Today is World Environment Day and it’s always an excellent opportunity to reflect on ways we can take better care for the world around us. Here, our food and gardening columnist Chris Gordon explains why a garden can be the perfect way to share joy and love, and shares some of her best bookish recommendations for those looking to start one of their own.

Like so many of us during this strange …

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The shortlists for the Australian Booksellers Association’s (ABA) Booksellers’ Choice Book of the Year Awards have been announced. These awards recognise the titles that booksellers most enjoyed reading and hand-selling during 2019.

This year, for the first time, the awards will be presented in three categories: adult fiction, nonfiction and children’s. Below are this year’s shortlisted titles f…

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A Shooting at Chateau Rock by Martin Walker (available 9 June)

Look, we’re all trapped inside at the moment and spending some time in the French countryside listening to Bruno, Chief of Police, rhapsodise about food is a pretty delightful way to spend your time. In A Shooting at Chateau Rock, Bruno encounters a man named Gaston whose father has died of a heart attack – but his will, recently c…

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We’ve got stories strange and otherworldly this month. Sinking islands, mysterious sisters, splintered narratives and trippy parties all have a place on our reading shelf in June. Find our June picks for kids books here. SIX YA BOOKS TO READ THIS MONTH

The End of the World Is Bigger than Love by Davina Bell

Identical twin sisters Summer and Winter live alone on a remote island, shelter…

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This month we have some wonderful new Australian picture books, Melina Marchetta writing for a new age group, a magical illustrated novel, and a must-have book that illuminates the Uluru Statement from the Heart for young readers. Find our June picks for YA books here. SIX KIDS BOOKS TO READ THIS MONTH

The Giant and the Sea by Trent Jamieson & Rovina Cai

A giant stands on the shore, wa…

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We are delighted to announce the 2020 shortlist for the Readings Young Adult Book Prize. Now in its fourth year, this prize was created to recognise and celebrate new voices in Australian Young Adult literature, and considers the first and second books of YA authors across Australia.

What an incredibly strong year it has been for Australian Young Adult fiction. This year’s judges had a tough t…

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Phosphorescence by Julia Baird Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld Me and White Supremacy by Layla F Saad Normal People by Sally Rooney Humankind: A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams Beatrix Bakes by Natalie Paull White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney

Curtis Sittenfeld makes an…

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The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins Welcome To Country by Aunty Joy Murphy & Lisa Kennedy Bluey: The Beach Bluey: The Creek The Year the Maps Changed by Danielle Binks Slime by David Walliams & Tony Ross Bluey: Big Backyard Respect by Aunty Fay Muir, Sue Lawson & Lisa Kennedy The Dog Runner by Bren MacDibble Bluey: Time to Play!

Suzanne Collins proves that it doesn’t matter i…

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YA author Poppy Nwosu reflects on the enigma that is Mr Darcy, and the challenges of writing realistic, swoon-worthy romantic heroes for teen readers.

Love stories have existed for thousands of years, yet the culture surrounding romance has changed hugely in that time.

Recently, a work colleague told me her young niece had watched an adaption of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, and expresse…

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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. Chris Gordon is reading The Safe Place by Anna Downes

Do you need a novel to take you away from your couch and isolation? Perhaps a book that transports you somewhere warm, lush, tranquil even, while also introducing you to characters that ar…

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