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The Readings Foundation grant recipients for 2017
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:
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…
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…
Our Christmas opening hours for 2016
Here are our trading hours for each of our seven shops during the Christmas and New Year period.
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…
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…
Bestselling books at Breakthrough 2016
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…
Our children's and YA top ten bestsellers of the week
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (the original screenplay) by J.K. Rowling
Ruby Red Shoes Goes to London by Kate Knapp
The Midnight Gang by David Walliams and Tony Ross
Double Down (Diary of a Wimpy Kid Book 11) by Jeff Kinney
Girl Stuff for Girls Aged 8-12: Your Real Guide to the Pre-Teen Years by Kaz Cooke
Wormwood Mire (A Stella Montgomery Intrigue) by Judith Rossell
Withering-By-Sea (A Stella Montgomery Intrigue) by Judith Rossell
What we're reading: Cece Bell, Marilyn Waring and Bill Bryson
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 Little Dribbling by Bill Bryson
Many years ago I spent a Gap Year working at a boarding school just outside of London. After I returned I discovered Bill Bryson’s Notes From a Small Island, which I snickered through with delighted familiarity. Bryson has a magnificent…
Anti-Christmas reads for grinches
If you’re already gritting your teeth in anticipation of the holiday cheer coming your way, we’ve compiled a list of violent, horrifying and disturbing books. We recommend you disappear inside of one of them until the post New Year’s hangover.
The Witches: Salem, 1692 by Stacy Schiff
Few things dampen the festive spirit like a witch burning. Vividly capturing the atmosphere of seventeenth-century America, Stacy Schiff’s magisterial history draws readers into this anxious time in history and reveals details and…
A sweet DIY gift idea for Christmas
Hand-made Christmas gifts can be a fun and affordable way to survive the holiday season. This week, our staff tried their hands at making some ‘simple paper flowers’ with instructions from Kelsey Elam. Here’s a brief recap of our crafternoon.
WHY THIS BOOK…
We’ll be honest – we mainly decided to test 100 Simple Paper Flowers out as it promised to be simple – it’s in the title and everything. It also helps that it’s a beautiful book…