John A. Scott’s long-awaited novel, N, is set in a re-imagined, though frighteningly familiar, Australia. Moving between the stories of artists, soldiers, public servants and visionaries, and told in a breadth of narrative styles, N is both a love story and political thriller. Here, Scott talks with David Brooks about writing this work of epic scope and masterful intricacies.

It is wartime – 1942 – and Australia is occupied by the Japanese. Sydney has been devastated. Melbourne is the…

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We’re thrilled to announce our inaugural shortlist for The Readings Children’s Book Prize! See the eight shortlisted titles below. The winner will be announced in the July issue of the Readings Monthly.

You can visit our Children’s Book Prize blog for lots more information, including videos and details on how kids can become junior reviewers!

Jamie Reign: The Last Spirit Warrior by P.J. Tierney

Jamie Reign was born twelve years ago, on the first day of the Chinese…

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In a 2009 interview with the Paris Review, American non-fiction writer Gay Talese described his unorthodox approach to reporting for the New York Times as a young man in the 1950s and 60s: ‘I knew I did not want to be on the front page,’ he said. ‘On the front page you’re stuck with the news. The news dominates you. I wanted to dominate the story.’

It was Talese’s approach to non-fiction that had Tom Wolfe announce him a…

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Saturday 19 April is Record Store Day and we’ve decided this occasion is worthy of a month-long celebration. Visit our Carlton, St Kilda or Hawthorn shops in April and you’ll receive 20% of all vinyl!

Hand-picked by our passionate music team, our vinyl collection includes old favourites alongside terrific new releases. Come on down to chat with our specialists in person and complete your own collection.

We’re also delighted that on the day itself (Saturday 19 April), Australian musician…

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By Its Cover by Donna Leon

The News: A User’s Manual by Alain de Botton

Deep Field: Despatches from the frontlines of aid relief by Tom Bamforth

That Sinking Feeling: Asylum Seekers and the Search for the Indonesian Solution (Quarterly Essay 53) by Paul Toohey

The Blazing World by Siri Hustvedt

The Son by Jo Nesbo

Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi & Sami Tamimi

I Quit Sugar for Life: 148 Recipes + Meal Plans for Families and Solos by Sarah Wilson

…

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Earlier this year I penned a ‘Most-Anticipated Books of 2014’ column, and – as is always the way – I soon came to regret my sins of omission, more recently becoming aware of other forthcoming works that belonged on my radar. One such is the new novel from John A. Scott, who, literally the day after submitting my column, wandered into our Carlton shop to tell me that his long-awaited new novel was finished and set to appear…

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Our Events Manager Chris Gordon interviews Betty Churcher about Australian Notebooks.

Congratulations on your second book.

I’m so glad you enjoyed my meander through the Australian Galleries.

Your tour of these galleries is both enlightening and heart-warming; I enjoyed being in the arms of what I felt was an art-lover, artist and historian all at once. How would you describe your position in relation to these books?

You were in the arms of an art-lover every step of the…

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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.

Mark is reading The Hole by Ãyvind Torseter

I was totally charmed and intrigued by Finnish artist Ãyvind Torseter’s The Hole – a children’s book that really anyone can enjoy.

The central character moves into a new apartment and trips over a hole in the floor (and there really is a hole!) –…

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A few weeks ago, we received some negative commentary about a book that we had in the front window of our Carlton shop. The book in question was Before They Pass Away, by English photographer Jimmy Nelson. Nelson has spent years photographing indigenous people around the world. It’s a stunningly beautiful book, and in years to come, Nelson’s work may well be as highly regarded as that that of Edward Curtis, who photographed Native Americans in the early twentieth…

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There are now a few good sibling-issues picture books that tell it like it is, or can be when a new baby is brought home (The Swap, Bye-Bye Baby Brother, Stupid Baby) but none of them quite capture the true potential of outraged violence v. unconditional love that Aaron Blabey’s The Brothers Quibble does. Brilliantly confronting, the rhyme is perfect, it’s funny and Blabey’s trademark illustrations set the tone. Even if your children quite like each…

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