Our latest blog posts

Record Store Day 2024

Readings Carlton is celebrating Record Store Day!

Music fans can enjoy a special treat at our Carlton shop this Record Store Day with exclusive releases, discounts, and musical acts including Emma Donovan, Charm of Finches and Nelson Matthews.

From Friday 19th April until Sunday 21st April, save 10% off full-priced vinyl* at Readings Carlton, plus buy a record to enter the draw to win an Audio-Technica AT-LP60X Turntable valued at $299.99.

Come down to our Lygon St shop…

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A Q&A with Bri Lee

by Chris Gordon

Many readers will be familiar with Bri Lee from her acclaimed nonfiction books, Eggshell Skull, Beauty, and Who Gets to Be Smart. Our events and programming manager Chris Gordon asks Lee about her debut novel, The Work, which is published this month and takes the reader into the art world, exploring the tensions between art and money, love and power, work and privilege.

First of all, thank you for writing this wonderful novel that talks about

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Short novels that leave an impression

Whether you're time poor, looking for something to read over your lunch break, haven't the bandwidth for a 500-page epic, or simply need a circuit breaker to knock you out of a reading slump, here are some of our favourite short novels that are guaranteed to stay with you for a long time.

Orbital by Samantha Harvey – 144 pages

An exquisitely written examination of human life, Samantha Harvey's Orbital takes place over a single day as six astronauts meditate…

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Our books of the month, April 2024

Explore our books of the month for April; each of the below titles has been read and recommended by our booksellers before being selected as our book of the month for its category.

FICTION BOOK OF THE MONTH

No Church in the Wild by Murray Middleton

Reviewed by Alison Huber, Readings head book buyer

'An outstanding book, from an emerging – no, strike that – a now-fully-emerged chronicler of our city.'

Murray Middleton won the 2015 Australian/Vogel’s Literary Award…

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Must-see panels this MWF 2024

Melbourne Writers Festival is just a month away, and if you're still considering which sessions to book we're sharing some of the fabulous panels and in-conversations that can expand your mind, without requiring any festival pre-reading! Browse the full MWF program here.

Who Gets To Be Human?

After 235 years of colonisation, who truly gets to be human in so-called Australia? Join Ziggy Ramo, Chelsea Watego and Lamisse Hamouda together in conversation with host Osman Faruqi.

When: Saturday 11…

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The Stella Prize shortlist 2024

The shortlist for this year’s Stella Prize has been announced! The Stella Prize seeks to elevate the work of Australian women and non-binary writers. The $60,000 prize is awarded annually to one outstanding book deemed to be original, excellent, and engaging. This year’s prize saw over 224 entries.

Explore the 2024 Stella Prize shortlist below.

The Swift Dark Tide by Katia Ariel

What happens when, in the middle of a happy heterosexual marriage, a woman falls in love with another…

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A recipe from Easy Wins by Anna Jones

Anna Jones is one of Readings’ absolute favourite cookbook authors, and we're thrilled to share a delicious recipe from her new book Easy Wins. This recipe for traybake lemon dal with pickled green chillies shows us just how easy it can be to cook up a delicious dal with next to no prep and the oven doing the work. A warming weeknight dinner, perfect for the cooler Melbourne evenings ahead.

Dal is a staple of our weeknight cooking. It’s

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The Women's Prize for Non-Fiction 2024 shortlist

The inaugural shortlist for the Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction has been announced! This new prize celebrates exceptional narrative non-fiction by women, and promotes excellence in writing, robust research, original narrative voices and accessibility. The Prize is valued at £30,000 and is open to all women writers from across the globe who are published in the UK and writing in English.

The winner will be announced on 13 June 2024.

Thunderclap by Laura Cumming

Thunderclap is a kaleidoscopic memoir connecting Laura…

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Books to inspire your autumn baking

We're at the beginning of Autumn, and Easter and the end of daylight saving are looming. This seems like the perfect time to have a baking project to look forward to. Here are a few new and old favourites we think will inspire and get you excited.

Beatrix Bakes: Another Slice by Natalie Paull

Sweet-toothed superstar and bestselling baker Natalie Paull returns with Beatrix Bakes: Another Slice, an all-new compilation of colourful, creative recipes to delight fans and newcomers…

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Thrilling and fantastical YA

The Last Bloodcarver by Vanessa Le

Science meets fantasy, with steampunk stylings and Vietnamese cultural in this incredible debut.

When Nhika is caught using her bloodcarving abilities during a sham medical appointment, she's captured by underground thugs and sold to an aristocratic family to heal the last witness of their father's murder.

When Nhika meets an alluring yet entitled physician's aide, Ven Kochin, she's forced to question the true intent behind this murder. When Nhika discovers that Kochin is not…

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