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Craft favourites to keep busy this Winter
Winter is here and I don’t know about you, but I’m keen to stay inside and start some new craft projects. Here are some great beginner titles to help you get crafty and beat the winter blues.
Maryanne Moodie’s Modern Weaver by Maryanne Moodie
Maryanne Moodie is the maker to watch. Since her first book debuted in 2016, both Moodie and weaving have continued to grow in popularity. In Maryanne Moodie’s Modern Weaver, there is a wealth of information…
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…
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…
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…
The best new crime reads in June
by Fiona Hardy & Julia JacksonOur 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…
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…
Beginner's guide to Jenny Han
Jenny Han is the queen of teenage romance. But with three incredible trilogies, it’s hard to know where to start. This guide will help you pick which series to start with, but if you’re anything like us, you’ll end up reading them all!
For those who enjoy the tension of a good love triangle: The Summer I Turned Pretty
Everything that happened this past summer, and every summer before it, has all led up to this. To now.
With a…
Dear Reader, June 2022
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
New LGBTQIA+ YA novels
It’s the most exciting month of the year - Pride month! We’ll be recommending a swathe of great LGBTQIA+ books this month – starting with these five new young adult novels that deserve a place on your bookshelf.
For enemies to lovers fans: The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School by Sonora Reyes
Seventeen-year-old Yamilet Flores prefers drawing attention for her killer eyeliner, not for being one of the only Mexican kids at her new, mostly white, very rich, Catholic school…
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…
Mark's Say: June 2022
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…
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…
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…
On Events, with 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…
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…
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…
Six books to read before watching the adaptation
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.
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…
What the Teen Advisory Board are reading
Our Teen Advisory Board have been busy reading and letting us know what they’re loving. From fairytale adaptations and Greek mythology, to galvanising non-fiction and twisty murder mysteries, here are some recommendations from seven of our fantastic 2022 board members.
Shania is reading The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller:
I’m in the middle of The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller and it is honestly the most beautiful thing I’ve read in a while. I’m sure this has already…
Our children's and YA top 10 bestsellers of the week
Heartstopper: Volume 2 by Alice Oseman
Heartstopper: Volume 1 by Alice Oseman
Big Magic by Sarah Armstrong
Until the End: Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy
Heartstopper: Volume 3 by Alice Oseman
World’s Worst Pets by David Walliams
Real Pigeons Duck Trouble by Andrew McDonald & Ben Wood
Lightfall: Shadow of the Bird by Tim Probert
The Way of Dog by Zana Fraillon
How to Tackle Your Dreams by Fiona Hardy
The Heartstopper graphic novel series is still going strong this…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Recent bird books for kids
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…
Debut fiction to read this month
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…
Miles Franklin Literary Award Longlist 2022
The 2022 longlist 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.
Below are the eleven longlisted titles:
The Other Half of You by Michael Mohammed Ahmad
After Story by Larissa Behrendt
Scary Monsters by Michelle de Kretser
Bodies of Light by Jennifer Down
Echolalia by Briohny Doyle
Beginner's guide to Neal Shusterman
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…
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…
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…
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…
Our children's and YA top 10 bestsellers of the week
Heartstopper: Volume 1 by Alice Oseman
Heartstopper: Volume 3 by Alice Oseman
Heartstopper: Volume 4 by Alice Oseman
Until the End: Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy
World’s Worst Pets by David Walliams
Heartstopper: Volume 2 by Alice Oseman
How to Tackle Your Dreams by Fiona Hardy
Real Pigeons Duck Trouble by Andrew McDonald & Ben Wood
Lightfall: Shadow of the Bird by Tim Probert
Ceremony: Welcome to our Country by Adam Goodes, Ellie Laing & David Hardy
The Heartstopper graphic…
What the Degrassi Junior High students are reading now
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Recommended Kid's books and news for May
There are so many exciting new releases on our shelves this May, that it’s hard to know where to begin. How about with our Book of the Month - a warmhearted story about footy, family and fashion? Or perhaps with a story about stressing out, changing family dynamics and climate change activism? In picture books we have a non-binary character in the exuberant Katerina Cruickshanks, and a luscious ode to a new baby by First Nations creator, Melissa Greenwood. We…
Recommended YA books and news for May
There are so many exciting new releases in young adult literature this month that will have wide appeal for young adults and adults alike. Our Book of the Month is by the US author, E.Lockhart, and is a prequel to her bestseller, We Were Liars. We’re also excited about a delicious rom-com by Australian author Sarah Ayoub, a historical fiction adventure on the high seas with the pirate Anne Bonny, a fantasy adventure in the skies, and two LGBTQIA+…
Our top 10 bestsellers of the week
The Murder Rule by Dervla McTiernan
Dropbear by Evelyn Araluen
Sunbathing by Isobel Beech
Bedtime Story by Chloe Hooper
Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart
Indelible City by Louisa Lim
Yiayia Next Door by Daniel Mancuso and Luke Mancuso
Stolen Focus by Johann Hari
The Seamstress of Sardinia by Bianca Pitzorno (translated by Brigid Maher)
Ten Steps to Nanette by Hannah Gadsby
Our best-seller from the past week is the latest novel from crime writing favourite, Dervla McTiernan. The Murder Rule…
Our children's and YA top 10 bestsellers of the week
Heartstopper: Volume 1 by Alice Oseman
Libby Lawrence is Good at Pretending by Jodi McAllister
Miimi Marraal, Mother Earth by Melissa Greenwood
The Way of Dog by Zana Fraillon
World’s Worst Pets by David Walliams
Real Pigeons Duck Trouble by Andrew McDonald & Ben Wood
How to Tackle Your Dreams by Fiona Hardy
All the Little Tricky Things by Karys McEwen
Bad Guys 15: Open Up and Say Arrrgh! by Aaron Blabey
Heartstopper 1: Netflix Tie-in edition by Alice Oseman
…
What we're reading: Rushton, Burr & Thornton
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.
Jackie Tang is reading The Most Important Job in the World by Gina Rushton
I reviewed Gina Rushton’s The Most Important Job in the World a little while ago (in short: it’s amazing, go read it) but I wanted to shout out its brilliance again in the wake of the US Supreme Court’s…
Patricia Lockwood wins the 2022 Dylan Thomas Prize
Patricia Lockwood has been announced as this year’s winner of the Dylan Thomas Prize for her novel, No One Is Talking About This.
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.
In No One Is Talking About This, a woman known…
A spotlight on translated fiction this month
This month we’re reading novels translated from Dutch, Italian, Bulgarian and Catalan.
Grand Hotel Europa by Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer (translated from Dutch by Michele Hutchison)
A writer takes residence in the illustrious but decaying Grand Hotel Europa, to think about where things went wrong with Clio, with whom he fell in love in Genoa and moved to Venice. He reconstructs a compelling story of love in times of mass tourism, about their trips to Malta, Palmaria, Portovenere and the Cinque…
Q&A with Alison Lester
Alison Lester is a legend of Australian children’s literature and her books have been loved by millions of children and adults over many years. A play of her beloved classic Magic Beach is being performed at Melbourne Arts Centre from May 19-22 and we caught up with Alison on the cusp of this production.
Magic Beach was published over 30 years ago, but it is still one of your most popular books and a favourite in our bookshops. How does…
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