Our latest blog posts

National Book Awards Longlist - Part II

The longlists for the 2024 National Book Awards have been announced! Discover the longlists for Fiction, Nonfiction and Poetry below.

Established in 1950, the National Book Awards is an American literary prize, administered by the National Book Foundation. Previous winners include American literary icons such as William Faulkner, Philip Roth, John Updike, Toni Morrison, Flannery O’Connor, Alice Walker, Jesmyn Ward, and Ta-Nehisi Coates.

While other categories have been recognized in the past, the Awards currently honour the best Fiction, Nonfiction…

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Family stories as gripping as they are dysfunctional

A great range of incredible family dramas have come out recently, so if you're ready to dive into compelling conflict, distract yourself from your own drama or live vicariously through the dysfunction of others, these books will fit the bill!

Together We Fall Apart by Sophie Matthiesson

For the past seven years, Clare has been living in London. She works for a judge on child protection cases. Her partner, Miriam, is devoted to raising their young son, Rupert; their days…

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The Booker Prize 2024 shortlist

The shortlist for the 2024 Booker Prize has been announced! The shortlist includes five women authors, the largest number in the Booker's 55-year history. The shortlist also includes the first Dutch writer to be shortlisted, and Charlotte Wood, the first Australian to be shortlisted in 10 years.

The Booker Prize is open to works of long-form fiction by writers of any nationality, written in English and published in the UK and/or Ireland; the shortlist was selected from 156 books published…

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Dog Lover's reading guide

by Lucie Dess

We love dogs here at Readings! We are always delighted whenever a dog walks through our shop doors. If you follow us on Instagram, you're sure to have seen many photos of wagging tails between the shelves!

If you love dogs as much as we do, then this blog is for you! whether you're young or old, whether you read fiction or nonfiction or just want to be closer with your four-legged friend, there's something for every dog lover.

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The September crime review

Discover the crime books that have been read and reviewed by our excellent booksellers this month – all in one place!

The Death of Dora Black: A Petticoat Police Mystery by Lainie Anderson

Reviewed by Kate McIntosh, manager of Readings Emporium

In 1915, Australia’s first female police officers were appointed. In Adelaide, Kate Cocks became the first policewoman in the entire British empire to be paid the same as her male counterparts. Before this, women had worked for the…

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Win a visit from Sally Rippin to your school!

Join the Readings Ripper Sally Rippin Scavenger Hunt for your chance to win a visit from Sally Rippin to your primary school*! The hunt starts on September 20th.

To join the hunt:

From the 20th of September onwards, head to one of our shops (except Readings Carlton) to pick up a map.

Find the Sally Rippin character picture hidden around the shop.

Once you've found the hidden picture, take your map up to the counter to get your stamp.

Head…

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At home with Chris Gordon, the best lifestyle books of the month

by Chris Gordon

The September edition of Readings Monthly is available online and in our shops, but if you haven't picked up a copy yet, below you can read Chris Gordon's column from the latest issue. And check the blog for more updates and recommended new releases throughout the month!

The Good Farm Cookbook by Scott Gooding & Matilda Brown

Break it down. Make a list. Check the time. Family feeding is difficult for many of us and this cheery, wholesome cookbook does…

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The Prime Minister's Literary Awards winners 2024

The winners of the 2024 Prime Minister's Literary Awards have been announced! The Prime Minister's Literary Awards celebrate outstanding literary talent in Australia and the valuable contribution Australian literature and history makes to the nation's cultural and intellectual life.

🏆 FICTION WINNER

Anam by André Dao

A grandson tries to learn the family story. But what kind of story is it?

Moving from 1930s Hanoi through a series of never-ending wars and displacements to Saigon, Paris, Melbourne and Cambridge, Anam

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A beginner's guide to Rick Riordan

by Alicia Vu

Rick Riordan is the mastermind behind Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief, which in the twenty years since it was first published has been joined by over twenty books set in the same universe. The Riordanverse now contains multiple series, following the adventures of Percy Jackson, the Heroes of Olympus, the Kane siblings, Magnus Chase, Ana Dakkar and Apollo (aka Lester Papadopolous). Riordan intertwines complex characters, captivating plots and Greek, Roman, Egyptian and Norse mythologies to create worlds I…

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A spotlight on new translated fiction

This month we're reading fiction translated from: Japanese, Spanish, French, Korean, Taiwanese, Danish and Russian!

We'll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida (translated from Japanese by E. Madison Shimoda)

A cat a day keeps the doctor away . . .

On the top floor of an old building at the end of a cobbled alley in Kyoto lies the Kokoro Clinic for the Soul. Only a select few – those who feel genuine emotional pain – can find it…

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