Our latest blog posts

Loving picture books for children who worry

by Bronte Coates

Here are some of our best picture book suggestions for sensitive young children.

Books to be read with a hug…

Jez Alborough’s Hug is a very cute board book for babies and toddlers to play with. With exuberant illustrations and just three words (‘Hug’, ‘Bobo’, ‘Mommy’), this book reveals the story of Bobo, a tiny chimp in need of a BIG hug. Walking through the jungle he passes lots of creatures enjoying a cuddle together – elephants, chameleons, lions, giraffes…

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Our top ten bestsellers of the week

The Barefoot Investor by Scott Pape

Lion by Saroo Brierley

The Family by Chris Johnston and Rosie Jones

The Dry by Jane Harper

Knowledge Courage Leadership by Barry Jones

Fight Like a Girl by Clementine Ford

Jasper Jones (film tie-in edition) by Craig Silvey

Into the Heart of Tasmania by Rebe Taylor

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

The Crying Place by Lia Hills

We’re happy to see that nine of the 10 titles listed here are…

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

Lion by Saroo Brierley (Young Readers’ Edition)

Florette by Anna Walker

Little People, Big Dreams: Marie Curie by Isabel Sanchez Vegara and Frau Isa

Busting! by Aaron Blabey

Triangle by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen

Unleashed (The Adventures of Dog Man Book 2) by Dav Pilkey

Welcome to Country by Aunty Joy Murphy and Lisa Kennedy

Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty and David Roberts

King’s Cage (Red Queen Book 3) by Victoria Aveyard

The Midnight Gang by…

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Here's why you should read Big Little Lies

If the buzz around the new TV adaptation of Liane Moriarty’s Big Little Lies hasn’t yet convinced you to read this novel, then let our booksellers tempt you with their rave reviews

‘Liane Moriarty’s novel is as good as everyone says. The writing is funny and fast-paced; the narrative is packed with plot twists and turns.’

Chris Gordon, events manager

‘My copy of Big Little Lies very quickly did the rounds of my school-community friends (in several cases, wife…

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What we're reading: Carrie Fisher, Angie Thomas and the Mekong Review

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.

Bronte Coates is reading The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Angie Thomas’s debut YA novel has generated a lot of buzz, and it’s definitely deserved. Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, The Hate U Give is the story of 16-year-old Starr who is the only witness to the fatal shooting of her unarmed…

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Readings is a finalist for the Customer Experience Store Design of the Year Award

We’re thrilled to have been selected as a finalist for Inside Retail’s Customer Experience Store Design of the Year Award, for the design of our two new shops, Readings Doncaster and Readings Kids.

Working with local Melbourne architecture firm Nest, and drawing on our own experience of almost 50 years in bookselling, we aimed to create the best in-store customer experience in both new bookshops. We wanted our shops to be beautiful spaces for the community to gather…

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Walter Scott Prize longlist 2017

The longlist for the 2017 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction has been announced.

Here is the full longlist of 13 titles:

A Country Road, A Tree by Jo Baker

The Noise of Time by Julian Barnes

Days Without End by Sebastian Barry

Crane Pond by Richard Francis

The Dark Circle by Linda Grant

The Vanishing Futurist by Charlotte Hobson

The Good People by Hannah Kent

Minds of Winter by Ed O’Loughlin

The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry

The Last

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Inky Awards longlists 2017

The Centre for Youth Literature has just announced the two longlists for the Inky Awards.

The Inky Awards recognise high-quality young adult literature. There are two awards: the Gold Inky Award for an Australian book, and the Silver Inky Award for an international book. The shortlist is selected by young adults, and the winners are voted for online by the teen readers of InsideaDog.com.au.

The Gold Longlist (Australian books)

The Gold Longlist makes for a fantastic LoveOzYA reading list…

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Q&A with Alison Evans, author of Ida

We chat with debut Australian author Alison Evans about their debut YA crossover novel, Ida, an evanescent story of doppelgangers, time travel and deciding what to do with your life.

Your protagonist Ida has the intriguing ability to move between parallel universes – an ability that grants her power and control, but also brings her much confusion. What were the origins of this idea?

I was working in a cafe at a tourist railway and had finished for the…

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Stories told from beyond the grave

by Lian Hingee

Whether you believe in ghosts or not, these otherworldly narrators offer a fascinating take on the world of the living.

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

Alice Sebold’s bestselling novel tends to be the one that comes first to mind when people think about books narrated from the afterlife. Suzie Salmon was murdered by her creepy neighbour at the age of 14, and she watches from heaven as her family comes to term with her unsolved disappearance. The Lovely Bones

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