Our latest blog posts
What we're reading: Justine Larbalestier, Susana Moreira Marques and Kate Di Goldi
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.
Fiona Hardy is reading The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
When my partner is on school holidays (he’s a teacher), I spend a few days during the week taking myself off to the library in order to write the Great Australian Novel while he wrestles with our kid on his…
Vale David Bowie
This week, many of our staff were devastated to learn of David Bowie’s passing. Some of them reflect on how his work impacted on their lives.
When I was 13 I was involved in a punch up defending Bowie’s claim to the title of ‘greatest pop icon of our time’. My opponent had declared that said title belonged to Prince. I won the argument but lost the fight.
A master of reinvention and polymath of popular culture, Bowie also recognised…
Around the world in 25 books
Set off on your own personal world tour, without changing out of your pajamas. Here are 25 reads from around the world that will transport you to new lands.
Indonesia
First, jump next door to Indonesia with Eka Kurniawan. Beauty is a Wound was one of our top ten fiction books of last year, drawing comparisons with Gabriel García Márquez and Salman Rushdie. An epic fable full of magic and ghosts, horror and humour, this novel intertwines Indonesia’s history…
Our children's and YA top ten bestsellers of the week
The 65-Storey Treehouse by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton
In My Heart: A Book of Feelings by Jo Witek and Christine Roussey
The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey
Diary of a Wimpy Kid Book 10: Old School by Jeff Kinney
The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers
Friday Barnes Book 4: No Rules by R.A. Spratt
The Singing Bones by Shaun Tan
Auggie & Me: Three Wonder Stories by R.J. Palacio
Our top ten bestsellers of the week
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante (translated by Ann Goldstein)
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
The Story of a New Name by Elena Ferrante (translated by Ann Goldstein)
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay by Elena Ferrante (translated by Ann Goldstein)
The Natural Way of Things by Charlotte Wood
The Story of the Lost Child by Elena Ferrante (translated by Ann Goldstein)
What we're reading: Richard Price, Benjamin Law and Tove Jansson
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 The Summer Book by Tove Jansson
I started 2016 reading Tove Jansson’s aptly named The Summer Book. I’d finished 2015 with a handful of thrilling page-turners, which I’d enjoyed and read in a breathless, adrenaline-fuelled state, but The Summer Book offers a completely different reading experience. It’s gentle…
Books to inspire young writers
Kids are natural storytellers – they’re endless wellsprings of exciting ideas and fanciful tales. If you can guide them in creating their own pieces of writing from an early age, you’ll be shaping the next generation of bestselling authors. And because we at Readings have a vested interest in finding new storytellers, here are our favourite books for encouraging the young writer in your life.
642 Things to Write About: Young Writer’s Edition by 826 Valencia
In 2002, author Dave…
The 100 bestselling books at Readings in 2015
Here are our 100 bestselling books from the past year!
We’ve crunched the numbers and tallied the scores and in amongst the colouring books and Ferrantes there’s a few surprises in our top 100 bestselling books from 2015.
51 of to the top 100 books of the year are from Australia, and of all the authors (as well as illustrators, translators, and food photographers) listed here, 51% are female and 48% are Australian. Every book in Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan quartet…
The 25 bestselling CDs at Readings in 2015
Here are our 25 bestselling albums from the past year.
Our top 25 albums of 2015 include some terrific Australian releases, from established favourites such as The Waifs and Paul Kelly, to beguiling new voices such as Indie rocker Courtney Barnett. The 25th anniversary edition of Archie Roach’s 1990 album Charcoal Lane (featuring previously unreleased recordings and new interpretations of the original material) was another popular local release, as was Gurrumul’s The Gospel Album, which our reviewer described as…
The 25 bestselling DVDs at Readings in 2015
Here are our 25 bestselling DVDs from the past year.
Televised dramas led the way in DVD sales last year with multiple seasons of Un Village Francais, The Fall, and The Legacy all appearing in our top 25. The list also includes some great documentaries, such as Asif Kapadia’s harrowing biopic of powerhouse singer Amy Winehouse. We’re also pleased to note that three of our bestselling DVDs are drawn from literature. Far From The Madding Crowd is based…
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