Our latest blog posts
A guide to Pride and Prejudice adaptations
For a reader who’s looking for smart, irreverent contemporary fiction…
Eligible is one of my favourite adaptations – of anything! – I’ve ever read. Curtis Sittenfeld (who wrote the bestselling novel Prep) has a sharp tongue, a keen ability for crafting cutting social commentary and a snarky sense of humour – all perfectly suited to a modern adaptation of Austen. Set in suburban Cincinnati, her depiction of the story includes cross-fit, reality TV stars, hate sex, and more.
For…
The Kibble and Dobbie Literary Awards longlists 2016
The longlists for this year’s Kibble and Dobbie Literary Awards have been announced.
The Kibble and Dobbie Literary Awards are open to Australian women writers who have published a book of fiction or nonfiction classifiable as ‘life writing’. The Kibble Literary Award recognises the work of an established Australian woman writer and the Dobbie Literary Award recognises the work of a first-time published Australian woman writer.
The longlisted titles for the $30,000 Kibble Literary Award are:
The Man Booker International Prize shortlist 2016
The Man Booker International Prize shortlist has been announced. This Prize celebrates the finest global fiction translated into English.
Here are the six shortlisted titles…
A General Theory of Oblivion by José Eduardo Agualusa, translated by Daniel Hahn (Angola)
The Story of the Lost Child by Elena Ferrante, translated by Ann Goldstein (Italy)
The Vegetarian by Han Kang, translated by Deborah Smith (South Korea)
The Four Books by Yan Lianke, translated by Carlos Rojas (China)
Five reasons we love The Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey
Aaron Blabey’s The Bad Guys: Episode 1 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 funny. Seriously funny.
Mr Wolf, Mr Piranha, Mr Snake and Mr Shark are four bad guys who want to be good. This isn’t as easy as it sounds when doing evil deeds is in your nature. Between the snappy dialogue and the comic book-style illustrations, the kids will…
Best new crime reads in April
CRIME BOOK OF THE MONTH
All Things Cease to Appear by Elizabeth Brundage
Over the few days I read this book, I wouldn’t steal small moments to read a page when I could, but instead find a place to relish the act of reading with the same slow-burn intensity the book itself has: only on my own in a room, only when it was silent. But not when I was alone, and certainly not when I was alone in the…
Readings wins Bookstore of the Year Award at London Book Fair
We are thrilled to have won the Bookstore of the Year Award at the 2016 London Book Fair International Excellence Awards!
Managing Director Mark Rubbo says, “We’re delighted and extremely honoured to receive this award. It’s a reflection of the quality of Australian independent bookshops.”
The awards, which are held in partnership with the UK Publishers Association (PA), celebrate success in 14 categories, representing the best publishing ambassadors, cutting-edge publishing, and groundbreaking initiatives in the industry. The new Bookstore of…
Our top picks of the month for book clubs
For an Autumn picnic surrounded by our national flora…
Georgiana Molloy by Bernice Barry
Entirely self-taught, Georgiana Molloy was the first internationally successful female botanist to work and live in Western Australia. Today, her collections of indigenous flora of the southwest, including type specimens, are archived in the world’s leading herbaria. In this fascinating biography/cultural studies mash-up, Bernice Barry tells Molloy’s story and describes some stunning geographical scenery along the way.
For inspiring a spontaneous group trip to Sydney Writers…
Books for people who find Mother's Day difficult
The cookbooks are coming out en masse, there are dressing gowns in every department store catalogue, and cards with flowers on them being displayed at the front of stationery shops and newsagents. Mother’s Day is coming… And it’s almost impossible to avoid.
For many people, the lead-up to Mother’s Day is a time that fills them with complicated feelings including guilt or grief. Here are some books for those people who – for whatever reason – dread the arrival of…
Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction shortlist 2016
This year’s shortlist for the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction has been announced. Congratulations to the six shortlisted authors.
The full shortlist is:
Ruby by Cynthia Bond
The Green Road by Anne Enright (Read our review)
The Glorious Heresies by Lisa McInerney
The Portable Veblen by Elizabeth McKenzie (Read our review)
The Improbability of Love by Hannah Rothschild
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
Chair of judges Margaret Mountford says: “Our choices reflect a really diverse…
International Dublin Literary Award shortlist 2016
Congratulations to the ten authors shortlisted for this year’s International Dublin Literary Award.
This diverse shortlist features books from Brazil, Rwanda, Jamaica, Spain, Germany, Ireland and the USA. Authors includes former winners of the Man Booker Prize and Pulitzer Prize, as well as two debut novelists.
Outlaws by Javier Cercas (translated by Anne McLean)
Academy Street by Mary Costello
Your Fathers, Where Are They? And the Prophets, Do They Live Forever? by Dave Eggers
The End of Days by Jenny…
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