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The Australian Book Industry Awards 2016
The Australian Book Industry Awards were announced last night in Sydney. The industry awards celebrate the best books, publishers and booksellers of the year.
We are thrilled and honoured to have won this year’s Independent Book Retailer of the Year award!
Our Managing Director Mark Rubbo says, ‘Having just won International Bookseller of the Year, we are especially pleased to also have been acknowledged by our own peers. It’s a great tribute to our staff and our customers. I am…
What we're reading: Svetlana Alexievich, Olivia Laing and Nigel Slater
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.
Bronte Coates is reading Voices from Chernobyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster by Svetlana Alexievich (translated by Keith Gessen)
Belarusian writer Svetlana Alexievich was awarded last year’s Nobel Prize in Literature for ‘her polyphonic writings, a monument to suffering and courage in our time’. This past week I’ve been reading her…
The CBCA Book of the Year Awards shortlists 2016
The Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) have announced their Book of the Year Awards shortlists for 2016. Congratulations to all the authors, illustrators, editors and publishers!
Here are the shortlists for each category.
Older Readers
The Flywheel by Erin Gough
The Pause by John Larkin
Freedom Ride by Sue Lawson
A Single Stone by Meg McKinlay
Inbetween Days by Vikki Wakefield
Cloudwish by Fiona Wood
Younger Readers
The Cleo Stories: A Friend and a Pet by Libby Gleeson (Illust…
Vale Gillian Mears
Gillian Mears died in her home on Monday. She was in her early 50s. She will be dearly missed here at Readings, having won over the heart of many a reader with her ferociously beautiful books.
Our Managing Director Mark Rubbo is a longtime fan of Mears, and expressed his sadness at her passing: ‘Gillian was a wonderful writer and enriched all our lives – we will miss her.’
Mears was born in 1964, and grew up around Grafton in…
Our favourite pieces from The Toast's archives
Following the announcement that the hilarious, wonderful website The Toast will be closing on Friday 1 July, our staff have been sharing some of their favourite articles from the archives with one another in commiseration.
Here’s just a sample of what we love best about The Toast.
I’ve loved Mallory’s mini-essays in celebration of minor Simpsons characters – as she writes at the start of each piece, the world owes them a great deal. From the blissful ignorance of Ralph…
A visit to the Melbourne Indigenous Transition School
The Readings Foundation assists Victorian organisations that support the development of literacy, community integration and the arts. Readings donates 10% of its overall profit to The Readings Foundation each year, and crucial funds are also raised from donations by Readings customers.
Last week, Grants Officer Leanne Hall went out to visit the Melbourne Indigenous Transition School – one of the seven organisations being supported by the Foundation in 2016.
Imagine having an idea about how things could be done better……
Five reasons we love 88 Lime Street by Denise Kirby
88 Lime Street: The Way In is one of the six books shortlisted for this year’s Readings Children’s Book Prize. Here are five reasons why we think it’s brilliant.
1. It’s spooky… but not too spooky!
After Ellen’s family moves into the rambling 88 Lime street, she starts to notice weird things happening in the old house. There’s a strange presence that seems to follow her around, and the kids at school claim that it’s haunted. But is it ghosts…
Inside a teen reader's head
by James WatersThis week, we were lucky to have work experience student James Waters helping us out. We asked him a few questions about books, authors and writing.
Describe your taste in books. For example, do you have an ideal book in mind when you’re looking for what to read next? Or, do you get a lot of recommendations? Or, are you drawn to great-looking covers?
My taste in books is fairly broad, I think. There’s no one genre I gravitate towards…
Wardrobe Crisis: ethics, sustainability & the fashion revolution
Our digital marketing manager (and fashion enthusiast) Lian Hingee recommends Wardrobe Crisis, in which Clare Press explores the history and ethics behind what we wear.
In 2013 the world was rocked by the powerful images coming out of Bangladesh in the aftermath of the Rana Plaza building collapse that killed over 1,100 people. The tragedy sparked a world-wide conversation about corporate social responsibility, and the true cost of ‘fast fashion’. Three years later, and the issue of sweatshops is…
Read along with the 2016 Sydney Writers' Festival
The Sydney Writer’s Festival kicked off last night and once again, the program features an amazing list of artists. To celebrate their international line-up, here’s a list of ten books to read to help you get into the festival spirit.
A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James
Set across three decades, A Brief History of Seven Killings explores the turbulent world of Jamaican gangs and politics. James combines brilliant storytelling with his unrivaled skills of characterization and…
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