We asked our staff to share some of the books they most love to pass on to customers. Here are 14 of their favourite recommendations.

The Mothers by Brit Bennett

‘Brit Bennett is supremely talented and her debut novel is extraordinary. Reading it reminded me a little of how I felt watching the first season of Friday Night Lights – there’s a small-town community, flawed young adults struggling to find a life for themselves, relationship drama, gossip, love, secrets, pain, betrayal, heartache. I adored this book, and I am recommending it to everyone I know.’ – Nina Kenwood, digital marketing manager

Ed note: You can listen to Nina’s interview with Bennett on the Readings Podcast

Dirty Words by Natalie Harkin

‘Natalie Harkin is a Narungga poet from South Australia. Her recent collection Dirty Words is one of the most important books of poetry I’ve read in recent years. Its poems are an A-Z of conservation, environmentalism, inequality, family, inter-generational trauma, and much more. Harkin’s verse is incredibly powerful. She lays words down like punches, and projects imagery into her readers’ minds with exceptional clarity.

One of the most stomach-churning aspects of this collection is Harkin’s use of quotes. She frequently places quotes from the early twentieth century next to something contemporary, drawing attention to the fact that even though the way politicians speak about Indigenous Australians has changed significantly, often the sentiment hasn’t changed in decades. This collection is a great example of how poetry can use archives to articulate histories and draw readers into a world they may know nothing about.‘ – Ellen Cregan, bookseller at Readings Doncaster

Beauty Is a Wound by Eka Kurniawan

'Eka Kurniawan’s brilliantly original debut novel reads like a telenovela, crossed with a fairytale, crossed with a galloping political saga as it tells the story of Indonesia’s bloody history of colonialism, revolution, civil war and independence – all through the intersecting romantic and family lives of a notorious (and notoriously beautiful) prostitute and her four daughters, each more beautiful than the last… well, until the last one. Bawdy, funny and devastating.’ – Jo Case, editor of the Readings Monthly

The Good Girl of Chinatown by Jenevieve Chang

‘ The Good Girl of Chinatown is a unique memoir and family history, written by Australian actor, writer and movement director Jenevieve Chang. Chang’s experiences as a showgirl in China’s first burlesque club form the backbone of the story, which is interwoven with episodes of family history from London, China, Taiwan, USA and Australia. The action behind the scenes of the Chinatown club, the rigours of performing, and the hedonism of the expat scene in Shanghai are all eye-opening.

Equally gripping are the stories of Chang’s grandparents during the rigours of the Cultural Revolution, and her own immediate family’s troubled history, both threads containing themes of rupture and flight. This is unflinching and exposing writing, telling stories of global movement, connection, forgiveness and cultural identity.’ – Leanne Hall, children’s and YA book specialist at Readings Kids

Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge

‘This book takes its title from a 2014 blog post Eddo-Lodge penned after being continuously pressed to explain her frustration about the inherent racism of modern Britain. Eddo-Lodge is fiercely articulate, and punctuates the academic with personal anecdotes and case studies that illustrate her arguments flawlessly. My favourite aspect of this book is that it examines the underlying structures of inequality. Eddo-Lodge wants shows her readers that racism, classism and sexism don’t simply exist on a personal level. They are bigger problems than that, and in order to fight bigotry on a human level, we first need to dismantle the structures that allow it to occur in the first place.’ – Ellen Cregan, bookseller at Readings Doncaster

All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders

‘Described as being the love child of Diana Wynne Jones, Douglas Coupland and Neil Gaiman, All the Birds in the Sky is the award-winning novel from Charlie Jane Anders. Patricia is a witch who discovers she can communicate with animals, and Lawrence is an engineering whizz-kid who manages to build a less-useless-than-you’d-think time machine that can teleport the user two seconds into the future. When the Earth is threatened with extinction by, well, us the two must combine their skills to save the world.’ – Lian Hingee, digital marketing manager

The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui

‘Thi Bui’s illustrated memoir is an absolute stunner. The first chapter opens with Bui’s description of giving birth to her first child. The book then takes us into the past as she attempts to become closer to her own parents by learning about their lives. Throughout, she documents her parent’s childhood and early adulthood experiences, the family’s difficult escape after the fall of South Vietnam in the 1970s and their struggles to adjust to life in America. With gorgeous artwork that powerfully emphasises the simple text, she reflects on the lasting effects of displacement on them all.’ – Bronte Coates, digital content coordinator

Odd Girl Out by Laura James

‘There’s been a boom in autism memoirs in the past decade, but still very few from the perspective of an autistic woman (with the notable exception of Temple Grandin). This memoir is a a very welcome addition to the genre. Laura James found out that she was autistic only as an adult – after she had forged a career for herself, married twice and raised four children. Odd Girl Out tracks the year of Laura’s life after she receives a definitive diagnosis from her doctor.’ – Jo Case, editor of the Readings Monthly

Hunger by Roxane Gay

‘Reading Roxane Gay’s has brought up a lot of thoughts about my own empathy, privilege, and naivety. Most places are not designed for people of Gay’s size, and reading her descriptions of going through a world not meant for her is harrowing. This book explores what it means to be in such a politicised body, and the personal consequences of living this experience. One of the many reasons why reading is so wonderful is because it makes it easier to put ourselves in other’s shoes – whether you’re reading a fantasy novel or a crime thriller, or a memoir like Gay’s, you are learning (and hopefully feeling) something new.’ – Ellen Cregan, bookseller at Readings Doncaster

Night Sky with Exit Wounds by Ocean Vuong

‘ Night Sky with Exit Wounds is a haunting book that broke my heart in a million ways. Vuong’s imagery is exquisite, beautifully blending together mythology and memory. While the poems touch on a variety of things, what impacted on me the most is Vuong’s deep dive into the insidious nature of trauma.’ – Bronte Coates, digital content coordinator

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

‘I’m going to name-drop here and tell you that I read Americanah after a car ride with Hannah Kent in which she raved about it. A few years later, it remains among my favourite books. This story of love and friendship, race and identity, using popular culture to push against the culture we inhabit every day, and moving between very different societies (Nigeria/US/UK) in a globalised world is vibrant, compelling, smart and often just plain fun. It took me between worlds I know, crevices or perspectives on those worlds I don’t know, and to totally different societies: American college, the salons where African-American women sit for hours with burning scalps to get straight hair, the office of a fashion magazine in Nigeria. So good.’ – Jo Case, editor of the Readings Monthly

Dare to be Kind by Lizzie Velasquez

‘Motivational speaker, author and YouTuber Lizzie Velasquez has built her career on speaking up about bullying, approaching the topic from a very personal angle. She was born with a rare genetic condition that requires careful medical management and which has given her a unique appearance.

Dare to be Kind is a memoir-manifesto hybrid that calls for kindness, respect, role modelling and self-acceptance in the face of bullying. It’s written in a warm and engaging voice, with succinct themed chapters and honest personal anecdotes and opinions. In this funny, smart and compassionate book, Velasquez details her own low points and insecurities, and also her strengths, achievements and unique point of view.’ – Leanne Hall, children’s and YA book specialist at Readings Kids

Finding Eliza by Larissa Behrendt

‘I really enjoyed this history book. Aboriginal lawyer, writer and filmmaker Larissa Behrendt uses the story of Eliza Fraser – who was purportedly captured by the Butchulla people after she was shipwrecked on their island off the Queensland coast in 1836 – as a starting point to interrogate how indigenous people have been portrayed in their colonisers’ stories. It makes for fascinating reading, not at all dry or dense. Behrendt’s arguments on how storytelling impacts on our laws and societal expectations are succinct, articulate and compelling.’ – Bronte Coates, digital content coordinator

Things That Helped by Jessica Friedmann

‘Jessica Friedmann’s beautiful collection of personal essays on early motherhood, post-natal depression, creativity and identity is a complicated pleasure to read. Her dissection of her post-natal depression, and her struggle to retain her individual identity in the midst of motherhood, earns its place in the ‘difficult motherhood’ canon, alongside Rachel Cusk and Susan Maushart. Not since Cusk has a writer so precisely articulated that swamping of the self, and the surprise of it.’ – Jo Case, editor of the Readings Monthly