Our latest blog posts
International Dylan Thomas Prize longlist 2017
The 2017 longlist for the International Dylan Thomas Prize has been announced, including a short story collection from Australian author Fiona McFarlane.
This Prize is run by Swansea University and is awarded to the best literary work in the English language written by an author under 40. The winning author will receive £30,000 (A$49,155).
The 12 longlisted titles for this year are…
The High Places by Fiona McFarlane
Pigeon by Alys Conran
The Story of a Brief Marriage by Anuk…
What we're reading: Emily Witt, Arthur Koestler and Ali Land
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.
Ellen Cregan is reading Good Me, Bad Me by Ali Land
I’ve just polished off Ali Land’s extremely chilling novel. While this book is intensely disturbing, it’s very hard to put down. When it comes to crime fiction, I much prefer psychological thrillers over action-packed titles. As such, I like to think I’ve become pretty…
A Galentine's Day tribute: on books and friendship
Galentine’s Day is a holiday that Amy Poehler’s Parks and Recreation character Leslie Knope invented that occurs every year on 13 February, the day before Valentine’s Day. Galentine’s Day is kind of like Valentine’s Day – but instead of celebrating ‘romantic’ love, you celebrate your love for your best girlfriends.
In anticipation of Galentine’s Day, our booksellers share stories of how books have played a role in their own friendships.
‘A dear friend of mine is a wonderful and generous…
Meet the guest judges for the Readings Prizes in 2017
We’re thrilled to reveal the three guest judges for our Readings Prizes in 2017.
Readings runs three annual literary prizes: The Readings Children’s Book Prize, The Readings Young Adult Book Prize and The Readings Prize for New Australian Fiction. Each year, a shortlist of six titles is selected for each prize by a revolving panel of Readings staff. Once the shortlist has been decided, a guest judge then joins the panel to select a winner. The winning author…
Special offer on non-fiction books from Penguin Random House
This month we have two special offers available on a range of award-winning and popular non-fiction titles from Penguin Random House, including books from Don Watson, Bill Bryson, Naomi Klein, Robert Forster, Susan Cain, Helen McDonald and James Rebanks, among others.
ONLINE OFFER
We’re offering online customers 25% off the full price of any of the selected non-fiction titles found here.
To receive the 25% discount, please apply the promo code 25OFF to…
Our best recommendations for teen books this month
It’s been a big month for local YA fiction so prepare for your bedside reading stacks to start tottering. We’ve also got some recommended books for teens interested in sport, mental health and real-life stories, as well some youth literature awards announcements.
(Find our best recommendations for kids’ books this month here.)
LOVEOZYA IN FEBRUARY
Debut novelist Jodi McAlister brings us the funny, action-packed and heart-pounding (in more ways than one) Valentine. Sinister events are occuring in an…
Our best recommendations for kids' books this month
School is back, summer is in its final month, and there are plenty of new books to read. This month, we celebrate the start of the AFL Women’s league, appreciate the beauty of birds, and ponder the merits of canine crime-fighters.
(Find our best recommendations for teen books this month here.)
KIDS LIT NEWS
I’ve been ingesting a lot of news recently, mostly through online sources, but how about the old sort of news, the sort that CRINKLES?
…
The Stella Prize longlist 2017
The longlist for this year’s Stella Prize has been announced. This $50,000 prize is awarded for the best work of literature, fiction or non-fiction, published in 2016 by an Australian woman.
The 12 longlisted books are:
Victoria by Julia Baird
Between a Wolf and a Dog by Georgia Blain (Read our review)
The Hate Race by Maxine Beneba Clarke (Read our review)
Poum and Alexandre by Catherine de Saint Phalle
Offshore by Madeline Gleeson
Avalanche by Julia…
Mark's Say, February 2017
The book industry is mourning the end of Barack Obama’s presidency. Obama was a powerful advocate for the importance of books and regularly released lists of books that had influenced him and that he was reading. Often they went on to become bestsellers because of his endorsements. He and his family made regular and public visits to independent bookstores in the Washington area, although a 2013 visit to an Amazon fulfilment centre sent bricks-and-mortar booksellers into a frenzy. In an…
Our children's and YA top ten bestsellers of the week
Ida by Alison Evans
When Michael Met Mina by Randa Abdel-Fattah
Lion by Saroo Brierley (Young Readers’ Edition)
Girl Stuff for Girls Aged 8-12 by Kaz Cooke
Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth
Unleashed (The Adventures of Dog Man Book 2) by Dav Pilkey
Welcome to Country by Aunty Joy Murphy and Lisa Kennedy
The Midnight Gang by David Walliams and Tony Ross
Women in Science by Rachel Ignotofsky
The Bone Sparrow by Zana Fraillon
We were delighted to…