News
The 2022 Booker Prize shortlist
The shortlist for the 2022 Booker Prize has been announced! The Booker Prize has brought recognition, reward and readership to outstanding fiction for over 50 years. It is awarded annually to the best novel of the year written in English and published in the UK or Ireland.
Below are the six shortlisted titles:
Glory by NoViolet Bulawayo
Glory tells the story of a country seemingly trapped in a cycle as old as time. And yet, as it unveils the myriad…
Mark's Say: September, 2022
The Melbourne Writers Festival is one of Australia’s oldest writers’ festivals. Launched in 1986, its first two years were held at the Athenaeum Theatre in Collins Street. Early guests included Margaret Atwood, Vikram Seth, Angela Carter, August Kleinzahler and A.S. Byatt from overseas, and Australian writers Frank Moorhouse, Elizabeth Jolley, Kevin Gilbert and Helen Garner. The first program director was author Colin Talbot, assisted by a board that included critic Peter Craven, publisher Michael Heyward and writer Helen Garner. Thirty-six…
Our children's and YA top 10 bestsellers of the week
My Strange Shrinking Parents by Zeno Sworder
Bindi by Kirli Saunders
Whodunnit Eddie Woo?: Time Out by Eddie Woo, Jess Black & Mitch Vane
Nothing More to Tell by Karen McManus
Treasure in the Lake by Jason Pamment
The Final Gambit: The Inheritance Games 3 by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Zadie Ma and the Dog Who Chased the Moon by Gabrielle Wang
All the Little Tricky Things by Karys McEwen
Little Gem by Anna Zobel
Our books of the month, September 2022
OUR FICTION BOOK OF THE MONTH
Wildflowers by Peggy Frew
Reviewed by
‘Sisters. They can be the strongest of allies, the fiercest of enemies. In her latest novel, Wildflowers, Peggy Frew delves, with startlingly precise detail, deep into the fraught history and heartbreaking present of three girls born to Robert and Gwen Atkins … Frew has a singular, remarkable gift for writing human emotion; her characters live and breathe beyond the page. My heart ached for each and every…
Our top 10 bestsellers of the week
The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell
Cut by Susan White
The Boy From Boomerang Crescent by Eddie Betts
Neil Balme: A Tale of Two Men by Anson Cameron
Marshmallow by Victoria Hannan
Wildflowers by Peggy Frew
Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Harold Holt by Ross Walker
Humanity’s Moment by Joëlle Gergis
Before Your Memory Fades by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
Our best-seller from the past week is the latest from novelist Maggie O'Farrell (Hamnet), The Marriage Portrait…
Teen Advisory Board: what to read after Heartstopper
by AnanyaWe’ve all read Heartstopper, but what should you read next? Whether we related to the themes, the characters, or just loved the vibes; here are some books that we think you’ll enjoy after you’ve read the popular webcomic turned television series.
Read below for some personal recommendations or browse our full list of suggested reads here.
Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales
Perfect on Paper is the perfect rom-com any YA reader could ask for. It’s also the…
Spotlight on Kids and YA Manga favourites
Passionate about manga or curious about the artform? To help build your manga collection, this month we have a 3-for-2 offer on the first three volumes in a range of bestselling manga series. Buy two books and choose a third title in the range (of equal or lesser value) for free. This offer is available in all Readings shops (excluding SLV and online) until 30 September 2022 on stickered, in-stock items only, while stocks last.
Below are six popular series…
All the world's a stage — YA set in the theatre world
There is nothing I love more than a book set inside the world of the theatre. Backstage shenanigans, identity crises, overblown egos, stories within stories, and the long hours characters are forced to spend together create highly combustible, and often hilarious, scenarios.
Recently it seems that young adult fiction is brimming with titles focused around school or university theatre or musical productions, community theatre, or even big Broadway dreams. And why not, because when you’re young and dramatically inclined, all…
Dear Reader, with Alison Huber
I already know (thank you, dear Editor) that I simply don’t have enough space this month to explain how great September’s releases are, so my apologies in advance for any and all omissions. Our fiction book of the month is the glorious Wildflowers, Peggy Frew’s fourth novel which showcases her sharp eye for character and the complexity of familial relationships. Our Melbourne City Reads alliance has chosen Sophie Cunningham’s This Devastating Fever for September’s pick, a genre-defying novel many…
What we're reading: Broder, Hazelwood & Stevenson
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.
Aurelia Orr is reading Milk Fed by Melissa Broder
This book is an absolute feast of every delight and pleasure the world has to offer. Rachel, a non-practicing Jew, has made calorie restriction and intensive cardio exercise her religion. When she meets Miriam, an Orthodox Jewish woman intent upon feeding her, Rachel suddenly…
On Events, with Chris Gordon
Honestly, I’m delighted winter is over. I find the last weeks of that bitter frigid wind unpleasant. I yearn to sit outside surrounded by friends on a balmy afternoon and talk about how we are going to change the world, one book at a time. The wonderful Melbourne Writers Festival, which has chosen ambition as its theme this year, is thinking along the same lines. Speak up and often. Listen together.
The authors in our events calendar this month…
Interview with Selby Wynn Schwartz
We were thrilled to have the opportunity to chat with of one of this year’s Booker Prize longlisted authors, Selby Wynn Schwartz. Read on for a wonderful conversation between bookseller Aurelia Orr and Schwartz about writing, mythology and her nominated work, After Sappho.
Can you tell us a bit about your novel and perhaps even about the eponymous, Sappho?
Very little is known about Sappho, a lyric poet who lived on the island of Lesbos around 630 B.C., and…
Our children's and YA top 10 bestsellers of the week
The Wintrish Girl by Melanie La'Brooy
The Sugarcane Kids and the Red-Bottomed Boat by Charlie Archibold
A Glasshouse of Stars by Shirley Marr
The Baddies by Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler
Treasure in the Lake by Jason Pamment
Little Gem by Anna Zobel
Tiger Daughter by Rebecca Lim
What We All Saw by Mike Lucas
The Museum of Broken Things by Lauren Draper
What to Say When You Don’t Know What to Say by Davina Bell
Our top selling title…
Our top 10 bestsellers of the week
Love and Virtue by Diana Reid
Around the Table by Julia Busuttil Nishimura
Neil Balme: A Tale of Two Men by Anson Cameron
The Rising Tide by Ann Cleeves
Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood
I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki by Baek Sehee (translated by Anton Hur)
Bodies of Light by Jennifer Down
Marlo by Jay Carmichael
The Making and Unmaking of East-West Link by James C Murphy
Readings Prize Shortlist Pack 2022
Our…
The Davitt Award winners 2022
Congratulations to this year’s winners of the Davitt Awards for the best crime books by Australian women.
ADULT CRIME NOVEL
Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy
Inti Flynn arrives in Scotland with her twin sister, Aggie, to lead a team tasked with reintroducing fourteen grey wolves into the remote Highlands. She hopes to heal not only the dying landscape, but a broken Aggie, too. However, Inti is not the woman she once was, and may be in need of…
A spotlight on translated fiction this month
New in translated fiction for August are three excellent novels translated from Japanese.
Life Ceremony by Sayaka Murata (translated from Japanese by Ginny Tapley Takemori)
An engaged couple falls out over the husband’s dislike of clothes and objects made from human materials; a young girl finds herself deeply enamoured with the curtain in her childhood bedroom; people honour their dead by eating them and then procreating.
Published in English for the first time, this exclusive edition also includes the story…
Children's and young adult books by women in translation
To celebrate Women in Translation month in August we are showcasing five fabulous children’s and young adult books both written and translated by women.
My Happy Life written by Rose Lagercrantz, illustrated by Eva Eriksson,
Translated from Swedish by Julia Marshall
The first in a seven-book series, this is one of our favourite junior fiction titles about friendship and resilience.
Dani is happy because she’s going to start school and she’s been waiting to go to school her whole life…
Our top picks of the month for book clubs
For book clubs who are fans of Black Mirror …
Every Version of You by Grace Chan
In late twenty-first century Australia, Tao-Yi and her partner Navin spend most of their time inside a hyper-immersive, hyper-consumerist virtual reality called Gaia. They log on, go to work, socialise, and even eat in this digital utopia. Meanwhile their aging bodies lie suspended in pods inside cramped apartments.
When a new technology is developed to permanently upload a human brain to Gaia, Tao-Yi…
Debut fiction to read this month
Hydra by Adriane Howell
Anja is a young, ambitious antiquarian. When her career goes awry, Anja finds herself adrift. Cast out from the world of antiques, she stumbles upon a beachside cottage that the neighbouring naval base is offering for a 100-year lease. The property is derelict, isolated, and surrounded by scrub. Despite of, or because of, its wildness and solitude, Anja uses the last of the inheritance from her mother to lease the property. Yet a presence –…
Gift ideas for Fathers looking to a brighter future
We’ve collated a collection of gift ideas for Fathers who are wanting to learn more about how they can help shape a better world for future generations! To make a better future we’ll need to tackle personal, collective and systemic change; these books can help. Some philosophical, some instructional, but all insightful.
What We Owe the Future by William MacAskill
We are still five hundred million years away from the sterilisation of the Earth by the Sun, and one hundred…
The Readings Prize: New Australian Fiction shortlist
The Readings New Australian Fiction Prize is presented to the best new contribution to Australian literature. Our 2022 staff judges are: Christine Gordon (community engagement and programming and chair of judges), Carolyn Watson (Readings Doncaster), Susan Stevenson (Readings Malvern) and Tye Cattanach (schools and libraries specialist).
Discover the six shortlisted titles below.
Cold Enough for Snow by Jessica Au
A daughter arranges to meet her mother in Japan; a reunion of sorts. As they travel through art galleries and temples…
Our top 10 bestsellers of the week
The Rising Tide by Ann Cleeves
Around the Table by Julia Busuttil Nishimura
So You Want to Live Younger Longer? by Dr Norman Swan
Marlo by Jay Carmichael
Bodies of Light by Jennifer Down
The Boy From Boomerang Crescent by Eddie Betts
Provocations by Jeff Sparrow
You’ll Be a Wonderful Dad by Ailsa Wild
Raised by Wolves by Jess Ho
What We Owe the Future by William MacAskill
Our best-seller from the past week is the latest novel from the…
Our children's and YA top 10 bestsellers of the week
The Readings Prize Children’s Shortlist Pack 2022
A Glasshouse of Stars by Shirley Marr
Little Gem by Anna Zobel
Floof by Heidi McKinnon
Guardians: Wylah the Koorie Warrior 1 by Jordan Gould & Richard Pritchard
The Sugarcane Kids and the Red-Bottomed Boat by Charlie Archibold
The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
The Readings Prize Young Adult Shortlist Pack 2022
Treasure in the Lake by Jason Pamment
What We All Saw by Mike Lucas
Our top-selling title this week…
Recommended children's books and news for August
We are madly in love with our August Book of the Month, which is focused on discovering the tiny indicators of nature, even in the most crowded city. It’s an utter delight for picture book lovers.
We also have a stunning book featuring the most beautiful of nature’s insects – butterflies. Plus, a great picture book about sustainability, some wonderful fantasy stories for middle fiction readers, and our classic of the month, The Velveteen Rabbit, is celebrating its 100…
Recommended YA books and news for August
We have a number of exciting new releases from local authors this month, including our Book of the Month — the debut novel from author Miranda Luby, which is a contemporary story about feminism, family, and a whole lot more.
We also have the new novel from beloved author Barry Jonsberg; a novel that looks at the issue of child trafficking in Indonesia, and an LGBTQIA+ story about the challenges of being in a boy band. If those all sound…
Gift ideas for Fathers who enjoy crime fiction
If you are anything like me your father probably spent at least half of your teenage years trying to solve the mystery of the missing second work sock. Which may or may not have been gathering dust (and friends) behind your bedroom door, under your bed or in your sports bag. As dad ran out the door with one sock on, hoping his trousers were long enough, I looked on bewildered (fully socked) – how did he not know? Now…
The winners of the CBCA Book of the Year Awards 2022
The Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) has announced their Book of the Year Awards winners for 2022. These Awards celebrate the best Australian books for readers in early childhood up to young adult readers.
Here are the winners for each category.
Older Readers (for ages 13–18 years)
Tiger Daughter by Rebecca Lim
Wen Zhou is the daughter and only child of Chinese immigrants whose move to the lucky country has proven to be not so lucky. Wen and her…
What we're reading: Eloff, MacAskill & McAlister
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.
Clare Millar is reading Chronic Pain Couple by Karra Eloff
When I heard this title was being published, I was very excited! There’s nothing else like it – so many books on managing chronic pain, but very little acknowledging how it can impact couples and families.
Eloff – who lives with chronic pain…
Easy Book Week costume ideas
Book Week is coming and with it the tradition of finding a last-minute costume for the child to wear to school! Don’t worry – we’ve got a few easy numbers for you to whip up a last minute costume from things you probably already have around the house.
Slinky Malinki by Lynley Dodd
To create a cat you will need:
Black leggings and black long sleeved tee
A pair of opaque black tights to make a tail. Chop one leg…
Interview with Alice Pung about Laurinda
We are delighted that one of our favourite young adult novels, Laurinda, has recently been adapted for the stage by Melbourne Theatre Company. We interviewed the author, Alice Pung, about her novel, the societal issues that it raises, and her response to the play.
It’s been nearly eight years since Laurinda was first published. It even inspired a book of short stories and has been studied by countless high school students. How do you feel about it now and…
Our favourite reads of 2022 so far
We asked a few of our staff to let us know which book stands out as exceptional amongst everything they’ve read so far this year. Below are the books they’ve loved the most.
Sunbathing by Isobel Beech
As ever, I’ve already read some great fiction this year, but the outstanding candidate for my pick of the year so far is Sunbathing by Isobel Beech. Beautiful but gutsy writing about an emotional topic, with impeccable insights into modern life and friendship…
The Readings Prize: Young Adult shortlist
The Readings Young Adult Prize is presented to the best new voice in Australian young adult literature. This report is written by 2022 chair of judges Julia Jackson (Readings Carlton assistant manager), with contributions from fellow judges: Mike Shuttleworth (Readings Hawthorn) and Clodagh Robinson-Watts (Readings Carlton).
Discover the six shortlisted titles below.
The Museum of Broken Things by Lauren Draper
Reece has a great heart, full of very big, complicated feelings, and her journey as an uprooted, unmoored and alienated…
Our books of the month, August 2022
OUR FICTION BOOK OF THE MONTH
The Last White Man by Mohsin Hamid
Reviewed by
‘ The Last White Man opens with one of the most scintillating lines to grace a first page this year: ‘One morning Anders, a white man, woke up to find he had turned a deep and undeniable brown … Although Anders may be the first to turn, he isn’t the last. In a turn of events worthy of José Saramago, slowly every white person in…
Our top 10 bestsellers of the week
Cook by Karen Martini
The Boy From Boomerang Crescent by Eddie Betts
Bodies of Light by Jennifer Down
Around the Table by Julia Busuttil Nishimura
Everything Feels Like the End of the World by Else Fitzgerald
Electric and Mad and Brave by Tom Pitts
So You Want to Live Younger Longer? by Dr Norman Swan
The Penalty is Death by Barry Jones
Big Beautiful Female Theory by Eloise Grills
Our children's and YA top 10 bestsellers of the week
The Hidden Girl by Louise Bassett
Guardians: Wylah the Koorie Warrior 1 by Jordan Gould & Richard Pritchard
Little Gem by Anna Zobel
My Brother Ben by Peter Carnavas
Floof by Heidi McKinnon
Treasure in the Lake by Jason Pamment
The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
Maybe by Kobi Yamada
The Sugarcane Kids and the Red-Bottomed Boat by Charlie Archibold
A Glasshouse of Stars by Shirley Marr
Our top-selling title this week is the young adult novel that…
The best new crime reads in August
Our crime specialist shares 10 great crime reads to look out for this month.
CRIME BOOK OF THE MONTH
Better the Blood by Michael Bennett
More than 150 years ago, on the top of Maunga Whakairoiro – or as the colonisers called it, Mount Suffolk – a picture is taken of a Māori chief, hanging from a tree, six victorious soldiers in the foreground. Despite all the inconsistent efforts of reconciliation in the intervening decades, there’s still injustice all over…
Gift ideas for Fathers who love to keep busy
Why order in when you can make it? Why replace something that can be mended? Why buy a plant when you can propagate? And why take another’s path when you can carve your own?
Read on for our top Father’s Day recommendations for the the busy souls who relish a project or outing.
For the dedicated home cook:
COOK by Karen Martini
In COOK, acclaimed chef Karen Martini shares a lifetime of cooking, eating and learning about food. This…
The Melbourne Writers Festival events we can't wait for
We are patiently waiting until this year’s Melbourne Writers Festival begins in just under a month. In the interim, we’ve been planning where we’ll be and who we’ll see from the programme! Running from September 8–11, this year’s theme is ‘Ambition’ and will host over 250 of the world’s most talented storytellers. Guests include Sarah Moss, Robert Dessaix, Brian Cox, Jenny Slate, Alice Oseman, Jennifer Down, Evelyn Araluen, Helen Garner, and many more.
Below, our staff chat about an…
The Readings Prize: Children's shortlist
The Readings Children’s Fiction Prize is presented to the best new contribution to Australian children’s literature. This report is written by 2022 chair of judges Lucie Dess (marketing assistant), with contributions from fellow judges: Lian Hingee (digital marketing manager), Janine Larson (Readings Kids) and Clare McCann-McCall (Readings Hawthorn).
Discover the six shortlisted titles below.
A Glasshouse of Stars by Shirley Marr
Meixing has just arrived at a new house in a new country with her family. Faced with a new…
Books so good we wish we could read them again, for the first time
by Bonnie-Mai SmithAs book lovers, we all know the feeling of finishing a new favourite and realising it is now over and feeling devastated. While revisiting a beloved novel is a treat in itself, discovering a new favourite for the first time is unmatched. The Teen Advisory Board has compiled the books we’d give anything to relive it again as if it’s the first time!
The Museum of Broken Things by Lauren Draper
With lots of laughter and tears, this debut perfectly…
Our children's and YA top 10 bestsellers of the week
The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
Floof by Heidi McKinnon
It’s Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han
Crash Course: Wolf Girl 7 by Anh Do
Bluey: Barky Boats by Bluey
We’ll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han
My People by Eddie Betts
Possum Magic by Mem Fox
August & Jones by Pip Harry
What to Say When You Don’t Know What to Say by Davina Bell
Our top-selling title this week is once again the first book…
Our top 10 bestsellers of the week
The Boy From Boomerang Crescent by Eddie Betts
Bodies of Light by Jennifer Down
Around the Table by Julia Busuttil Nishimura
Hydra by Adriane Howell
Salt and Skin by Eliza Henry-Jones
Unbelieved by Vikki Petraitis
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Horse by Geraldine Brooks
So You Want to Live Younger Longer? by Dr Norman Swan
Beatrix Bakes by Natalie Paull
Our best-seller from the past week is The Boy From Boomerang Crescent, the new memoir from football…
What we're reading: Solà, Riley & Rosen
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 When I Sing, Mountains Dance by Irene Solà
There’s a special kind of magic to this book that I’ve only experienced a few times. After reading the first page, I became hooked on the expressive language, the languid and hateful Mountains of Catalan and the intimate lives of the…
The best food & gardening books of the month
Around the Table: Delicious Food for Every Day by Julia Busuttil Nishimura
Hands up if you have not fallen in love with the delightful Melbourne- based Julia Busuttil Nishimura yet? Her latest cookbook will soon fix that. Julia has received considerable and worthy praise for her practical and delicious recipes, designed for easy family meals and for occasions when all your friends visit. It all works a treat because Julia has pulled together influences from all over: recipes from her…
Dear Reader, August 2022
I am one of those annoying people who revel in the Melbourne winter. It’s not a time to bunker down so much as get out and really feel the weather of the world. Happily, the city’s creative people have been staging events like there’s no tomorrow to get us out and about again. Indeed, August is synonymous with MIFF for many of us, so what could be a better Nonfiction Book of the Month than Melbourne on Film, a…
On Events, with Chris Gordon
Here is my advice for this crazy ramshackle time (with a little help from some of the books in our events calendar). In this Electric and Mad and Brave year, where Everything Feels Like the End of the World, let authors’ words swim over you. It is after all the Desire of The Unbelieved and the Women I Know. The Map of Night has changed, with new political leaders and new means of understanding The Matter of Everything…
Mark's Say: August, 2022
One of the organisations the Readings Foundation is proud to partner with is Western Chances, a non-profit that supports young students in Melbourne’s west with educational scholarships and life-changing opportunities. Western Chances provides hope, encouragement and essential financial support to over 852 scholarship recipients to ensure their continuing education. The work that Western Chances does really aligns with the Readings Foundation’s aim to support organisations responding to the needs of marginalised communities, with a focus on literacy and education.
Many…
The 2022 Age Book of the Year shortlists
The 2022 Age Book of the Year Shortlists have been announced! This year the award will once again include a prize for works of nonfiction as well as for fiction.
Fiction
In Moonland by Miles Allinson
Cold Enough for Snow by Jessica Au
After Story by Larissa Behrendt
The Signal Line by Brendan Colley
Bodies of Light by Jennifer Down
Love & Virtue by Diana Reid
Nonfiction
Whole Notes by Ed Ayres
Leaping Into Waterfalls by Bernadette Brennan
Our top 10 bestsellers of the week
Around the Table by Julia Busuttil Nishimura
Bodies of Light by Jennifer Down
Beatrix Bakes by Natalie Paull
Raised by Wolves by Jess Ho
The Diplomat by Chris Womersley
The Consul by Ian Kemish
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
So You Want to Live Younger Longer? by Dr Norman Swan
Horse by Geraldine Brooks
The Uncaged Sky by Kylie Moore-Gilbert
Debuting at number one this week is Julia Busuttil Nishimura’s glorious new cookbook. Readings staff had a…
Our children's and YA top 10 bestsellers of the week
The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
What to Say When You Don’t Know What to Say by Davina Bell
Pig the Rebel by Aaron Blabey
It’s Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han
Floof by Heidi McKinnon
We’ll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han
Look Inside Building Sites by Usborne
Maybe by Kobi Yamada
The Guardians: Wylah the Koorie Warrior 1 by Jordan Gould & Richard Pritchard
Heartstopper: Volume 2 by Alice Oseman
Our top-selling title this week…
Browse our blog by category
