Every year our staff vote for their favourite books of the past year. Here are the best junior and middle grade books of 2024, as voted by Readings' staff!

The titles are displayed alphabetically by author.

Thunderhead by Sophie Beer

‘This debut novel is a funny, powerful story about a teen music fan. Thunderhead is utterly music-obsessed but also going deaf. She has two tumours in her eardrums that need to be operated on, and she will lose most of…

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Every year our staff vote for their favourite books of the past year. Here are the best international fiction books of 2024, as voted by Readings' staff!

The titles are displayed alphabetically by author.

Headshot by Rita Bullwinkel

‘American author Rita Bullwinkel’s debut novel Headshot followed up on the success of her Whiting Award-winning short story collection, Belly Up, with a Booker Prize longlisting. Headshot has been variously described as “poignant and visceral” (The Guardian); “the complete…

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Alexis Wright’s multiple award-winning Praiseworthy has garnered another well-deserved accolade, last night winning the 2024 Voss Literary Prize.

Established in 2014, the Voss Literary Prize is dedicated to the memory of historian Vivian Robert Le Vaux Voss and managed by the Australian University Heads of English (AUHE), the peak body for the study of English at Australian universities.

Praiseworthy by Alexis Wright

The prize judges said: ‘Praiseworthy is a work for the ages, a capacious Aboriginal epic based in…

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Every year our staff vote for their favourite books of the year. Here are the best Australian fiction books of 2024, as voted by Readings' staff!

The titles are displayed alphabetically by author.

Dusk by Robbie Arnott

‘Robbie Arnott, author of Limberlost, winner of The Age Fiction Book of the Year 2023, returns with another stunning novel, Dusk, which deserves as much hype as all his other shortlisted and award-winning books.

Set in 19th century Tasmania, a puma…

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Every year our staff vote for their favourite books of the past year. Here are the best picture books of 2024, as voted by Readings' staff!

The titles are displayed alphabetically by author.

Sky Country by Aunty Patsy Cameron, illustrated by Lisa Kennedy

‘This collaboration between two First Nations creators is an ancient story told by a grandmother to her grandchildren as they walk together. Using some traditional language, it tells how Trouwerner (Tasmania) was created by the Ancestral Beings…

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Our staff have voted and the results are in! We are delighted to reveal our best books of 2024, as chosen by Readings' experienced booksellers. Discover the lists below!

The best Australian fiction of 2024

The best picture books of 2024

The best international fiction of 2024

The best junior & middle grade fiction of 2024

The best nonfiction of 2024 ... coming soon!

The best young adult fiction of 2024 ... coming soon!

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The festive season is upon us, and so, inevitably, are the frenemies, the barely-tolerated other halves and the family members you definitely don't see eye to eye with. Grit your teeth and bear it . . . or even better, gift them one of our carefully chosen passive aggressive gifts and enjoy watching them read between the lines.

For the person who's still stalking their ex's social media platforms . . .

How to Get Over a Breakup: An Ancient…

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You've probably heard of Shakespeare, but if you don't know where to start reading, never fear! Alicia Vu from the Readings Teen Advisory Board has an easy guide to figure out which of his many plays to read first.

William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet and actor who is widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the English Language and the world’s preeminent dramatist. He authored 39 plays, 154 sonnets, and two narrative poems, blending timeless themes…

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2024 was another excellent year for music books. Below you'll find a selection of our favourites that include memoir, essay and nonfiction from superstar Australian and international icons . . . and more.

The Shortest History of Music by Andrew Ford

From award-winning broadcaster and composer Andrew Ford, The Shortest History of Music is a lively, authoritative tour through several thousand years of music. Packed with colourful characters and surprising details, it sets out to understand what exactly music is…

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It's that dreaded time of year . . . buying gifts for all the loved ones in your life! And the hardest people to buy for are always the kids. Yes, you were a kid once, but I'm sorry to say it, the things you loved as a child probably aren't cool anymore . . .

But never fear! I'm here with a collection of gift ideas to make sure you win best aunt/uncle this Christmas.

Landovel by Emily Rodda

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