Our latest blog posts
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
Our children's and YA top ten bestsellers of the week
The Beast of Hushing Wood by Gabrielle Wang
Really Weird! (WeirDo Book 8) by Anh Do and Jules Faber
Slow Down, World by Tai Snaith
A Most Magical Girl by Karen Foxlee
I’m Australian Too by Mem Fox and Ronojoy Ghosh
The Red Book by Beck and Matt Stanton
Florette by Anna Walker
Escape to the Moon Islands (Quest of the Sunfish Book 1) by Mardi McConnochie
Grover Finds a Home (Grover McBane, Rescue Dog Book 1)…
25% off a select range of popular cookbooks
Throughout April, we’re offering a special offer on a select range of our most popular cookbooks!
Online customers will receive 25% off the full price of any of the cookbooks found here.
In-store customers will receive 25% off cookbooks that feature an orange ‘25% off ’ sticker.
This offer includes cookbooks from some of our favourite Australian cooks, such as Neighbourhood from Hetty McKinnon, Salads & Vegetables from Karen Martini and The Cook’s Companion by Stephanie Alexander.
Seafood lovers…