Our latest blog posts

Mark's Say, October 2016

by Mark Rubbo

By the time you read this Readings will be on the brink of having two new shops and a slightly changed Carlton one. I’ve just returned from the first few hours of our new shop at Westfield Doncaster; it was a mighty morning welcoming the people coming to look at the shop and to buy. We were thrilled and so were they – a feeling of mutual excitement! And lots of discussions about books, about ebooks, the future of the…

Read more ›

September in review

September has been a mammoth month for us here at Readings.

We announced a new literary prize for Australian young adult books, we opened a new bookshop at Westfield Doncaster (complete with a sound-proof reading nook!), and applications opened for The Readings Foundation grants in 2017.

Not to mention, our new kids shop is just around the corner. We’d love you to come along to our opening weekend celebrations on Saturday 8 October. The day will feature visits from…

Read more ›

Why you should read Wood Green by Sean Rabin

We’re delighted that Sean Rabin’s debut novel is one of the six books shortlisted for this year’s Readings Prize for New Australian Fiction. Here’s why we think you should read this book.

1. Wood Green is a charming, engaging novel, and a genuine pleasure to read.

Aspiring writer Michael has just completed his PhD and accepted a job as secretary to his literary hero – reclusive novelist Lucian Clarke. As he travels to Hobart and into the hills of Tasmania…

Read more ›

Meet Leanne Hall, our new online children's and YA specialist

by Leanne Hall

Meet Leanne Hall, our new online children’s and YA specialist! Leanne works at our new soon-to-be-open Readings Kids shop, and also writes books for teenagers and younger readers.

Describe your taste in books.

My taste in books has always been broad and wandering. As a kid I was a hungry reader. After my weekly library books were done, I would attack my parents’ book shelves, reading anything bar the phone book. These days I’ll still read any genre, but if…

Read more ›

Picture books that explore themes of grief and loss

by Lian Hingee

Digital Marketing Manager Lian Hingee shares some of her best picks for picture books that explore themes of grief and loss.

Grief and sadness are complicated feelings for anyone, and it can be difficult to have conversations about loss and bereavement – particularly with children who might be experiencing it for the first time. Sharing a picture book that examines those themes can be a good way to open up a discussion, answer challenging questions or even just allow a…

Read more ›

Our children's and YA top ten bestsellers of the week

Do Not Open This Book by Andy Lee and Heath McKenzie

The 78-Storey Treehouse by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs (including the film tie-in edition)

Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty and David Roberts

Mr Chicken Arriva a Roma by Leigh Hobbs

The Call by Peadar Ó Guilín

Mega Weird (WeirDo Book 7) by Anh Do and Jules Faber

Dog Man (The Adventures of Dog Man Book 1)…

Read more ›

Our top ten bestsellers of the week

The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben

The Best of Adam Sharp by Graeme Simsion

Black Rock White City by A.S. Patrić

Working Class Boy by Jimmy Barnes

Enemy Within – American Politics in the Time of Trump (Quarterly Essay 63) by Don Watson

The Age Good Food Guide 2017 edited by Roslyn Grundy

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins (including the film tie-in edition)

Grand Intentions by Trevor Barr

Neighbourhood by Hetty McKinnon

Commonwealth

Read more ›

Our staff share their Spring Reading Stacks

Lian Hingee, Digital Marketing Manager

Daddy Long-Legs by Jean Webster

The Road to Little Dribbling by Bill Bryson

Portable Curiosities by Julie Koh

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Avalanche by Julia Leigh

The Dry by Jane Harper

Dietland by Sarai Walker

Only Daughter by Anna Snoekstra

No Patterns Needed by Rosie Martin

Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee

Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley

Amy Vuleta, Shop Manager at Readings St Kilda

Comfort Food by Ellen van Neerven
The

Read more ›

What we're reading: Jonathan Safran Foer, Nora Ephron and Charles Foster

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 Heartburn by Nora Ephron

I saw the Nora Ephron documentary, Everything is Copy, at MIFF earlier this year, and when I waxed lyrical at the office the next day about how much I enjoyed it, several of my co-workers impressed upon me just how wonderful her semi-autobiographical novel…

Read more ›