Our latest blog posts

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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Our 2016 Christmas Gift Guide: What to buy for hard-to-buy-for adults

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be compiling a host of gift guides to help you with your Christmas shopping. Here is a list of suggestions for the tricky people in your life..

Your ‘in-laws’

Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict is an utterly fascinating documentary about one of the most influential and powerful art collectors in history.

Amor Towles’s A Gentleman in Moscow is a gentle, charming romp with a strong moral compass, and is ultimately very moving.

Curated and produced…

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Our 2016 Christmas Gift Guide: What to buy for hard-to-buy-for children

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be compiling a host of gift guides to help you with your Christmas shopping. Here is a list of suggestions for the tricky young people in your life..

THEY DON’T LIKE READING

Is there anything more delightful than presenting a vehement non-reader with a bookish present? It can be done without tears, and here’s how.

Kids who won’t read

Dog Man – If your child doesn’t laugh their head off at these warped cartoons…

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10 gift ideas for ethical and socially responsible shoppers

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

Hush Collection Volume 16: A Piece Of Quiet by various

For the 16th volume of The Hush Foundation’s acclaimed album series, contributors Lior, The Idea of North and Elena Kats-Chernin have consulted Australian children for lyrical guidance. The music on the album grew from these conversations and powerfully conveys the children’s feelings, hopes and dreams.

Grown & Gathered by Lentil…

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50 great reads by Australian women in 2016

Each year we compile a list of 50 great reads by Australian women, originally inspired by the Australian Women Writers Challenge.

For this year’s list, we’ve only featured adult books – displayed below in no particular order. And because we also love children’s and YA books, we’ve also included a collection of ‘50 great reads for kids and teens from Australian women in 2016’. You can browse that collection below.

1. Our Magic Hour by Jennifer Down
A…

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Delicious new cookbooks in November

by Chris Gordon

The Cook’s Table by Stephanie Alexander

Beautifully presented, this collection of recipes give us, the reader and the home cook, a view into the life of Stephanie Alexander. This is her most personal collection. Each chapter begins with a story from Alexander’s life and features a menu for a shared meal. There are timetables for preparation from weeks out right up until the dish is served – and there are photos to make you want to weep with hope that…

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