Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee

The Girl With the Dogs by Anna Funder

The Mindfulness Colouring Book: Anti-Stress Art Therapy for Busy People by Emma Farrarons

St Gill & His Audiences by Sasha Grishin

Gut: the Inside Story of Our Body’s Most Under-Rated Organ by Giulia Enders

The Eye of the Sheep by Sofie Laguna

Millie Marotta’s Tropical Wonderland: A Colouring Book Adventure by Millie Marotta

A Doubtful Inheritance by Ted Todd

Millie Marotta’s Animal Kingdom by Millie…

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Events Manager Chris Gordon shares her top five picks from our August event calendar

Dinner with Simon Bryant

I’m such a huge fan of Maggie Beer and her Chef, Simon Bryant and we are so delighted to be able to bring the very first, surely, celebrity chef to our favourite cafe in Hawthorn. It will be such a treat to dine with Simon, to hear his take on where fine dining and cooking are heading, and to settle back enjoying…

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Here’s our recommend reading list for this year’s Melbourne Writer’s Festival. (You can find the full program of MWF here.)

Feminist read

We recommend: The Wife Drought by Annabel Crabb
Runner up: Dietland by Sarai Walker

Anti-bullying

We recommend: So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson
Runner up: Bad Behaviour: A Memoir of Bullying and Boarding School by Rebecca Starford

Historical fiction

We recommend: The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters
Runner up: The Dust That Falls from Dreams…

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As well as a host of amazing local authors, there are so many wonderful international authors visiting our city for the Melbourne Writers Festival this year! (You can find the full program here).

Here are ten internationals we can’t wait to see.

Naomi Klein

Naomi Klein is an award-winning journalist, syndicated columnist and author of such groundbreaking books as The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism, and This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate.

See her…

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Staff share what they’re planning to see at the Melbourne Writers Festival this year. (You can find the full program here).

Nina Kenwood is excited about Rob Thomas, Sarah Waters, Jon Ronson and more

The first name that jumped out at me was Rob Thomas, creator of my beloved TV series Veronica Mars, (among other things). I cannot wait to see him. Definitely my stand-out highlight, in terms of immediate excitement.

Other internationals I want to see…

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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.

Emily Gale is reading Molly and Pim and the Millions of Stars by Martine Murray

This is a story that burrowed into my heart this week and has set up camp in there. Yes, it really got to me that much.

Molly is at the age of noticing how her life compares with…

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We’re thrilled that the Melbourne Writers Festival is here! And we’ve picked out an event for you for to attend every single evening of the festival.

Thursday, 20 August: Rob Thomas – Veronica Mars to iZombie

Rob Thomas is the creator of TV cult classics Veronica Mars, Party Down, and the new series iZombie. He’ll talk about it all, including pintsize PI Veronica’s journey from TV to film (and now books) – kickstarted by the most successful…

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Our head book buyer Alison Huber recommends six terrific non-fiction books about music.

How to Write About Music: Excerpts from the 33 1/3 Series, Magazines, Books and Blogs with Advice from Industry-Leading Writers edited by Marc Woodworth and Ally Jane Grossan

This is an invaluable text for all those who have ever dreamed of getting their music writing published and a pleasure for everyone who loves to read about music. Selections from the critically-acclaimed 33 1/3 series appear alongside new…

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If your book club is looking for inspiration on what to read next, we’re here to help.

Nina Kenwood recommends…

If you’re looking for an interesting, well-written novel that’s funny and filled with topics ripe for discussion, then you can’t go wrong with Dietland by Sarai Walker. It covers feminism, body weight issues, media, violence, terrorism, the diet industry, fashion and much more. The author is American, and she’s coming to Australia very soon (we’re holding an event with her…

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We’re loving Kate Beaton’s new picture book, The Princess and the Pony. We asked her some questions about writing the book, which you can find here. And below is a sneak peek inside.

Image credit: Excerpt from The Princess and The Pony by Kate Beaton, published by Walker Books.

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