Our latest blog posts
Five books I’m still thinking about (months after reading them)
I am not a fast reader. I’m not able to whizz through hefty novels in a week let alone a night, I struggle to keep up with the new releases, and it takes me a while to get into a new voice, to feel comfortable with a new character. But when something really clicks with me, I obsess – I can’t put the book down, can’t stop talking about the characters to anyone I spend time with, and gift copies…
Literature outside the binary
by Asiel Adan SanchezTo celebrate the release of Archer Magazine’s THEY/THEIRS issue, which collects the experiences of non-binary and gender-fluid folks, we asked one of the mag’s contributors, Asiel Adan Sanchez, to name their top books that broke down the restrictions of gender.
Being non-binary means we often don’t see our lived experiences represented in literature. Although that is certainly changing over the past 10 years, we are nowhere near mainstream representation. We often lack words to describe ourselves, to understand our…
Books we didn't finish (but you might) in 2016
Our staff share the books that they didn’t quite finish this year… but that you might.
‘I don’t always cope well with violence in books, TV or film, and had to set aside Ian McGuire’s much-raved, page-turner of a novel, The North Water, after a particularly gory moment. I’m convinced that this book is just as brilliant as everyone says – it was voted one of our top ten fiction books of 2016 by my colleagues – but unfortunately…
Books we wouldn't have read without a recommendation in 2016
Our staff share the books they loved this year, but wouldn’t have read without a recommendation.
‘I picked up Justine Van der Leun’s We are Not Such Things after reading a glowing endorsement from the New Yorker and it’s one of the most powerful books I’ve read this year. It’s a gripping true crime story set in South Africa, during the final days of apartheid.’ – Mark Rubbo, managing director
‘I scored an advanced copy of Liane Moriaty’s most recent…
Books that made our skin crawl in 2016
Our staff share the books that made their skin crawl this year.
‘The most disturbing book I read this year was The Love of a Bad Man by Laura Elizabeth Woollett . This utterly compelling short story collection offers readers an unusual and affecting reading experience, coupling true crime with literary fiction. Each story centres on a real-life woman enamoured with a 'bad man’ – 20th century criminals from the USA, UK and Australia. Woollett’s immense skill in bringing each…
Books that made us cry in 2016
Our staff share the books that made them cry this year.
‘I cried while reading Julia Leigh’s Avalanche. Whatever your thoughts on assisted reproductive technology, this account of the author’s experience, written after her decision to finally stop IVF treatment, feels heartwrenchingly honest. Depending on the reader’s own experience, this is an eloquently written and informed insight into the human side of the 'process’, or it’s the journal they might have written themselves. Either way, it touches very deeply.‘…
Books that made us laugh in 2016
Our staff share the books that made them laugh this year.
‘I laughed myself stupid the whole way through Jennifer Wright’s book, It Ended Badly. This hilarious collection of essays about terrible break-ups in history gives some well-needed perspective to my own romantic escapades, and I loved Wright’s sympathetic, witty narrative style. I can’t wait to read her new book, Get Well Soon which is all about plagues, so more of the same, really.’ – Lian Hingee, digital marketing…
Where to buy the best mince pies (& other festive treats) near our shops
Do your gift shopping and Christmas lunch shopping in one hit… Here’s a guide to where you can find the best mince pies (plus some other delicious treats) near each of our seven bookshops. Happy eating!
We can’t resist Baker D. Chirico this time of year, or really, any time of year… Their mince pies are as spectacular as everything else they do. We’re also long-time fans of iconic Italian cafe Brunetti Cafe, which is a…
Our favourite book covers of 2016
Staff share their favourite book covers of the past year.
‘My favourite book cover (I could just eat it!) is The Secret Lives of Colours.’ – Jan Lockwood, human resources manager
‘The cover of Moonglow by Michael Chabon makes it the hardcover book of my dreams – it has a matte base with a few shiny bits, minimal colour on a classy screen-print style design, and it even has the name of my favourite author on the front. I’d…
Our top ten bestsellers of the week
The Barefoot Investor by Scott Pape
Fight Like a Girl by Clementine Ford
The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben
The Sellout by Paul Beatty
The Good People by Hannah Kent
Fucking Apostrophes by Simon Griffin
Smith & Daughters: A Cookbook (That Happens to be Vegan) by Shannon Martinez and Mo Wyse
Light and Shadow: Memoirs of a spy’s son by Mark Colvin
Hope: An Anthology by various
The Boy Behind the Curtain by Tim Winton
Scott Pape (AKA…