Congratulations to the 10 authors shortlisted for this year’s International Dublin Literary Award.

This year’s shortlist includes…

The Story of My Teeth by Valeria Luiselli (translated by Christina MacSweeney)

Confession of the Lioness by Mia Couto (translated by David Brookshaw)

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

Under the Udala Trees by Chinelo Okparanta

The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen

A General Theory of Oblivion by José Eduardo Agualusa (translated by Daniel Hahn)

The Green Road by Anne Enright

The Prophets…

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Really Weird! (WeirDo Book 8) by Anh Do and Jules Faber

13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Florette by Anna Walker

The Blue Cat by Ursula Dubosarsky

The Maddie Diaries by Maddie Ziegler

Grover Finds a Home (Grover McBane, Rescue Dog Book 1) by Claire Garth and Johannes Leak

The Treehouse Fun Book 2 by Andy Griffiths, Jill Griffiths and Terry Denton

Escape to the Moon Islands (Quest of the Sunfish Book 1) by Mardi McConnochie

Elizabeth…

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The White Queen – One Nation and the Politics of Race (Quarterly Essay 65) by David Marr

A Writing Life by Bernadette Brennan

Eyes Too Dry by Alice Chipkin and Jessica Tavassoli

The Barefoot Investor by Scott Pape

Earthly Remains by Donna Leon

Dear Quentin by Quentin Bryce

The Dry by Jane Harper

See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt

Things That Helped by Jessica Friedmann

Scummy Mummies by Ellie Gibson and Helen Thorn

Our bestselling book of…

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This month, we recommend a crop of funny picture books, enough quality junior and middle fiction to last the school holidays, the best of the Easter books, and some very good-looking and fascinating non-fiction.

(Find our best recommendations for teen books this month here.)

PICTURE BOOKS

My Pictures After the Storm is a colourful and anarchic picture book that will please adults as much as children. Magic happens, someone cannonballs into the swimming pool, too many potato chips are…

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In April, teenagers ponder the impossible future in a bumper crop of Australian YA fiction, YouTube and TV stars take over the YA memoir genre, and some very classy international fantasy hits our shelves.

(Find our best recommendations for kids’ books this month here.)

LOVEOZYA PICKS

The impossibility of deciding on a future and moving into the freedom and potential of adulthood is explored in three very different, but equally excellent Australian YA novels this month.

The Secret Science…

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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.

Amy Vuleta is reading Insomniac City by Bill Hayes

I’ve just started reading Insomniac City by Bill Hayes. This is a memoir of New York City, of insomnia and grief, of loss and love, and of the author’s relationship with the writer and neurologist, Oliver Sacks. I can already tell this is going to be…

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Chef, gardener and restaurateur Annie Smithers chats with our events manager Chris Gordon about her new cookbook, Annie’s Farmhouse Kitchen.

Your new cookbook is a collection of the menus you’ve cooked for your wonderful restaurant (du Fermier). I love this. How do you collect your ideas to pull such an such an impressive array of recipes together? Are you a note taker?

When I first thought of writing this book, it was because I had amassed a…

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Our events manager Chris Gordon shares four cookbooks to love in April.

Also for foodies this month… Chris interviewed chef, gardener and restaurateur Annie Smithers, our staff tested out recipes from one of our favourite new cookbooks, and we’re offering 25% off a select range of our most popular cookbooks.

It’s Always About the Food by the Monday Morning Cooking Club

This group of delightful, passionate Jewish women decided to cook together every Monday morning 11 years ago, and…

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CRIME BOOK OF THE MONTH

A Dangerous Crossing by Rachel Rhys

On a summer’s day in 1939, Lily Shepherd boards the cruise liner Orontes, gaining assisted passage to escape her bleak English life for the shores of Australia. She leaves behind a family stricken once by war, and alarmed by the idea of another – but Lily is positive no such thing will happen. She is also positive that the trip will be an adventure, yet not even the…

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Squishy Taylor and the Bonus Sisters by Ailsa Wild (with illustrations by Ben Wood) is one of the six books shortlisted for this year’s Readings Children’s Book Prize. Here are five reasons why we think it’s brilliant.

1. Squishy Taylor is a terrific new Australian heroine for ages 6 and up.

We adore Squishy. She’s feisty and forthright, impulsive and inventive, silly and smart. Throughout this story, Squishy has to overcome all kinds of challenges and in doing so, lands…

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