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 watching The Jinx

I’m obsessing over crime right now. Not committing it, but consuming it, from true-crime tales to fictional thrillers. I’ve binge-watched Making a Murderer on Netflix (refusing to acknowledge 2016 had started until I finished all 10 episodes), am stuck into Season 2 of the podcast Serial, and…

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The Stella Prize has recently announced their Stella Sparks campaign, which celebrates writing by Australian women. A Stella Spark is the book by an Australian woman that struck a spark for you, igniting ideas, creativity and a passion for great writing. You can find out more about this fantastic campaign here.

Here, our staff share their own Stella Sparks.

My Stella Spark is Tara June Winch’s Swallow the Air. I read this when I was about 19 and…

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The Roving Party by Rohan Wilson

Set during the 1830 Black Line of Tasmania

The Black War saw the indigenous population of Tasmania hunted, and killed by British Colonialists. Rohan Wilson has drawn inspiration from the real life figure of John Batman – a grazier who rose to prominence as a government-authorised bounty hunter – and imagined the ‘roving party’ that set out under his direction. The Black Line is a dark period in Australia’s history that should never be…

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The shortlist for the Indie Book Awards 2016 has been announced.

Each year, independent booksellers from around the nation get together and vote for their favourite titles in four different categories. Here are the shortlisted books in each category.

Fiction

A Guide to Berlin by Gail Jones (Read our review)

The Natural Way of Things by Charlotte Wood (Read our review)

The Other Side of the World by Stephanie Bishop (Read our review)

The…

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The finalists for the National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) awards have been announced. The NBCC honours outstanding writing and fosters a national conversation about reading, criticism and literature.

Fiction

The Sellout by Paul Beatty

Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff

The Story of My Teeth by Valeria Luiselli

The Tsar of Love and Techno by Anthony Marra

Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh

Non-fiction

SPQR: A History of Rome by Mary Beard

Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights…

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The Family Law by Benjamin Law

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

Reckoning by Magda Szubanski

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

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

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James

Carol by Patricia Highsmith

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

The Story of the Lost…

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In My Heart: A Book of Feelings by Jo Witek and Christine Roussey

Friday Barnes Book 4: No Rules by R.A. Spratt

Diary of a Wimpy Kid Book 10: Old School by Jeff Kinney

The 65-Storey Treehouse by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton

Starting School by Jane Godwin and Anna Walker

Greetings from Australia by the Jacky Winter Group

The Cat with the Coloured Tail by Gillian Mears and Dinalie Dabarera

The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt and…

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Staff share what they’re planning to see at this year’s Blak & Bright festival, the first ever Victorian Indigenous Literary Festival. (You can find the full program here).

Leanne Hall is excited for the opening address

I can’t wait to see Anita Heiss deliver the opening address on 20 Reasons Why You Should Read Blak. I’ve just finished hoovering up her latest novel, Tiddas, over the summer break. This novel is the perfect blend of drama, romance…

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2016 is a particularly literary year for the Academy Awards with no fewer than five of the eight films nominated for Best Picture being inspired by books. Here are 11 books that have inspired films in this year’s list of Oscar nominees.

Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín

Nominated for Best Picture, Best Actress in a Leading Role, and Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

In 1952, Eilis Lacey leaves Ireland to immigrate to Brooklyn, where she has a better chance of finding work…

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In December the State Library of Victoria (in collaboration with Australian publishers) put on a showcase of young adult books we can expect to see in 2016. Our booksellers share the titles they’re most looking forward to.

Angela Crocombe is keen to read Megan Jacobson’s debut Yellow

There are so many YA books to get excited about, and that’s only looking at the next few months. We’re starting off the year with a double whammy book launch at the Carlton…

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