Our latest blog posts

What we're reading: Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan, Megan Abbott and Ian McGuire

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.

Stella Charls is reading You Will Know Me by Megan Abbott

I seem to have spent a lot of time on this blog raving about Megan Abbott (see here and here). I only discovered her work last year and I subsequently felt obligated to share her with pretty much everyone I’ve crossed…

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Man Booker Prize longlist 2016

The longlist, or ‘Man Booker Dozen’, for the £50,000 Man Booker Prize has been announced. Longlisted authors include two-time Booker Prize winner J.M. Coetzee, as well three debut novelists: David Means, Wyl Menmuir and Virginia Reeves.

Chair of the 2016 judges, Amanda Foreman, writes: ‘This is a very exciting year. The range of books is broad and the quality extremely high. Each novel provoked intense discussion and, at times, passionate debate, challenging our expectations of what a novel is and…

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Ned Kelly Awards shortlists 2016

The Australian Crime Writers Association has announced the 2016 shortlists for the Ned Kelly Awards for the best in Australian crime writing.

Here are the shortlists in each category:

Best Fiction

R&R by Mark Dapin

The Heat by Garry Disher

Fall by Candice Fox

Rain Dogs by Adrian McKinty

Ash Island by Barry Maitland

Before it Breaks by Dave Warner

Best true crime

Certain Admissions by Gideon Haigh

The Sting by Kate Kyriacou

A Murder Without Motive by Martin McKenzie-Murray

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July in review

July saw our staff sharing recommendations for novels that imagine life in cults and communes, memoirs that examine depression and anxiety, and hot reads to help readers stay warm in winter – everything from heart-warming to heart-racing.

This month also saw the release of a new Liane Moriarty novel (here’s why you should read her books), and we published a short update from the Readings Foundation about one of the amazing projects they’re supporting in 2016.

This…

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Davitt Awards shortlists 2016

Sisters in Crime has announced the shortlists for the 2016 Davitt Awards for the best crime books by Australian women. Congratulations to all the shortlisted authors.

Here are the shortlisted books in each category:

Adult novels

Medea’s Curse: Natalie King, Forensic Psychiatrist by Anne Buist

Fall by Candice Fox

Give the Devil His Due by Sulari Gentill

Storm Clouds by Bronwyn Parry

Time to Run by J.M. Peace

Resurrection Bay by Emma Viskic

Young adult novels

In the Skin of

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Terrific Australian YA thrillers for teen readers

The Road to Winter by Mark Smith

Since a deadly virus and the violence that followed killed his parents and wiped out most of his community, Finn has lived alone on the rugged coast with only his loyal dog Rowdy for company. He has stayed alive for two winters – hunting and fishing and trading food. He’s managed to stay hidden from the Wilders, an armed and dangerous gang that controls the north, led by a ruthless man named Ramage…

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Terrific Australian YA romcoms for teen readers

The Incredible Adventures of Cinnamon Girl by Melissa Keil

17-year-old Alba is an aspiring comic-book artist, pastry enthusiast and eternal optimist. She thinks small town life is awesome (if predictable) and she never wants it to change. Then, a questionable television psychic predicts the end of the world and her tiny town is besieged by doomsday enthusiasts, throwing Alba’s life is thrown into chaos. The childhood friend she thought was gone unexpectedly reappears; the boy who has been her best…

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Our children's and YA top ten bestsellers of the week

Run, Pip, Run by J.C. Jones

Tomorrow, When the War Began (TV tie-in edition) by John Marsden

All My Treasures: A Book of Joy by Jo Witek and Christine Roussey

Pax by Sara Pennypacker and Jon Klassen

Charlie and the War Against the Grannies by Alan Brough

The World’s Worst Children by David Walliams and Tony Ross

Big Rain Coming by Katrina Germein and Bronwyn Bancroft

Ella Diaries: Worst Camp Ever! (Book 8) by Meredith Costain and Danielle McDonald

Oxford

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Hot reads to help you stay warm this winter

From lush operatic mysteries and erotica, to a heartwarming tale about a squirrel and hilarious travel writing – here are ten books to keep you warm during the colder months.

The Wonder Trail by Steve Hely

Here’s a book that will make you laugh so hard that you’ll forget about the temperature completely. The very funny Steve Hely has been a writer on shows such as 30 Rock, Late Show with David Letterman, The Office and American Dad!

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