We are proud to announce the six shortlisted titles for The Readings Young Adult Prize 2024! The Readings Young Adult Prize is presented for the best new contribution to Australian youth literature from an emerging author.

Our staff judges for the 2024 prize are Alicia Guiney (chair of judges, Readings Kids), Julia Jackson (Readings Carlton), Kate McIntosh (Readings Emporium) and Vasilia Nerouppos (Readings Doncaster).

You can also view our recently announced Children's Prize shortlist here!

A Way Home by…

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Let’s talk about women. Women in the bookstore!

George Eliot wrote in her 1856 essay, Silly Novels by Lady Novelists, 'Fiction is a department of literature in which women can, after their kind, fully equal men.' I cannot imagine anyone in a Readings bookstore arguing this point.

But within the classics section, where Eliot and others reside, women are criminally under-represented and – this may give you pause – on average, the audience makeup for contemporary female writers…

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You may have seen Woo Woo by Ella Baxter was named our Fiction Book of the Month for August, but if that's not enough to convince you its worth picking up, here are some passionate endorsements from our booksellers!

'Ella Baxter must be one of the most unique voices in Australian publishing at the moment. Woo Woo is a darkly comic satirical take on the contemporary Melbourne art scene. It is much like gleefully belly-sliding down a hallway of very…

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Looking for something juicy to discuss in your book club? Try one of these new releases, chosen by our booksellers to appeal to a wide range of readers and provide plenty to talk about.

Australian fiction

Woo Woo by Ella Baxter

Sabine is having a moment. Her new exhibition, Fuck You, Help Me, is opening soon and, as her gallerist says, 'Hell is an artist three days before their exhibition opens.' But it's not only this coming milestone that…

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A Vermont boarding school hidden away in the mountains, a lavish estate filled with puzzles upon puzzles, or a resort island set off the coast of New England. Friends that stab you in the back, or an anonymous voice threatening to reveal all of your secrets . . .

The murder mystery genre is full to the brim of captivating stories that will stun you into silence, with insightful and witty characters, extravagant locations, and plots that are dying to…

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We are proud to announce the six shortlisted titles for The Readings Children's Prize 2024! The Readings Children’s Prize is presented for the best new contribution to Australian children’s literature from an emerging author.

Our staff judges for the 2024 prize are Dani Solomon (chair of judges, Readings Kids), Athina Clarke (Readings Carlton), Miranda La Fleur (Readings St Kilda), and Kate O’Mara (Readings Hawthorn).

The Lonely Lighthouse of Elston-Fright: An Elston-Fright Tale by Reece Carter, illustrated by Simon Howe

The…

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The shortlists for the 2024 Ned Kelly Awards have been announced, recognising the best Australian crime fiction and true crime writing from the past year.

Each year, the Australian Crime Writers Association recognises and celebrates the achievements and continuing strength of Australian authors. The Ned Kelly Awards for crime writing are among Australia’s oldest and most respected awards.

The judging panel commented that 2024 was the year of cosy crime, a sub-genre that has surged in popularity around the…

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Knocking Taylor Swift (Little People, Big Dreams) from top spot on our bestsellers this month is the lastest book in Anh Do's popular Wolf Girl series, Hide and Seek.

New entries include: ABC Disability, an A to Z of celebrating what makes each of us unique from three-time Paralympian swimmer, medal-winner and disability advocate Sarah Rose; Reckless, the second book in Lauren Roberts' romantasy Powerless trilogy; The Skin I’m In a feisty, funny and poignant YA novel…

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For the second month in a row, our bestseller list is topped by Miranda July's tender, hilarious and literary novel, All Fours, about a woman upending her life.

Newcomers this month include cookbooks from two amazing chefs who have made their mark on the Melbourne food scene and are must-haves for your collection: Tarts Anon's Gareth Whitton, winner of the first Masterchef: Dessert Masters last year, has released Tarts Anon: Sweet and Savoury Brilliance; and Andreas Papadakis…

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The 2024 Melbourne International Film Festival kicked off this week, so here are some great books set in the film industry to help you get extra excited about cinema and fill the time between screenings!

📽️Literary Fiction

The Whitewash by Siang Lu

It sounded like a good idea at the time: a Hollywood spy thriller, starring, for the first time in history, an Asian male lead. With an estimated $350 million production budget and up-and-coming Hong Kong actor JK Jr…

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