Books
BookPeople 2023 Book of the Year winners
The 2023 BookPeople Book of the Year winners have been announced! These awards celebrate the best books of the year, as judged by Australian book industry members. In addition to book honours, these annual awards also celebrate the wonderful work of Australian booksellers and this year our Managing Director Mark Rubbo was chosen as Bookseller of the Year!
Below are the winners titles from across the three categories.
Adult fiction book of the year
Limberlost by Robbie Arnott
Adult nonfiction…
Craft books to keep the cold away
We are now well into winter and if you're anything like me, there's nothing you'd rather do than snuggle under a blanket with a hot cup of tea and a new craft project. Here is an array of books to help you choose your next project.
For both the aspiring and seasoned quilters...
The Urban Quilted Home by Wendy Chow
The Urban Quilted Home teaches you everything you need to know about how to create stylish, modern quilts for a…
Top picks for book clubs this month
This month we're doing our book clubs post a little differently. To celebrate Pride, we're recommending an LGBTQIA+ read for each category!
International fiction | Big Swiss by Jen Beagin
Big Swiss. That’s Greta’s nickname for her – she is tall, and she is from Switzerland. Greta can see her now: dressed top to toe in white, that adorable gap between her two front teeth, her penetrating blue eyes. She’s a head-turner: including the heads of infants and dogs.
Well…
Explore the nature of nature with EWF
Emerging Writer's Festival is just around the corner, a festival to discover new stories, new voices, and new worlds. Below are a constellation of the incredible events that promise connection, the natural world and even storytelling under the stars.
Celebrate the Winter Solstice with an evening of storytelling. Settle yourself around the fire as you listen to an array of performers whisper myths and legends into the flames.
When: 7pm, Thursday 22 June
Where: Collingwood Yards
…
Our May 2023 bestsellers
The Voice to Parliament by Thomas Mayo & Kerry O'Brien
The Bookbinder of Jericho by Pip Williams
The Queen is Dead by Stan Grant
Jaguar by Sarah Holland-Batt
Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
First Knowledges Law by Marcia Langton & Aaron Corn
RecipeTin Eats: Dinner by Nagi Maehashi
Outlive by Peter Attia and Bill Gifford
Limberlost by Robbie Arnott
Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld
…
20 event recommendations for attending EWF’s 20th anniversary
Celebrate 20 years of the Emerging Writers’ Festival with us by exploring twenty events from their 2023 program.
1. Xoxo | 6pm, 15 June at Meat Market
The literary world is filled with gossip, rumours and feuds, and EWF is offering a peak in on all the drama. Well, not quite – some of EWF’s favourite writers are gathering at Meat Market to share their most scandalous fictional gossip, their juiciest fake feuds, and most dramatic of imagined literary dramas.
…
Dear Reader, with Alison Huber
Every now and again, we booksellers are invited to spend an evening with a publisher and their authors. You may have romantic visions of what this involves – a little schmoozing with a bubbly drink in hand and a touch of friendly industry gossip – and you’re not too far from the reality. Recently, a number of us attended Ultimo’s shindig, where the audience was treated to readings from and interviews with some of the publisher’s Melbourne- based writers. Arguably…
Mark's Say, June 2023
We’ve moved our offices to West Melbourne and now that my bike commute is a little longer, I’ve taken to listening to podcasts, many of them produced by Readings. I was recently particularly taken by one of the New Yorker’s podcasts. It was a reading of one of its articles by journalist and writer JR Moehringer. Moehringer has won a Pulitzer Prize for his newspaper feature writing, and his memoir, The Tender Bar, was made into a film…
Engaging new picture books for young readers
Twenty Questions by Mac Barnett, Christian Robinson (illus.)
Not all questions have answers. Some have more than one answer. And others have endless answers, unfolding out to the edges of the world. In this sparse yet expansive narrative, acclaimed author Mac Barnett poses twenty questions both playful and profound. Some make us giggle. Others challenge our assumptions. The result is a quirky, wandering exploration of where the best questions lead – to stories.
Intriguing, richly interactive, and brought to vivid…
Books exploring the intersection of art, celebrity, fanaticism and cult
Everything I Need I Get from You by Kaitlyn Tiffany
In Everything I Need I Get from You, Kaitlyn Tiffany, a staff writer at The Atlantic and a superfan herself, guides us through the online world of fans, stans, and boybands. Along the way we meet girls who damaged their lungs from screaming too loud, fans rallying together to manipulate chart numbers using complex digital subversion, and an underworld of inside jokes and shared memories surrounding band members’ allergies…
Out of this world LGBTQIA+ fiction
If you're into queer space operas, fantasy epics and the lives of futuristic robots – then do we have the books for you! We've recently been gifted with a treasure trove of LGBTQIA+ sci-fi and fantasy titles that are the perfect place to escape to as the weather turns wintry. Below are four of our recent favourites.
In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune
In a strange little home built into the branches of a grove of trees live…
Cosy graphic novels for when the weather turns frosty
It's getting colder and if you're anything like me, there's nothing you'd rather do than snuggle up with a book. This blog is full of cosy graphic novels to help you choose what to pick up next.
For those who needs a little bit of courage...
Garlic and the Vampire by Bree Paulsen
Garlic feels as though she’s always doing something wrong. At least with her friend Carrot by her side and the kindly Witch Agnes encouraging her, Garlic is…
Barbara Kingsolver and Hernan Diaz win the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
Barbara Kingsolver and Hernan Diaz have each won the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction! Kingsolver has won for her novel Demon Copperhead, and Diaz for his novel Trust.
The Pulitzer Prize for Fiction is awarded For distinguished fiction published during the year by an American author, preferably dealing with American life. The winner receives $15,000. This year is the first time since inception (1948) that the prize has been awarded to fiction books.
Learn more about each winning…
Gift ideas for Mother's Day
Mother's Day is almost here, so we've put together some last-minute recommendations that cover a number of our favourite recent reads! From cultural studies to fantastic fiction, we have you covered.
Mothers in search of food-centric reading
Small Fires by Rebecca May Johnson
The spatter of sauce in a pan, a cook’s subtle deviation from a recipe, the careful labour of cooking for loved ones: these are not often the subjects of critical enquiry. Cooking, we are told, has nothing…
Mark's Say, May 2023
I’m pretty proud of the bookshops we’ve created over the years. With the help of some very talented architects, we’ve created some beautiful spaces, and our buyers and booksellers have filled them with an interesting and diverse range of books. Each new shop excites me more, and I’m going through an intense affair with our new Hawthorn site. In an old bank building, it’s a series of rooms that reveal themselves as you wander through it. In the original banking…
We share what we're gifting (and hoping to receive!) this Mother's Day
Are you searching for some last minute inspiration? We asked five Readings staffers about the book(s) they're gifting this Mother's Day and the books they'd love to receive.
Fiona Hardy, bookseller
When you work in a bookshop, nobody ever gifts you books – but I have an internal wishlist, anyway! There's a huge sale on cookbooks for the month of May, and even though I tend to buy cookbooks, pore over them, make one thing successfully, and then never revisit…
Don't miss these MWF panel events
If you're still wondering which events to attend, or perhaps looking to squeeze in another to an already packed personal program, we highly recommend attending one of the many excellent MWF panels that are on offer this year! These events showcase multiple authors and are just the thing for sparking great conversation and ideas around some of today's most pertinent topics. Below are six events that will illuminate and delight – without requiring any festival pre-reading.
Explore the best of the backlist with MWF 2023 authors
You know their recent release – and you've booked your ticket to their upcoming MWF appearance! – but if you’ve only recently discovered the author’s catalogue, perhaps you're curious about what came before their latest work? Well, we’ve done the digging and are recommending books to discover from these MWF author backlists.
Gabrielle Zevin
So, you’ve just finished Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow?
From Zevin’s backlist we recommend her lauded and bestselling 2015 novel, The Storied Life of A.J.…
The 2023 ABIA shortlists
The shortlists for the 2023 Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIAs) have been announced! The ABIAs celebrate the best books of the year, as judged by Australian book industry members.
Below are the shortlisted titles from each category.
Biography Book of the Year
My Dream Time by Ash Barty
Ten Steps to Nanette by Hannah Gadsby
The Boy from Boomerang Crescent by Eddie Betts
Heartstrong by Ellidy Pullin
The Ninth Life of a Diamond Miner by Grace Tame
General Fiction Book…
What to read after binging that show
So, you just binged the latest trending show and don't know what you could possibly do now that you are without it? Well, I'm here to help! Here you'll find a helpful guide to match your current favourite show with the next YA novel you need to add to your TBR.
You're still shaking after the season finale of You...
None Shall Sleep by Ellie Marney
This outstanding psychological thriller will quench your thirst for more serial killers.
In 1982…
Our books of the month, April 2023
Explore our books of the month for April; each of the below titles has been read and recommended by our booksellers before being selected as our book of the month for its category.
FICTION BOOK OF THE MONTH
The Anniversary by Stephanie Bishop
Reviewed by Alison Huber, head book buyer
'I can’t speak highly enough of this literary work.'One of the most wonderful and satisfying things about being a reader is following the careers of writers whose work…
Dear Reader, with Alison Huber
I was struck by how fantastic this month’s Readings Monthly is. It is brimming with thoughtful reviews from our talented staff. Every time our dear editor sends me the reviews for the month, I’m affected by the passion and knowledge of our staff, whose daily job is to make sure you get a great book to read. Many career booksellers will speak of a deep attachment to books and writers, and sometimes even refer to our work as a ‘calling’…
Which Curtis Sittenfeld book should you read first?
Perhaps you are a person who is thinking: ‘I am interested to read this extremely good author, but also I am time-poor and do not know where to begin’. This guide* is for you…
*This piece was originally published in 2019 and has been updated with contributions from our booksellers to reflect Sittenfeld's latest work (Rodham & Romantic Comedy) and to ensure our advice remains up-to-date!
Prep (2005)
When shy fourteen-year-old Lee Fiora arrives at the exclusive boarding…
Top picks for book clubs this month
Crime fiction
Judgement Day by Mali Waugh
Family law judge Kaye Bailey is found murdered in her chambers. Is this the work of a disgruntled complainant? Or an inside job by a jealous colleague? Or is there something even more insidious at the heart of this brutal act?
Detective Jillian Basset is just back from maternity leave, struggling with new motherhood as she tackles the biggest case of her career. As her work and home lives get messier and messier…
Mark's Say, March 2023
I first met Peter Browne when he was editing a magazine called Australian Society; associated with the Brotherhood of St Laurence, it was a progressive monthly magazine of news and current affairs. Peter later went on to become publisher for the University of New South Wales Press and then moved to Swinburne University’s Institute of Social Research from where in 2008 he launched the monthly digital news magazine Inside Story. Browne has always been intensely interested in how…
Our February 2023 bestsellers
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
Cold Enough for Snow by Jessica Au
Atomic Habits by James Clear
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
New Rulebook by Chris Cheers
You Talk, We Die by Judy Ryan
The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka
Shirley by Ronnie Scott
Why Does It Still Hurt? by Paul Biegler
A Country of Eternal Light by Paul Dalgarno
Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
Debut fiction to read this month
Really Good, Actually by Monica Heisey
When 28 year old Maggie finds herself suddenly, shockingly, divorced after just 608 days of marriage she embarks upon a journey of self-discovery that mostly consists of eating hamburgers at 4am, taking up a variety of new hobbies, and trying to embrace life as a Surprisingly Young Divorcée™ in the age of dating apps. Acerbically funny with razor sharp dialogue, this painfully relatable book about modern love is the debut novel from comedian, essayist…
Our books of the month, February 2023
Explore our books of the month for February; each of the below titles has been read and recommended by our booksellers, so all that's left to do is procure your copy.
FICTION BOOK OF THE MONTH
A Country of Eternal Light by Paul Dalgarno
Reviewed by Tye Cattanach, Readings Kids
'A Country of Eternal Light is a startlingly ambitious novel.'Margaret Bryce is dead. Since her death in 2014, she has spent her time watching over the lives of…
Dear Reader, with Alison Huber
There’s nothing quite like a controversial blockbusting release – complete with a publisher’s embargo – hitting the shelves in the usually quiet new-release month of January to get a year in books off to a thrilling beginning. Books were (well, a book was) front page news. The royal memoir from Prince Harry, Spare, was always set to capture the collective imagination (though I must admit to being quite perplexed by the actual extent of the media coverage, which at…
Mark's Say January 2023 & announcing this year's Readings Foundation recipients
For many years I’ve worked out of an office–warehouse in Drummond Street, Carlton; for better or worse, we’ve outgrown it. Everything that we sell at Carlton and online comes through that warehouse, and it must all be hand unloaded from trucks, which takes its toll. So, we are moving to new premises in West Melbourne, just next door to Festival Hall. Many years ago, I saw the Beatles and Bob Dylan perform there; now, it’s a Hillsong Church.
Today I’ve…
Winners of the Victorian Premier's Literary Awards 2023
Congratulations to all the winners of the 2023 Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards!
WINNER OF FICTION AND WINNER OF THE OVERALL VICTORIAN PRIZE FOR LITERATURE
Cold Enough For Snow BY Jessica Au
At just under 100 pages, the premise of the book is deceptively simple: a mother and daughter travel a rain-misted Japan together, revealing gaps in their ability to communicate. Into these gaps, Au writes tenderly of mother-daughter relationships, of the immigrant experience of dislocation and of a profound love…
Our January 2023 bestsellers
Spare by Prince Harry
Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
Bulldozed by Niki Savva
The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
Lessons by Ian McEwan
Atomic Habits by James Clear
RecipeTin Eats: Dinner by Nagi Maehashi
Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover
Exiles by Jane Harper
Limberlost by Robbie Arnott
Cold Enough for Snow by Jessica Au
Seeing Other People by Diana…
2022 LGBTQIA+ fiction favourites
It’s been a fantastic year for LGBTQIA+ stories in fiction. Below, you’ll find some of our 2022 fiction favourites that centre and celebrate a multiplicity of LGBTQIA+ experiences within their pages.
The Dawnhounds by Sascha Stronach
The port city of Hainak is alive: its buildings, its fashion, even its weapons. But, after a devastating war and a sweeping biotech revolution, all its inhabitants want is peace, no one more so than Yat Jyn-Hok a reformed-thief-turned-cop who patrols the streets at…
Our top 10 bestsellers of the week
Bulldozed by Niki Savva
Exiles by Jane Harper
The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
Cold Enough for Snow by Jessica Au
Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
Old Vintage Melbourne, 1960–1990 by Chris Macheras
Limberlost by Robbie Arnott
Lessons by Ian McEwan
The Book of Roads and Kingdoms by Richard Fidler
For the third week running our best-seller from the past week is is the final instalment in Niki Sava's…
The Victorian Premier's Literary Awards shortlists 2023
PRIZE FOR FICTION
An Exciting and Vivid Inner Life by Paul Dalla Rosa
Cold Enough for Snow by Jessica Au
Salonika Burning by Gail Jones
The Lovers by Yumna Kassab
The Signal Line by Brendan Colley
This Devastating Fever by Sophie Cunningham
PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION
Childhood by Shannon Burns
Indelible City by Louisa Lim
Our Members be Unlimited by Sam Wallman
People Who Lunch by Sally Olds
Root & Branch by Eda Gunaydin
The Uncaged Sky by Kylie Moore-Gilbert
PRIZE…
12 literary prize winners of 2022 to read this summer
It's been another banner year for prize-winning literature and below are 12 excellent and expansive novels that won awards during 2022.
Cold Enough for Snow by Jessica Au
Winner of the 2022 Readings Prize for New Australian Fiction
At just under 100 pages, the premise of the book is deceptively simple: a mother and daughter travel a rain-misted Japan together, revealing gaps in their ability to communicate. Into these gaps, Au writes tenderly of mother-daughter relationships, of the immigrant experience…
The Prime Minister's Literary Awards winners 2022
The winners for this year’s Prime Minister’s Literary Awards have been announced! The Prime Minister’s Literary Awards celebrate outstanding literary talent in Australia and the valuable contribution Australian literature and history makes to the nation’s cultural and intellectual life.
Fiction winner:
Red Heaven by Nicolas Rothwell
Non-fiction winner:
Rogue Forces: An explosive insiders’ account of Australian SAS war crimes in Afghanistan by Mark Willacy
Australian History winner:
Semut: The Untold Story of a Secret Australian Operation in WWII Borneo by…
Summer reading recommendations, with Chris Gordon
Here they are; the best books to read on the beach while also keeping an eye on your kids and your mother-in-law. Or more achievable: books for reading at home, outside.
There is such romance around reading on the beach, but quite frankly there is simply no practicality about it. It is all too difficult. Give me a pool-side any day and by pool-side, I mean paddle pool in my backyard where my feet are wet, my head is shaded…
Our top 10 bestsellers of the week
Bulldozed by Niki Savva
Quarterly Essay 88: Lone Wolf by Katharine Murphy
The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka
Lessons by Ian McEwan
Exiles by Jane Harper
Willowman by Inga Simpson
Old Vintage Melbourne, 1960–1990 by Chris Macheras
RecipeTin Eats: Dinner by Nagi Maehashi
Faith, Hope and Carnage by Nick Cave & Sean O'Hagan
The Book of Roads and Kingdoms by Richard Fidler
Our bestseller from the past week is the final instalment in Niki Sava's bestselling political…
Five simple KK ideas for under $20
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! When you have to buy a Christmas present for a co-worker, who you may not know very well, like very much or perhaps have never even met in real life. And you have to keep this gift, which will most definitely be used to judge you, under $20. Yes, that's right it's KK time! But never fear as we are here with some great suggestions, from the practical to the fun, that…
Our 2022 guide to the best books of the year
We’re sharing what we consider the best books as the year as well as a range of curated gift guides featuring hand-picked recommendations from our booksellers and online team. Keep an eye on this page as we’ll be adding to our list throughout the coming weeks.
Adult
Must-read international debut fiction from 2022
Must-read Australian debut fiction from 2022
2022 Translated fiction highlights
2022 fantasy and sci-fi highlights
2022…
The best books of 2022
Our staff have voted and the results are in! We are delighted to reveal our best books of 2022, as chosen by Readings' experienced booksellers.
Our top 10 bestsellers of the week
A Pocketful of Happiness by Richard E. Grant
Lessons by Ian McEwan
Old Vintage Melbourne, 1960–1990 by Chris Macheras
RecipeTin Eats: Dinner by Nagi Maehashi
Cold Enough for Snow by Jessica Au
Exiles by Jane Harper
Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout
The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka
My Dream Time by Ash Barty
A Book of Days by Patti Smith
Our best-seller from the past week is the memoir from beloved actor Richard E. Grant…
Our top 10 bestsellers of the week
A Book of Days by Patti Smith
I Am NOT Fine, Thanks by Wil Anderson
My Dream Time by Ash Barty
Exiles by Jane Harper
Old Vintage Melbourne, 1960–1990 by Chris Macheras
Murder in Williamstown by Kerry Greenwood
Cold Enough for Snow by Jessica Au
Lessons by Ian McEwan
Minds Went Walking by various
RecipeTin Eats: Dinner by Nagi Maehashi
Our best-seller from the past week offers a glimpse into Patti Smith's creative life through 365 personal photographs shot on…
Our top 10 bestsellers of the week
My Dream Time by Ash Barty
Exiles by Jane Harper
Old Vintage Melbourne, 1960–1990 by Chris Macheras
Cold Enough for Snow by Jessica Au
Seeing Other People by Diana Reid
Lessons by Ian McEwan
Lune: Croissants All Day, All Night by Kate Reid
A Year with Wendy Whiteley by Ashleigh Wilson
Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout
Not Now, Not Ever by Julia Gillard
Our best-seller from the past week is tennis superstar, Ash Barty's memoir, My Dream Time…
Dear Reader, with Alison Huber
Somehow or other we have arrived at the final issue of Readings Monthly for 2022, and we are busily prepping our stores for something like ‘normal’ festive trading, the kind that doesn’t involve QR codes, density limits or immunisation passport checks at the door (to future readers of the Readings archive, this is not a joke!). To celebrate, our Fiction Book of the Month is Inga Simpson’s brilliant Willowman, a book about life told through cricket. All of us…
Mark's Say, November 2022
A few weeks ago, some For Lease signs went up outside our Hawthorn shop, alarming many customers. Readings moved to Hawthorn in the early 1970s and has become a fixture of that community, and we have no intention of leaving the area. Our lease is coming to an end and we couldn’t work out anything satisfactory with the landlord. We’ve long admired the rejuvenation of the area around Lido Cinema, and emailed the owner, Eddie Tamir, on the off-chance that…
On events, with Chris Gordon
As with any excellent dinner party, we are covering all bases for our final month of programming this year. We are rejoicing in music, food, laughter, politics (because what is a dinner party without heated discussion) and a touch of whimsy. I am hoping each event you attend lightens your soul and makes you realise how glorious our fine city is, filled as it is with creative geniuses.
A soundtrack is always one of the most crucial elements of a…
Neurodiverse stories for young adults
Adolescence is a confusing, difficult time - even more so when your brain is wired differently to other teens. Here are a collection of powerful stories, both fiction and non-fiction, about living with neurodiversity as a teenager that provide insights and empathy for the complexity, challenges, and joy of living neurodivergently.
Different, Not Less by Chloe Hayden
Growing up, Chloe Hayden felt like she’d crash-landed on an alien planet where nothing made sense. She moved between 10 schools in 8…
New Kids and YA books for book clubs
We are delighted to have many recent children’s books that are richly imagined and would be perfect for study by book clubs and in classrooms. Here are some of our favourites.
AGES 5 AND UP
My Strange Shrinking Parents by Zeno Sworder
With humour and pathos, Sworder reflects on the strange nature of giving and receiving love and celebrates those parents who embrace a hard life for themselves in the hope of a better life for their children.
Themes include:
…
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