Our latest blog posts
Short story collections we loved in 2018
Our staff share some of their favourite short story collections from the past year.
‘ You Think It, I’ll Say It by Curtis Sittenfeld might be one of my favourite short story collections ever. Clever and sharply funny, this near-perfect book is ideal for reading on a breezy summer afternoon.’
– Nina Kenwood
‘Daniel Ortberg’s columns for the (sadly departed) Toast website were always a highlight for me, and his screamingly funny debut, Texts From Jane Eyre, never fails…
Our best bargain picks for Christmas gift ideas
Over the past few weeks, we’ve been compiling a host of gift guides to help you with your Christmas shopping.
Here is a list of 10 great books available at super special prices – only while stocks last. You can find even more bargains on offer by browsing the collections below.
Australian Predators of the Sky by Penny Olsen
$14.95 ()
Australian Predators of the Sky features more than 200 paintings, lithographs and engravings of Australian raptors from the archives…
The Prime Minister's Literary Awards winners 2018
The Prime Minister’s Literary Awards celebrate outstanding literary talent in Australia and the valuable contribution Australian literature and history makes to the nation’s cultural and intellectual life.
Congratulations to the 2018 winners for each category.
Fiction winner:
Border Districts by Gerald Murnane
Poetry winner:
Blindness and Rage by Brian Castro
Non-fiction winner:
Asia’s Reckoning by Richard McGregor
Australian History winner:
John Curtin’s War (Volume 1) by John Edwards
Young Adult winner:
This is My Song by Richard Yaxley
Children’s Fiction…
Translated fiction we loved in 2018
Our staff share some of their favourite translated fiction from the past year.
‘I loved Clarice Lispector’s Complete stories. Lispector is a well known Brazilian writer, who did most of her work from the early 40s through to the mid 70s. She has such a complex, unusual imagination, and her stories are complete little worlds you fall into. Highly recommended.’
– Britt Munro
‘Qiu Miaojin’s modernist tour de force about the lives of young queer artists in early 90s…
The Indie Book Awards longlists 2019
Congratulations to all the authors, illustrators and publishers longlisted for the Indie Book Awards 2019!
Each year, independent booksellers from around the nation get together and vote for their favourite titles in six different categories, as well as their favourite book overall. Here are the longlistees for each category.
Fiction
The Lost Man by Jane Harper
The Fragments by Toni Jordan
Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty
The Clockmaker’s Daughter by Kate Morton
The Children’s House by Alice Nelson
The best books for keeping the kids busy during the holidays
Over the next few weeks, we’ll be compiling a host of gift guides to help you with your Christmas shopping.
If you need the kids to entertain themselves for a few hours, here are our best suggestions for books that will keep them absorbed and (we hope) quiet.
KEEP BABIES, TODDLERS & PRESCHOOLERS BUSY
Listen to the Music from Around the World – There are six cutely illustrated scenes, six buttons and six instruments from around the world to listen…
Graphic novels & comics we loved in 2018
Our staff share some of their favourite comics and graphic novels from the past year.
‘Lisa Hanawalt’s Coyote Doggirl is a surreal western that is fierce, silly and kind of bleak. So funny, and lots of swearing and beautiful colours too! I also loved Aminder Dhaliwal’s Woman World. Set in a future world where men are extinct, this cleverly crafted story is filled with heart-warming and absolutely hilarious observations about how all kinds of women might get along without…
Our children's & YA top 10 bestsellers of the week
The Ice Monster by David Walliams & Tony Ross
The Meltdown (Diary of a Wimpy Kid Book 13) by Jeff Kinney
Lenny’s Book of Everything by Karen Foxlee
Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow (Nevermoor Book 2) by Jessica Townsend
Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow (Nevermoor Book 1) by Jessica Townsend
The Tales of Mr Walker by Jess Black & Sara Acton
Tales from the Inner City by Shaun Tan
Tricky’s Bad Day by Alison Lester
…
Our top 10 bestsellers of the week
Becoming by Michelle Obama
The Lost Man by Jane Harper
Ottolenghi SIMPLE by Yotam Ottolenghi
Monkey Grip by Helen Garner
Any Ordinary Day by Leigh Sales
The Children’s Bach by Helen Garner
The Arsonist by Chloe Hooper
Dear Santa edited by Samuel Johnson
Milkman by Anna Burns
Normal People by Sally Rooney
Please note: This list doesn’t include sales from our 12 Days of Christmas Special Offers.
Michelle Obama’s hotly anticipated memoir tops our bestsellers list for last week. In…
Our customers' favourite books, music, film & TV of 2018
This year we again invited our customers to vote for their favourite books, music, film and TV of the past year. Here are the most voted for books across each category…
Best Fiction Book
Less by Andrew Sean Greer
Normal People by Sally Rooney
Flames by Robbie Arnott
Best Non-fiction Book
Eggshell Skull by Bri Lee
Best Young Adult Book
Stone Girl by Eleni Hale
Best Children’s Book
The Orchard Underground by Mat Larkin
Best Picture Book
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