Our latest blog posts
Upcoming renovations at Readings Carlton
We are very excited to announce our Carlton shop is getting a new look!
Readings Carlton will be closing on Tuesday 22 May for approximately seven weeks for a complete refurbishment. It is 20 years since Readings moved to its current location with the current fit out. Readings Managing Director, Mark Rubbo, says: ‘The building is an ex bank and one third of the rear is taken up by the old bank safe and it’s bugged me for years. We’ll…
Mark's Say, May 2018
It was 20 years ago that Readings Carlton moved from 338 Lygon St to its current location at 309 Lygon Street. It was a big move; Ross Reading, Peter Reid and Ross’s partner Dorothy Reading originally opened in 388 Lygon Street in 1969 and moved a few years later to 384 Lygon Street in the old Holdsworth Building, home of the Pram Factory. When that site was redeveloped in 1998, Readings had to find another home. A hairdresser down the…
Dear Reader, May 2018
I sat down one Saturday to take a casual look at my advance copy of Maria Tumarkin’s Axiomatic, but found myself pinned to the couch for several hours by the force of Tumarkin’s writing; such is the power of this book. It is another major achievement for the author, who writes about history, trauma, the legacies of the past, and the experience of living in the present; it is a beautiful, challenging and uncompromising work, and is our Nonfiction…
Our annual jazz CD sale returns
Readings’ annual jazz CD sale has returned in preparation for the 2018 Melbourne International Jazz Festival.
From 1–10 June, Melbourne will come alive with Australia’s largest jazz festival, entertaining aficionados and newcomers alike. Celebrating 20 years of extraordinary jazz, this year’s program includes intimate club gigs, club sessions, artist workshops, and daily free concerts. Find the full program and book tickets here.
And while you’re waiting, come visit Readings and stock up on some fantastic CDs.
Our jazz CD…
Fantastic picture book biographies
There’s been an upswing in fantastic illustrated biographies for kids in the last few years. Here are some of our favourite visual biographies to inspire, educate and amaze young readers.
You can also find further recommendations by browsing the collections at the bottom of the post.
The Girl Who Ran by Frances Poletti and Kristina Yee
This joyous depiction of Bobbi Gibb’s groundbreaking run in the 1966 Boston Marathon uses rhyming couplets and fluid illustrations to give a sense of…
Go vegan with one of these terrific cookbooks
Readings bookseller Ellen Cregan shares some of her favourite cookbooks for going vegan.
For a good cause
Edgar’s Mission is an animal sanctuary that cater to creatures of all sizes, from guinea pigs to regular pigs. At the end of 2017, Cooking With Kindness was released to help raise funds for the organisation. This cookbook brings together dozens of recipes from some of Australia’s favourite vegan restaurants, food trucks and chefs – Smith and Daughters, Woking Amazing and Transformer, to…
Applications are open for our Teen Advisory Board
Applications are now open for the 2018-2019 Readings Teen Advisory Board!
The Readings Teen Advisory Board is a volunteer group of teenagers that meets at Readings head office once a month to chat about recent and forthcoming young adult books, write blog posts and short reviews, learn about careers in the book industry, and provide feedback to Readings staff members on a range of subjects.
You can find more information about what the 2017-2018 Readings Teen Advisory Board got up…
Come visit us at Clunes Booktown Festival 2018
Autumn has well and truly arrived, which means that it’s time for the annual Clunes Booktown Festival!
For two days each year, the town of Clunes becomes home to the largest collection of new, second hand, rare and out-of-print small-press publications and collectable books in Australia. Readings will be hosting a stall at this year’s festival, along with a host of book traders from across Australia. We’re hoping to see some of you there next weekend (5-6 May).
This…
Meet the bookseller with Sharon Peterson
After working as the assistant manager at Readings Carlton for almost 10 years, Sharon Peterson has recently moved into the role of shop manager at Readings St Kilda. We chat with her about bookshop proposals, her love of the classics, and what exciting reads she has on her TBR pile.
Why did you decide to work in books?
I can’t say that I actually ‘decided’ to work in books (I vaguely remember wanting to be a teacher) but my first…
Our top 10 bestsellers of the week
Marcia Langton: Welcome to Country by Marcia Langton
A Higher Loyalty by James Comey
Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia edited by Anita Heiss
The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
The Shepherd’s Hut by Tim Winton
Tracker by Alexis Wright
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson
12 Rules for Life by Jordan B. Peterson
Moment of Truth (Quarterly Essay 69) by Mark McKenna
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
A beautiful travel…
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