Our latest blog posts
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…
Stories told from beyond the grave
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…
How to read a wordless picture book
One of the most popular picture books of last year was comedian and actor B.J. Novak’s The Book with No Pictures. The book, which really does have only words and no pictures, compels the reader to say some very silly things out loud.
But what about a picture book that has no words? How on earth do you ‘read’ it? Put simply, it’s up to you and the little person sitting with you to supply your own words and…
Our children's and YA top ten bestsellers of the week
The Midnight Gang by David Walliams and Tony Ross
Unleashed (The Adventures of Dog Man Book 2) by Dav Pilkey
In My Heart: A Book of Feelings by Jo Witek and Christine Roussey
Mopoke by Philip Bunting
Girl Stuff for Girls Aged 8-12 by Kaz Cooke
The Bad Guys: Episode 1 (Book 1) by Aaron Blabey
Laugh Your Head off Again by various authors
Withering-By-Sea (A Stella Montgomery Intrigue) by Judith Rossell
Wormwood Mire (A Stella Montgomery Intrigue) by…
Our top ten bestsellers of the week
The Barefoot Investor by Scott Pape
Fight Like a Girl by Clementine Ford
Lion by Saroo Brierley
Between a Wolf and a Dog by Georgia Blain
Big Little Lies (TV tie-in edition) by Liane Moriarty
Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman
The Good People by Hannah Kent
The Daughters of Henry Wong by Harrison Young
The Refugees by Viet Thanh Nguyen
The Sellout by Paul Beatty
Scott Pape’s The Barefoot Investor has now been our bestselling book for seven weeks in…
Here's what we know about The Book of Dust, so far
Here are 10 things we know about Philip Pullman’s much-anticipated upcoming fantasy trilogy. (Okay, nine things we know, and one thing I hope…)
1. The Book of Dust is going to be a three-part book series that overlaps with Pullman’s beloved His Dark Materials trilogy, and has the ever-brilliant Lyra Belacqua at its heart. Pullman describes his new trilogy as neither prequel or sequel, but rather as ‘equel’; the new books will stand as companions to the original trilogy.
2.…
What we're reading: Madeleine Thien, Liane Moriarty and Angela Pippos
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.
Robbie Egan is reading Abaddon’s Gate by James S.A. Corey
I am reading Abaddon’s Gate, the third book in the Expanse series. This series is set in a future fraught with tensions about interplanetary war. Earth and Mars are on the brink of conflict, and the spanner in the works is the discovery of…
The CILIP Carnegie & Kate Greenaway Medals longlists 2017
The longlists for the 2017 CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals have been announced.
The Carnegie Medal is awarded by children’s librarians for an outstanding book written in English for children and young people. The Kate Greenaway Medal is awarded by children’s librarians for an outstanding book in terms of illustration for children and young people.
In 2017 the Carnegie Medal reaches its 80th year and the Kate Greenaway Medal its 60th.
Here are the longlisted books for the 2017…
Our top picks of the month for book clubs
For a candid conversation about sex in the internet age…
Future Sex by Emily Witt
Emily Witt is single, straight, and female, and after moving to San Francisco, she sets off on a quest for personal fulfilment. In these essays, Witt captures the experiences of going to bars alone, online dating and hooking up with strangers. From public health clinics to cafe conversations about ‘coregasms’, she observes the subcultures she encounters with a wry sense of humour, capturing them in…
My best advice for girls who like sport
by Angela PipposThese are exciting times for women (and girls) in sport.
Who’d have thought that the first AFLW game played a few weeks ago would be a lockout? Who’d have thought it would have won its timeslot on television – who’d have thought it would even have been broadcast – hang on a second – who’d have thought there’d even be a national women’s league? If you’d said three years ago that women would be playing in a league of their…