Books
Clunes Booktown Festival is back!
We are excited to be returning to Clunes this year for the Booktown Festival on the weekend of 30 April – 1 May.
The festival celebrates books and authors, taking over the historic buildings and wide streets of this tiny town in the Goldfields, just under two hours from Melbourne.
We’ll be on hand with a large marquee featuring books from the authors appearing at the festival and hosting author signings, also selling bargain books and the latest releases, alongside…
Our top 10 bestsellers of the week
The Candy House by Jennifer Egan
Ten Steps to Nanette by Hannah Gadsby
Apollo and Thelma: A True Tall Tale by Jon Faine
Other Houses by Paddy O'Reilly
Keeping Them Honest by Stephen Charles & Catherine Williams
French Braid by Anne Tyler
Quarterly Essay 85: Not Waving, Drowning by Sarah Krasnostein
Dinner with the Schnabels by Toni Jordan
Stolen Focus by Johann Hari
Brunswick Street Blues by Sally Bothroyd
Our best-seller from the past week is futuristic novel The Candy…
Our children's and YA top 10 bestsellers of the week
Treehouse Tales by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton
Marcie Gill and the Caravan Park Cat by Monica McInerney
Dear Greta by Yvette Poshoglian
Yesterday Crumb and the Storm in a Teacup: Book 1 by Andy Sagar
Flames of Hope: Wings of Fire 15 by Tui T. Sutherland
The Unstoppable Flying Flanagan by Felice Arena
Sugar by Carly Nugent
When You’re Older by Sofie Laguna, illustrated by Judy Watson
The Tale of Peter Rabbit Picture Book by Beatrix Potter
The best new crime reads in April
Daughters of Eve by Nina D. Campbell
In Sydney one bright clear day, a high-profile barrister is publicly gunned down on the courthouse steps. Not long after, another bloke in Melbourne suffers the same fate, and then another in Sydney. Before long, the violence escalates across Australia and more blokes are dead. Yeah, that’s right, the victims are all men. Empathetic yet steely detective Emilia Hart, a seasoned investigator of family and gendered violence, witnesses the first death, and is…
What we're reading: McGuire, Miller & Li
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 Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li
I was lucky enough to have been given an early copy of Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li (publishing next week on 12 April), and upon finishing it I felt so grateful to have been able to read it—not…
The 2022 International Booker Prize shortlist
The shortlist for this year’s International Booker Prize has been announced!
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 of quality works of imagination from all over the world, and to give greater recognition to the role of translators.The contribution of both author…
Dear Reader, with Alison Huber
Jennifer Egan won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (among other awards) for her superb 2010 novel, A Visit from the Goon Squad. It was a runaway staff favourite at Readings that year too, and remains one of our backlist stalwarts. It’s such a good book! So it’s with considerable anticipation that we look forward to having The Candy House in store, our Book of the Month for April. Described in some places as a ‘sibling’ novel to Goon Squad…
The best food & gardening books of the month
Cinnamon and Salt by Emiko Davies
I fell hard for Emiko Davies’ recipes when she released Tortellini at Midnight. The title of the book inspired me, but the recipes were what kept her book in constant rotation at my place, partly because they’re easy and partly because they’re equipped to cope with a busy lifestyle and hordes of hungry family members. Davies is an Australia-born author based in Florence (I know!) known for her focus on regional Italian food.
…
On events, with Chris Gordon
To escape doom scrolling, national disasters and news of the pending election, I’m treating this month like it’s 2019. And to be perfectly frank, this month of wonderful events makes my quest very easy. We burst into March with the pure elation of being able to hold live events again, and long may it continue. If that was you on the MPavilion lawn listening to hip-hop, or you squeezed into a corner listening to poetry at the Carlton or St…
Mark's Say: April, 2022
Pre-Covid, publishers would occasionally take booksellers out for drinks or dinner with one of their authors. Several years ago, Text Publishing had a function for Helen Garner. Sean O’Beirne, who also works as a bookseller, attended and was placed next to Helen. The two hit it off ; Sean, Helen and another writer began to meet regularly to talk about all sorts of things. Helen would read Sean’s work, really read it, and when Sean’s first collection of short fiction…
Our top 10 bestsellers of the week
Ten Steps to Nanette by Hannah Gadsby
True North by Catherine Deveny
Dinner With the Schnabels by Toni Jordan
Childless by Sian Prior
Quarterly Essay 85: Not Waving, Drowning by Sarah Krasnostein
Uncaged Sky by Kylie Moore-Gilbert
French Braid by Anne Tyler
Those Who Perish by Emma Viskic
Cold Enough for Snow by Jessica Au
Mother by Jane Caro
Our best-seller from the past week is much anticipated Ten Steps to Nanette, which follows comedian Hannah Gadsby’s journey from…
Our children's and YA top 10 bestsellers of the week
Treehouse Tales by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton
Flames of Hope: Wings of Fire 15 by Tui T. Sutherland
Weirdo 18: Weird History by Anh Do
The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling
Milo Finds $105 by Matt Stanton
Bluey: Baby Race by Bluey
Skydragon 4: Brave the Storm by Anh Do
Sugar by Carly Nugent
Babysitters Club Graphic Novel 11: Goodbye Stacey, Goodbye by Ann M. Martin & Gabriela Epstein
One of Us is Lying by Karen McManus
Rocketing to…
What we're reading: Tabucchi, Ratajkowski & Lo
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.
Baz Ozturk is reading Little Misunderstandings of No Importance by Antonio Tabucchi
I just finished the short story collection Little Misunderstandings of No Importance by Antonio Tabucchi. It was recently published, along with the novels Pereira Maintains and Requiem, by Penguin in their Modern Classics series. Discovering Tabucchi was one of the highlights…
20% off art & design favourites + your chance to win!
This month we’re offering 20% off a select range of beautiful art & design books both in-store and online!
For online customers, simply buy any title from our beautiful art & design books collection, use the code 20ARTDESIGN at checkout and receive a 20% discount on participating titles.
For in store customers, simply head into one of our stores to browse the collection and on top of 20% off, your purchase will place you in the running…
The Dylan Thomas Prize shortlist 2022
The shortlist for this year’s Dylan Thomas Prize has been announced.
The Swansea University Dylan Thomas Prize is awarded for the best published literary work in the English language, written by an author aged 39 or under. The Prize celebrates the international world of fiction in all its forms including poetry, novels, short stories and drama.
Namita Gokhale, Chair of Judges, said of the shortlist: ‘The longlist for the 2022 Swansea University Dylan Thomas Prize was one of the strongest…
CBCA Book of the Year Awards Shortlists 2022
The Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) has announced its Book of the Year Awards shortlists for 2021. Congratulations to all the authors, illustrators, editors and publishers!
Here are the shortlists for each category:
Older Readers (for ages 13-18 years)
The Boy from the Mish by Gary Lonesborough
Girls in Boys’ Cars by Felicity Castagna
How to Repaint a Life by Steven Herrick
Terciel and Elinor by Garth Nix
Tiger Daughter by Rebecca Lim
Sugar Town Queens by Malla Nunn
…
Cooking with kids
by Angela CrocombeThe weather is getting cooler and it’s time for the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival. What better occasion to encourage kids to get in the kitchen and do some cooking? The rewards are bountiful (never mind the mess!).
Here are some delightful stories that include recipes, as well as cookbooks that will inspire even the youngest budding chefs to get into the kitchen, have delicious, edible fun, and learn new skills!
A Sprinkle of Sadie by Lana Spasevski
Say hello…
Our top 10 bestsellers of the week
My Accidental Career by Brenda Niall
Quarterly Essay 85: Not Waving, Drowning by Sarah Krasnostein
Cold Enough for Snow by Jessica Au
One Hundred Days by Alice Pung
Stolen Focus by Johann Hari
The Shortest History of the Soviet Union by Sheila Fitzpatrick
First Astronomers by Duane Hamacher
When We Fall by Aoife Clifford
Found, Wanting by Natasha Sholl
Bob Hawke by Troy Bramston
Our best-seller from the past week is the biography of one of Australia’s most renowned biographers…
Our children's and YA top 10 bestsellers of the week
Flames of Hope: Wings of Fire 15 by Tui T. Sutherland
Pierre the Maze Detective: The Curious Case of the Castle in the Sky by Hiro Kamigaki
When You’re Older by Sofie Laguna & Judy Watson
Bluey: Baby Race by Bluey
The Chameleon Thief by Mat Larkin
Somebody’s Land by Adam Goodes, Ellie Laing & David Hardy
The Girl who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh
Possum Magic by Mem Fox & Julie Vivas
Our top picks of the month for book clubs
For book clubs drawn to queer retellings…
Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield
Miri thinks she has got her wife back, when Leah finally returns after a deep sea mission that ended in catastrophe. It soon becomes clear, though, that Leah may have come back wrong. Whatever happened in that vessel, whatever it was they were supposed to be studying before they were stranded on the ocean floor, Leah has carried part of it with her, onto dry…
What we're reading: Briggs, Caro & Clarke
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.
Mike Shuttleworth is reading Fungus the Bogeyman by Raymond Briggs
A recent episode of the Backlisted Podcast prompted me to dig into the shelves for a copy of Fungus the Bogeyman, the Raymond Briggs graphic novel of 1977. Briggs, a graduate of the Slade School of Fine Art, takes the reader on…
Top picks of the month for Kids and YA book clubs
March has delivered plenty of engaging new releases that would be excellent reads to provoke discussion among young people in book clubs!
Below are our top picks for book clubs this month.
For readers aged 5-9
What Snail Knows by Kathryn Apel
Lucy and Dad move a lot, so it’s hard to make friends. Luckily she has Snail to keep her company. But when she finds somewhere she wants to stay, can she convince her dad?
Themes include:
loneliness
belonging
…
Our books of the month, March 2022
OUR FICTION BOOK OF THE MONTH
Hovering by Rhett Davis
Reviewed by
Alice has landed back on home turf, and she’s certain the taxi from the airport is going in the wrong direction to get her into Fraser, the fictional Australian city that she’s returning to after 16 years of life lived overseas. She’s vaguely heard that things – buildings mainly – are literally moving around in the city, so does that explain the change in the road’s coordinates? She…
Eight Australian fiction titles to pick up this month
Australiana by Yumna Kassab
This is Yumna Kassab’s second novel and, as the name suggests, it is a collection of stories and ideas from an assembly of characters that together represent a narrative of rural Australia. Like a kaleidoscope scanning the drought-stricken landscape of a small town, the stories come in interconnected fragments. Kassab uses both prose and poetry and often gives the reader different reflections on the same scene.
Read Kara Nicholson’s full review
Loveland by Robert Lukins
Loveland…
The 2022 ABIA longlists
The longlists 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 longlisted titles from across the 12 ABIA categories.
Biography Book of the Year
Emotional Female by Yumiko Kadota
The Mother Wound by Amani Haydar
Daring to Fly by Lisa Millar
Turns Out, I’m Fine by Judith Lucy
Power Play by Julia Banks
How We Love by Clementine Ford
…
Books by comedians for kids
In Melbourne, it’s time for the annual Comedy Festival. We all need a laugh more than ever, and who doesn’t love to hear the sound of kids laughing? Our Aussie comedians are a prolific bunch, so it’s time to celebrate books written by Australian comedians…
Rockstar Detectives by Adam Hills
When a priceless painting goes missing, Charley - a 12-year-old viral singing sensation - and her best friend George - camera whizz and budding comedian - are shocked to discover…
Super Bargains
We’re pleased to be offering an additional 40% off many of our already reduced bargain books!
Simply use the code SUPERBARGAIN to receive an additional 40% off some a select range of best selling books. You can find our full collection of eligible Super Bargain books here. This offer is online only, on select in-stock items, while stocks last. This offer is not available in shops.
Our top 10 bestsellers of the week
The Competition by Katherine Collette
The Shortest History of the Soviet Union by Sheila Fitzpatrick
Give Unto Others by Donna Leon
First Astronomers by Duane Hamacher
Love Stories by Trent Dalton
When We Fall by Aoife Clifford
Cold Enough for Snow by Jessica Au
Bob Hawke by Troy Bramston
Son of Sin by Omar Sakr
The Cane by Maryrose Cuskelly
Our best-seller from the past week is Katherine Collette’s novel, The Competition. The story follows Frances who is drawn…
Our children's and YA top 10 bestsellers of the week
Pierre the Maze Detective: The Curious Case of the Castle in the Sky by Hiro Kamigaki
Little Matilda by Caz Goodwin
When You’re Older by Sofie Laguna & Judy Watson
League of Liars by Astrid Scholte
Families by Jane Godwin & Yael Frankel
One of Us is Lying by Karen McManus
Dare to be Different by Ben Brooks
Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion
Every Heart Sings by Patricia Piccinini
Abigail Fig: Secret Agent Pig by Megan Hess
Our…
What we're reading: Winn, Reid & Scholte
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.
Mark Rubbo is reading The Wild Silence by Raynor Winn
I picked up a copy of a book we have on the bargain table called The Wild Silence by Raynor Winn.
Raynor’s husband, Moth, has a brain disease that can’t be cured. Raynor has a strong connection to nature and finds power and…
Debut fiction to read this month
These sparkling debuts are written by some of the most exciting emerging voices in fiction. Browse some of our March highlights below or browse our ongoing collection for debut fiction in 2022 here.
Hovering by Rhett Davis
Alice stands outside her family’s 1950s red brick veneer, unsure if she should approach. It has been sixteen years, but it’s clear she is out of options. Lydia opens the door to a familiar stranger - thirty-nine, tall, bony, pale. She knows…
Vale Shirley Hughes
It was with great sadness that we learned beloved English children’s author and illustrator, Shirley Hughes, died recently at the age of 94. Her contribution to the world of children’s literature cannot be underestimated and her chaotic, realistic scenes of everyday family life were enjoyed by generations. She began her career as an artist and illustrator but went on to create some of the most famous character’s in children’s picture books, including Dogger, Alfie, and Lucy and Tom…
The CILIP Carnegie & Kate Greenaway Medals shortlists 2022
The shortlists for the 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 shortlisted books for the 2022 Carnegie Medal:
October, October by Katya Balen, illustrated by Angela Harding
Guard Your Heart by Sue Divin
A spotlight on works in translation
This month’s translated works include a debut fiction collection from an Indonesian poet, an award-winning classic of Japanese crime fiction, and the latest work from the secret Italian superstar, Elena Ferrante.
Happy Stories, Mostly by Norman Erikson Pasaribu (tranlated from Indonesian by Tiffany Tsao)
A playful, charged and tender collection of twelve stories – a blend of speculative fiction and dark absurdism, often drawing on Norman Erikson Pasaribu’s Batak and Christian cultures. Pasaribu’s stories ask what it means to be…
Recommended children's books and news for March
We have some beautiful new kids books to enjoy this month, including a debut picture book by Miles Franklin winning author, Sofie Laguna, as well as a new book by the author of the beloved The Orchard Underground, a junior fiction story featuring the art of street artist, David Booth, and a historical fiction title set in the aftermath of WWI.
You can find our round-up of this month’s recommended YA titles here.
KID’S BOOK OF THE MONTH
…
Recommended YA books and news for March
This month we have three new fantasy novels to immerse yourself in, including the new book from the author of Four Dead Queens, Astrid Scholte; a story set in a world of ancient magic; and a spooky thriller focused on a notorious party and its aftermath.
For contemporary fiction lovers there are two powerful new Australian novels, one set during an epic road trip and one focusing on a small town and the aftermath of fire. We also have…
Blak & Bright Festival is taking place this week
Blak & Bright Festival commences this week and it’s not too late to snap up a ticket to something in this year’s stellar programme.
Blak & Bright is a First Nations Literary Festival based in Naarm (Melbourne). The four day showcase celebrates the diverse expressions of First Nations writers and covers all genres from oral stories to epic novels and plays to poetry. The 2022 Blak & Bright Festival is taking place from 17 – 20 March.
Browse the full…
Our children's and YA top 10 bestsellers of the week
Pierre the Maze Detective: The Curious Case of the Castle in the Sky by Hiro Kamigaki
Looking after Country with Fire by Victor & Sandra Steffensen
League of Liars by Astrid Scholte
When You’re Older by Sofie Laguna & Judy Watson
One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
Mim and the Woeful Wedding by Katrina Nannestad & Cheryl Orsini
Wandi by Favel Parrett
Welcome to your Boobs by Melissa Kang & Yumi Stynes
Families by Jane Godwin & Yael Frankel
Only…
Our top 10 bestsellers of the week
Loveland by Robert Lukins
The Shortest History of the Soviet Union by Sheila Fitzpatrick
When We’re Not Afraid by Leonie Katekar
Spies & Sparrows by Phillip Deery
Give Unto Others by Donna Leon
My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh
Bob Hawke by Troy Bramston
Cold Enough for Snow by Jessica Au
Devotion by Hannah Kent
Still Life by Sarah Winman
Our best-seller from the past week is the local title Loveland, a compassionate and moving novel…
What we're reading: Hinton & Gardner
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.
Tye Cattanach is reading The Loudness of Unsaid Thing by Hilde Hinton
I meant to read The Loudness of Unsaid Things at the same time everyone else was reading it, but somehow, it just never happened that way. Then, I was asked to read and review Hinton’s forthcoming novel - A Solitary Walk…
The 2022 International Booker Prize longlist
The International Booker Prize has revealed the ‘Booker Dozen’ of 13 novels in contention for the 2022 prize, which 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 of quality works of imagination from all over the world, and to give greater recognition to the role of translators.The…
An extract from The Future Is Fungi
The Future Is Fungi explores the mighty mycelial reach of fungi across four key areas: food, medicine, psychedelics and the environment. With mushroom profiles, informative texts on foraging and glorious 3D art, it’s a fascinating introduction to this hidden kingdom.
Nothing alive exists in isolation. To be alive means to be part of an intricate, sprawling web of cause and effect. Our lives are interwoven with that of plants, animals, bacteria and fungi, forming the beating heart of the planet…
I'm with the band – music themed YA
Who doesn’t love a juicy story with behind the scenes gossip about the music world, filled with tempestuous singers, badly behaved drummers, stifled songwriters and giggling fans? Well, it turns out that young adult fiction is filled with these stories and they truly are a lot of fun. Here’s a few of our favourite musician and music themed YA stories.
Idol Gossip by Alexandra Leigh Young
Back in San Francisco, Alice took regular singing lessons. But since their diplomat mom…
The Women's Prize for Fiction longlist 2022
The longlist for the 2022 Women’s Prize for Fiction has been announced!
The Women’s Prize for Fiction celebrates excellence, originality and accessibility in women’s writing from throughout the world. The winner receives a cheque for £30,000 and a limited edition bronze figurine known as a ‘Bessie’, created and donated by the artist Grizel Niven. Both are anonymously endowed.
Below are the sixteen longlisted books for the 2022 Women’s Prize for Fiction.
Build Your House Around My Body by Violet Kupersmith
…
Small press & self-published highlights
At Readings, we consider supporting small publishers and self-published authors to be an important responsibility, and we offer the opportunity for titles to be left on a consignment basis at our shops. Below are a number of titles that are currently available both in-store and online.
Love, Lee Street by Carlton North Primary School
Featuring over 130 recipes from local families as well as local community restaurants, bars and cafes, including Gerald’s Bar, Florian, Babajan, The Brandon, Clay Organics and…
Prose by your favourite poets
These poetic novels and works of non-fiction and memoir are from some of our most beloved and revered poets!
Son of Sin by Omar Sakr
An estranged father. An abused and abusive mother. An army of relatives. A tapestry of violence, woven across generations and geographies, from Turkey to Lebanon to Western Sydney. This is the legacy left to Jamal Smith, a young queer Muslim trying to escape a past in which memory and rumour trace ugly shapes in the…
The best new crime reads in March
Our crime specialist shares 10 great crime reads to look out for this month.
CRIME BOOK OF THE MONTH
When We Fall by Aoife Clifford
As she walks along the beach with her mother, discouraged barrister Alex Tillerson wishes she wasn’t back in her childhood town of Merritt. Alex is going through a painful divorce, her mother’s health is deteriorating due to younger onset dementia, and Merritt holds no good memories. She wants to leave, but there’s nobody to go…
On events, with Chris Gordon
Anyone who has watched me on Zoom over the last two years will know that I often ask you to imagine the perfect literary event. It goes like this: first, your outing to a Readings shop is easy; the tram is on time, or you find a carpark within striking distance of our shop. From there you saunter to a nearby café where you meet with friends and enjoy a refreshing beverage, before walking through the glass doors into Readings…
International Women's Day books for kids and teens
by Angela CrocombeHappy International Women’s Day! It’s a day to celebrate women and their achievements - past, present and future - and we are blessed with many great books that articulate the lives of remarkable women. Here are a few recent titles about amazing women to both educate and inspire young people.
Courageous Queens by Angela Buckingham
A story collection about women with power and how they used it.
These queen stories are not fairytales for small children. They are true tales…
Our top 10 bestsellers of the week
Sadvertising by Ennis Cehic
Hovering by Rhett Davis
Give Unto Others by Donna Leon
Cold Enough for Snow by Jessica Au
The Shortest History of the Soviet Union by Sheila Fitzpatrick
When We Fall by Aoife Clifford
The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley
The Idea of Australia by Julianne Schultz
Burning Questions by Margaret Atwood
Goodnight, Vivienne, Goodnight by Steven Carroll
Our best-seller from the past week is Sadvertising, a fantastic collection of short stories from an emerging writer…
Browse our blog by category
