Our latest blog posts

A Battle Royale: Villains in children's and YA books (Round 1)

by Bronte Coates

There are plenty of memorable villains in children’s and young adult books, the kinds that get their hooks into you when you’re young and then creep into your nightmares and shape your adulthood. But WHO is the evilest of all?

This week, we’re hosting a Battle Royal to determine just that. Here is round one…

Warning: This post contains spoilers!

Battle of the evil mages

Valentine Morgenstern (The Mortal Instruments) vs. the Mage (Carry On)

Both…

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Our top 10 bestsellers of the week

First Person by Richard Flanagan

Force of Nature by Jane Harper

The Life to Come by Michelle de Kretser

The Sun and Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur

The Dry by Jane Harper

Maggie’s Recipe for Life by Maggie Beer and Professor Ralph Martins

Origin (Robert Langdon Book 5) by Dan Brown

The Barefoot Investor (2017 updated edition) by Scott Pape

Two Steps Forward by Graeme Simsion and Anne Buist

Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan

Man Booker Prize winner Richard Flanagan’s…

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We test out recipes from Mr & Mrs Wilkinson's new cookbook

Earlier this week we roadtested different recipes from Matt Wilkinson and Sharlee Gibb’s new cookbook, Mr & Mrs Wilkinson’s How it is at Home, and invited Matt and Sharlee to come in and select the best one. Here are the results of our office cook-off…

Anthony Shaw made ‘Zucchini & feta fritters’ (pg. 40):

The combination of flavours and the ease with which the recipe is put together make these fritters a winner. Basically you grate and drain some…

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What we're reading: Jennifer Mathieu, Deborah Rodriguez & Jesmyn Ward

Each week we bring you a sample of the books we’re reading, the films and TV shows we’re watching, and the music we’re listening to.

Ellen Cregan is reading Sally Rooney and Jesmyn Ward

I’ve just returned from a two week holiday, and I read so many great books while I was there. Out of the books I read, though, there were two stand-out favourites.

The first is Sally Rooney’s excellent debut, Conversations with Friends. The book tells the…

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The best new crime reads in October

by Fiona Hardy

CRIME BOOK OF THE MONTH

A Dangerous Language by Sulari Gentill

About halfway through this book, I had to put it down – for something trivial like sleep, or dinner, or spending time with my family – and saw a review on the cover comparing Gentill to Evelyn Waugh. This holds some truth – there are a lot of ridiculously wealthy young people having far too much fun spending the early decades of the twentieth century getting into salacious situations…

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Entries are open for the Hope Prize

The Hope Prize is open for entries for its second year.

The Hope Prize is the Brotherhood of St Laurence’s national short story competition. It encourages writers to explore stories of resilience in the face of poverty and disadvantage, and to look beyond stereotypes to depict the strengths that people and communities show in dealing with hardship.

Readings was a proud supporter of the inaugural Prize last year, and we’re so thrilled to see it return. Last year the Brotherhood…

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Read about fascinating lives this month

The Trauma Cleaner by Sarah Krasnostein

The Trauma Cleaner is an exploration of the extraordinary life and work of Sandra Pankurst. Born a little boy who was shunned by his adopted family, she’s been a husband and father, drag queen, one of Australia’s first gender reassignment patients, a sex worker, a small businesswoman and a trophy wife… This book focuses on perhaps her most intriguing aspect of all: her job as a trauma cleaner, working with people who’ve suffered their…

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Seven delectable cookbooks to inspire you this month

by Chris Gordon

Our food and gardening columnist Chris Gordon shares seven delectable and inspiring cookbooks released this month

Maggie’s Recipe for Life by Maggie Beer and Professor Ralph Martins

Maggie Beer says, ‘I have two great passions – sharing my love of cooking delicious simple food and improving the health and nutrition of older people.’ Her enthusiasm is very evident in this wonderful new cookbook. Here she has joined up with Professor Ralph Martins (Professor of Neurobiology and Foundation Chair in Aging…

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Our top picks of the month for book clubs

For book cubs willing to go to dark places…

Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward

13-year-old Jojo is one of the three narrators in this richly evocative novel from National Book Award winner Jesmyn Ward. This tender-hearted yet resilient teenager lives with his grandparents in rural Mississippi, where he’s become the primary carer for his toddler sister, Kayla. When their father is released from prison, Jojo’s mother packs the children into her car with a friend, and together they set…

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