For anyone with a creepy kid in their lives, or for anyone young and ghoulish at heart, here are my favourite titles, from the slightly spooky to the hair-raisingly horrifying, for you to pick up this Halloween season.

Packed with menacing middle grades, ghoulish graphic novels, and knee-nobbling non-fiction, you’ll be able to find the perfect read for any Halloween loving child. These titles are recommended for ages eight to eight-hundred and eighty!

A Girl Called Corpse by Reese Carter

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We are proud and excited to announce Emma Darragh as this year's winner of The Readings Prize for New Australian Fiction, for her unflinching, tender and darkly funny debut novel Thanks for Having Me, which explores what we give to our families and what we take from them – whether we mean to or not.

We've asked Emma about the inspiration for her work, the creative process, her perfect reader, favourite writing advice and what she hopes readers take…

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Nearly 100 submissions, 18 shortlisted books and now we celebrate four winners! 

It’s a fantastic achievement just being shortlisted for this prize for emerging Australian talent, and we have one final shout-out to our highly recommended shortlisted books and authors at the end of this post.

Our winners represent a diverse snapshot of quality writing in Australia today. A contemporary Muddleheaded Wombat, an action-packed tale of the repercussions of one bad decision, a heartfelt journey in search of identity and…

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I personally think the season of the witch is 365 days a year, but if you're less fanatical, October is a great season to get into the spooky and magical, and discover the joys of witch lit!

Witches are a versatile fantasy figure that pop up across everything from kid's picture books to horror stories, so here are my recommendations to help you find the right place to start, or discover the genre niche that's right for you.

For the…

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Romance is one of the most popular book genres of 2024. Whether it's the central genre of a novel or simply a sub-genre, it is a captivating exploration of love, passion and emotional growth, centred around the evolving relationship between two characters. Whether set in a contemporary world, a fantastical one, or historical, the heart of the story lies in the emotional conflicts that stand in the way of love. Romance dives into the characters’ inner struggles, personal growths and…

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Chris Gordon, Readings' community engagement and programming manager, shares her top pick from the event program of the upcoming A Day in Carlton Festival. Explore the program now!

I am looking forward to absolutely everything in the inaugural A Day in Carlton program, celebrating books and ideas and community. And I am absolutely delighted that there will be a giant pigeon pecking around Lygon Street and Tyne Street on Saturday 16 November. This makes me laugh out loud every…

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

Alicia is reading Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Wrath of the Triple Goddess by Rick Riordan

Rick Riordan has done it again with his brand new instalment of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. Our golden trio are back as Percy, Annabeth and Grover work together for a college letter of recommendation. Their quest? Pet-sitting . . . for the goddess Hecate, during the week of Halloween…

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The October edition of Readings Monthly is available online and in our shops, but if you haven't picked up a copy yet, below you can read Chris Gordon's column from the latest issue. And check the blog for more updates and recommended new releases throughout the month!

Good Cooking Every Day: Simple Recipes, Beautiful Menus, All Year Round by Julia Busuttil Nishimura

Julia Busuttil Nishimura is Melbourne’s sweetheart. I have not met a person who has not fallen in love…

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Our team at the State Library Victoria shop, also known as SLV, have some great recommendations for your next read! You can always get expert advice on your TBR by visiting the shop in the State Library and asking our lovely booksellers, but in the meantime here's a curated guide to some of the their favourite titles.

📖Fiction

Holly recommends:

Foster by Claire Keegan

'All of Keegan's books are brilliantly written, with not a word outside of necessity. Foster…

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Welcome to New York (Readings Version).

Have you been longing to visit the city that never sleeps, but a trip to New York isn't on the cards for 2024? Then live vicariously by diving into some literature set in the concrete jungle where dreams are made of . . .

For those into romantic comedies . . .

The Work by Bri Lee

Lally has invested everything into her gallery in Manhattan and the sacrifices are finally paying off. Pat…

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