Our latest blog posts
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…
Our children's and YA top ten bestsellers of the week
The Midnight Gang by David Walliams and Tony Ross
Lots by Marc Martin
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (the original screenplay) by J.K. Rowling
Ruby Red Shoes Goes to London by Kate Knapp
Double Down (Diary of a Wimpy Kid Book 11) by Jeff Kinney
A Most Magical Girl by Karen Foxlee
Pig the Elf by Aaron Blabey
Withering-By-Sea by Judith Rossell
Wormwood Mire (A Stella Montgomery Intrigue) by Judith Rossell
Indie Book Awards longlist 2017
Congratulations to all the authors longlisted for the Indie Book Awards 2017.
Each year, independent booksellers from around the nation get together and vote for their favourite titles in four different categories, as well as their favourite book overall. Here are the longlistees for each category.
Fiction
The Easy Way Out by Steven Amsterdam
Between a Wolf and a Dog by Georgia Blain
The Better Son by Katherine Johnson
The Good People by Hannah Kent
An Isolated Incident by Emily…
What we're reading: Nicola Yoon, Tana French and Patrick Ness
Each week we bring you a sample of the books we’re reading, the films we’re watching, the television shows we’re hooked on or the music we’re loving.
Bronte Coates is reading Nicola Yoon and C. Robert Cargill
I’ve just finished reading two great books, and both were thanks to other people’s recommendations. A colleague put me onto Nicola Yoon’s new YA novel which is romantic, heartwrenching and packed with all kinds of big questions and complications. In short, The Sun…
Exciting YA books to look out for in 2017
Earlier this week we attended the Centre for Youth Literature’s YA Showcase for 2017. At this fantastic annual event, a host of different publishers share the most exciting new releases for teen readers coming out next year.
Here’s a round-up of some of the biggest, buzziest books from the night…
Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth – The first book of a brand-new sci-fi and fantasy series from the bestselling author of Divergent.
We Come Apart by Sarah Crossan…