Every year, the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) program features some great films inspired by literature. Here are some of our favourite books that will be shown on the big screen this year, and some thrilling readalikes to keep you going. Check out the full MIFF 2019 program here. Animals by Emma Jane Unsworth (Available 18 July)

Laura and Tyler are either side of thirty and …

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The theme for NAIDOC Week 2019 is ‘Voice. Treaty. Truth’ – the three key elements set out in the Uluru Statement from the Heart. In honour of this, and also of the United Nations International Year of Indigenous Languages, we recommend six children’s books that contain Indigenous words and languages, and give voice to the rich lore, culture and knowledge of our First Nations Australians.

M…

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On Sunday 14 July, Readings is hosting the explosive, lively Melbourne Ska Orchestra for a live performance at Readings Carlton. I met with Nicky Bomba, the director of Melbourne Ska Orchestra, to talk about how his entire multi-piece orchestra was going to navigate the Readings Carlton bookshop.

‘We could have the brass section popping out of philosophy,’ he said, ‘And the drummer emerging fro…

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The theme for NAIDOC Week 2019 is ‘Voice. Treaty. Truth’ – the three key elements set out in the Uluru Statement from the Heart. In honour of NAIDOC Week, we’d like to spotlight some of the many books that foreground and give voice to the rich language, culture and lived experiences of First Nations Australians. The books listed below, by no means a complete list, provide a wonderful way for all…

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For book clubs who want to think deeply about our country… The Yield by Tara June Winch

Tara June Winch’s exquisite tale about reclaiming Indigenous storytelling, language and identity is a powerful exploration of dispossession and a piercing insight into the heart of this country. The novel focuses largely on two characters: Albert Gondiwini – a Wiradjuri man intent on keeping alive the lang…

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The Learning Curves of Vanessa Partridge by Clare Strahan is one of the six books shortlisted for this year’s Readings Young Adult Book Prize.

‘You’d think since colonisation that Black history and White history would be the same history but that doesn’t take into account history being written by the victors.’

– Clare Strahan, The Learning Curves of Vanessa Partridge

Here’s what the judges…

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We have a bumper crop of events this month, so we’ve highlighted some key events below for both kids and adults. Please check out our full events calendar here – there’s something for everyone!

For those who love to dance… Melbourne Ska Orchestra

Put on your dancing shoes, Melbourne Ska Orchestra’s live performance is explosive and infectious and it’s coming to Readings! Their unique take…

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The World’s Worst Teachers by David Walliams Pig the Tourist by Aaron Blabey The Search for the Silver Witch (Polly and Buster, Book 3) by Sally Rippin A Boy Called Bob Becomes an AFL Footballer by Bob Murphy and Tony Wilson Into the Wild (Wolf Girl, Book 1) by Anh Do The Good Thieves by Katherine Rundell Sick Bay by Nova Weetman All The Ways to be Smart by Davina Bell and Alison Colpoys Wilam: …

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Plots and Prayers by Niki Savva Dark Emu by Bruce Pascoe Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton Open House Melbourne Weekend: 2019 Program by Open House Melbourne Quarterly Essay 74: The Prosperity Gospel – How Scott Morrison Won and Bill Shorten Lost by Erik Jensen Born at the Right Time: A Memoir by Ron McCallum Songs by Don Walker Normal People by Sally Rooney Big Sky by Kate Atkinson The Whit…

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On Eating Meat by Matthew Evans

In On Eating Meat, food critic, chef, farmer, television presenter and restaurateur Matthew Evans grapples with the contentious topic of the means of producing and consuming animals. He examines feedlots and abattoirs, organic farms and his very own farming practices to appreciate what we are doing and why. This book could be placed in the same bucket as Jonatha…

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