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Mark's Say, July 2015
The Australian merger of two publishing giants Penguin and Random House will be all but completed in early August as their distribution facilities merge into one combined facility. The process of merging the two companies will have taken almost 3 years since the original announcement. The merged companies will have a market share in Australia of close to 30%; in addition, Penguin and Random House provide different levels of sales and distribution services for a range of Australian and international…
The last five books I've read
by Eliza Henry-JonesEliza Henry-Jones is the author of In the Quiet. Here she tells us the last five books she read – all from women.
When I look back at the books I read in school and at university, they’re predominantly from male writers. So, this year I’m reading all books by women. And what a wonderful year of reading it’s been.
I’ve just finished The Strays by Emily Bitto and absolutely adored it. This is one of those books that…
Our top ten bestsellers of the week
The Mindfulness Colouring Book: Anti-Stress Art Therapy for Busy People by Emma Farrarons
The Eye of the Sheep by Sofie Laguna
Enchanted Forest by Johanna Basford
Secret Garden: An Inky Treasure Hunt and Colouring Book by Johanna Basford
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
Millie Marotta’s Animal Kingdom by Millie Marotta
Gut: the Inside Story of Our Body’s Most Under-Rated Organ by Giulia Enders
Enchanted Forest: 20 Postcards by Johanna Basford
The Strays by Emily Bitto
Our featured writer for July: Eliza Henry-Jones
Every month, we do a spotlight feature on an Australian author and Eliza Henry-Jones is our chosen author for July. Her debut novel, In the Quiet, is a moving story about the heartache of letting go.
What’s the book about?
Cate Carlton has recently died, yet she is able to linger on, watching her three young children and her husband as they come to terms with their life without her on their rural horse property. As the months pass…
Eliza Henry-Jones on horses and grief
by Eliza Henry-JonesEliza Henry-Jones is the author of In the Quiet. Here she talks about the role horses and grief play in her novel.
I think many of us have gone through phases of pony obsession – bedrooms filled with the silhouettes of little plastic ponies (My Little Ponies or Barbie’s Pegasus if you were really lucky) and stacks of yellowing school library books with horses on the cover. Who hasn’t been misty eyed at The Saddle Club and begged for…
Read an excerpt from In the Quiet by Eliza Henry-Jones
by Eliza Henry-JonesIn the Quiet is the debut novel from Australian author Eliza Henry-Jones. Here is an extract from the book.
I don’t know how I died. That’s strange, isn’t it? To be dead and know that but to not know how it happened. To not know my last memory.
It’s not something that I ever considered when I was alive.
I can see and I can hear. And when I remember back to other times and other places, I see and…
A note from our Readings Monthly editor
Download a PDF of the latest issue
We will miss Martin Shaw when we wave him and his family on their way to their new adventure in Germany, but as oceans are no barrier to flurries of emails about new book discoveries, we will be saying bon voyage to Martin, not goodbye. We are excited to welcome Alison Huber to the role of head book buyer – we’re already in the habit of exchanging book recommendations with Alison as she…
A beginner's guide to...
Sometimes you want to begin reading an author but you’re not sure where to start. We’re here to help. We’ve written six beginner guides, covering the work of five of our favourite authors and an entire genre of cookbooks.
Emily Gale is the ‘ultimate fanwoman’ for Liane Moriarty. She writes: “…Moriarty feels like my incredibly funny, sharply observant and quietly clever friend. She’s no show-off. She can be warm and perceptive, artful and surprising.”
Read our beginner’s guide to Liane…
What we're reading: Sarai Walker, Patrick Ness and Amanda Lohrey
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 listening to the podcasts from this year’s Sydney Writers’ Festival
Who needs to travel interstate for the Sydney Writers’ Festival (or even leave your house) when you can listen to the incredible range of festival session now available as podcasts. I am completely addicted!
The festival are releasing two…
The beginner's guide to Curtis Sittenfeld
Curtis Sittenfeld is one of my all-time favourite authors. I love her books passionately. There’s a quality to her writing I find addictive, in a way I can’t quite explain. I like the way she puts her sentences together, I like her (often times infuriating) characters, I like the way she captures little details about people or places that bring them to life.
If you’ve never read Sittenfeld before, I’m here to guide you through the process. Here’s the order…
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