Meet the bookseller
Meet the bookseller with Aurelia Orr
In this meet the bookseller column we chat with Aurelia Orr, one of our fabulous Readings Kids booksellers! We talk about her time on our Teen Advisory Board, recent favourite reads, and what she'll be reading next.
Why did you decide to work in books?
I decided I wanted to work in books when I first started shopping at Readings Carlton when I was 12 years old. I immediately fell in love with the store. It was like Belle seeing…
Meet the bookseller with Tracy Hwang
In this Meet the Bookseller column we chat with Tracy Hwang, one of our excellent Emporium booksellers! We talk about her favourite part of bookselling, treasured recent reads, and what she'll be reading next.
Describe your taste in books.
I mostly read fiction. A lot of it is Asian lit and translated fiction, and I’m especially drawn to stories written by and about diaspora. While these sorts of stories are what make up the bulk of my reading lately, my…
Meet the bookseller with Emma Clarke
In this Meet the Bookseller column we chat with Emma Clarke, one of our excellent St Kilda booksellers! We talk about everything from the favourite part of the job to the ideal fictional world to be trapped within.
Emma is also the new host of our weekly Readings St Kilda storytimes that take place every Saturday at 2pm.
What is your favourite part of your job?
There are a lot of things I love about my job. My favourite ……
Meet the bookseller with Lou Ryan
In this month’s Meet the Bookseller column we chat with Lou Ryan, our fabulous Carlton shop manager! We talk about how a conversation with a friendly bookseller began her life-long career in publishing, how a 1980s bookstore compares to those of 2021, and what she’s been reading lately.
Why did you decide to work in books?
I was a directionless and underemployed 24-year-old who loved reading. I visited The Paperback bookshop in Melbourne and cross-examined bookseller Sally Madsen (whose next…
Meet the bookseller with Oliver Driscoll
Oliver Driscoll works as a bookseller at Readings Doncaster and we’re delighted he has also just released his first book! I Don’t Know How That Happened is a funny and unsettling collection of poems. Here, Oliver talks about writing, his doubts about publishing trends, and shares what’s on his TBR pile.
Tell us about your book!
So, I don’t mean to sound as though I’m playing I Don’t Know How That Happened, but it’s a small and quiet poetry…
Meet the bookseller with Kim Gruschow
In this month’s Meet the Bookseller column we chat with Kim Gruschow, a buyer and experienced children’s and YA specialist at our St Kilda shop. She chats about the pleasure of translated fiction, the rise of books about climate crisis, and shares who she’d invite to a dinner party – and why.
Describe your taste in books.
I like very specific visual catalogues. I like sharp novels that come in at around 200 pages. I like innovative and creepy comic…
Meet the bookseller with Alexa Dretzke
In our latest Meet the Bookseller column, we chat with Alexa Dretzke, the Assistant Manager & Children’s Book Buyer for our Hawthon shop. Alexa fell into the book industry by accident and first came on board at Readings more than 17 years ago! Here, she talks about the reward of selecting the right book for a customer, and shares what’s on her TBR pile.
Why did you decide to work in books?
It was happenstance, as my career was originally…
Meet our new Human Resources Manager Megan Wood
Megan Wood started at Readings in late 2019, stepping into the role of Human Resources Manager for the company. Here, we ask her about her about some of her favourite authors, and which fictional world she’d choose to live inside of.
Describe your taste in books.
I find my taste varies quite a lot. I wouldn’t say I have one particular genre or style of book that I favour, it really depends on my mood at the time. I do…
Meet the bookseller with Pia Spreadborough
Pia Spreadborough has worked at Readings since 2010, moonlighting at various stores, managing book launches and more. She now works in the Readings warehouse as a member of our busy online dispatch and receiving teams. Here, she chats about books and what happens when you turn feminism into a commodity, and shares the disaster artists she’d invite to a dinner party.
What is your favourite part of your job?
I’ve worked at Readings since I was 18, so I’ve had…
Meet the bookseller with Athina Clarke
Athina Clarke is one of our brilliant children’s and young adult book specialists, and has worked at Readings since 2002 – first at the Port Melbourne shop, before moving onto Readings Malvern where she’s been the buyer for more than seven years. She has been involved in a number of initiatives around children’s books over the years and was named the recipient of the ABA Elizabeth Riley Fellowship for Children’s Bookselling in 2017.
Why did you decide to work in…
Browse our blog by category
