Our latest blog posts

The best non-fiction books of 2016

Every year our staff vote for their favourite books, albums, films and TV shows of the past 12 months. Here are our top 10 non-fiction books of the year, voted for by Readings’ staff, and displayed in no particular order.

(You can find all our best picks for books, CDs & DVDs of 2016 here.)

Position Doubtful by Kim Mahood

Position Doubtful is an astonishing, sprawling memoir of place. Returning annually to the area where she lived as a…

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The best classical CDs of 2016

by Alexandra Mathew

Every year our staff vote for their favourite books, albums, films and TV shows of the past 12 months. Here are our top 10 classical CDs of the year, voted for by Readings’ staff, and displayed in no particular order.

(You can find all our best picks for books, CDs & DVDs of 2016 here.)

Arias by Pumeza Matshikiza

South African soprano Pumeza Matshikiza is one to watch. Her first album Voice of Hope provided only a taster of…

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The best pop CDs of 2016

by Amy Vuleta

Every year our staff vote for their favourite books, albums, films and TV shows of the past 12 months. Here are our top 10 pop CDs of the year, voted for by Readings’ staff, and displayed in no particular order.

(You can find all our best picks for books, CDs & DVDs of 2016 here.)

Lemonade by Beyoncé

Lemonade, another visual concept album, is as fierce and sexy as we’ve come to expect from the queen of pop/the…

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The best DVDs of 2016

by Jemima Bucknell

Every year our staff vote for their favourite books, albums, films and TV shows of the past 12 months. Here are our top 10 DVDs of the year, voted for by Readings’ staff, and displayed in no particular order.

(You can find all our best picks for books, CDs & DVDs of 2016 here.)

Hunt for the Wilderpeople

Taika Waititi’s latest and greatest is a must see for laughs and tears. It follows young Ricky Baker and his unwilling…

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The best picture books of 2016

Every year our staff vote for their favourite books, albums, films and TV shows of the past 12 months. Here are our top 10 picture books of the year, voted for by Readings’ staff, and displayed in no particular order.

(You can find all our best picks for books, CDs & DVDs of 2016 here.)

Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty and David Roberts

Ada does not speak until she is three, but once she starts she makes up…

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The best crime books of 2016

by Fiona Hardy

Every year our staff vote for their favourite books, albums, films and TV shows of the past twelve months. Here are our top ten crime books of the year, voted for by Readings’ staff, and displayed in no particular order.

(You can find all our best picks for books, CDs & DVDs of 2016 here.)

The Dry by Jane Harper

When a city cop returns to his rural Victorian hometown after an old friend dies, he is forced to…

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The best junior fiction books of 2016

Every year our staff vote for their favourite books, albums, films and TV shows of the past 12 months. Here are our top 10 junior fiction books (for ages 5 - 9) of the year, voted for by Readings’ staff, and displayed in no particular order.

(You can find all our best picks for books, CDs & DVDs of 2016 here.)

Dog Man (Book 1) by Dav Pilkey

Dav Pilkey, the mind that brought us the wacky Captain Underpants…

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The best cookbooks of 2016

by Chris Gordon

Every year our staff vote for their favourite books, albums, films and TV shows of the past 12 months. Here are our top 10 cookbooks of the year, voted for by Readings’ staff, and displayed in no particular order.

(You can find all our best picks for books, CDs & DVDs of 2016 here.)

The Cook’s Table by Stephanie Alexander

There is comfort in knowing what needs to be done when, where and how. Stephanie Alexander’s latest collection of…

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The best young adult books of 2016

Every year our staff vote for their favourite books, albums, films and TV shows of the past 12 months. Here are our top 10 young adult books of the year, voted for by Readings’ staff, and displayed in no particular order.

(You can find all our best picks for books, CDs & DVDs of 2016 here.)

The Call by Peadar Ó Guilín

In The Call, teenagers are ‘called’ to a brutal underworld where they have to run for…

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What we're reading: Mark Smith, Rebecca Solnit and Dave Eggers

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.

Lian Hingee is reading The Road to Winter by Mark Smith

I was one of the first-generation Tomorrow When The War Began fans, so when one of my workmates drew the comparison between that and Mark Smith’s The Road to Winter I was keen to pick up a copy.

Set in a small…

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