July saw our staff sharing recommendations for novels that imagine life in cults and communes, memoirs that examine depression and anxiety, and hot reads to help readers stay warm in winter – everything from heart-warming to heart-racing.

This month also saw the release of a new Liane Moriarty novel (here’s why you should read her books), and we published a short update from the Readings Foundation about one of the amazing projects they’re supporting in 2016.

This…

Read more ›

Sisters in Crime has announced the shortlists for the 2016 Davitt Awards for the best crime books by Australian women. Congratulations to all the shortlisted authors.

Here are the shortlisted books in each category:

Adult novels

Medea’s Curse: Natalie King, Forensic Psychiatrist by Anne Buist

Fall by Candice Fox

Give the Devil His Due by Sulari Gentill

Storm Clouds by Bronwyn Parry

Time to Run by J.M. Peace

Resurrection Bay by Emma Viskic

Young adult novels

In the Skin of…

Read more ›

We love hearing new recommendations. Here’s 10 of the most interesting books customers have special ordered this past month…

Two Fat Ladies and Hercules Tom by Terence Fitzsimons

The Queer Art of Failure by Judith Halberstam

The Philokalia: The Complete Text Compiled by St.Nikodimos of the Holy Mountain and St.Makarios of Corinth

Seeds of Change: Six Plants That Transformed Mankind by Henry Hobhouse

Psychology at the Movies by Skip Dine Young

Architecture Visionaries by Richard Weston

There’s a Fax from…

Read more ›

The Road to Winter by Mark Smith

Since a deadly virus and the violence that followed killed his parents and wiped out most of his community, Finn has lived alone on the rugged coast with only his loyal dog Rowdy for company. He has stayed alive for two winters – hunting and fishing and trading food. He’s managed to stay hidden from the Wilders, an armed and dangerous gang that controls the north, led by a ruthless man named Ramage…

Read more ›

The Incredible Adventures of Cinnamon Girl by Melissa Keil

17-year-old Alba is an aspiring comic-book artist, pastry enthusiast and eternal optimist. She thinks small town life is awesome (if predictable) and she never wants it to change. Then, a questionable television psychic predicts the end of the world and her tiny town is besieged by doomsday enthusiasts, throwing Alba’s life is thrown into chaos. The childhood friend she thought was gone unexpectedly reappears; the boy who has been her best…

Read more ›

Run, Pip, Run by J.C. Jones

Tomorrow, When the War Began (TV tie-in edition) by John Marsden

All My Treasures: A Book of Joy by Jo Witek and Christine Roussey

Pax by Sara Pennypacker and Jon Klassen

Charlie and the War Against the Grannies by Alan Brough

The World’s Worst Children by David Walliams and Tony Ross

Big Rain Coming by Katrina Germein and Bronwyn Bancroft

Ella Diaries: Worst Camp Ever! (Book 8) by Meredith Costain and Danielle McDonald

Oxford…

Read more ›

From lush operatic mysteries and erotica, to a heartwarming tale about a squirrel and hilarious travel writing – here are ten books to keep you warm during the colder months.

The Wonder Trail by Steve Hely

Here’s a book that will make you laugh so hard that you’ll forget about the temperature completely. The very funny Steve Hely has been a writer on shows such as 30 Rock, Late Show with David Letterman, The Office and American Dad!…

Read more ›

Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty

The North Water by Ian McGuire

Open House Melbourne 2016

The Course of Love by Alain de Botton

The Dry by Jane Harper

The Natural Way of Things by Charlotte Wood

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Spider Web: The Birth of American Anticommunism by Nick Fischer

The Girls by Emma Cline

Vinegar Girl: The Taming of the Shrew Retold by Anne Tyler

The gripping new novel from Liane Moriarty is…

Read more ›

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.

Kara Liddell is reading Pitch Dark by Renata Adler

I’m currently reading Renata Adler’s Pitch Dark, suffice to say it’s incredible and I can’t believe it has taken me this long to discover it. After a recommendation from a fellow bookseller during a recent trip to New York – and a continuing…

Read more ›

Here are 20 international guests appearing at this year’s Melbourne Writers Fesitval (MWF). You can find even more guests in the full Festival program here.

We’re also so pleased to be hosting a series of conversations showcasing new Australian fiction, and you can find out what our staff are most excited to see right here.

PJ Harvey

PJ Harvey is an English singer-songwriter, composer and poet. She has released nine critically acclaimed albums, been nominated for six…

Read more ›