News

Our top 10 bestsellers of the week

Cold Enough for Snow by Jessica Au

Making Australian History by Anna Clark

Black and Blue by Veronica Gorrie

Stolen Focus by Johann Hari

To Paradise by Hanya Yanagihara

Love Stories by Trent Dalton

Atomic Habits by James Clear

Devotion by Hannah Kent

Love and Virtue by Diana Reid

Dune by Frank Herbert

Our best-seller from the past week is Jessica Au’s short and incisive novel, Cold Enough for Snow. Our reviewer and Readings Monthly editor Jackie Tang says…

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

The Brightest Night: The Graphic Novel by Tui Sutherland

The First Scientists by Corey Tutt

You’ll Be the Death of Me by Karen McManus

Only A Monster by Vanessa Len

Friday Barnes 10: Undercover by R.A. Spratt

Rockstar Detectives by Adam Hills

Wandi by Favel Parrett

Somebody’s Land by Adam Goodes & Ellie Laing

Bumper Treehouse Book by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton

I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys

This week sees the graphic novel adaptation of Wings of

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Kids books celebrating love in all its guises

Love is not just for lovers. It comes in many forms, such as a love of family and friends, a love of animals and nature, and a love of community. Here are a few recent books that celebrate different iterations of love that will be a joy to share with the children in your life.

Love of family…

Big Love by Megan Jacobson and Bec Feiner

No matter how different our families may be, the one thing we all have…

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What we're reading: Osman, Nunez & Amba

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 What Are you going Through by Sigrid Nunez

I’m enjoying this novel about a woman dealing with a friend who’s coming to terms with terminal cancer. Enjoying doesn’t seem like the right word because it sounds heavy, and it is! But only in subject-matter. Yes, it’s sad, and even…

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A spotlight on translated fiction this month

February signals promising start to the year with a wonderful collection of new novels in translation. Below are six stories for readers looking to discover voices from beyond our shores.

Strangers I Know by Claudia Durastanti (translated from Italian by Elizabeth Harris)

Every family has its own mythology, but in this family none of the myths match up. Claudia’s mother says she met her husband when she stopped him from jumping off a bridge. Her father says it happened when…

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ICYMI 50 – some recommendations to help you choose your next read

There’s still time to discover your next read within the excellent range of titles that make up the ICYMI 50: Must-read new Australian books you might have missed collection.

To celebrate our brilliant local authors (and ensure that you don’t miss out on their wonderful books) we’re offering 20% off fifty recent releases that might have flown under your radar. From brilliant short story collections, we highly recommend trying Hold Your Fire, She is Haunted, or Born into

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Rainbow family picture books

by Angela Crocombe

We’ve seen some beautiful new books recently that reflect diverse families in all their glory, whether it be two dads, two mums, a child who does not gender conform, or many other family groupings. Plus, who wouldn’t love a picture book celebrating the sheer fabulousness of drag queens?!

Here are some of our favourite rainbow family picture books as well as picture books that encourage self expression and exploring your identity. Each story celebrates curiosity, open-mindedness, and kindness, and would…

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Recipe extract from the Mabu Mabu cookbook

From Melbourne-based First Nations chef Nornie Bero, Mabu Mabu: An Australian Kitchen Cookbook is filled with simple yet delicious recipes that champion native ingredients and invite you to innovate the way you cook.

Read on to discover a refreshing recipe from this unique soon-to-be best seller.

Spicy Desert Lime and Watermelon Salad

This sweet-savoury salad is power-packed with flavour. The sweetness of the watermelon – one of my favourite fruits – combines with the sharpness of desert lime and the

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The best new crime reads in February

by Fiona Hardy

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

CRIME BOOK OF THE MONTH

The Cane by Maryrose Cuskelly

The northern Queensland town of Quala is reeling: oneof its own is missing. Young Janet McClymont walked through the cane fields early one evening to go babysit her neighbours’ kids, but never arrived. Her bag was found, and nothing else. Now her parents trawl through the vast expanse of cane, begging their neighbours not to light…

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Recommended children's books and news for February

It’s February already!? We are so lucky that there are some fantastic new releases to ease us into the return to routine that inevitably happens at this time of year. We’ve got some beautiful new picture books, a look inside famous artist’s gardens that is also a fun activity book, some stunning new middle fiction and more.

You can read our round-up of new Young Adult titles here.

CHILDREN’S BOOK OF THE MONTH

Your School is the Best by…

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Recommended YA books and news for February

New year, new books! So many exciting new releases are coming our way this month with stories to suit a wide variety of young adult readers. We’ve got a fascinating historical novel, contemporary thrillers, a local debut fantasy, as well as the beginning of a fantasy series focused on Persian mythology, not to mention a collection of romantic short stories. Let’s get into it!

For our children’s book round-up please take a look here.

YA BOOK OF THE MONTH

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Our top 10 bestsellers of the week

Making Australian History by Anna Clark

Stolen Focus by Johann Hari

To Paradise by Hanya Yanagihara

Love Stories by Trent Dalton

Black and Blue by Veronica Gorrie

Cold Enough for Snow by Jessica Au

Love Marriage by Monica Ali

Atomic Habits by James Clear

Love and Virtue by Diana Reid

Violeta by Isabel Allende

Our best-seller from the past week is our Non-fiction Book of the Month for February, Making Australian History. This new release is already making waves…

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What we're reading: Norman, Au & Reilly

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.

Karl Sagrabb is reading Permafrost by SJ Norman

This debut collection of short stories is striking and incisive, exploring desire and loss, and playing with, subverting, and inverting classic traditions of literature like the Romantic and the Gothic.

I absolutely adore work that plays around with Gothic traditions and, having written my thesis…

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Applications are open for our Teen Advisory Board

Applications are now open for the 2022 Readings Teen Advisory Board!

We’re currently looking for a new intake of teenagers (aged 14–19) to join our advisory board, starting in April 2022 and running until March 2023.

The board is a volunteer group of teenagers who meet monthly to learn about the book industry, discuss young adult books, meet authors, publishers and book industry experts, write reviews, provide Readings staff with feedback on a range of topics, and more. This year…

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The most anticipated books of 2022

by Alison Huber

Dare I say it: here we go again? With another Covid-dominated year on the horizon, it is easy to feel not a little despondent: I don’t mind admitting, dear reader, that I’m very, very tired, and after a particularly difficult but still pretty fun Christmas trading period following our 2021 lockdown (like retailers across the land, I could recount a gripping, personal account of the infamous supply chain issues, but I’ll save that for my memoir…), I am sure I’m…

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Mark's Say: February, 2022

by Mark Rubbo

As I mentioned in one of my columns last year, the lockdowns had a terrible impact on the sale of books in bricks-and-mortar shops. For books that were first published during that period, they may never recover those lost sales. New South Wales and Victoria account for around 60% of all books sold nationally, so to lose a substantial amount of those sales is fairly significant. For most first-time authors, exposure in bookshops is very important in establishing a market…

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Winners of the Victorian Premier's Literary Awards 2022

Congratulations to all the winners of the 2022 Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards!

WINNER OF THE OVERALL VICTORIAN PRIZE FOR LITERATURE AND

WINNER OF INDIGENOUS WRITING

Black and Blue by Veronica Gorrie

A proud Kurnai woman, Veronica Gorrie grew up dauntless, full of cheek and a fierce sense of justice.

After watching her friends and family suffer under a deeply compromised law-enforcement system, Gorrie signed up for training to become one of a rare few Aboriginal police officers in Australia. In…

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On Events, with Chris Gordon

by Chris Gordon

Over the summer, I reread Susan Cooper’s 1964 thriller Mandrake. Set in an Orwellian future, England is under the thumb of a power-hungry Prime Minister who engineers a society of isolation that forces people back to their places of origin. (Sound familiar?) Standing against him is Dr David Queston. In an early scene, Queston waits for a train on a quiet platform and sees a sign; it reads: ‘Is your journey necessary?’

I have been asking myself this very…

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Books to read aloud to children

by Angela Crocombe

Reading aloud to kids increases their vocabulary, helps improve their attention span, and is a great way to spend time with them. But really, the best reason to read to children is how much fun it is for everyone!

Wednesday, February 2 is World Read Aloud Day, which is now enjoyed by millions of people in 170 countries. To celebrate this special day, I have rounded up some perennial favourites that are truly magical when read aloud to children…

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

Somebody’s Land by Adam Goodes & Ellie Laing

The Brightest Night: The Graphic Novel by Tui Sutherland

Adam Spencer’s Maths 101 by Adam Spencer

First Scientists by Corey Tutt

Tomorrow is a Brand New Day by Davina Bell

Wandi by Favel Parrett

You’ll Be the Death of Me by Karen McManus

There’s a Zoo in my Poo by Felice Jacka

Aaron Slater, Illustrator by Andrea Beatty

In an Artist’s Garden by Claire Orrell

Adam Goodes continues to hold onto the…

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Our top 10 bestsellers of the week

To Paradise by Hanya Yanagihara

Love Stories by Trent Dalton

Stolen Focus by Johann Hari

Adrift in Melbourne by Robyn Annear

Beautiful World, World Are You by Sally Rooney

The Promise by Damon Galgut

The Labyrinth by Amanda Lohrey

On Reckoning by Amy Remeikis

It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover

Love and Virtue by Diana Reid

Our best-seller for the third week running is Hanya Yanagihara’s much anticipated, To Paradise. This is Yanagihara’s first novel since the acclaimed…

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What we're reading: Wright, Towles & Bruchmann

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.

Lian Hingee is reading She Kills Me by Jennifer Wright

Jennifer Wright’s collection of essays about terrible break-ups in history, It Ended Badly, remains one of the funniest and most entertaining non-fiction books I’ve ever read. Her second book, Get Well Soon, was an equally hilarious romp through history’s worst plagues…

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SLV booksellers share their top reads this January

To celebrate the reopening of our State Library Victoria shop we asked our wonderful booksellers which book they were looking forward to recommending the most!

Claire Atherfold is recommending Medusa by Jessie Burton & illustrated by Olivia Lomenech Gill

Exiled to a far-flung island by the whims of the gods, Medusa has little company except the snakes that adorn her head instead of hair. But when a charmed, beautiful boy called Perseus arrives on the island, her lonely existence is…

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Debut fiction to read this month

January is a quiet time for local debuts, but fortunately we have a plethora of fresh fiction from overseas to tide us over! Discover some of the most exciting debut voices of 2022 so far below, and pencil in February and March for stacks of Australian releases that are to come!

How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu


Dr. Cliff Miyashiro arrives in the Arctic Circle to continue his recently deceased daughter’s research, only to discover a…

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First Nations books to read with children

by Angela Crocombe

Stories are an accessible avenue for encouraging both curiosity and reflection. We recommend taking the time to read some of these wonderful picture books from Australian First Nations creators that focus on truth-telling and righting the wrongs of the past. These beautiful books allow us to have those important conversations with our children and move forward together.

Looking after Country with Fire by Victor Steffensen

A picture book that demonstrates respect for Indigenous knowledge, following the success of Victor Steffensen’s…

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Our top 10 bestsellers of the week

To Paradise by Hanya Yanagihara

The Promise by Damon Galgut

Love and Virtue by Diana Reid

Atomic Habits by James Clear

Adrift in Melbourne by Robyn Annear

Still Life by Sarah Winman

Dune by Frank Herbert

Beautiful World, World Are You by Sally Rooney

Devotion by Hannah Kent

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Our best-seller from the past week is To Paradise, the long awaited new novel from the acclaimed author of A Little

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Best-selling books celebrating 10 years

These best-selling books are currently celebrating 10 years since their local publication!

A decade on, it’s incredible to see how these works have endured and heartening to know how many of these authors have continued to produce fantastic literature. How many of the below blockbuster books have you read?

Blood by Tony Birch


Jesse has sworn to protect his sister, Rachel, no matter what. It’s a promise that cannot be broken. A promise made in blood. But, when it comes…

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What we're reading: May, Billingsley & Steinkellner

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.

Lian Hingee is reading Wahala by Nikki May

I just started reading Wahala, a debut novel about three women whose close-knit friendship is blown apart with the arrival of a fourth woman. Boo, Simi, and Ronke are three anglo-Nigerian women who became friends while at university. Now in their thirties, each of…

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The 100 bestselling books at Readings in 2021

We’ve run the reports and we’ve done the math. Here are our 100 bestselling books from the past year!

Our shops were closed for browsing for nearly a third of the 2021, making it difficult for our booksellers to do their to usual wonderful job of championing some of the diverse, emerging, and lesser-known books on our shelves.

We’ve noted a definite dip in the number of titles by First Nations authors this year, with just 6 books making the…

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Activity bundle ideas for kids during COVID isolation

Our shops have been getting a lot of requests for activities for kids to do while their family needs to isolate. So, with this in mind, our Kids Shop manager, Dani Solomon, has put together some handy ideas for activity bundles to help occupy young minds and help out frazzled parents during this challenging time. These self-directed activity books and puzzles, as recommended by Dani, will keep kids busy for hours.

Below, you’ll find Dani’s suggestions for activity books to…

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Our top picks of the month for book clubs

For book clubs interested in who writes history…

Learwife by J. R. Thorp


Word has come. Care-bent King Lear is dead, driven mad and betrayed. His three daughters too, broken in battle. But someone has survived: Lear’s queen. Exiled to a nunnery years ago, written out of history, her name forgotten. Now she can tell her story. A breathtaking novel of loss, renewal and how history bleeds into the present.

For book clubs who relish subversive stories of complex friendships…

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Children's books to celebrate Lunar New Year

by Angela Crocombe

Lunar New Year is a wonderful celebration of family and good fortune in the coming year. This year, as we move from the Year of the Ox into the Year of Tiger, the festivities begin on February 1 and culminate in the Lantern Festival on February 15.

Here are some gorgeous books to introduce young people to the celebrations of Lunar New Year.

Maisy’s Chinese New Year by Lucy Cousins

Maisy’s friend Tiger is coming home especially for Chinese New…

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25% off 25 personal development favourites

Right now we’re offering 25% off a select range of our personal development favourites! Simply apply the code PD25 at checkout to receive a 25% discount on all participating titles.

A new year is the perfect time to reflect on how we can ensure both our own wellbeing as well as how to live more consciously and empathetically towards others. With this in mind, our 25% off collection features both titles focused on personal development as well as additional…

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Fight the doomscroll when you read these hopeful non-fiction picks

Right now it’s understandable to be overwhelmed by feelings of hopelessness and fear. But in current times, when we’re feeling increasingly disillusioned and disenfranchised, books can be the path to reclaiming our empowerment. The following non-fiction books can help reinvigorate your resolve for enacting change while also reminding us there’s still hope yet.

Luminous Solution by Charlotte Wood


Writer Charlotte Wood shares the insights she has gained over a career paying close attention to her own mind, to the world…

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Our top 10 bestsellers of the week

To Paradise by Hanya Yanagihara

Love Stories by Trent Dalton

Adrift in Melbourne by Robyn Annear

The Labyrinth by Amanda Lohrey

The Promise by Damon Galgut

Dune by Frank Herbert

Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty

Love and Virtue by Diana Reid

Devotion by Hannah Kent

Still Life by Sarah Winman

Our best-seller from the past week is To Paradise, the long awaited new novel from the acclaimed author of A Little Life, Hanya Yanagihara. The novel is…

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2021 literary prize winners for younger readers

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

Winner of the 2021 National Book Award for Young People

Seventeen-year-old Lily Hu can’t remember exactly when the question took root, but the answer was in full bloom the moment she and Kathleen Miller walked under the flashing neon sign of a lesbian bar called the Telegraph Club. America in 1954 is not a safe place for two girls to fall in love, especially not in Chinatown. Red-Scare paranoia threatens everyone…

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Like this? Try this!

Two books, both alike in appeal, in fair bookshop, where we lay our scene. Today we’re recommending appealing alternatives to excellent books we’ve already read.

If you enjoyed Devotion by Hannah Kent

Matrix by Lauren Groff

Born from a long line of female warriors and crusaders, yet too coarse, too wild, too rough-hewn for 12th-century courtly life, Marie de France is cast from the royal court. To her dismay, she is sent to the muddy fields of Angleterre to take…

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21 literary prize winners from 2021 to read over summer

The Promise by Damon Galgut

Winner of the 2021 Booker Prize for Fiction

A taut and menacing novel that charts the crash and burn of an Afrikaans family, the Swarts. Punctuated by funerals that bring the ever-diminishing family together, each of the four parts opens with a death and a new decade. The characterisations are razor sharp, the dialogue dramatic, the action gripping. As we traverse the decades, Damon interweaves the story of a disappointed nation from apartheid to Jacob…

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Disappear into these other-worldly and immersive novels

Tired of feeling as though you’re in some kind of suburban purgatory? Take a one way ticket out of this timeline when you read one of the below novels; our chosen books are a mix of both fantasy, mythology & science fiction, and particularly immersive historical fiction.

A Master of Djinn by P. Djeli Clark


Cairo, 1912: Though Fatma el-Sha'arawi is the youngest woman working for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities, she’s certainly not a rookie, especially…

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Back to School books

It’s that time of year when we inevitably start thinking about the start of the school year and easing the kids back into the school routine. For some children it can be a terrifying prospect, especially if they are starting prep, switching to a new school, or perhaps recommencing home schooling. Here are a few books we love that demystify the whole experience and comfort them with what to expect, often with a great deal of humour.

Your School is

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

You’ll be the Death of Me by Karen McManus

Cat Kid Comic Club 2 by Dav Pilkey

The 143-Storey Treehouse by Andy Griffiths & Terry Denton

Wolf Girl 6: Animal Train by Anh Do

Tomorrow is a Brand New Day by Davina Bell & Alison Colpoys

Somebody’s Land by Adam Goodes, Ellie Laing & David Hardy

Wandi by Favel Parrett

One of Us is Lying by Karen McManus

Gangsta Granny Strikes Again by David Walliams

Rabbit, Soldier, Angel, Thief by…

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Our top 10 bestsellers of the week

Dune by Frank Herbert

Love and Virtue by Diana Reid

Adrift in Melbourne by Robyn Annear

Devotion by Hannah Kent

The Promise by Damon Galgut

Love Stories by Trent Dalton

The Labyrinth by Amanda Lohrey

Beautiful World Where Are You by Sally Rooney

Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty

Still Life by Sarah Winman

Our best-seller from the past week is the sci-fi classic Dune, which although ever-popular is no doubt seeing an influx of new fans thanks to…

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What we're reading over summer

As the days stretch longer and the air feels warmer, some of our staff are sharing what they’re planning to read this summer season.

Lucie Dess, marketing assistant

The Deep End by Jenna Guillaume

Social Queue by Kay Kerr

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

If This Gets Out by Sophie Gonzales & Cale Dietrich

Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout

The Girl From the Sea by Molly Knox Ostertag

Idol Gossip by Alexandra Leigh Young

Jess Strong, digital content coordinator

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See you all in 2022

Over the last two years, many of us have begun to lead an almost asynchronous existence, but as it turns out, we’re about to put another year behind us – if you can believe it! So before we turn the page, we’re looking back – with rose-coloured glasses firmly in place for our own protection – on some of the small joys that 2021 brought us (amid all the chaos).

Firstly, a special congratulations to the winners of the three…

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Our 2021 Christmas gift guide round-up

In the lead-up to Christmas 2021, we’ve been sharing a host of a range of carefully curated gift guides featuring hand-picked recommendations from our staff. Below, you’ll find our round-up of ideas for holiday reading and gifting this festive season.

Plus – make sure you check out the books featured in our annual Summer Reading Guide to find even more gift-buying (and your own holiday reading!) inspiration.

THE BEST BOOKS FOR THE YEAR (as nominated by our staff)

The best

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Best of the blog 2021

It’s been another dazzling year in books and we have loved nothing more than telling you all about them! Below, you’ll find a few of our favourite blogs that we published throughout the year. We recommend consulting them if you need inspiration for your personal summer reading or some last minute gift giving. Additionally, you can also view this year’s gift guide round-up here.

For general readers:

Challenge your thinking

LGBTQIA+ fiction favourites for 2021

Novels exploring our relationship

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Challenge your thinking

It’s the time of year where we begin to think about how we want to make our lives and the lives of those around us better in the new year. Committing to the work of challenging and deconstructing the thoughts, preferences and values that derive from oppressive systems is a good place to start. Below are our recommendations for books published in 2021 that can help you along the way.

Another Day in the Colony by Chelsea Watego

A ground-breaking…

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The best of Art and Design 2021

Some beautiful art, design and architecture books were published in 2021. Below are 10 of our favourites and make sure you browse the collection for the full round-up of outstanding titles.

1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows: A Memoir by Ai Wei Wei

In his widely anticipated memoir, Ai Weiwei - one of the world’s most famous artists and activists - tells a century-long epic tale of China through the story of his own extraordinary life and the legacy of…

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