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Emily Maguire interviews Jane Harper
by Emily MaguireEmily Maguire talks with Jane Harper about her highly anticipated debut novel, The Dry.
The Dry opens on a scene of horror in a drought-stricken Victorian town, Kiewarra. Blowflies, ‘spoiled for choice’ and moving from one set of ‘unblinking eyes and sticky wounds’ to another as desperate farmers shoot their starving livestock, feast upon three smaller, smoother bodies: those of local farmer Luke Hadler, his wife, Karen, and their young son, Billy. In the background, a baby cries.
It’s…
Dear Reader, June 2016
June is another huge month for early career Australian authors. We have debuts from Jane Harper (with her much anticipated work, The Dry), Sean Rabin (with an intriguing tale of a famous author in small-town Tasmania, Wood Green), Julie Koh (with satirical short story collection, Portable Curiosities), Hebe de Souza (with a narrative of family and identity in India, Black British), Jane Abbott (with a novel that joins the growing genre of climate change fiction, Watershed…
We love Jane Harper's The Dry
Here’s a collection of testimonials from Readings staff who have read, and loved The Dry – a searing fiction debut from Australian author Jane Harper.
“I loved this book; it’s some of the best crime I’ve read in years. Rural Australia bristles with menace and desolation as terrible secrets of the past are uncovered layer by layer.”
– Mark Rubbo, managing director
“Jane Harper’s The Dry won the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for an Unpublished Manuscript in 2015, and before…
May in review
May was another big month for literary prizes. Two authors were declared Sydney Morning Herald’s Best Young Australian Novelists (notably, neither have published ‘novels’, but instead have crafted brilliant story collections), and the Miles Franklin Literary Award shortlist was revealed just a few days ago. We were delighted for all five authors, but we’re especially delighted for our St Kilda bookseller Alec Patrić, whose novel Black Rock White City is listed here. Last year, our former Head Book Buyer Martin…
Our children's and YA top ten bestsellers of the week
Circle by Jeannie Baker
I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen
The Hidden Oracle: The Trials of Apollo Book 1 by Rick Riordan
The World’s Worst Children by David Walliams and Tony Ross
Pax by Sara Pennypacker and Jon Klassen
The Last Star: The 5th Wave Book 3 by Rick Yancey
The Bad Guys: Episode 1 by Aaron Blabey
The Cat with the Coloured Tail by Gillian Mears and Dinalie Dabarera
Our top ten bestsellers of the week
The Last Painting of Sara De Vos by Dominic Smith
The Natural Way of Things by Charlotte Wood
Everywhere I Look by Helen Garner
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
Use Your Words by Catherine Deveny
The Course of Love by Alain de Botton
A Prescribed Life by Tony Atkinson with Lynn Smailes
The City of Mirrors by Justin Cronin
The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen
Talking to My Country by Stan Grant
Two terrific Australian novels top our bestsellers…
Environment Award for Children’s Literature shortlists 2016
Congratulations to all the authors and illustrators shortlisted for this year’s Environment Award for Children’s Literature.
The Wilderness Society’s annual Award encourages children to take an interest in nature and feel a sense of responsibility for the places we love and our unique wildlife. This year, the Award includes three categories.
Here are the shortlists for each category.
Non-fiction
Atmospheric by Carole Wilkinson (Read our review)
Platypus by Sue Whiting and Mark Jackson
Phasmid by Rohan Cleave and…
Miles Franklin Literary Award shortlist 2016
The Miles Franklin Literary Award shortlist for 2016 has been announced. Congratulations to the shortlisted authors and publishers – and an extra special hurrah to our own St Kilda bookseller A.S. Patrić!
To celebrate the shortlist we’re offering a pack of all five shortlisted novels at a super special special price of $107 (). Please note, this offer is only available online.
Hope Farm by Peggy Frew
It is the winter of 1985 and Silver’s mother, Ishtar, has fallen for…
What we're reading: Guy Gavriel Kay, Steve Toutonghi and Riad Sattouf
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.
Nina Kenwood is reading The Other Side of Summer by Emily Gale
This book…. Oh man, I LOVED this book. The Other Side of Summer is Emily Gale’s new novel for readers aged 11+. It tells the story of Summer and her family, who are trying to recover from the tragic death of…
30 reasons to read the entire Readings Children’s Book Prize shortlist
This year’s shortlist for the Readings Children’s Book Prize features six amazing books! Here are 30 reasons why you should read all of them.
If you’d like to buy all six books at once – and we recommend you do! – the entire shortlist is available here at a special price.
The Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey
1. It’s funny. Seriously funny.
2. It’s great for beginner readers.
3. It reads like a graphic novel.
4. It’s all about not…
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