Our latest blog posts

What we're reading: Due, Paulsen and Armfield

Each week our wonderful staff share the books and music they've been enjoying

Jason Austin is reading The Reformatory by Tananarive Due

The last couple of weeks I have been loving Tananarive Due's amazing ghost story, The Reformatory, which is loosely based on experiences endured by the author's great uncle who died at the Dozier School for Boys in Florida in the 1930s.  

With their mother deceased and their father having to flee town after being accused of raping…

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Junior graphic novels to keep children engaged

There's so many wonderful illustrated novels for children right now. With longstanding bestsellers like The Bad Guys, Real Pigeons and Dog Man having become household names over the last ten years, it's no wonder there's now a cornucopia of choice for young readers when it comes to illustrated works. Below, we're recommending graphic novels that we love to share with emerging readers. These volumes are packed with silliness, sensitivity and adventure.

A Friend for Dragon by Dav Pilkey

Lonely…

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Beginner's Guide to Ali Hazelwood

by Lucie Dess

Ali Hazelwood is one of the most well-known authors in romance right now! But if you're new to her work, it's hard to know where to start. So to celebrate the launch of her latest book, Bride, I thought I'd create a guide to help you decide which Hazelwood to pick up first.

For the paranormal addicts...

Bride

Hazelwood's latest book is quite different from her other titles. Bride is her first book that isn't contemporary, but don't worry, there's…

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Best of the Best 2023

Every year our staff vote for their favourite books of the past 12 months. From their votes, we uncover the titles they loved most. Across six categories – Australian fiction, international fiction, nonfiction & memoir, picture books, junior & middle books, and young adult books – we share with you our top ten bookseller-voted titles. This year we've taken it one step further and asked you, our customers, to nominate your top read from each list of ten. After tallying…

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Children's books to share on World Read Aloud Day

by Lian Hingee

Today (7 February) is World Read Aloud Day, and as a parent who is one bedtime story away from chucking my four-year-old's favourite book out the window I thought that I would share some of the recent picture book releases that I would happily read four times in a row instead.

Julia Donaldson's Book of Names by Julia Donaldson and Nila Aye (illus.)

As someone with an unusual, oft-mispronounced name Julia Donaldson's Book of Names is a bit of a…

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Children's books to celebrate Lunar New Year

Lunar New Year is a wonderful celebration of family and good fortune in the coming year. 2024 marks the Year of the Dragon with festivities beginning on 10th February and culminating with the Lantern Festival on 24th February.

Here is a selection of books to celebrate the Lunar New Year and introduce young people to this exciting festival.

Our Family Dragon by Rebecca Lim & Cai Tse (illus.)

I can't wait till the dragon gets here!

It's New Year's…

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Winners of the Victorian Premier's Literary Awards 2024

Congratulations to all the winners of the Victorian Premier's Literary Awards 2024!

WINNER OF POETRY AND WINNER OF THE OVERALL VICTORIAN PRIZE FOR LITERATURE

Chinese Fish by Grace Yee

When Ping leaves Hong Kong to live in Aotearoa New Zealand, she discovers that life in the Land of the Long White Cloud is not the prosperous paradise she was led to believe it would be. Every day she works in a rat-infested shop frying fish, and every evening she…

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What the characters of Mean Girls are reading

by Lucie Dess

It's Wednesday and you know what that means! It's time to put on that one pink item of clothing you own, make the word 'fetch' happen and of course, read! Here is what we think the characters of Mean Girls would read!

Cady Heron is reading Burn for Burn by Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian

Looking for tips and tricks for bringing Regina George DOWN, Cady is reading Burn for Burn, the perfect revenge story ... Or so she thinks!

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The 100 bestselling books of 2023

We've run the reports and crunched the numbers. Here are our 100 bestselling books from the past year.

This year's top 100 includes:

37 works of nonfiction

6 Australian First Nations writers

3 cookbooks

4 stars of the screen

2 works of poetry

1 member of the British royal family

every book in the Before the Coffee Gets Cold series

You can discover our 100 bestselling children's and young adult books from 2023 here.

The Voice to Parliament Handbook

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Back to school

Whether returning to school or going to school for the first time there are a range of wonderful books to help your children on their way. From confidence building to making new friends here are some new, as well as staff favourites, to get you started.

The Crayons Go Back to School by Drew Daywalt & Oliver Jeffers (illus.)

The hilarious crayons from the number one New York Times bestseller The Day the Crayons Quit are ready to go back…

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