Our latest blog posts

Announcing The Readings Foundation’s 2024 grant recipients

by Angela Crocombe

We are delighted to announce the 10 not-for-profit organisations and programs that will be receiving $131,439 in funding from The Readings Foundation this year. The Foundation is passionate about supporting literacy, community integration, and the arts in Victoria. Funds are contributed from a percentage of all Readings Bookshop profits, as well as generous donations from Readings customers. The following organisations are all doing amazing work in their communities to support the most disadvantaged and vulnerable people within society. Readings is…

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The inaugural Women's Prize for Non-Fiction longlist 2024

In its inaugural year, the Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction provides a platform for non-fiction written by women that has been previously overlooked and underestimated.

From gripping memoirs and polemic narratives, to groundbreaking investigative journalism and revisionist history, these 16 titles below will change the way you view the non-fiction section of the bookshop.

Whether you are a seasoned non-fiction reader or considering trying for the first time, with this list you have at your fingertips a breadth of titles that…

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Recent Crime reads

The start to the year has seen an excellent array of Crime novels grace our shelves. From talented locals, the first English translation of an award-winning Korean writer, to a book whose authorship sparked a wave of speculation worldwide, there's something to appeal to all tastes. We've chosen some highlights below.

The Fury by Alex Michaelides

This is a tale of murder. Or maybe that's not quite true. At its heart, it's a love story, isn't it?

One spring morning…

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What we're reading: Mayo & Sacco

Each week our wonderful staff share the books and music that they've been enjoying.

Katey Bellew is reading Dear Son by Thomas Mayo

This incredibly moving collection features twelve letters by Indigenous men addressed to their sons and fathers. What results is a desperately brave and tender demonstration of decolonising masculinity. The Northern Territory Intervention, and the racist dialogue surrounding it, is raised by several of the men as having a particularly harmful impact on their relationships and sense of…

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Recommended realistic middle fiction

We love realistic middle fiction for its ability to hook kids in a single, relatable thought. Reflective of their own experiences, offering a new lens on familiar situations, or exposing them to experiences completely different from their own, these stories have the power to build empathy and understanding in engaging ways. Below are some excellent realistic middle fiction stories that we recommend exploring.

Moonwalking by Zetta Elliott & Lyn Miller-Lachmann

Punk rock-loving JJ Pankowski can’t seem to fit in at…

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Contemporary romance writers to fall in love with

by Lucie Dess

It's the most romantic day of the year! And whether you celebrate Valentine's Day or not, this list of contemporary romance authors will have you feeling all the love!

Emily Henry

Emily Henry is easily recognisable by her brightly coloured covers containing swoon-worthy rom coms. Jodi Picoult calls her 'my newest automatic-buy author.'

In Happy Place Harriet and Wyn are the perfect couple, Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds perfect! Or at least they were... Every year for the past decade…

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Our books of the month, February 2024

Explore our books of the month for February; 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

We All Lived in Bondi Then by Georgia Blain

Reviewed by Aurelia Orr, Readings Kids

‘Imbued with loss, love, and a yearning for something beyond our grasp, We All Lived in Bondi Then is written with acuity and nuance’

Shortly after…

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Win a place at Faber Writing Academy

We're thrilled to be partnering with Faber Writing Academy to offer one lucky Readings Kids shopper the exclusive chance to win a place in their semester-long after-hours course, Writing For Kids: Picture Books and Children’s Fiction.

Taking place online from 20 February – 4 June 2024 (Tuesdays 6.30pm – 8.30pm), this is the perfect three-month course (usually $2,500) for people who wish to write picture books and children’s fiction.

The course will cover the elements required to create a stand-out…

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