Our latest blog posts
Three delicious new Australian cookbooks
Tuck In by Ross Dobson
Dobson is famous for his wonderful cookbooks about the virtues of the humble barbecue. Here, in this easy-to-read, easy-to-follow collection of recipes, he includes methods made delicious by the humble fire, but also brings a new range of treats to his collection. Taking inspiration from all over the world, here is the guide to making friends and family happy over and over again. Tuck In provides a dish for every occasion, from Tuesday-night meals to…
Win an original print by Judy Horacek
Random Life is the ninth book from much-loved Australian cartoonist Judy Horacek. Offering some of her best commentaries on contemporary society, this collection of cartoons is both hilarious and thought-provoking.
‘Judy Horacek is an alternative fact of the most engaging and necessary kind.’ – John Clarke
All customers who purchase a copy of Random Life from the Readings website before 5pm on Wednesday 12 July will go into the draw to win a signed and numbered original print featuring artwork…
Let's hear it for the girl in crime fiction
by Megan GoldinCrime author Megan Goldin defends the use of the word girl in crime fiction titles.
When I wrote my psychological thriller, The Girl In Kellers Way, I chose the title because it encapsulated the key themes of my story of four women whose fates are connected by a remote forest road where a series of tragedies take place. Little did I realise that by choosing a title with the word girl in it, I was stepping into a minefield…
This month's recommendations for classical music fans
Suite Cubed: Bach and Beyond by Umberto Clerici
‘Cellist Umberto Clerici wondered how eighteenth-century audiences listened to J.S. Bach’s cello suites, and what they heard and recognised in the music. Although Bach’s solo cello suites are variations of dance forms, he did not write them for dancing. Audiences perhaps experienced an emotional connection to the ‘stylisations’ of each dance, and (perhaps) therefore a physical connection. Contemporary audiences hear, experience and feel that music in a different way – our familiarity…
Our top ten bestsellers of the week
Wimmera by Mark Brandi
Open House Melbourne Weekend: 2017 Program by Open House Melbourne
The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy
Cardinal: The Rise and Fall of Cardinal Pell by Louise Milligan (this book is no longer available for sale in Victoria)
The Barefoot Investor by Scott Pape
The Long Goodbye (Quarterly Essay 66) by Anna Krien
Hunger by Roxane Gay
Random Life by Judy Horacek
The Clever Guts Diet by Michael Mosley
Our children's and YA top ten bestsellers of the week
Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls by Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo
The World’s Worst Children 2 by David Walliams and Tony Ross
The Wayward Witch and the Feelings Monster (Polly and Buster Book 1) by Sally Rippin
A Most Magical Girl by Karen Foxlee
Family, Friends and Furry Creatures (Tom Gates Book 12) by Liz Pichon
The Fall by Tristan Bancks
Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone (20 Anniversary Griffyndor Edition) by J.K. Rowling
Books to celebrate NAIDOC Week
Happy NAIDOC Week! The theme for NAIDOC Week 2017 is ‘Our Languages Matter’ – a chance to focus on the importance, resilience and richness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages. Here are 10 highly recommended reads that explore Indigenous culture and voices for young people, from toddlers through to teens.
Welcome to Country by Aunty Joy Murphy and Lisa Kennedy
This picture book celebrates the original inhabitants of Melbourne, the Wurundjeri people, by taking the reader through a Wominjeka…
What we're reading: Anna Krien, Jock Serong & Matt Zoller-Seitz
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.
Mark Rubbo is reading On the Java Ridge by Jock Serong
I’m reading an advance copy of Jock Serong’s third novel. Set in the near future, an asylum seeker boat capsizes and sinks near a remote island, coincidentally where an Australian tourist boat is safely anchored. It’s three days from a tight Federal election and…
Dear Reader, July 2017
Identity and memory are themes that run through a number of books in this issue. Our Nonfiction Book of the Month is Roxane Gay’s Hunger. It lays bare, in the most generously open way, Gay’s life as lived in her own body, the histories that body contains, and the non-normative identities she inhabits. This book is a vital contribution to the discourse of body politics as it intersects with lived experience.
Melanie Cheng skilfully addresses the vexed question of…
Mark's Say, July 2017
The world moves in mysterious ways sometimes. Some time ago, we received a complaint from the Anti Defamation Commission (ADC) about some wrapping paper on sale in our St Kilda shop. Produced and designed in the UK, the paper featured a series of ‘quaint’ illustrations of characters from history and contemporary popular culture. At a glance, it seemed just the ticket to wrap a gift in. But if you looked more closely, wedged between Star Wars’ 3-CPO and Madonna, was…
Browse our blog by category
