Our latest blog posts

Mark's Say, February 2016

by Mark Rubbo

Those of you who know me will be well aware of how pleased I am with The Readings Foundation and the projects it supports. Since we started in 2009, we’ve given away almost $1 million. The money comes from Readings’ profits, some private donations, and the gold coin donations our customers make when we gift-wrap their purchases. The gift-wrap donations alone add up to around $25,000 per annum. The Foundation supports organisations working in the areas of literacy and the…

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Why I'm excited about Blak & Bright

by Neika Lehman

Bookseller Neika Lehman tells us why she’s so excited for the Blak & Bright festival (18 – 21 February), and shares some reading recommendations.

As a Australian bookseller who happens to be Indigenous, and who also happens to have a major crush on fresh new writing borne of this continent – especially those which resist the easy definitions of what Australian Literature is – I couldn’t be more enthused by this new Victorian Indigenous Literary Festival

The voices of Indigenous…

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Ann Le Lievre shares what's in her 'To Be Read' pile

by Ann Le Lievre

Our schools and libraries liaison Ann Le Lievre shares what’s in her ‘To Be Read’ pile for the start of 2016.

Last year I kept a list of all the books I read, and it came in handy as the months progressed. These books could easily have tumbled into the back of my memory, however the list meant I could reconnect with them at a moment’s notice. This year I’m going to go one step further: I’m going to make…

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January in review

We kicked off 2016 by sharing our 100 bestselling books of last year (as well as our 25 bestselling DVDs and 25 bestselling albums). Click here for a category breakdown of those bestselling books, and the number one seller for each category.

You can also find our top ten bestselling books of the month here.

It was a big month for literary awards with the Indie Book Awards shortlist, the Finalists for National Book Critics Circle Awards

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Our top ten bestsellers of the week

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

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

Reckoning by Magda Szubanski

The Story of the Lost Child by Elena Ferrante (translated by Ann Goldstein)

The Story of a New Name by Elena Ferrante (translated by Ann Goldstein)

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

The Moroccan Soup Bar by Hana Assafiri

Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay by Elena Ferrante (translated by Ann Goldstein)

Community: Salad Recipes from

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The most anticipated books of 2016

by Alison Huber

Dear Reader,

I am troubled. It seems like only moments ago that we were looking back at the year that was 2015, checking our reading diaries, assembling our list of the books that were the best of the year, and comparing our assessment of writing achievements to that of others. And now I find myself needing to forget all about last year, turn my attention in the opposite direction, and produce instead a new list: this time a register of…

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A calendar of Australian books to look out for in 2016: Part 1

Here is a calendar of adult books by Australian authors due for release in the first half of 2016. There’s new fiction from Fiona McFarlane, Josephine Rowe, and Patrick Holland; new non-fiction form Helen Garner, Stan Grant and Annabel Crabb; and, new poetry from Aden Rolfe and Ellen van Neerven – phew!

We’ve tried to include as many titles as we can, and will be updating the list throughout the year.

FEBRUARY

Comfort Zone by Lindsay Tanner

That Devil’s Madness

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What we're reading: Kelly Link, Nick Hornby and Fiona McFarlane

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.

Lian Hingee is reading Pretty Monsters by Kelly Link

I got Kelly Link’s Pretty Monsters from a mystery staff member as my Secret Santa gift last Christmas. This author is described as ‘a flat out genius’ by Holly Black and ‘almost certainly not human’ by Neil Gaiman. With such breathless endorsements from two…

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Winners of the Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards 2016

The winners of the Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards have been announced.

The winner of the fiction prize is The World Without Us by Mireille Juchau.

The winner of the non-fiction prize is Something for the Pain by Gerald Murnane.

The winner of the young adult fiction prize is Welcome to Orphancorp by Marlee Jane Ward.

The winner of the poetry prize is Crankhandle by Alan Loney.

The winner of the drama prize is Broken by Mary Anne Butler.

The winner…

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