Our latest blog posts
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…
Exploring Charlotte Wood's backlist
Charlotte Wood has recently been named the winner of this year’s Stella Prize for her fifth novel, The Natural Way of Things. Here’s a look over her earlier books for readers who loved this novel, and now want to explore her backlist.
(I haven’t included Wood’s 1999 debut novel, Pieces of a Girl, as it is sadly out of print. However, this is a great excuse to visit your local second-hand bookshop!)
The Submerged Cathedral (2004)
Spanning many…
Dear Reader, May 2016
Are you, like our reviewer, a lover of the art novel? If yes, then our book of the month, The Last Painting of Sara de Vos by Dominic Smith, is most definitely for you: it’s an involving story that spans time and place (with a heist thrown in for good measure). Dodge Rose is an audacious debut novel from Sydneysider Jack Cox, and is everything good writing should be: challenging, creative and truly original. I suggest you answer its readerly…
April in review
We were blown away this month when London Book Fair named us Bookstore of the Year. In the words of our managing director Mark Rubbo: ‘We’re delighted and extremely honoured to receive this award. It’s a reflection of the quality of Australian independent bookshops.’
Three authors won notable literary prizes this past month. Viet Thanh Nguyen was awarded this year’s Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for The Sympathizer – an astonishing debut that takes a fresh look at the enduring…
Vale Prince
Here some of our staff reflect on how the work of Prince impacted on their lives.
“Happiness is the memory I have of Prince. I was in my late teens and early twenties when he was in the peak of his popularity. Just as Bowie has dominated the 70s, Prince dominated the 80s – ever changing styles and sounds, but always with his fun, sexy, confident signature.
I was 19 when Sign o’ The Times was released in 1987. A…
Katherine Brabon wins the 2016 Vogel's Literary Award
Katherine Brabon has been named the winner of this year’s Australian/Vogel’s Literary Award for her novel, The Memory Artist.
The Memory Artist is the story of Pasha Ivanov, whose childhood apartment in Moscow was used for secret dissident meetings during the years of Brezhnev’s tyrannical rule over the Soviet Union. Years later, as a young man living in St Petersburg, the death of his mother triggers Pasha’s desire to create art and as he travels across Russia he…
Five reasons we love Mister Cassowary by Samantha Wheeler
Mister Cassowary 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 about a real kid with real problems.
After his Grandad Barney passes away, Flynn and his dad head up to the old family banana farm in Mission Beach to get it ready for sale. Ten-year-old Flynn is having a hard time connecting with his dad, who’s usually away working in the mines and…
Things my mother taught me
In Things My Mother Taught Me, a diverse range of Australian identities each reflect on the role that their mother has played in shaping them into the people they are today.
With Mother’s Day (Sunday 8 May) just around the corner, our staff have reflected on what their own mothers have taught them.
‘When I was growing up my mum made her own preserves from home-grown fruit, most of our clothes were hand-made, and we never had store-bought biscuits…
Our top ten bestsellers of the week
Everywhere I Look by Helen Garner
The Natural Way of Things by Charlotte Wood
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante (translated by Ann Goldstein)
Heart Hungers by Winsome Thomas
The Waters of Eternal Youth by Donna Leon
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
Massoni: Rinaldo & Leon by Michele Massoni-Dubuc
The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen
The Killing Season Uncut by Sarah Ferguson with Patricia Drum
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
Two major literary prizes were…
Our children's and YA top ten bestsellers of the week
The Treehouse Fun Book by Andy Griffiths, Jill Griffiths and Terry Denton
I am Doodle Cat by Kat Patrick and Lauren Marriott
In My Heart: A Book of Feelings by Jo Witek and Christine Roussey
Pig the Winner by Aaron Blabey
The Bad Guys: Episode 1 by Aaron Blabey
Rockhopping by Trace Balla
Crazy Weird: WeirDo Book 6 by Anh Do and Jules Faber
Pax by Sara Pennypacker and Jon Klassen
Girl Detective: Friday Barnes Book 1 (Special edition) by…