Our latest blog posts
Terrific new crime reads out this month
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…
Five reasons we love Squishy Taylor and the Bonus Sisters by Ailsa Wild
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…
Read a love letter from Letters of Love
The following letter is an extract from Letters of Love: Words from the heart penned by prominent Australians, published by Affirm Press in partnership with the Alannah & Madeline Foundation. All profits from book sales go directly to the Alannah & Madeline Foundation.
Dear Mae,
I was wishing for you before you even existed. When Mum told me that a new baby was going to join the family I wished for you. I wished for you on falling leaves…
Mark's Say, April 2017
Last month I went to the opening of a rather marvellous and moving exhibition at Melbourne’s Immigration Museum. The exhibition, They Cannot Take the Sky is based on the book of the same name (edited by Michael Green, Angelica Neville, André Dao, Dana Affleck and Sienna Merope). Like the book, it’s been put together by a group of people with a lived experience of immigration detention. Twenty-four asylum seekers share their stories (through short videos and audio): their journeys, their…
The Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction shortlist 2017
The shortlist for the 2017 Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction has been announced. This Prize celebrates excellence, originality and accessibility in women’s writing from throughout the world.
Here is the full shortlist:
Stay With Me by Ayòbámi Adébáyò
The Power by Naomi Alderman
The Dark Circle by Linda Grant
The Sport of Kings by C.E. Morgan
First Love by Gwendoline Riley
Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien
The winner of the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction receives…
Eight Australian albums to check out in April
We recommend eight Australian albums to plug in your ears this month.
We’re very pleased to share that our St Kilda shop will be hosting FREE bookshop gigs with two of the artists listed here. Come along to hear Charm of Finches on Wednesday 5 April and Rough River on Thursday 13 April.
Staring at the Starry Ceiling by Charm of Finches
Staring at the Starry Ceiling is the debut album of indie folk band, Charm of Finches, which is…
Staff music picks, upcoming bookshops gigs and 20% off vinyl
20% OFF VINYL THROUGHOUT APRIL
Record Store Day is officially on Saturday 22 April, but Readings is celebrating all month long with 20% off vinyl.
Handpicked by our passionate music team, our vinyl collection includes old favourites alongside terrific new releases. Come visit us in-store to chat with our specialists in person and complete your own collection.
The sale runs from 1 to 30 April 2017 at all Readings shops (except Readings Kids and Readings Malvern). The offer only applies…
Three classical albums we're loving this month
J.S. Bach: Trios by Yo-Yo Ma, Chris Thile and Edgar Meyer (available 7 April)
For many people, the name Yo-Yo Ma immediately brings to mind the Bach Cello Suites and Ma’s bestselling album; the album that has defined many a young cellist’s ideas about the performance of the works. However, many discerning listeners also think ‘innovation’ when they hear or see his name, given the many different styles in which he performs and records on a regular basis. What I…
Jo Case interviews Jessica Friedmann
Jo Case interviews Jessica Friedmann about her debut collection of essays, Things That Helped.
The opening chapter in Jessica Friedmann’s memoir-in-essays, Things That Helped, closes with her lying on her bathroom floor in the middle of the night, resolved to drown herself in the Maribyrnong River, but unable to get up. She’s a young woman engulfed by early motherhood, distanced not just from her creative self, but from her very grasp on language. Her body is scarred and…
Our top ten bestsellers of the week
The White Queen - One Nation and the Politics of Race (Quarterly Essay 65) by David Marr
See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt
The Barefoot Investor by Scott Pape
The Dry by Jane Harper
Between a Wolf and a Dog by Georgia Blain
They Cannot Take the Sky by Michael Green, Angelica Neville, André Dao, Dana Affleck and Sienna Merope
First, We Make the Beast Beautiful by Sarah Wilson
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