Our latest blog posts

The best crossover YA reads of 2016

Whether you’re an adult-aged reader who loves YA, or a teen-aged reader ready to tackle stories pitched for adults. Here are some of our favourite ‘crossover’ releases from the last year.

Recommended YA books for discerning adults

These reads – romance, horror, sci-fi, fantasy, high school politics, real world politics, and more – hooked us from page one. Read them to get swept up in the story, and maybe also read them to remember what it felt like to be

Read more ›

What we're reading: Robin Talley, Ben Katchor and Steve Hely

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.

Ed Moreno is reading all the beginnings by Quinn Eades

Fans of genre outlaws, revel in Quinn Eades’ heartbreaking, powerful, mindblowingly-visceral all the beginnings. Immerse yourself in a text which bends, breaks and redefines all the rules, and then hands you a perfectly-crafted poem – a Dragonfruited sphere / shining tissue /

Read more ›

Comics & graphic novels we loved in 2016

Our staff share some of their favourite comics and graphic novels from the past year.

Stella Charls, marketing and events coordinator

This year my favourite graphic novels have been ones that have made me snort-laughing. I’ve picked them up between reading longer books, usually when I’m feeling scatty and just need to sit down and read something straight through. Humour always helps, and these three by exceptionally funny women have been my stand outs from 2016: Miseryland by Keiler Roberts…

Read more ›

St Kilda music picks for summer road trips

by Amy Vuleta

The official first day of summer is tomorrow! In preparation, Readings St Kilda Shop Manager Amy Vuleta shares her best album picks to pack for a hot Aussie road trip.

Hunky Dory by David Bowie

Kicking off with hits like ‘Changes’ and ‘Oh! you pretty things’, I challenge you not to have the best time cruising along the highway, just getting right into the best damn seat-dancing those passing trucks and caravans have ever seen. I promise you’ll know all…

Read more ›

The Readings Foundation grant recipients for 2017

by Leanne Hall

The Readings Foundation has announced $128,349 worth of grants to support a range of projects and organisations within Victoria in 2017.

In 2017, The Readings Foundation grant funding will focus strongly on organisations that are delivering literacy and education support to the most disadvantaged people in our community, from as near as Carlton, to as far away as Ballarat.

The Readings Foundation received 67 applications this year, and is pleased to award grants to the following 10 organisations:

African Communities

Read more ›

21 sci-fi & fantasy books to read over summer

For the purposes of this blog post, we’ve included either stand-alone reads, or the first books of new series. To counteract that – we’ve also included a list of 2016 books that are continuing some of our favourite series.

The Waking Fire by Anthony Ryan

A thrilling epic fantasy of exploration and adventure, spies and assassins, explosive magic and the furious battle to forge an empire. For decades the lands of the Ironship Syndicate have been defended by the Blood-blessed…

Read more ›

Gift ideas to match your child's obsession

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be compiling a host of gift guides to help you with your Christmas shopping.

Here are some bookish gift ideas for kids and tweens who have a passion for particular fandoms – from Pokémon to Marvel; from My Little Pony to Star Wars. We’ve even included one sneaky recommendation for teens…

For Minecraft fans…

The Official Minecraft Annual 2017

This annual is a celebration of all things Minecraft. Inside its pages, fans will find…

Read more ›

Our Christmas opening hours for 2016

Here are our trading hours for each of our seven shops during the Christmas and New Year period.

CARLTON

Monday 5 December – 8am - 11pm
Tuesday 6 December – 8am - 11pm
Wednesday 7 December – 8am - 11pm
Thursday 8 December – 8am - 11pm
Friday 9 December – 8am - 11pm
Saturday 10 December – 8am - 11pm
Sunday 11 December – 9am - 10pm
Monday 12 December – 8am - 11pm
Tuesday 13 December – 8am…

Read more ›

Our top ten bestsellers of the week

The Australian Dream: Blood, History and Becoming (Quarterly Essay 64) by Stan Grant

The Sellout by Paul Beatty

The Good People by Hannah Kent

Swing Time by Zadie Smith

Neighbourhood by Hetty McKinnon

The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben

The Barefoot Investor by Scott Pape

Fight Like a Girl by Clementine Ford

Hope: An Anthology by various

Music and Freedom by Zoë Morrison

Please note: This list doesn’t include sales from our 12 Days of Christmas Special

Read more ›

Bestselling books at Breakthrough 2016

by Chris Gordon

Last weekend, Readings was fortunate be involved with the Breakthrough conference, which was hosted by the wonderful Victorian Women’s Trust (VWT) at the Melbourne Town Hall. This gathering’s aim was to bring together voices that support and celebrate gender equality. Over the two-day meet up, more than 100 different speakers shared their stories of working towards a manifesto based on respect and representation to an audience of nearly a thousand women. It was an uplifting experience.

Before I came…

Read more ›