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Debut fiction to read this month
Australian authors feature strongly in our debut fiction blog this month, including four exciting crime novels to sink your teeth into as you patiently (or impatiently) wait for the warmer months to arrive.
Australian and International fiction
Two Daughters by Alison Edwards
For Ava, heading to university in Sydney is her escape from a poverty-stricken upbringing. Her mother is long gone, her father able to provide love but little else. On the other side of the world, Laurie tolerates university…
Australian fiction to pick up this month
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 is causing Sabine to melt down.
She is being stalked. As exhibition day draws closer, so too does the man who has been watching her. As his approaches become more overt and threatening, Sabine's fear amplifies…
Our books of the month, August 2024
Explore our books of the month for August.
Each of the below titles has been read and recommended by our booksellers before being selected as our book of the month for its category.
FICTION BOOK OF THE MONTH
Woo Woo by Ella Baxter
Reviewed by Alison Huber, head book buyer for Readings
'... this book is so well-written, you can give yourself over to the words, and engage fully with Baxter’s original thinking, and feel the feelings she is…
Charlie Archbold on her second book, The Sugarcane Kids and the Empty Cage
Readings' Lucie Dess, keen Kids and YA reader, interviewed Charlie Archbold about the second book in her middle grade series: The Sugarcane Kids and the Empty Cage. The first book in this series, The Sugarcane Kids and the Red-bottomed Boat won the Readings Children's Prize in 2022, so we are super excited for this second installment, and to have the chance to talk to Charlie about her process, and what's next for the Sugarcane Kids.
Lucie also reviewed…
Books for when you need a cathartic cry
If you're in need of a real tear-jerker, then look no further than these emotional titles.
A Language of Limbs by Dylin Hardcastle
The first love of a teenage girl is a powerful thing, particularly when the object of that desire is her best friend, and another girl. On a quiet summer night in Newcastle, 1972, a choice must be made: to act upon these desires, or suppress them? To live an openly queer life, or to try desperately not…
Dear Reader with Alison Huber
The start of a new month means that there's a new issue of Readings Monthly available online and in our shops. Below you can read Alison Huber's column from the latest issue – and keep an eye on the blog for more updates and recommened new releases throughout the month!
There are few moments in the book buying department’s year that feel quiet. I joked to someone earlier this month that it slows down for maybe one or two days…
Books to pair with an easy Book Week costume
Some people are handy with a glue gun, a sewing machine, a pair of scissors, and a large box. Some people relish the annual challenge of the Book Week costume and the opportunity to show off their crafty prowess to an assembly of peers. Some people . . . don't.
If Book Week's snuck up on you again this year, and you're in desperate need of a book to team with the generic costume you found in the shops (no…
Our top picks for Women in Translation Month
There's never a bad time to pick up one of these remarkable novels from women writers around the world. But since August is also Women in Translation Month, this is a particularly good time to seek out a writer you're not already familiar with.
Women in Translation Month was created in response to the dearth of women writers being translated into English. Ten years later, it's a growing movement to champion international writers and help readers discover books they might…
Foreword with Joe Rubbo
The start of a new month means that there's a new issue of Readings Monthly available online and in our shops. Below you can read the foreword from the latest issue – and keep an eye on the blog for more updates and recommended new releases throughout the month!
There has been a lot of talk in the media about the recent collapse of Booktopia. Although Booktopia was a competitor of Readings, its closure is not something we are celebrating…
What we're reading: Magee, Myint, St. John Mandel
Each week our wonderful staff share the books that they've been enjoying.
Joanna is reading Close to Home by Michael Magee
A novel from a new Irish novelist always gets my attention and I’m so glad I picked up a copy of Close to Home by Michael Magee. It’s the story of Sean, who returns home to Belfast after attending university in Liverpool. He falls into old habits and a violent act threatens to derail him further. There’s trauma in…
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