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Here's what I learned at Readings Matters

by Bronte Coates

A couple of weeks ago I attended Reading Matters. This is a bi-annual celebration of youth literature featuring a wonderful array of international and Australian guests, including authors, publishers, bloggers and more. I had a totally brilliant time and left with a notepad full of ineligible writing and a whole lot of feelings.

Here is what I took away from the conference.

Never underestimate the power of being exposed to stories.

Unsurprisingly, the power of storytelling was a central theme…

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The Hate U Give is one of the best YA books of 2017

The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas has been one of the most talked about novels of the year. Our staff share why this is.

‘I can’t recommend The Hate You Give highly enough. It is the story of 16-year-old Starr who is the only witness to the fatal shooting of her unarmed best friend, Khalil, by a police officer. As the reverberations of the crime spread throughout their community, Starr must contend with her own grief and trauma, as…

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Best new crime reads out this month

by Fiona Hardy

CRIME BOOK OF THE MONTH

Security by Gina Wohlsdorf

On the Californian coastline, a glorious new hotel awaits its opening. Manderley Resort will be the most sophisticated of places to stay, thanks to highly detailed planning: from the opulent surrounds and the luxurious seasonal food prepared by the most melodramatically French of chefs, all the way to the experienced staff and state-of-the-art technology taking care of every little problem that could arise. For example, a stray branch in the hedge…

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Our children's and YA top ten bestsellers of the week

My Life as a Hashtag by Gabrielle Williams

The World’s Worst Children 2 by David Walliams and Tony Ross

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

The Wayward Witch and the Feelings Monster (Polly and Buster Book 1) by Sally Rippin

A Most Magical Girl by Karen Foxlee

Intergalactic Gas (The Bad Guys Book 5) by Aaron Blabey

Resurrection (Skulduggery Pleasant Book 10) by Derek Landy

Boone Shepard by Gabriel Bergmoser

The

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Which book should I read from the Readings Young Adult Book Prize shortlist?

by Leanne Hall

Are you having trouble deciding which of the six fabulous books on the Readings Young Adult Book Prize shortlist to read first? Don’t fret, we’ve got you covered…

Take our quiz to find out which book you should read. Grab a sheet of paper, write down the letters of your chosen answers and then tally them up before scrolling down to find out what your next book should be.

QUESTION 1. WHEN READING A BOOK, DO YOU LIKE TO…?

A.

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Our top ten bestsellers of the week

The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy

The Clever Guts Diet by Michael Mosley

Anaesthesia by Kate Cole-Adams

The Barefoot Investor by Scott Pape

Gravity Well by Melanie Joosten

Camino Island by John Grisham

Miller And Max by Luke Buckmaster

Losing it by Moira Burke

The Museum of Modern Love by Heather Rose

Theft by Finding by David Sedaris

Arundhati Roy’s second novel is our bestselling book of last week. Our reviewer describes The Ministry of Utmost Happiness as…

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What we're reading: Gwendoline Riley, Wayne Macauley & Ocean Vuong

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.

Annie Condon is reading Anything is Possible by Elizabeth Strout

I’ve been putting off reading Anything is Possible by Elizabeth Strout, so that I could really savour it during some ‘downtime’, but I’ve recently come to the realisation that the aforementioned ‘downtime’ is just not going to happen. So I began the book and entered…

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Our favourite books of 2017 (so far)

Our staff share the best books they’ve read so far this year, including new releases and older titles just discovered.

Mark Rubbo, managing director:

My top picks of the year so far have been…

Insomniac City by Bill Hayes – A moving memoir about the writer’s relationship with New York and his partner, the famous neurologist Oliver Sacks. I defy you not to love this book!

Prussian Blue by Philip Kerr – If you haven’t read any of Philip Kerr’s…

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Our staff share their Winter Reading Stacks

Sharon Peterson, assistant manager at Readings Carlton

Barkskins by Annie Proulx

Scotland by Lonely Planet

Anything is Possible by Elizabeth Strout

Understory by Inga Simpson

Ache by Eliza Henry-Jone

Stella Charls, marketing and events coordinator

Too Much and Not the Mood by Durga Chew-Bose

Losing it by Moira Burke

Ghachar Ghochar by Vivek Shanbhag

All Grown Up by Jami Attenberg

A Separation by Katie Kitamura

Sunshine State by Sarah Gerard

Both Ways is the Only Way I Want it by…

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Naomi Alderman wins the 2017 Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction

Naomi Alderman has won the 2017 Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction for her feminist science fiction novel, The Power.

Set in a future where women develop the power to kill men with a touch, The Power is a page-turning thriller that explores timely issues, including gender politics and questions of power. The chair of judges, film and TV producer Tessa Ross, says: ‘This prize celebrates great writing and great ideas and The Power had that, but it also had…

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