Our latest blog posts
What to read post US election 2016
ELECTION READS
Dark Money by Jane Mayer
The Making of Donald Trump by David Cay Johnston
Enemy Within - American Politics in the Time of Trump (Quarterly Essay 63) by Don Watson
Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance
Who Rules the World? by Noam Chomsky
ESCAPE WITH A PAGE-TURNER
Illuminae and Gemina by Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers
The North Water by Ian McGuire
…
Prime Minister's Literary Awards winners 2016
The winners of this year’s Prime Minister’s Literary Awards have been announced.
The Prime Minister’s Literary Awards celebrate outstanding literary talent in Australia and the valuable contribution Australian literature and history makes to the nation’s cultural and intellectual life.
Congratulations to the winners in each category.
Fiction (Joint Winners)
The Life of Houses by Lisa Gorton
The Natural Way of Things by Charlotte Wood
Poetry
The Hazards by Sarah Holland-Batt
Non-fiction (Joint Winners)
Join us for the launch of the Hope Prize anthology
Earlier this year, we were thrilled to be involved with the Brotherhood of St Laurence’s inaugural Hope Prize.
The Hope Prize was established, thanks to the generosity of the late Prudence Myer and the support of her family, to encourage writing that transcends stereotypes of ‘the poor’ and reflects the resilience we know that people show in the face of poverty and testing times.
Judging this Prize really was a community effort. The Brotherhood received over 1,000 entries and…
The best new crime reads in November
CRIME BOOK OF THE MONTH
Night School by Lee Child
I often try to put local and small-press authors as my books of the month, mainly because they’re great, but also because Readings has an extensive history of author support that I’m very proud to be part of. This month’s book-of-the-month author isn’t in particularly dire need of our support – the new Reacher is gracing movie screens as I type – but, you know, I often overlook big-name authors…
Our 2016 Christmas Gift Guide: What to buy your parents
Over the next few weeks, we’ll be compiling a host of gift guides to help you with your Christmas shopping.
If they have an artistic sensibility…
Margaret Preston sheds light on the private life of the much-loved Australian artist, featuring her work, photographs and even recipes.
In The Secret Lives of Colour, Kassia St Clair tells the unusual stories of 75 shades, dyes and hues, delving into history, politics and more.
Plant combines photographs and cutting-edge micrograph scans with…
Our 2016 Christmas Gift Guide: What to buy your significant other
Over the next few weeks, we’ll be compiling a host of gift guides to help you with your Christmas shopping.
If they’re in need of a good laugh…
When Jamie Morton’s dad wrote a self-published erotic novel, Jamie did what few among us would do – he turned the experience into a smash-hit podcast with two friends. My Dad Wrote a Porno is the hilarious annotated book edition of the original erotic novel.
The Wonder Trail is the story of…
Our 2016 Christmas Gift Guide: What to buy your siblings (and other relatives)
Over the next few weeks, we’ll be compiling a host of gift guides to help you with your Christmas shopping.
If they collect interesting facts…
Adam Spencer’s Time Machine is 2016’s ultimate compendium for curious minds, packed with quizzes, anecdotes and trivia.
In Weird Dinosaurs, John Pickrell examines the latest breakthroughs and new technologies radically transforming our understanding of these creatures.
Featuring Wired writer Matt Simon’s signature blend of science smarts and humour, The Wasp That Brainwashed the Caterpillar…
Our 2016 Christmas Gift Guide: What to buy your children
Over the next few weeks, we’ll be compiling a host of gift guides to help you with your Christmas shopping.
FOR AGES 0 - 2
A sauntering cat is seen quite differently through the eyes of a range of different animals in They All Saw A Cat. Little people will pore over the clever visual clues in this deceptively simple perfect picture book.
Admirers of Oliver Jeffers’ playful illustrations will love his idiosyncratic alphabet book, An Alphabet, presented…
Our children's and YA top ten bestsellers of the week
Double Down (Diary of a Wimpy Kid Book 11) by Jeff Kinney
Wormwood Mire (A Stella Montgomery Intrigue) by Judith Rossell
Out by Angela May George and Owen Swan
The 78-Storey Treehouse by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton
Gemina (The Illuminae Files_02) by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
Lots by Marc Martin
Artie and the Grime Wave by Richard Roxburgh
Hotdog: Book 1 by Anh Do and Dan McGuiness
We Found a Hat by Jon Klassen
Ada…
Our top ten bestsellers of the week
The Sellout by Paul Beatty
Smith & Daughters: A Cookbook (That Happens to be Vegan) by Shannon Martinez and Mo Wyse
Fight Like a Girl by Clementine Ford
The Good People by Hannah Kent
Music and Freedom by Zoë Morrison
True Girt: The Unauthorised History of Australia by David Hunt
The Boy Behind the Curtain by Tim Winton
Rather be the Devil by Ian Rankin
The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman