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Australian fiction to pick up this month
Juice by Tim Winton
Two fugitives, a man and a child, drive all night across a stony desert. As dawn breaks, they roll into an abandoned mine site. From the vehicle they survey a forsaken place – middens of twisted iron, rusty wire, piles of sun-baked trash. They’re exhausted, traumatised, desperate now. But as a refuge, this is the most promising place they’ve seen. The child peers at the field of desolation. The man thinks to himself, this could work.
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Our books of the month, October 2024
Explore our books of the month for October.
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
Juice by Tim Winton
Reviewed by Joe Rubbo, Managing Director of Readings
‘ … the writing is just as superb as we have come to expect from Winton.’Somewhere in Western Australia, a man and a young child in his care…
ARA Historical Novel Prize 2024 Shortlist
The Historical Novel Society Australasia (HNSA) has announcd the shortlists for the 2024 ARA Historical Novel Prize! Selected from over 130 entries, the 2024 ARA Historical Novel Prize Shortlists encapsulates some of the best historical fiction from Australian and New Zealand writers.
The shortlisted authors will all share in a prize pool of $150,000; the winners of the adult and children's categories will receive $100,000 and $30,000 respectively, and the remaining authors from the shortlists will each receive $5,000.
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A beginner's guide to Sally Rippin
Sally Rippin is one of Australia’s best-selling and most-beloved children’s authors. Rippin has written over 50 books for kids, so it would be completely understandable to be just a tad overwhelmed! This blog is here to help you pick which Rippin book to pick up first!
There are lots of great junior fiction series to dive into, as well as beautiful picture books for little ones. And whether they're a new Sally Rippin fan or pick up all her books…
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 recommended new releases throughout the month!
Last year I remember calling October O for Overwhelming, and I must say that this declaration is even more Obvious in 2024. This is a proper whopper of a month…
Q&A with award-winning author Melanie Cheng
Our extraordinary community engagement and programming manager Chris Gordon asks beloved local author Melanie Cheng about her beautiful, heartbreaking new novel, The Burrow.
CG: The Burrow is set during Covid times in Melbourne. How important to you was recording this particular moment of Melbourne lockdown history? The unfinished house improvements and diminished public contact particularly resonated with me.
MC: I didn’t set out to write a book set during the pandemic. I knew publishers were wary of pandemic books…
Mark's Say
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 Mark Rubbo's column from the latest issue – and keep an eye on the blog for more updates and recommended new releases throughout the month!
It was with sadness that I read of Jack Hibberd’s passing; it made me feel a nostalgia for the creative energy of the Carlton of the ’60s and ’70s…
Whet your appetite with great food writing
From world-renowned chefs to foodies with a passion, these tantalising page-turners are captivating reading – regardless of whether you're a home cook that throws lavish dinner parties, or are still working on how to boil an egg properly . . .
A Bit on the Side by Virginia Trioli
Virginia Trioli knows that enduring joy is often found not in the big moments but in the small. And as a dedicated, almost obsessive, foodie, she believes that food gives us…
The 2024 Ned Kelly Award Winners
The Australian Crime Writers Association (ACWA) has announced the winners of the 2024 Ned Kelly Awards. Here are the recipients for each category:
🏆 BEST CRIME FICTION
Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth
It's not just secrets buried at Wild Meadows. For as long as they can remember, Jessica, Norah and Alicia have been told how lucky they are. Rescued from family tragedies and raised by a loving foster mother on an idyllic farming estate, they were given an elusive second…
Football books for the Grand Final weekend
Whether or not your team made it to the finals, this weekend's Grand Final has the attention of fans nation-wide. But there's only so much pre-match commentary and speculation a person can take, so why not occupy the time before the first bounce by reading up on Australia's biggest sport! From an inside look at the business of AFL, to celebrations of the community sport creates, and even delightful kids books for young footy fans, this list has something for…
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