Here are our top ten food and garden books of 2013, as selected by our resident foodie and gardener Chris Gordon. (Displayed in no particular order.)

Cooked by Michael Pollan

In Cooked, Michael Pollan explores an essential human activity – cooking – which is at the heart of our culture. It seems insane that fresh food is flown in from all over the world when we can produce most of it in our…

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Here, we share our top five picks for best junior fiction from the past year, voted for and loved by Readings staff. Displayed here in no particular order.

A Big Guy Took My Ball! by Mo Willems

The usually plucky Piggie is upset when a big guy takes her ball. Her sensitive friend Elephant is determined to get it back … until he sees how big the big guy is! But big guys have feelings too and…

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Here, we share our top ten picks for pop CDs released the past year, voted for and loved by Readings staff. Displayed here in no particular order.

Trouble Will Find Me by The National

Powered by Matt Berninger’s deceptively everyman voice that resonates like a conversation held by torchlight under the covers, The National have created an album full of ache and hope, told through sublime orc…

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Here are our top ten picks for best non-fiction books from the past year, voted for and loved by Readings staff. Displayed in no particular order.

Night Games by Anna Krien

Sitting effortlessly beside other great works of contemporary first-person narrative journalism, Anna Krien’s Night Games follows the rape trial of a young footballer in Melbourne, unpacking issues of sex, power and cons…

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Every year we vote for our favourite books, CDs and DVDs of the past twelve months, and the results are always an interesting mix of big names and débuts, of powerful local releases and fascinating imports, of the heartbreaking and the hilarious.

Some titles are were ones we would’ve predicted, having been talked about loudly and often all year (such as Hannah Kent’s mesmerising novel Burial Rit…

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Here are our top ten picks for best fiction from the past year, voted for and loved by Readings staff. Displayed in no particular order.

Burial Rites by Hannah Kent

Burial Rites is inspired by the true story of Agnes Magnúsdóttir, who was condemned to death after being charged with the murder of her employer in 1829. While awaiting her execution, Agnes is housed on a remote farm with a fam…

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The shortlisted titles for this year’s Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards have been announced, revealing a strong list of contenders across all categories: fiction, non-fiction, young adult, poetry and drama. The winning author of each category receives $25,000, as well as automatically goes in the running for the Victorian Prize for Literature, worth $100,000.

Here are the shortlists for 2013.…

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Our top ten DVDs from 2013, as selected by our film expert Lou Fulco. (Displayed in no particular order).

The Perks of Being A Wallflower

The Perks of Being A Wallflower is a film that actually does justice to the book it was based on. On screen, Stephen Chbosky’s novel of teenage angst and life-changing friendships is honestly and unflinchingly portrayed. Logan Lerman, Emma Watson and Ezra…

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Here are our top ten picks for best young adult fiction from the past year, voted for and loved by Readings staff. (Displayed in no particular order).

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Eleanor is a misfit with a dysfunctional family. Park doesn’t quite fit in but has a warm, loving home life. One day the odd girl sits next to the comic book fan on the bus and slowly and sweetly they fall in …

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Here are our top ten crime books of 2013, as chosen by our crime specialist Fiona Hardy. (Displayed in no particular order).

The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith

J.K. Rowling’s foray into crime writing is a complete success: Cormoran Strike PI is a character as large on the page as he is in height. Ex-military and ex-happiness, he is offered a new case along with a tough new secretary, …

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