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The Kibble & Dobbie Literary Awards shortlists 2018
Congratulations to all the authors shortlisted for this year’s Kibble and Dobbie Literary Awards. These Awards are open to Australian women writers who have published a book of fiction or nonfiction classifiable as ‘life writing’.
The shortlisted titles for the $30,000 Nita B Kibble Literary Award for an established author are:
The Hate Race by Maxine Beneba Clarke
The Life to Come by Michelle de Kretser
Everywhere I Look by Helen Garner
The High Places by Fiona McFarlane
The shortlisted…
Mark's Say, June 2018
Last month the Wheeler Centre announced a visionary and exciting new initiative supported by the Aesop Foundation. The Next Chapter is a unique three-year program to provide not only monetary support for emerging writers but also professional support for getting their works published and marketed. Successful applicants will receive $15,000 to develop their work; they’ll be paired with a mentor who will help them navigate the process from concept to book.
Another wonderful new opportunity for local writers is the…
Our children's & YA top 10 bestsellers of the week
The World’s Worst Children 3 by David Walliams & Tony Ross
Stories for Boys Who Dare to be Different by Ben Brooks & Quinton Winter
Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls by Elena Favilli & Francesca Cavallo
The Mystery of the Magic Stones (Polly and Buster Book 2) by Sally Rippin
Midnight (Skulduggery Pleasant Book 11) by Derek Landy
Found in Melbourne by Joanne O'Callaghan & Kori Song
Tarin of the Mammoths: The Exile (Book 1) by Jo…
Our top 10 bestsellers of the week
On Mother by Sarah Ferguson
Eggshell Skull by Bri Lee
Marcia Langton: Welcome to Country by Marcia Langton
I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara
Less by Andrew Sean Greer
The Book Ninja by Ali Berg & Michelle Kalus
Into the Night by Sarah Bailey
Dead Right (Quarterly Essay 70) by Richard Denniss
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
Warlight by Michael Ondaatje
Three compelling non-fiction books from Australian women top last week’s list of…
Our staff share their winter reading stacks
Today is the first day of winter, making it the perfect time to compile an ambitious TBR pile and then snuggle under the doona. Our booksellers share what books are sitting on their own bedside stacks in preparation for the coming chill.
Bel Monypenny, bookseller at Readings Doncaster
On Quiet by Nikki Gemmell
On Mother by Sarah Ferguson
The Lonely City by Olivia Laing
Things I Don’t Want to Know by Deborah Levy
The Folded Clock by Heidi Julavits
On…
What we're reading: Andrew Sean Greer, Erin Gough & Sarah Rees Brennan
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.
Julia Gorman is reading In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan
A customer recently came into the kid’s shop and told me that this book is so good that she was buying herself a second copy. Due to this recommendation, and the very appealingly and gorgeous cover, I decided to buy myself a copy.
Elliott…
Dear Reader, June 2018
I can’t remember a month with so many strong Australian nonfiction releases. Our Book of the Month, Kate Wild’s Waiting for Elijah, is a superb piece of investigative journalism that explores the fatal shooting of a mentally ill young man by police in 2009. Wild’s account is classic detective work, but also a strong critique of the legal system and the ongoing social taboos that surround mental health.
Two other books also engage with the Australian legal system: Eggshell…
Five cookbooks to inspire you in winter
Our food and gardening columnist Chris Gordon recommends five new cookbooks for battling seasonal blues.
Three Decades On: Lake House and Daylesford by Alla Wolf-Tasker
If you are reading this column, then you already know about the great Alla Wolf-Tasker, the award-winning creator of the Lake House dining experience and champion of local produce and Australian cuisine. Do not be daunted by her reputation, instead, open this book in the same way you would explore a Stephanie Alexander or Maggie…
A monthly update from our Teen Advisory Board
This month the teens gave feedback on the 2018 Readings Young Adult Book Prize shortlist and discussed each of the titles on the list, including elements such as the characterisation, plot, writing style and even covers of each book. Earlier in the year they had been lucky enough to meet one of the shortlisted authors, Clare Atkins, and receive a copy of her book.
We also had a visit this month from a publishing industry professional, Allison Colpoys, a book…
The ASRC are releasing bilingual versions of My Two Blankets
In 2018, The Readings Foundation is supporting the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre in publishing three bilingual editions of the award-winning My Two Blankets picture book. Our Grants Officer Gabrielle Williams shares some insight into this exciting project and the other work done by this amazing organisation.
When I think of asylum seekers in Melbourne, I don’t think of cumin and turmeric and chilli and lentils and salads. I don’t think of groups of people talking and laughing and exchanging stories…
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