Each week our wonderful staff share the books that they've been enjoying.

Lian is reading These Precious Days by Ann Patchett

Ann Patchett was a guest at this year's Melbourne Writers' Festival, and hearing her speak on a panel with our own Chris Gordon was all the inducement I needed to dive head-first into her delightful collection of essays. These Precious Days is an absolutely charming, desperately relatable, heartfelt and humorous book that provides an insight into the experiences that…

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Children all face different obstacles through their lives, whether it’s an internal hurdle, a one-off catastrophe, or the routine struggle that is heading back to school. Kids' books are a helpful way to show them they’re not alone in the hardships they experience, or to display the tools children can use to tackle whatever obstacles they may face.

Here are some of my favourite picks for picture books that focus on resilience, perseverance, or overcoming adversity.

Grey by Laura Dockrill…

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To mark the first 25 years of the century, The New York Times Book Review sent a survey to hundreds of literary luminaries, asking them name the 10 best books published since Jan 1, 2000. They tallied the votes to create their list of The 100 Best Books of the 21st Century – and naturally book lovers around the world have been scouring the list to see how many they've read, and how many they have sitting untouched on a…

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Ranger’s Apprentice is one of my all-time favourite book series. When I was 9, I made myself a mottled green cloak, I fashioned a longbow out of bamboo and liked to think I was a Ranger myself. When I don’t know what to read or listen to, I still inevitably fall back to Ranger’s. I love the excitement when author, John Flanagan, releases a new book and couldn’t wait to get my hands on his latest: Ambush at Sorato.

…

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

Middle of the Night by Riley Sager

Reviewed by Aurelia Orr from Readings Kids

Set in the affluent neighbourhood of Hemlock Circle, New Jersey, a group of families surround each other in a cul-de-sac, closely bound together like a ribcage. Every Friday for the summer, best friends Ethan and Billy camp out in Ethan’s backyard. There should have…

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Everyone knows that feeling when you read a book that you absolutely love, but when you finish it, you're left wanting more. And this is even worse when you're trying to coax the little people in your life to read. Well lucky for you, there's some wonderful new series that have hit the shelves this year. Here is just some of them!

Goldfish-Finger by James Foley

Max is a mole on a mission. With Helen Hippo and June Bug by…

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The monolith of classic Russian literature can be daunting and perhaps a tad depressing to look at, as under the wrong light it can seem grey and harsh. The stereotype of Russian literature may have a serious countenance to an outsider, but when you get to reading them, holding the books under the lamp of curiosity, you will find that these books do have a great sense of the absurd, a quotidian humour and a litany of unique characters.

You…

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The Third Love by Hiromi Kawakami, translated by Ted Goossen

Having married her childhood sweetheart, Riko now finds herself trapped in a relationship that has been soured by infidelity. One day she runs into an old friend who offers friendship, love and an unusual escape: he teaches her the trick of living inside her dreams. And so, each night, she sinks into another life.

As she experiences desire and heartbreak in the past, Riko comes to reconsider her 21st century…

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At the top of our bestsellers this month is Taylor Swift in her Little People, Big Dreams era. Coming in at second place is a crime solving cat on a mission.

Others making the list is the next instalment in the Bad Guys series, a First Nations young adult fantasy, a much-loved classic about a black and white dog and a tour of the worlds oceans and seas.

1. Taylor Swift (Little People, Big Dreams) by Maria Isabel…

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Each week our wonderful staff share the books that they've been enjoying.

Aurelia is reading Maria Petranelli is Prepared for Anything (Except This) by Elisa Chenoweth

I just recently read Maria Petranelli is Prepared for Anything (Except This) and absolutely loved it! This is definitely a Looking for Alibrandi for the next generation, only just slightly more insane.

Maria Petranelli is your average Italian-Australian girl, working at a gelati store, surviving her loving-yet-overprotective Italian family. When she decides to go…

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