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Dear Reader, October 2017
When October rolls around in bookselling, a certain kind of anticipation fills the air. The deliveries get bigger, shelving becomes a serious logistical exercise, and we start to prepare ourselves in earnest for the annual book-exchanging festival ahead (also known as ‘Christmas’). Lots of authors come to our party too, offering us some of the big books of the year. It’s an exciting time to be in the shop.
Richard Flanagan publishes First Person, our Fiction Book of the…
Mark's Say, October 2017
We’ve just completed judging the Readings Prize for New Australian Fiction. The Readings judges Gabrielle Williams (Malvern), Marie Matteson (Carlton), Annie Condon (Hawthorn) and Ann Le Lievre (Library sales and in absentia) were joined by myself and writer Christos Tsiolkas to choose a winner from the six books shortlisted by the Readings judges: The Windy Season by Sam Carmody, Australia Day by Melanie Cheng, Jean Harley Was Here by Heather Taylor Johnson, The Good People by Hannah Kent, The Lost…
Mark Rubbo interviews Richard Flanagan
Our Managing Director Mark Rubbo chats with Man Booker prize winning author Richard Flanagan about his new genre-bending novel, First Person.
Your new novel First Person has some connection to your own experience, in that it is about a young writer who is commissioned to ghostwrite the memoir of a notorious conman. You were commissioned to ghostwrite the memoir of notorious conman John Friedrich. Why did you decide to write a novel based on this experience?
Why not? At…
Recommended reads for the long weekend
With a long weekend coming up in Melbourne, our booksellers share some of their best recommendations for long weekend reading – new and old.
Nina Kenwood recommends What Happened by Hillary Rodham Clinton
I don’t normally read political memoirs – this might, in fact, be my first. But last year’s US election wasn’t a normal campaign, and nothing has been normal since, and I can’t stop consuming information about how the world got to this place. Reading What Happened is…
The best board books for early development
There are so many board books on the shelves that it can be hard to find the right ones for a baby’s first year.
Some board books offer full-length narratives (scaled down from the original picture books), others are all about detailed interaction. But for those early months, from birth to 12 months, you might want to concentrate on stimulating colours, shapes, sounds, sensory experiences and words.
Here are some great board books for early development and learning.
HIGH-CONTRAST BOARD…
A monthly update from our Teen Advisory Board
This month our Teen Advisory Board had an exciting visit from book blogger, agent and champion of LoveOzYa, Danielle Binks. Danielle was one of the instigators of the Love OzYA movement and is also the editor of the Australian young adult anthology: Begin End Begin.
Danielle is an incredible powerhouse of energy and enthusiasm. She talked to us about her passion for Australian YA literature, and unpacked why she can sometimes be critical of it (because she loves it…
We love this gripping Australian crime thriller
Jane Harper’s The Dry was one of the biggest books of 2016. She’s now released Force of Nature, another addictive crime thriller featuring Federal Police Agent Aaron Falk, and we’re pleased to report it lives up to our high expectations. Here are a collection of testimonials from booksellers about the novel.
‘Federal Police Agent Aaron Falk is back and I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I think I’m a little in love with him. This time he’s working on…
Our top 10 bestsellers of the week
Moral Panic 101 (Quarterly Essay 67) by Benjamin Law
Extinctions by Josephine Wilson
Sweet by Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson
A Legacy of Spies by John le Carré
The Dry by Jane Harper
The Barefoot Investor by Scott Pape
What Happened by Hillary Rodham Clinton
The Choke by Sofie Laguna
Inglorious Empire by Shashi Tharoor
Our top 10 bestselling books of last week include the first Quarterly Essay…
The Readings Foundation grants are open for 2018
Applications for the Readings Foundation grants for the 2018 calendar year are now open. Organisations who work with disadvantaged groups in the Victorian community (especially in the areas of literacy, creativity and the arts) can apply for funding amounts from $1,000 to $20,000.
This past year we’ve been delighted to 11 diverse organisations. This includes Banksia Gardens Community Service’s innovative Aiming High VCE program in the Broadmeadows area, and River Nile Learning Centre’s amazing English program for newly-arrived refugee…
Our children's and YA top 10 bestsellers of the week
Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls by Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo
A Tale of Two Kitties (The Adventures of Dog Man Book 2) by Dav Pilkey
The 91-Storey Treehouse by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton
Pig the Star by Aaron Blabey
Maybe by Morris Gleitzman
The Bad Guys Episode 6: Alien vs Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey
Spooky Weird! (Weirdo Book 9) by Anh Do and Jules Faber
A Most Magical Girl by Karen Foxlee
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