We’ve announced the shortlist for the Readings Prize for New Australian Fiction 2017. Here, we introduce the six shortlisted authors.

Find more information about this year’s shortlisted books (including the judges’ report) here.

Sam Carmody

Sam Carmody is an award-winning songwriter and novelist from Geraldton on the rural coast of Western Australia. His forthcoming debut EP, Shadow in the Dream, is due for release in October. The Windy Season is his debut novel.

Read the judges’ comments for…

Read more ›

The Readings Prize for New Australian Fiction considers first and second books from Australian authors, with the aim of recognising exciting and exceptional new contributions to local literature.

Over the past year, the judges have read their way through over 70 Australian titles and were impressed by the number of edgy voices who didn’t shy away from starkly original concepts. The task of filtering the terrific longlist down to a shortlist of just six books was difficult, but in the…

Read more ›

The 91-Storey Treehouse by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton

Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls by Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo

The Bone Sparrow by Zana Fraillon

A Most Magical Girl by Karen Foxlee

Gap Year in Ghost Town by Michael Pryor

In My Room by Jo Witek and Christine Roussey

In My Heart by Jo Witek and Christine Roussey

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

Magic Faraway Tree Collection (3 books in 1) by Enid Blyton

The Wayward Witch and the…

Read more ›

The Enigmatic Mr Deakin by Judith Brett

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood (including sales of other editions)

Crossing the Line by Kim McGrath

The Barefoot Investor by Scott Pape

Watching Out by Julian Burnside

The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy

Taboo by Kim Scott

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson

Common People by Tony Birch

On the Java Ridge by Jock Serong

Last week’s list of bestselling books includes some fascinating Australian…

Read more ›

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.

Robbie Egan is reading Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan

I have been reading Jennifer Egan’s Manhattan Beach, a novel of remarkable historical accuracy that details the lives of its characters with an economy and precision that almost belies the lavishness of its achievement.

I don’t want to spoil this book for anyone, so will…

Read more ›

The Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) has announced their Book of the Year Awards winners for 2017. These Awards celebrate the best Australian books for readers in early childhood up to young adult readers.

Here are the winners for each category.

Older Readers

One Would Think the Deep by Claire Zorn

Sam has always had things going on in his head that no one else understands, even his mum. And now she’s dead, it’s worse than ever. With nothing…

Read more ›

Our managing director Mark Rubbo picks out the best bargains for Father’s Day gift ideas.

To get him cooking…

$13.95 ()

Mietta’s Italian Family Recipes presents over 185 recipes, covering antipasto, soups, risotto, pasta, fish, meat, pizza and desserts. Together they demonstrate the ways in which original Italian recipes can be re-interpreted to suit modern Australian life, ingredients and equipment.

If he needs to watch that gut…

$13.95 ()

In the words of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall himself: ‘Eating more healthily isn’t…

Read more ›

It’s salami time! Chris Gordon shares the three very best books to get you started making your very own preserved meat.

Let us start at the beginning…

The origin of meat processing likely began some thousands of years ago when humans learned that salt is an effective preservative. The procedure of stuffing meat into casings remains basically the same today, however, over time it has become highly skilled and competitive field.

It is true that I’m married to a salami…

Read more ›

We asked our staff to share some of the books they most love to pass on to customers. Here are 14 of their favourite recommendations.

The Mothers by Brit Bennett

‘Brit Bennett is supremely talented and her debut novel is extraordinary. Reading it reminded me a little of how I felt watching the first season of Friday Night Lights – there’s a small-town community, flawed young adults struggling to find a life for themselves, relationship drama, gossip, love, secrets, pain…

Read more ›

The Centre for Youth Literature at State Library Victoria has announced the shortlist for the 2017 Inky Awards for young adult literature.

The 2017 Inky Awards shortlist includes five Australian and five international works of young adult literature. The Australian novelists are eligible for the Gold Inky Award and a $2,000 prize. International books are eligible for the Silver Inky Award.

The shortlist was selected from a longlist of 20 novels by a panel of seven teen judges from around…

Read more ›