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Novels inspired by the art world
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
A small, captivating painting of a goldfinch lies at the heart of Donna Tartt’s Pulitzer Prize-winning third novel. When the life of 13-year-old Theo Decker is set spinning off-course by an act of terrorism, he commits an impulsive act of his own that will come to define the rest of his life. What follows is a haunted odyssey through present-day America, and deep into the art underworld of New York.
We recommend queer reads from Australian authors
Inspired by our Queer Book Club (hosted by our St Kilda shop!), our staff have been talking about some of their own favourite queer Australian writing. Here, they share their picks.
Holding the Man by Timothy Conigrave
Published in 1995 and not long after the author’s death, Holding the Man has been described as a real-life gay Romeo and Juliet story. Tim Conigrave met and fell in love with John Caleo, the captain of the football team while they…
Judges' report for Run, Pip, Run
Run, Pip, Run by J.C. Jones is the winner of the 2016 Readings Children’s Book Prize. Here’s the judges’ report from our panel of Readings children’s book specialists Athina Clarke, Angela Crocombe, Alexa Dretzke, Holly Harper, Isobel Moore and special guest judge Sally Rippin.
Every once in a while a special book comes along with a unique main character so compelling and so full of heart that you can’t help but fall madly in love. Run, Pip, Run, the…
Q&A with Readings Children's Book Prize winner J.C. Jones
We sat down with J.C. Jones – author of the 2016 Readings Children’s Book Prize winner Run, Pip, Run – and asked her about her ideas, her road to publication, and what we can expect next.
Where did the first spark of the idea for Run, Pip, Run come from?
When I was growing up, I always loved stories about kids who weren’t afraid to take their destiny into their own hands. Shortly before I wrote the book, I’d met…
J.C. Jones wins the 2016 Readings Children’s Book Prize
The winner of the Readings Children’s Book Prize 2016 is… Run, Pip, Run by J.C. Jones!
Run, Pip, Run is a book for readers nine and up that manages to be both heartfelt and action-packed. Pip is on the run from the authorities after her foster grandpa, Sully, falls ill. Things aren’t easy for a young girl on her own, especially when it feels like everybody is looking for her, but Pip is a smart girl and with the help…
Our children's and YA top ten bestsellers of the week
Pax by Sara Pennypacker and Jon Klassen
Circle by Jeannie Baker
The Detective Dog by Julia Donaldson and Sara Ogilvie
In My Heart: A Book of Feelings by Jo Witek and Christine Roussey
The Bad Guys: Episode 1 by Aaron Blabey
Kizmet and the Case of the Smashed Violin by Frank Woodley
Tom Gates: Super Good Skills (Almost) (Book 10) by Liz Pichon
The Other Side of Summer by Emily Gale
The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker…
Our top ten bestsellers of the week
The Dry by Jane Harper
Barkskins by Annie Proulx
The Paper House by Anna Spargo-Ryan
The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen
Firing Line – Australia’s Path to War (Quarterly Essay 62) by James Brown
Everywhere I Look by Helen Garner
The Last Painting of Sara De Vos by Dominic Smith
A Hero in France by Alan Furst
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante (translated by Ann Goldstein)
Three Australian novels…
What we're reading: Rick Yancey,Meg Medina and Elspeth Muir
Each week we bring you a sample of the books we’re reading, the films we’re watching, the television shows we’re hooked on or the music we’re loving.
Angela Crocombe is reading Burn Baby Burn by Meg Medina
I loved reading this atmospheric young adult novel set in Queens, New York during the infamous summer of 1977 when a serial killer was on the loose, a spate of arson attacks were plaguing the city, and a blackout turned the entire city…
Our favourite books of 2016 (so far)
Our staff share the best books they’ve read so far this year, including new releases and older titles just discovered.
Mark Rubbo, managing director:
It’s always challenging to select the ‘best’ books when faced with so many wonderful offerings. However, the first book that comes to mind is Helen Garner’s latest collection of essays, Everywhere I Look. This collection of pieces from the last 15 years of her writing career is a pleasure to read – and a reminder…
Our top picks of the month for book clubs
For a night of dysfunctional family stories…
The Healing Party by Micheline Lee
We recently included this fantastic debut from Australian author Micheline Lee in a list of brilliant new novels featuring dysfunctional families, and our reviewer writes that Lee ‘breathes new life’ into these kinds of narratives. A young woman returns home to her estranged family to care for her sick mother. One day her father says he has received a message from God that his…
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