The Australian Short Story Festival kicks off today! To celebrate, our staff share some of their favourite Australian short story writers.

“Last year Melbourne writer Paul Dalla Rosa wrote for Granta website’s ‘notes on craft’ and I think about what he said all the time. He compares short stories to a moment on RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 7 when Violet Chachki walks the runway in a gown that tra…

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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. Ellen Cregan is reading The Secret Commonwealth (The Book of Dust, Volume 2) by Philip Pullman

I’ve been reading the second installment in Phillip Pullman’s The Book of Dust trilogy, which only came out a couple of weeks ago. I am a huge fan o…

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We asked our booksellers to share some of their evergreen crime reads – the ones they find themselves recommending again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and… You get the picture! Fiona Hardy recommends Tell the Truth, Shame the Devil by Melina Marchetta

Honestly, there is so much good stuff out there that of course it’s impossible to pick a favourite. I’m selecting Melina Mar…

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Readings Kids bookseller Dani Solomon is a Frances Hardinge super fan. We asked her to rank the award-winning British author’s books by their scariness and here is the result. The following books are all ranked from least scary to most scary, and there’s a special list of titles at the end for readers who don’t like to be spooked, but still love good, thrilling reads.

5. Verdigris Deep

On…

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The reading year is really heating up, with a glut of heavy-hitting blockbusters hitting our shelves in October. There’s something for all tastes: entertaining non-fiction, fascinating memoir, thoughtful literary fiction, gripping thrillers and more.

The Body: A Guide for Occupants by Bill Bryson

The insatiably curious Bill Bryson turns his attention to the human body, how it functions and…

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In November of each year, we share our picks for the best books, music, film and TV shows of the year, as voted for by our staff. We’re in the process of gathering those votes right now, and we’d love to find out what your favourites are too.

On our voting form, we’re inviting customers to share their favourite fiction, non-fiction, young adult, children’s and cookery books, as well as albums, f…

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The ‘darkness’ of contemporary young adult fiction is often commented upon, without acknowledging that many teens actually do have difficult lives. It’s also worth noting that realistic optimism is a hallmark of YA fiction, exploring the strength and resilience of young people (without necessarily delivering Hollywood endings.)

Here are some of our favourite gritty reads for teens, all of which…

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Readings Foundation Grants Officer Gabrielle Williams shares a brief recap of a special event we hosted last night to celebrate the Booker Prize and to raise money for the Readings Foundation.

Last night a group of like-minded Melbournians gathered at Tolarno’s to eat delicious food, drink delicious wine, and debate the likely winner of the Booker Prize.

Everyone put forward their picks of ‘W…

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Congratulations to Margaret Atwood and Bernardine Evaristo who have been named joint winners of the 2019 Booker Prize for Fiction!

Atwood’s The Testaments is the long-awaited sequel to Atwood’s iconic and prescient novel The Handmaid’s Tale. Mixing the heart-racing pace of a thriller and the gut-twisting tension of espionage, this return to Gilead has been well worth the wait.

The judges call i…

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The Secret Commonwealth (The Book of Dust, Volume 2) by Philip Pullman Guts by Raina Telgemeier Welcome to Country (Youth Edition) by Marcia Langton The Bad Guys Episode 10: The Baddest Day Ever by Aaron Blabey Young Dark Emu by Bruce Pascoe How to Make a Movie in Twelve Days by Fiona Hardy All of the Factors of Why I Love Tractors by Davina Bell and Jenny Løvlie The Treehouse Joke Book by Andy …

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