Our latest blog posts

Closing down sale at Readings Bargains pop-up shop

The Readings Bargains pop-up shop is entering its final weeks, and as a last hurrah they’re hosting a final big sale!

Drop by the pop-up shop at 315 Lygon Street, right next door to our Carlton shop, before mid-August and you’ll be able to pick up any book from in-store for just $7. Though, only while stocks last.

Titles currently on offer include prize-winning fiction such as Madeline Miller’s The Song of Achilles, bestselling crime novels such as Joël…

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Picture books for tough feelings

by Holly Harper

Depression, anxiety, grief – they’re feelings we hope the children in our lives will never have to experience, but the reality is that we can’t always shield them from these things. A thoughtful book can help kids make sense of dark times by framing their emotions in a way they can process, and can go some way in preventing children from feeling overwhelmed.

Here is a list of great picture books to help kids with tough feelings.

Underwater Fancy Dress

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Cults and communes in fiction

The Girls by Emma Cline

It’s the summer of 1969 and Evie Boyd is desperate to be noticed. When she sees a group of girls in the park, her imagination is immediately captured by them – by their careless dress, their dangerous aura of abandon. As Evie becomes obsessed with Suzanne, a mesmerising older girl, she is drawn into the circle of a soon-to-be infamous cult and the man who is its charismatic leader. (This novel is inspired by the…

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MIFF picks for book lovers

This year’s Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) program features some great films inspired by literature. Here are some of our favourite picks for book lovers in 2016.

We’ve also compiled a list of family-friendly films, shared our staff picks, and prepared a quick ‘at-a-glance’ guide for the time-poor.

THE HANDMAIDEN

Directed by Park Chan-wook | Based on Sarah Water’s Fingersmith

Sooki, a beautiful young pickpocket, has been dispatched by a master conman known as The Count to become…

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A quick guide to MIFF 2016

by Stella Charls

Here’s a quick ‘at-a-glance’ guide to this year’s Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF). You can see the full program here.

We’ve shared our top picks for book lovers, compiled a list of family-friendly films, and you can also find out which films our staff are planning to see here.

Most buzzed about

We recommend: High-Rise Runner up: Gimme Danger

Feel good film

We recommend: Toni Erdmann Runner up: Slack Bay

Psychological thriller

We recommend: The Handmaiden

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MIFF picks for kids and teens

Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) curates a program of entertaining and thought-provoking cinema for a youth audience with Next Gen. Here’s what’s on offer for kids and teens in 2016.

We’ve also compiled a list of literary-inspired films, shared our staff picks, and prepared a quick ‘at-a-glance’ guide for the time-poor.

RECOMMENDED FOR 8+

Mune: Guardian of the Moon

France | English

In a fantastical universe where the Sun and the Moon are protected by fabled warriors…

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What we’re watching at MIFF 2016

Staff share what they’re planning to see at the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) this year. You can find the full program here.

We’ve also prepared a quick ‘at-a-glance’ guide to the program for the time-poor, shared our top picks for book lovers, and compiled a list of family-friendly films.

Lian Hingee’s wishlist includes films about conspiracy theories and cats.

I’m a sucker for space, conspiracy theories and mockumentaries, so Operation Avalanche kind of looks like it…

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What we're reading: Wendy Orr, Hans Fallada and Julie Koh

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 Nightmare in Berlin by Hans Fallada

Interest in Hans Fallada was re-ignited with the republication of his great anti-fascist novel, Alone in Berlin, a few years ago. His new work, Nightmare in Berlin, is partly autobiographical and set just as Germany is falling to the Russian troops…

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