Our latest blog posts

Last-minute gift ideas for Mother's Day

Mother’s Day is this Sunday, 8 May. Here are some last minute gift ideas for last-minute shoppers! Come by one of our shops to pick up your gift, or to talk with our booksellers in person.

This Annoying Domestic Life by Oslo Davis

Designed for mums, dads, kids and old people on all levels of the angst spectrum, Oslo Davis’ new ‘mindless colouring book for the whole goddamn family’ is another hilarious take on the annoyances of modern life that’s…

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Children's new releases in May

by Holly Harper

From revenge-seeking guinea pigs to ancient Greek gods, here’s our roundup of the best kids’ books out in May.

Our Children’s Book of the Month

After his mother dies, Peter finds solace in the form of an orphaned fox cub, Pax. They grow up together, learning to love and trust each other until the day when Peter learns he’s being sent to stay with his grandfather… without Pax. Under direction from his stern father, Peter throws Pax’s favourite toy soldier…

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Young adult new releases in May

by Holly Harper

From zombie movies to the Scottish Highlands, here are our picks for the best young adult new releases in May.

#LoveOZYA

The Lifespan of Starlight by Thalia Kalkipsakis was one of our favourite #LoveOZYA reads of 2015, so it’s incredibly exciting to see the sequel, Split Infinity, is out this month. After the events of the first book, Scout has become a talented time skipper on the run from a government intent on recapturing her. This is romantic sci-fi…

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Five reasons we love Samurai vs Ninja by Nick Falk and Tony Flowers

by Holly Harper

Samurai vs Ninja: The Battle for the Golden Egg 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’ll get the most reluctant readers reading.

Samurai? Check. Ninja? Check. An epic battle pitting one side against the other involving cunning, treachery and hilarity? Check, check, check. This is a funny, energetic read that will have even the most reluctant reader begging for the next chapter.

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Mark's Say, May 2016

by Mark Rubbo

We won The Bookstore of the Year Award last month at London Book Fair’s International Excellence Awards! We won it for our ‘community outreach, support of Australian authors and [our] help for non-profit organisations working on literacy initiatives’. It’s the first time the award has been presented, but there have been awards in other areas. In 2014, Australia’s Indigenous Literacy Foundation won the inaugural Education Initiatives Award. An email from a journalist friend with a curt note, ‘FYI’, alerted me…

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The ABIA Book shortlists 2016

The Australian Book Industry Awards Academy has announced the ABIA Book shortlists for 2016. Congratulations to all the authors, illustrators and publishers.

Biography Book of the Year

Reckoning: A Memoir by Magda Szubanski (Text Publishing)

Flesh Wounds by Richard Glover (ABC Books)

A Mother’s Story by Rosie Batty (HarperCollins Publishers)

The Anti-Cool Girl by Rosie Waterland (HarperCollins Publishers)

General Fiction Book of the Year

The Perfumer’s Secret by Fiona McIntosh (Penguin Random House)

The Lake House by Kate Morton, Allen…

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Making miniscapes with Clea Cregan

In Miniscapes, Clea Cregan presents a beautifully designed step-by-step guide to creating your own terrariums!

This week our staff put Miniscapes to the test, and the author dropped by to judge the best one!

I like pot plants, but I also have a cat, which means terrariums are the only way I can introduce a bit of greenery into my home. I have a few that I’ve bought here or there, but they’re fiendishly expensive so I was excited…

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Our top ten bestsellers of the week

Everywhere I Look by Helen Garner

The Natural Way of Things by Charlotte Wood

The Last Painting of Sara De Vos by Dominic Smith

The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen

Talking to My Country by Stan Grant

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante (translated by Ann Goldstein)

The Course of Love by Alain de Botton

The Memory Artist by Katherine Brabon

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

Zero K by Don DeLillo

Helen Garner has topped our bestsellers list for…

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What we're reading: Charlie Jane Anders, Julia Leigh and Tom Drury

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.

Chris Somerville is reading The End of Vandalism by Tom Drury

Last year we saw, finally, the re-issue of the strange and wonderful novels of Tom Drury, mostly set in the small hamlets that make up the (invented) Grouse County in Iowa. 1994’s The End of Vandalism, his first novel, interweaves the…

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