Our latest blog posts

The best food and gardening books of the month, with Chris Gordon

by Chris Gordon

Easy Wins: 12 Flavour Hits, 125 Delicious Recipes, 365 Days of Good Eating by Anna Jones

Did you know Anna Jones left her day job to write recipes and cook? She did it after reading an article about following personal passion. After reading this delicious new cookbook, I am thinking about handing in my notice and eating any dish with lemons in it for the rest of my life. Putting aside life ambitions for a minute, this cookbook is a…

Read more ›

Our March 2024 bestsellers

Beatrix Bakes: Another Slice by Natalie Paull

What Happened to Nina? by Dervla McTiernan

Butter by Asako Yuzuki & Polly Barton (trans.)

The Bee Sting by Paul Murray

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi & Geoffrey Trousselot (trans.)

Until August by Gabriel García Márquez & Anne McLean (trans.)

The Shortest History of Economics by Andrew Leigh

Black Duck: A Year at Yumburra by Bruce Pascoe with Lyn Yarwood

Quarterly Essay

Read more ›

The 2024 International Booker Prize shortlist

The International Booker Prize has revealed the shortlist of six novels in contention for the 2024 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…

Read more ›

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…

Read more ›

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

Read more ›

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…

Read more ›

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…

Read more ›

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…

Read more ›

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…

Read more ›