Blog — Readings Books

26 Jul 2018

What we're reading: Vera Brosgol, Sarai Walker & Kayla Rae Whitaker

Each week we bring you a sample of the books we’re reading, the films and TV shows we’re watching, and the music we’re listening to.

Lian Hingee is reading Dietland by Sarai Walker

I’ve had Dietland sitting on my TBR pile for, oh, about two years now, and it’s been recommended to me countless times, but it took the release of a new TV adaptation to give me the kick in the butt that I needed to finally start reading…

Read review

The Animators

Kayla Rae Whitaker

Available to order, ships in 3-5 daysAvailable to order

26 Jul 2018

Readings Carlton has reopened

We are so thrilled to share that our Carlton shop is now officially open again, following its renovation!

The beautiful new space was designed by Nest architects, who also worked on our award-winning Kids and Doncaster shops. Their design has made the space more accessible, opening up a lot more room for browsing, and also given the shop a much-needed update of new shelving and a stunning new counter.

The Design Files ran a feature all about the new look…

26 Jul 2018

Dear Reader, August 2018

by Alison Huber

Some time last year, it seemed like everyone I know was talking about a true crime podcast called ‘Trace’. The crime – a terrible unsolved murder with scandalous connections to a major institution – happened in 1980, not far from where I live. The victim, Maria James, was killed in her home, a residence behind the bookshop she owned. While I wanted to know more, I find no space in my leisure time for podcasts. Fortunately the story eventually found…

Read review

Trace

Rachael Brown

This item is unavailableUnavailable

25 Jul 2018

Announcing the Teen Advisory Board 2018-2019

by Angela Crocombe

The first meeting of the Readings Teen Advisory Board for 2018-19 was a joyous celebration of books and reading.

We initially played a few getting to know you games, including saying what you liked most or least about your name, and telling everyone your Hogwarts house (we had mainly Ravenclaws in the group – perhaps the biggest book nerds of Hogwarts).

Everyone was also asked to name their favourite author or book, although it was hard to stop at one…

The Knife of Never Letting Go (Chaos Walking Book 1)

Patrick Ness

In stock at 6 shops, ships in 3-4 daysIn stock at 6 shops

24 Jul 2018

The winners of the Kibble & Dobbie Literary Awards 2018

Congratulations to the winners of the Kibble and Dobbie Literary Awards for 2018: Fiona McFarlane and Sarah Krasnostein!

The Kibble and Dobbie Literary Awards are open to Australian women writers who have published a book of fiction or non-fiction classifiable as ‘life writing’.

Fiona McFarlane has received $30,000 Nita B Kibble Literary Award (for an established author) for The High Places.

Here are 14 exquisite and brilliantly inventive stories from a singular voice in Australian literature. Fiona McFarlane’d proclivity…

Read review

The Trauma Cleaner

Sarah Krasnostein

In stock at 7 shops, ships in 3-4 daysIn stock at 7 shops

24 Jul 2018

We share our own sacred texts in anticipation of MWF 2018

The program for the Melbourne Writers Festival (MWF) 2018 has been revealed. Our booksellers share their top picks here, and you can find a list of exciting international guests here, as well as browse the full program here.

This year’s program includes an event series about ‘sacred texts’, in which writers share the books that changed their lives. The three events in the series are The Book That Made Me a Feminist, The Book that made…

A Room of One’s Own: Popular Penguins

Virginia Woolf

In stock at 5 shops, ships in 3-4 daysIn stock at 5 shops

23 Jul 2018

The Man Booker Prize for Fiction longlist 2018

The longlist, or ‘Man Booker Dozen’, for the £50,000 Man Booker Prize has been announced.

Here is the full list of 13 titles:

Snap by Belinda Bauer

Milkman by Anna Burns

Sabrina by Nick Drnaso

Washington Black by Esi Edugyan

In Our Mad And Furious City by Guy Gunaratne

Everything Under by Daisy Johnson

The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner

The Water Cure by Sophie Mackintosh

Warlight by Michael Ondaatje

The Overstory by Richard Powers

The Long Take by Robin…

23 Jul 2018

Erin Gough wins the 2018 Readings Young Adult Book Prize

The winner of this year’s Readings Young Adult Book Prize is Amelia Westlake by Erin Gough.

The Prize considers first and second works of young adult fiction and memoir from Australian authors. This year’s shortlist included Between Us by Clare Atkins, Beautiful Mess by Claire Christian, Small Spaces by Sarah Epstein, Untidy Towns by Kate O’Donnell, This Mortal Coil by Emily Suvada as well as Gough’s Amelia Westlake.

Amelia Westlake follows the story of Harriet Price (rule-abiding prefect) and…

Read review