Our latest blog posts

New editions of old favourites

The Invention of Nature by Andrea Wulf

$22.99

Alexander von Humboldt is the great lost scientist. Napoleon was jealous of him, Simon Bolivar’s revolution was fuelled by his ideas, Darwin set sail on the Beagle because of Humboldt, and Jules Verne’s Captain Nemo owned all his many books. He simply was, as one contemporary put it, ‘the greatest man since the Deluge’. Taking us on a fantastic voyage in his footsteps – racing across anthrax-infected Russia or mapping tropical rivers…

Read more ›

Books for reluctant readers

by Holly Harper

Reluctant reader – it’s a label that gets thrown around a lot for kids who would rather do anything else than pick up a book. And if you’re a book-loving parent of a reluctant reader, it can be heartbreaking to see your child miss out on the joys of a good book.

It’s important to recognise why somebody is a reluctant reader, and the reasons range from low reading confidence to a lack of interest. Luckily there are countless books…

Read more ›

Zoë Morrison on music and language in her debut novel

by Zoë Morrison

We’re delighted to be hosting an event next week with Zoë Morrison – a talented new voice in Australian fiction. Morrison will discuss her debut novel, Music and Freedom, with author Alice Pung. Find more details and booking information here.

In the lead-up to this event, we asked Morrison what role she saw the language of music as playing in her story. Here’s her response.

I started playing the violin when I was three and the piano when…

Read more ›

Our top ten bestsellers of the week

The Dry by Jane Harper

Barkskins by Annie Proulx

Speaking Out: A 21st-Century Handbook for Women and Girls by Tara Moss

The Last Painting of Sara De Vos by Dominic Smith

Everywhere I Look by Helen Garner

The Natural Way of Things by Charlotte Wood

The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen

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

The Vegetarian by Han Kang (translated by Deborah Smith)

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante (translated by Ann…

Read more ›

What we're reading: Sabahattin Ali, A.J. Rich and Jay Kristoff

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.

Mark Rubbo is reading Madonna in a Fur Coat by Sabahattin Ali

I’m currently reading this novel from Sabahattin Ali, a Turkish writer and teacher who was murdered by the Turkish Secret Service in 1948.

When Madonna in a Fur Coat was first published in Turkey, back in 1943, it was largely ignored…

Read more ›

Novels inspired by the art world

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

A small, captivating painting of a goldfinch lies at the heart of Donna Tartt’s Pulitzer Prize-winning third novel. When the life of 13-year-old Theo Decker is set spinning off-course by an act of terrorism, he commits an impulsive act of his own that will come to define the rest of his life. What follows is a haunted odyssey through present-day America, and deep into the art underworld of New York.

The Last Painting of Sara

Read more ›

We recommend queer reads from Australian authors

Inspired by our Queer Book Club (hosted by our St Kilda shop!), our staff have been talking about some of their own favourite queer Australian writing. Here, they share their picks.

Holding the Man by Timothy Conigrave

Published in 1995 and not long after the author’s death, Holding the Man has been described as a real-life gay Romeo and Juliet story. Tim Conigrave met and fell in love with John Caleo, the captain of the football team while they…

Read more ›

Judges' report for Run, Pip, Run

Run, Pip, Run by J.C. Jones is the winner of the 2016 Readings Children’s Book Prize. Here’s the judges’ report from our panel of Readings children’s book specialists Athina Clarke, Angela Crocombe, Alexa Dretzke, Holly Harper, Isobel Moore and special guest judge Sally Rippin.

Every once in a while a special book comes along with a unique main character so compelling and so full of heart that you can’t help but fall madly in love. Run, Pip, Run, the…

Read more ›