Books

Meet the bookseller with Emma Clarke

by Emma Clarke

In this Meet the Bookseller column we chat with Emma Clarke, one of our excellent St Kilda booksellers! We talk about everything from the favourite part of the job to the ideal fictional world to be trapped within.

Emma is also the new host of our weekly Readings St Kilda storytimes that take place every Saturday at 2pm.

What is your favourite part of your job?

There are a lot of things I love about my job. My favourite ……

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Children's books with non-binary and trans characters

Stories for young people with non-binary and trans characters in them are gradually becoming more available and we warmly welcome every addition to our shelves. So, to celebrate Pride Month, we have put together a collection of some recent releases.

Katerina Cruickshanks by Daniel Gray-Barnett

Katerina Cruickshanks is a wild child, a trickster, and a ringleader. But when they wreak some serious chaos, their friends decide their shenanigans have gone too far and say, ‘No more!’

Brimming with humour and…

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Young adult books with non-binary and trans characters

It is fantastic that non-binary and trans characters are becoming more prominent in books for young adults. To celebrate Pride Month, below are some recommended reads that include both.

Bruised by Tanya Boteju

This is a vibrant coming-of-age story about a teen girl navigating first love, identity, and grief as she immerses herself in the colourful, brutal, beautiful world of roller derby. There is a beautiful tapestry of characters, both young and old, and many identify as non-binary and queer…

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The Miles Franklin Literary Award shortlist 2022

The 2022 shortlist for the Miles Franklin Literary Award has been announced!

The Miles Franklin Literary Award was celebrates novels of the highest literary merit that tell stories about Australian life, shining a light on some of the country’s most talented writers. Each of the 2022 shortlisted authors will receive $5,000.

Below are the five shortlisted titles:

One Hundred Days by Alice Pung

The Other Half of You by Michael Mohammed Ahmad

Scary Monsters by Michelle de Kretser

Bodies of

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Five LGBTQIA+ horror must-reads

Five fantastic LGBTQIA+ horror recommendations. That’s really all you need to know before you let these inventive, thought-provoking narratives consume you.

They by Kay Dick

Lost for over forty years, They (1977) is a rediscovered dystopian masterpiece.

They are coming closer. They begin with a dead dog, shadowy footsteps, confiscated books. Then, the National Gallery is purged; motorway checkpoints demarcate Areas, violent mobs stalk the countryside, destroying cultural artefacts - and those who resist. The surviving writers, artists and thinkers…

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The best food & gardening books of the month

by Chris Gordon

Feel Good: Quick and Easy Recipes for Comfort and Joy by Melissa Hemsle

You know what I need now? A night in with a good book and a delicious home- cooked meal that will make me feel healthy and satisfied – the type of meal that encourages herbal tea as the beverage rather than (too much) wine.

This cookbook will help those that share my fantasy for the perfect evening. There are more than 100 recipes that are literally designed…

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Our books of the month, June 2022

OUR FICTION BOOK OF THE MONTH

Horse by Geraldine Brooks

Reviewed by

‘As with each of Brooks’ books, the historical detail is astonishing, and you can’t escape the sense that this is really and truly the way things happened. The barns, the barbers, the drawing rooms, the streets, are all skilfully and convincingly drawn. The cruelty of humankind towards animals, as well as the cruelty of humankind towards itself feels real. This is a huge book, with enormous themes, beautifully…

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Our top 10 bestsellers of the week

Horse by Geraldine Brooks

Soldiers and Aliens by June Factor

An Exciting and Vivid Inner Life by Paul Dalla Rosa

Eat Weeds by Diego Bonetto

Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentil

The Seamstress of Sardinia by Bianca Pitzorno (translated by Brigid Maher)

The Murder Rule by Dervla McTiernan

Bedtime Story by Chloe Hooper

Our best-seller from the past week is the latest…

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Our children's and YA top 10 bestsellers of the week

World’s Worst Pets by David Walliams

Heartstopper: Volume 2 by Alice Oseman

Solitaire by Alice Oseman

The Guardians: Wylah the Koorie Warrior 1 by Jordan Gould & Richard Pritchard

Zadie Ma and the Dog who Chased the Moon by Gabrielle Wang

Heartstopper: Volume 1 by Alice Oseman

Loveless by Alice Oseman

Heartstopper: Volume 3 by Alice Oseman

Bad Guys 15: Open up and Say Arrrgh! by Aaron Blabey

Possum Magic by Mem Fox

At the top of our charts this…

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The Carnegie & Kate Greenaway Medals winners 2022

The winners of the 2022 Yoto Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals have been announced!

The Carnegie Medal is awarded by children’s librarians for an outstanding book written in English for children and young people. The Kate Greenaway Medal is awarded by children’s librarians for an outstanding book in terms of illustration for children and young people.

The Yoto Carnegie Medal has been awarded to Katya Balen for her second novel October, October, illustrated by Angela Harding.

October and her…

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The best new crime reads in June

by Fiona Hardy & Julia Jackson

Our crime specialists shares 10 great crime reads to look out for this month.

CRIME BOOK OF THE MONTH

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill

Under the soaring dome of the Boston Public Library, four people meet. Whit, studying to become a lawyer and doing his best to fail; handsome novelist Cain; tattooed Harvard student Marigold; and our protagonist, Freddie, who has arrived in America from Australia on a writing fellowship. Their connection is still tentative and new…

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What we're reading: Farrell, Marney & Styles

Grace Gooda is reading The Singapore Grip by J.G Farrell

The humour J.G Farrell uses to ridicule colonialism and the arrogance of British Imperialism is unlike anything I’ve ever read.

I love the strong personalities which make up this book – each character is a bit of an icon in their own way. The thoughts and conversations between characters intertwine perfectly to paint an image of what 1940s Singapore was to multiple demographics, and how the motivations of different nations…

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Dear Reader, June 2022

by Alison Huber

I’m writing this in mid-May, and you’re probably reading this in June some time, and I’ve just spent my day today with my head in August, buying new releases from that month, such as Julia Busuttil Nishimura’s new cookbook, Around the Table; Eddie Betts’s anticipated memoir, The Boy from Boomerang Crescent; and Norman Swan’s next essential compendium of health advice, So You Want to Live Younger Longer? (Not to mention I’m fielding the seemingly impossible-to-contemplate question of how…

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Ruth Ozeki wins the Women's Prize for Fiction 2022

Ruth Ozeki has won the 2022 Women’s Prize for Fiction for The Book of Form and Emptiness.

After his father dies, Benny Oh finds he can hear objects talking: teapots, marbles and sharpened pencils, babbling in anger or distress. His mother, struggling to support their household alone, starts collecting things to give her comfort. Overwhelmed by the clamour of all the stuff, Benny seeks refuge in the beautiful silence of the public library. There, a book reaches out to…

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Sci-fi and horror for younger fans of Stranger Things

by Angela Crocombe

Many of us, young and old, are obsessed with the new season of Stranger Things on Netflix, and as we wait for the second part to drop in July, here are some spooky sci-fi and horror titles that will transport imaginations to an alternate universe not unlike the Upside Down.

Mars Awakens by H.M. Waugh

Raised in rival colonies on Mars, each long ago abandoned by Earth, Dee and Holt have been brought up to hate even the idea of…

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Our children's and YA top 10 bestsellers of the week

The Guardians: Wylah the Koorie Warrior 1 by Jordan Gould & Richard Pritchard

Solitaire by Alice Oseman

Heartstopper: Volume 1 by Alice Oseman

Treehouse Tales by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton

Heartstopper: Volume 2 by Alice Oseman

The Blood Traitor by Lynette Loni

World’s Worst Pets by David Walliams

Open your Heart to Country by Jasmine Seymour

Stunt Kids by Trent Roberts

Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

At the top of our charts after this long weekend…

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The Readings Guide to the Women’s Prize 2022 Shortlist

With the winner of the Women’s Prize for Fiction announced later this week, you still have time to pick up books from the excellent shortlist. Wondering which one to dive into next? (Or first – we won’t judge!) Just follow our handy reading guide – a lightning quick round-up of our booksellers’ thoughts on the six shortlisted titles.

The Bread the Devil Knead by Lisa Allen-Agostini Myriad

Author (and stand-up comedian) Lisa Allen-Agostini’s novel hums with the rhythms of life…

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Our top 10 bestsellers of the week

Basin by Scott McCulloch

An Exciting and Vivid Inner Life by Paul Dalla Rosa

Sunbathing by Isobel Beech

Dirt Town by Hayley Scrivenor

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

The Murder Rule by Dervla McTiernan

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentil

Eat Weeds by Diego Bonetto

Bedtime Story by Chloe Hooper

Dropbear by Evelyn Araluen

Our bestselling book this week is the debut novel by Scott McCulloch, which was launched at the Carlton shop on…

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The 2022 ABIA winners

The winners of the annual Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIAs) were announced last night! Our congratulations to the winning authors, illustrators and publishers.

2022 ABIA BOOK AWARD WINNERS

ABIA Book of the Year:
Love & Virtue by Diana Reid

Biography Book of the Year:
My Adventurous Life by Dick Smith

General Fiction Book of the Year:
Before You Knew My Name by Jacqueline Bublitz

General Non-fiction Book of the Year:
She’s on the Money by Victoria Devine

Literary Fiction Book

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What we're reading: Christopher & Tan

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.

Tracy Hwang is reading Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan

It’s been a while since I picked up a fantasy novel and I’m really enjoying dipping my toes back in with Sue Lynn Tan’s Daughter of the Moon Goddess.

I’ve only read a few chapters so far but the…

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Interview with Yassmin Abdel-Magied

With her major new essay collection, Talking About a Revolution, Yassmin Abdel-Magied explores themes of resistance, transformation and revolution with clarity and a confidence of vision. She talks to Readings about preparing the collection, the essay she’s most excited for people to read and her new home in London.

Hi Yassmin! Tell us about your new essay collection, Talking About a Revolution.

Talking About a Revolution is a collection of essays, reflecting on, critiquing and analysing the challenges…

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Mark's Say: June 2022

by Mark Rubbo

In the digital age, bookselling is often a rather thankless task; Jeff Bezos was able to use books as the springboard to create his empire because it was an industry run by smart, passionate people who’d invented ways to organise a complex system, making it ripe for an opportunistic player to use it to their advantage. Amazon cut a swathe through bookshops globally, but thanks to the booksellers who make careful selections and recommendations and create places where people can…

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Recommended children's books and news for June

by Angela Crocombe

It’s wintertime and what is better than snuggling under the covers with a good book and reading, either together or alone. Here are some fantastic new books released just in time for the winter school holidays. Get a warm blanket and find a cosy spot for a good read.

Find our June YA round-up here.

OUR CHILDREN’S BOOK OF THE MONTH

Open Your Heart to Country by Jasmine Seymour

Told in English and Dharug, this is a moving account…

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Recommended YA books and news for June

by Angela Crocombe

It’s finally winter and the days are so cold that the best thing we can do - if we can get away with it - is dive into bed with a cuppa and a good book! Well, we have some fantastic young adult novels that will have you enthralled and keep you warm and cosy from the inside out.

Find our June kids round-up here.

YA BOOK OF THE MONTH

My Spare Heart by Jared Thomas

Phoebe’s non-Indigenous mother…

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Our top 10 bestsellers of the week

Eat Weeds by Diego Bonetto

When Jokers Were Kings by John Tesarsch

The Murder Rule by Dervla McTiernan

An Exciting and Vivid Inner Life by Paul Dalla Rosa

Bedtime Story by Chloe Hooper

How to Lose Friends and Influence White People by Antoinette Lattouf

Sunbathing by Isobel Beech

Losing Face by George Haddad

Dropbear by Evelyn Araluen

Pure Colour by Sheila Heti

Our best-seller from the past week is the fantastic guide to foraging, Eat Weeds. This book is…

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Events to attend this Emerging Writers' Festival

The Emerging Writers’ Festival will begin later this week and the amazing program team have put together another stellar hybrid program! With events taking place both in-person and online there’s a trove of new authors and creators to discover and learn from, wherever you are and whatever your budget.

Writers Night School: Intro to Narrative Audio

This workshop will explore how to find a good story for audio, as well as the specifics of writing audio stories, getting the most…

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On Events, with Chris Gordon

by Chris Gordon

Bookshops become more magical as the nights grow colder. There is something about a place filled to the brim with books waiting to be read that can generate a certain warmth in your soul during the winter nights. It may be sleeting outside, the wind may be brutal, but inside a bookshop there are endless possibilities for escape. This month we are hosting events with several crime writers. Reading crime novels in the middle of winter always seems just right…

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Book recommendations from the EWF programming team

The team at Emerging Writers’ Festival (running 15–25 June) have been busy preparing for the beginning of this year’s festival, but – fabulous overachievers that they are – they’ve still managed to find the time to tell us about the books they’re currently reading and enjoying!

Ruby-Rose Pivet-Marsh, Artistic Director

As always, I am reading far too many books at once!

I was lucky enough to be sent a few books by Revarena Ediciones recently, including Residencia Permanente by Alejandro…

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25% off 25 genre fiction favourites

Take 25% off a select range of genre fiction titles in June!

Whether you’re looking for the perfect excuse to read more genre fiction or you’re already an avid fan, we have a terrific offer available with 25% off some of our favourite works of crime, romance, horror, sci-fi and fantasy.

Including award-winning sci-fi classics like Dune and Parable of the Sower, irresistible contemporary crime such as In the Woods and Wimmera, feel-good romantic comedies The Hating Game

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Books to support children with anxiety

by Angela Crocombe

Anxiety is a common response to the challenges of the last two years, not to mention the stress of everyday life, and children are just as susceptible to it as adults. We have noticed more people asking for books to help children manage stress, anxiety and depression. While there are no easy answers, and professional help is often needed, there are some useful techniques and it can be helpful for a young person to see a character in a book…

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Six books to read before watching the adaptation

by Lucie Dess

There are so many incredible books being adapted for the big and little screen in 2022. But we all know, the book is better. Here are 6 books to read before watching the adaptation.

Conversations with friends

Sally Rooney, author of Normal People (already an adaptation on Stan) is an incredible storyteller and Conversations with Friends is proof of that.

Frances is a cool-headed and darkly observant young woman, vaguely pursuing a career in writing while studying in Dublin. At…

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Our top 10 bestsellers of the week

Bedtime Story by Chloe Hooper

Dropbear by Evelyn Araluen

The Murder Rule by Dervla McTiernan

Sunbathing by Isobel Beech

Bad Art Mother by Edwina Preston

Pure Colour by Sheila Heti

Wake by Shelley Burr

Outside by Ragnar Jonasson

Yiayia Next Door by Daniel Mancuso and Luke Mancuso

The Candy House by Jennifer Egan

Chloe Hooper’s Bedtime Story has jumped back up to the top of our bestsellers list. In his review, Readings’ managing director Mark Rubbo calls it a ‘special…

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What we're reading: Enríquez & Taddeo

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.

Emma Clarke is reading The Dangers of Smoking in Bed by Mariana Enríquez

The Dangers of Smoking in Bed by Mariana Enríquez made me feel as if I had snuck into a screening of a horror movie. I could leave at any moment if I wanted to (I hadn’t even paid for a…

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Geetanjali Shree wins the International Booker Prize 2022

Geetanjali Shree has been selected the winner of this year’s Booker International Prize for her novel, Tomb of Sand. Indian author Shree and English-language translator Daisy Rockwell will share equally in the £50,000 prize.

The International Booker Prize celebrates the finest works of translated fiction from around the world. The prize is awarded every year for a single book that is translated into English and published in the UK or Ireland. It aims to encourage more publishing and reading…

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Recommended reading: short story collections

Shit Cassandra Saw by Gwen E. Kirby

Cassandra may have seen the future, but it doesn’t mean she’s resigned to telling the Trojans everything she knows. In this ebullient collection, virgins escape from being sacrificed, witches refuse to be burned, whores aren’t ashamed, and every woman gets a chance to be a radioactive cockroach warrior who snaps back at catcallers. Gwen E. Kirby experiments with found structures–a Yelp review, a WikiHow article–which her fierce, irreverent narrators push against, showing how…

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Recent bird books for kids

by Angela Crocombe

Books about birds are always fascinating and it seems as if, in recent times, we have appreciated the freedom and beauty of birds a great deal. With this in mind, a number of bird books have made their way to us in recent months. Both beautifully illustrated and informative, below are some of our favourites.

The Bush Birds by Bridget Farmer

This book consists of twelve riddles for readers to guess which Australian native bird, commonly found in open forests…

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Debut fiction to read this month

ongoing collection

Sunbathing by Isobel Beech

After weeks of grieving, a woman books a plane ticket, bound for an old villa in the mountains of Abruzzo. Invited to stay with her friends Giulia and Fab - in the weeks before they marry in a village orchard - she lives for a summer in the house’s Birthing Room, where generations of women once had their babies. More often, though, she lives in her head: in the past, trying to make sense…

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Beginner's guide to Neal Shusterman

by Lucie Dess

Neal Shusterman is the New York Times bestselling author of more than thirty award-winning books and they’re all calling out to be read, but where should you start? This is a guide to help you choose which one of Shusterman’s latest YA novels to pick up first.

For the dystopian lover: Scythe

I will never stop recommending Scythe. The story is so unique and captivating from the very first page. This is also a fantastic series for someone looking…

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Stunning new First Nations picture books

There are some beautiful recently released picture books to share with children (and adults) that are created by very talented First Nations authors and artists, and we don’t want you to miss out on discovering them. Here are some of our favourite recent First Nations picture books:

A Kunwinjku Counting Book by Gabriel Maralngurra

Accompanied by illustrations drawing on traditional Kunwinjku art, each of the twelve entries of this counting book showcases a different animal of West Arnhem Land. From…

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The 2022 ABIA shortlists

The shortlists for the 2022 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 across the 12 ABIA categories.

Biography Book of the Year

Emotional Female by Yumiko Kadota

The Mother Wound by Amani Haydar

Turns Out, I’m Fine by Judith Lucy

It Wasn’t Meant to be Like This by Lisa Wilkinson

My Adventurous Life by Dick Smith

General…

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Our top 10 bestsellers of the week

Stolen Focus by Johann Hari

The Murder Rule by Dervla McTiernan

Sunbathing by Isobel Beech

Dropbear by Evelyn Araluen

Bedtime Story by Chloe Hooper

Wake by Shelley Burr

Yiayia Next Door by Daniel Mancuso and Luke Mancuso

Pure Colour by Sheila Heti

The Seamstress of Sardinia by Bianca Pitzorno (translated by Brigid Maher)

Still Alive by Safdar Ahmed

Our best-seller from the past week is Johann Hari’s fantastic Stolen Focus, which takes a critical look at how much an…

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What the Degrassi Junior High students are reading now

by Rosalind McClintock

 Oh Degrassi, how I loved you growing up. I’d race back from school as a latchkey kid (actually it was just under a blob of cement in an oversized pot plant) grab my microwave pizza and turn the dial on the old tellie to see what the gang were up to on the other side of the world. It was so grown up and I was completely sucked in. Now, I know there have been new series and my old…

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What we're reading: Stanley, Yee & Black

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.

Chris Gordon is reading A Great Hope by Jessica Stanley

First of all, reading A Great Hope by Jessica Stanley made me feel old. This novel centres around the Kevin Rudd years of 2007 through to the turbulent years of Gillard and I found myself amazed/dismayed that it was all so LONG ago…

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An extract from the anthology This All Come Back Now

This All Come Back Now is an anthology of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander speculative fiction edited by Mykaela Saunders. Below is an extract from the short story Terranora written by Mykaela Saunders, which appears in the new collection.

‘Wake up! Wake up, everyone! Ocean Bikies are coming!’ The summons ripples throughout the sleeping camp, waking us all up in waves. I shake my two younger siblings awake and we drag ourselves up to the riverbank. The sun is still…

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Highlights of the MWF Schools Program

The Melbourne Writers Festival is on from 1-9 September this year and their schools program encompasses incredible day-long outings for students to attend! The program includes four sessions across the day that each feature a different author and focus.

Below, we spotlight just four of the wonderful author sessions being featured this year, but you can find out more about the full program here.

Primary School Days: Thursday 1 and Friday 2 September

Gabrielle Wang

Recently crowned Children’s Laureate…

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Australian fiction titles to pick up this month

Sunbathing by Isobel Beech

‘Sunbathing is the stunning debut novel from Melbourne writer Isobel Beech. It follows the story of a young woman who is invited to stay with her friends Giulia and Fab at Fab’s family home in Abruzzo, in the month prior to their wedding. The village is an oasis, untouched by tourism. The narrator spends lazy days with Giulia and Fab, cooking, gardening, and caring for a stray cat that wanders onto the property, in a gorgeous…

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Congratulations to Desiree Boardman and Angela Crocombe

We’re delighted that our Hawthorn Shop Manager Desiree Boardman has been nominated for Bookseller of the Year 2022 and that Angela Crocombe our Children’s and YA Specialist has been nominated for Children’s Bookseller of the Year 2022!

Angela Crocombe, nominated for Children’s Bookseller of the Year

Since starting at Readings, Angela has been an advocate for the children’s section and was the founding manager and a driving force behind opening Readings Kids. She saw the value in offering children and…

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