how on earth I’ll fit them on my bookshelf afterwards. I might have to resort to extreme measures, such as stacking them in great piles which intimidate visitors. Most of all, I’m…
Ideas for Kris Kringle gifts under $20
It’s KK time again! It feels as though we all like each other a bit more this year? Or perhaps we are getting better at hiding our indifference. Either way, we are moving away from bread bags and sustainable picnic items towards the fun, the practical and the indulgent, and all for under $20! Inflation doesn’t exist in the land of magic that is the office KK.
6 in 1 Pen Tool in a Tin – $14.99
We all know…
Vegan festive feasting
Are you vegan and dreading another Christmas of a few wilted lettuce leaves and some turkey-tainted roast veg on your plate? Or perhaps you're not vegan, but you need to cater for some this festive season and aren't sure where to begin! Well, feast your eyes on this line-up of vegan cookbooks that will have vegan and non-vegan tastebuds singing this Christmas!
For those who like a traditional Christmas...
A Very Vegan Christmas by Sam Dixon
Do you miss iconic…
Our books of the month, November 2023
Explore our books of the month for November; each of the below titles has been read and recommended by our booksellers before being selected as our book of the month for its category.
FICTION BOOK OF THE MONTH
Women & Children by Tony Birch
Reviewed by Ruby Grinter, Readings Carlton
'Tony Birch crafts a story that perfectly encapsulates the innocence of childhood, and the creeping recognition of how the world ignores the voices of women and girls.'Lovely, mischievous…
Our October 2023 bestsellers
Killing for Country: A Family Story by David Marr
Lola in the Mirror by Trent Dalton
Philoxenia: A Seat at My Table by Kon & Sia Karapanagiotidis
Edenglassie by Melissa Lucashenko
Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi & Geoffrey Trousselot (trans.)
Unfinished Woman by Robyn Davidson
Unruly by David Mitchell
The Seven by Chris Hammer
Wifedom: Mrs Orwell's Invisible Life by Anna Funder
Thoughtful picture books for tough days
These recently published picture books are just the thing for when days don't go to plan.
Woo Hoo! You’re Doing Great! by Sandra Boynton
Whether you are learning to skate, baking a cake, or even making a mistake, this hilarious and heartfelt rhyming book reminds us that trying our best is reason to celebrate. From children trying to master new skills to adults who had a hard week at work, we all get overwhelmed sometimes and need reassurance. And who…
News from the Readings x Ubud Writers and Readers Festival trip
Recently our own Mark Rubbo and Chris Gordon accompanied a group of Melbourne readers to the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival.
First, and most importantly Mark Rubbo and I were delighted to welcome new friends to the tour. What a joy to meet in a tropical (read: very hot) environment with people that love to talk, share, drink (gin and tonics being firm favourite bevvy of choice) and read! Our type of people.
On the first night of the tour…
A recipe from Rumi by Joseph Abboud
Rumi is a wonderful collection of over 60 recipes from chef and restaurant owner Joseph Abboud. Below, we're pleased to share a recipe from this heartfelt – and delicous – collection of recipes.
Freekeh, feta and pomegranate salad
Freekeh is wheat, picked green (young) and then toasted or smoked. It comes from the Arabic word farik, which refers to the rubbing of the grains to remove their husks. It’s highly nutritious and it seems the more you eat, the better…
The 2023 Prime Minister's Literary Awards shortlist
The Prime Minister’s Literary Awards acknowledge the contribution of Australian literature to the nation’s cultural and intellectual life.
643 entries were received across six literary categories: fiction, non-fiction, young adult literature, children’s literature, poetry, and Australian history. The winners and shortlisted authors will share in a tax-free prize pool of $600,000 – the highest literary prize in the nation. Each shortlisted entry will receive $5,000 with the winner of each category receiving $80,000. Expert judging panels have carefully considered entries…
We test recipes from Philoxenia
Recently we tested a selection of recipes from Philoxenia: A Seat at My Table, a new cookbook from Kon Karapanagiotidis, founder of the ASRC, and his mother, Sia.
We were of course thrilled to then have Kon and Sia themselves stop by to taste test our attempts and judge the best replication.
Joe Rubbo made Spanikopita
I made the Spanikopita. Although I cheated by not making the phyllo pastry, using store bought instead. This shortcoming was spotted immediately by…
Our September 2023 bestsellers
The Last Devil to Die (The Thursday Murder Club, Book 4) by Richard Osman
Wifedom: Mrs Orwell’s Invisible Life by Anna Funder
Would that Be Funny?: Growing up with John Clarke by Lorin Clarke
The Fraud by Zadie Smith
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi & Geoffrey Trousselot (trans.)
The Voice to Parliament Handbook by Thomas Mayo & Kerry O'Brien
Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens by Shankari Chandran
Yellowface by Rebeca F Kuang
Q&A with Megan Whalen Turner
Alicia from Readings Kids recently had the exciting opportunity to interview YA fantasy superstar Megan Whalen Turner and below is the transcript of what transpired.
Thank you so much for allowing me the opportunity to ask you some questions on behalf of Readings. Before I get into those I just wanted to tell you how much I love your books and how much they have meant to me. I began reading the Queen’s Thief series when I was 14 and…
The 2023 National Book Awards Finalists
The finalists for the 2023 National Book Awards have been announced! Established in 1950, the National Book Awards are American literary prizes administered by the National Book Foundation. The awards currently cover the categories of Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Translated Literature, and Young People's Literature. The five finalists for each category were selected by a panel of judges.
Finalists for Fiction:
Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
Temple Folk by Aaliyah Bilal
This Other Eden by Paul Harding
What are the future classics of literature?
by Aalia Rashid, Teen Advisory BoardAs years go by, time after time, humans around the world are drawn to the same books, connecting us from every corner of the globe: some notable examples include plays, such as Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare, classic novels such as Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice and Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, as well as Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky, to name a few.
But why should we be chained to the books of our past…
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