Our latest blog posts

Things to do, watch, read and eat: your guide to Melbourne in November

Wine and dine

If you’re in Carlton, we suggest a visit to Heartattack and Vine, a gorgeous new café and bar which is co-owned by Melbourne author Emily Bitto. This Italian-style café/bar serves coffee and simple on-the-go eats (like hot pork rolls) during the day, then snacks and drinks at night.

You can find Heartattack and Vine at 329 Lygon Street, Carlton, 3053.

Dance

Celebrate the roots and rhythm of jazz music and dance at the Sea of Rhythm

Read more ›

What are some books to keep early readers reading?

by Emily Gale

Fill your house with stacks of books, in all the crannies and all the nooks. – Dr. Seuss

For lots of parents, there’s a stage when their children are learning to read that requires gritted teeth and plenty of enthusiasm, when we try our hardest not to say things like: ‘But we sounded out this word fifteen seconds ago!’ Once that stage is over, which varies hugely from child to child, you need a good supply of books that appeal…

Read more ›

Christine Kenneally shares her influences

by Christine Kenneally

The Invisible History of the Human Race reveals how both historical artifacts and DNA tell us where we come from and where we may be going. Here, Christine Kenneally shares the authors and books that influence her work.

Great writing can be a beacon in the fog for a writer in the middle of their own book, even if the subjects are very different. As I wrote The Invisible History, I would sometimes stumble on a great idea or…

Read more ›

Six must-read Australian authors

Our staff reflect on the work of six terrific Australian authors who have new books out this month.

Amy Vuleta recommends Michelle De Kretser

I’m dying to get my hands on Michelle De Kretser’s new novella, Springtime: A Ghost Story, because what I love the most about De Kretser’s writing is how utterly haunted it is – all of her stories are ghost stories. She has a way of writing characters and situations that are at once present and…

Read more ›

James Butler on Jeanette Winterson

by James Butler

I’ve been thinking a lot about the body lately, about consciousness and embodiment and the ways we relate to them. The mind and body are often distinguished from each other, drawn as two parts of a whole: the mind an essence and the body a vessel. I’ve been questioning why we maintain such a distinction, what the repercussions of that distinction are, and what writing and actively thinking about the body can do.

These questions are how I came to…

Read more ›

Our top ten bestsellers of the week

The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan

Plenty More by Yotam Ottolenghi

Only the Animals by Ceridwen Dovey

Not That Kind of Girl: A Young Woman Tells You What She’s ‘Learned’ by Lena Dunham

Amnesia by Peter Carey

Yes Please by Amy Poehler

Private Bill: In Love and War by Barrie Cassidy

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (including film tie-in edition)

The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion

Merciless Gods by Christos Tsiolkas

This week in Australian…

Read more ›

Robyn Lawley Eats: Cherry Ripe slice & Slow-roasted jerk chicken

by Robin Lawley

In addition to being an international supermodel, Robyn Lawley is a self-confessed foodie, and her new cookbook, Robyn Lawley Eats is an inspiration to girls who just love to eat. Here, she shares two recipes from the book.

CHERRY RIPE SLICE

Preparation time: 50 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Makes: 15-20 squares

Ingredients (base):
11/2 cups plain flour
3 tbsp Dutch (dark) cocoa powder
¾ cup caster sugar
½ tsp baking powder
100g salted butter, chopped and softened
50ml cold…

Read more ›

Mark's Say: Popular Penguins

by Mark Rubbo

This month marks the retirement of Peter Blake, the Sales Director of Penguin Books Australia. Peter’s name may not mean much to you but he’s probably touched your life in some way. Text publisher Michael Heyward called Peter a publishing genius for his simple yet brilliant idea of repackaging backlist titles in the distinctive orange and white livery of the Penguin Popular Classics at an affordable price – a bit like classy plain packaging!

Peter and I spoke about this…

Read more ›

What we're reading: Kendall Kulper, Robin Black & Adrian Nicole LeBlanc

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 Witch of Salt & Storm by Kendall Kulper

The cover of this book was as seductive as I’ve ever seen on our young adult fiction shelves, and so when it came to pick a title for the book club I’m part of, I waved a picture of this…

Read more ›

Six female horror authors to try this Halloween

Lauren Beukes

South African novelist Lauren Beukes is an entirely original voice in crime fiction, blending together sci-fi, horror and crime. Her 2013 novel, The Shining Girls, which featured a time-traveling serial killer, was intensely creepy and earned her praise from Stephen King and James Ellroy. In her latest novel, Broken Monsters, Detective Gabriella Versado is stumped when part-human, part-animal corpses start appearing in Detroit.

Octavia Butler

Octavia Butler is best known as a sci-fi author but her…

Read more ›