Our latest blog posts
Our children's and YA top ten bestsellers of the week
Gemina (The Illuminae Files_02) by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
When the Lyrebird Calls by Kim Kane
We Found a Hat by Jon Klassen
Artie and the Grime Wave by Richard Roxburgh
Pig the Elf by Aaron Blabey
Apocalypse Meow (The Bad Guys Book 4) by Aaron Blabey
Do Not Open This Book by Andy Lee and Heath McKenzie
Lots by Marc Martin
Girl Stuff for Girls Aged 8-12: Your Real Guide to the Pre-Teen Years by…
Our top ten bestsellers of the week
The Good People by Hannah Kent
Fight Like a Girl by Clementine Ford
The Sellout by Paul Beatty
The Boy Behind the Curtain by Tim Winton
Music and Freedom by Zoë Morrison
The Wrong Side of Goodbye by Michael Connelly
The Newsman: 60 Years of Television by Mal Walden
Bush Heritage Australia: Restoring Nature Step by Step by Sarah Martin
The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben
The Whistler by John Grisham
Hannah Kent’s heartrending new novel is our…
What we're reading: Jean Webster, Darren Purchese and Cath Crowley
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 Daddy Long-Legs by Jean Webster
When I was still brand-new at Readings I was chatting to one of my workmates about our mutual love for Anne of Green Gables (Gilbert Blythe 4eva) and she encouraged me to read the classic Daddy Long-Legs. She even brought in her own…
Mark's Say, November 2016
Over a few beers after a brilliant conversation between Stan Grant and Richard Flanagan, the talk naturally moved to politics and football. It was the week before the AFL Grand Final and a moment of Trump’s strengthening in the polls. George Megalogenis, who’d joined us, was worried; so were we all. Then Richard opined that the fate of the US election lay in the upcoming Grand Final: ‘If the doggies win, then Trump’s lost.’ What the connection between the AFL…
A recipe from Smith & Daughters - Warm Spanish Doughnuts with Chocolate Pâté
Shannon Martinez and Mo Wyse are the brains behind celebrated vegan restaurant Smith & Daughters, and they’ve just released their first cookbook, Smith & Daughters: A Cookbook (That Happens to be Vegan).
We’ve featured a delicious recipe from the cookbook below, and if you drop by our Carlton shop on Thursday 3 November you can meet the talented duo themselves! Find details here.
WARM SPANISH DOUGHNUTS
Rejoice! The doughnut recipe! Shannon’s got many a doughnut recipe up her…
Sex in young adult literature
Digital content coordinator Bronte Coates reflects on why sex in YA books matters, and shares some recommendations for books that handle the topic thoughtfully and honestly.
The first time I came across a sex scene in a book was in the second book of John Marsden’s Tomorrow series when Ellie decides to ‘go all the way’ with her boyfriend Lee. Both of them have complicated feelings about this decision. They also have multiple conversations about these complicated feelings (in book…
Paul Beatty wins the 2016 Man Booker Prize
The Sellout has been named the winner of this year’s Man Booker Prize for Fiction, making Paul Beatty the first American writer to win this prestigious Prize.
A laugh-out-loud, blistering satire on race relations in contemporary America, The Sellout sits comfortably alongside works by Mark Twain and Jonathan Swift.
Chair of the 2016 judges, Amanda Foreman, says: ‘ The Sellout is a novel for our times. A tirelessly inventive modern satire, its humour disguises a radical seriousness. Paul Beatty slays…
Eight terrific free events at our St Kilda shop
Our St Kilda shop has a jam-packed event program for the rest of 2016. Come down to 112 Acland Street and join in the fun.
Jacinta Halloran on her new novel
Jacinta Halloran will discuss her new novel, The Science of Appearances, which explores an era of social constraint and profound scientific discovery, with fellow author Leah Kaminsky.
When? 6.30pm, Thursday 3 November
Bookings? Free, but please book here.
A bookshop gig with Harry Howard and the NDE
…
Australian picture books for international friends
If you have family or friends living overseas you’re likely already thinking of what to get them for this Christmas this year so you’ll have time to send them via the slow post. And an Australian picture book is a wonderful gift to send to little friends who have homes in other countries.
I’ve put together some of our children specialists’ favourite recommendations for books that feature Australian animals, landscapes, classic stories, Indigenous culture, and cities.
I was feeling spoilt…
Our top picks of the month for book clubs
For a conversation about art vs. parenthood…
Transit by Rachel Cusk
Rachel Cusk’s follow-up to her critically-acclaimed 2014 novel, Outline, is equally astonishing and bold as she delves deeper into the themes raised in the first book. In the wake of family collapse, a writer and her two young sons move to London. Here, they attempt to construct a new reality for themselves. Transit captures the human longing to both inhabit and flee one’s life with remarkable restraint and…
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