We recently hosted our final meeting with this year’s Readings Teen Advisory Board. We took this opportunity to ask them for some final recommendations – from the best books they’ve been reading lately, to what they’d recommend to our customers looking for antiracist books for teens. Here are their picks. What’s the best book you’ve read lately?

The Power of Suffering by David Roland
Unpregnan…

Read more ›

Charmaine Papertalk Green has been named the 2020 winner of the ALS Gold Medal for their extraordinary poetry collection, Nganajungu Yagu.

A visual artist, poet, writer, independent curator and social sciences researcher, Green is a member of the Wajarri, Badimaya and Nhanagardi cultural groups from the Yamaji Nation of Western Australia.

Below are her own words about her award-winning work:

“…

Read more ›

Invisible Boys is one of the six books shortlisted for this year’s Readings Young Adult Book Prize.

Nerd Zeke, punk Charlie, and footy hero Hammer don’t appear to have anything in common. But appearances can be deceiving, and these three boys are all coming to terms with their homosexuality in a town where it is much safer for them to keep aspects of themselves invisible.

Here’s what the j…

Read more ›

Phosphorescence by Julia Baird The Coal Curse: Resources, Climate and Australia’s Future (Quarterly Essay 78) by Judith Brett Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo Me and White Supremacy by Layla F Saad Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia edited by Anita Heiss Beatrix Bakes by Natalie Pau…

Read more ›

Finding Our Heart by Thomas Mayor & Blak Douglas Young Dark Emu by Bruce Pascoe Bluey: Big Backyard The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins Welcome To Country by Aunty Joy Murphy & Lisa Kennedy The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling by Wai Chim Slime by David Walliams Dawn of the Underlord (The Bad Guys, Episode 11) by Aaron Blabey Bluey: All About Bluey One True King (The School…

Read more ›

The lives of writers, real or imagined, can make for fascinating novels, often dwelling in the intersection between art and life, between creativity and domesticity. Here we recommend five recent novels that feature writers as key characters. You can also browse our collection of novels about writers below to find even more recommendations. Breasts and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami (translated by S…

Read more ›

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. Tye Cattanach is reading The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

The Vanishing Half is Brit Bennett’s second novel and, like its predecessor The Mothers, does not disappoint. This cleverly constructed novel intrigues the reader from the very firs…

Read more ›

Magical powers, mythical monsters and strange other worlds are popular with young readers aged 8-12, who seek adventure, wonder and understanding through fantasy stories. Fantasy books can also be a great vehicle to represent a full and inclusive range of relatable characters and diverse mythologies. Here are some of our favourite fantasy books that champion cultural and LGBTQIA+ inclusivity. …

Read more ›

Winter is well and truly here, and what better way to spend the long, dark nights than kicking back with a good book with a delicious drink. We’ve paired some favourite new books with their ideal liquid partners. Sticks and Stones by Katherine Firkin

It’s winter in Melbourne and Detective Emmett Corban is starting to regret his promotion to head of the Missing Persons Unit, as the routine r…

Read more ›

Families can be relied on as deep wells for dramatic narratives. Whether it’s secrets held for decades, long separations, mysterious disappearances, disputed memories or tragic accidents, there’s nothing quite like sinking into an immersive story about family bonds being put to the test. Stone Sky Gold Mountain by Mirandi Riwoe

When family circumstances force siblings Ying and Lai Yue to fl…

Read more ›