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

Bella is reading Sir Callie and the Champions of Helston by Esme Symes-Smith

As someone who grew up with a fierce love for Tamora Pierce’s The Song of the Lioness series, a cover with a young red-head with a sword instantly drew me to Sir Callie and the Champions of Helston. But the appeal of this book isn’t pure nostalgia – this is an incredible adventure story…

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The Winners and Honours of the 2024 CBCA Book of the Year Awards have been announced! The awards include categories for picture books, junior, middle grade, and young adult fiction. As well as a winner and two Honour Books in each category, CBCA have also invited young readers to participate and act as Shadow Judges through the Sun Project.

Established in 1946, the annual CBCA Book of the Year Awards aim to promote quality literature for young Australians by…

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It's hard to believe we're already in August and publishers have finalised (mostly!) their lists for Summer 2024. It's difficult To eclipse what has already been a very strong year, but we think you'll agree from the preview below that there's much to look forward to in the coming months! Many of our favourite authors are releasing books and we hope to see you as they begin to grace our shelves and online collections.

📚 AUSTRALIAN FICTION

Juice by Tim…

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Creative Australia has announced the shortlists for the 2024 Prime Minister’s Literary Awards, the richest literary prize in the nation. The awards celebrate the exceptional talents of emerging and established Australian writers, illustrators, poets, and historians.

In a statement, Creative Australia said 533 entries were received across the six award categories. The winners and shortlisted authors will share in a tax-free prize pool of $600,000. Each shortlisted author will receive $5000, with the winner of each category receiving $80,000.

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We are proud to announce the six shortlisted titles for The Readings Young Adult Prize 2024! The Readings Young Adult Prize is presented for the best new contribution to Australian youth literature from an emerging author.

Our staff judges for the 2024 prize are Alicia Guiney (chair of judges, Readings Kids), Julia Jackson (Readings Carlton), Kate McIntosh (Readings Emporium) and Vasilia Nerouppos (Readings Doncaster).

You can also view our recently announced Children's Prize shortlist here!

A Way Home by…

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Let’s talk about women. Women in the bookstore!

George Eliot wrote in her 1856 essay, Silly Novels by Lady Novelists, 'Fiction is a department of literature in which women can, after their kind, fully equal men.' I cannot imagine anyone in a Readings bookstore arguing this point.

But within the classics section, where Eliot and others reside, women are criminally under-represented and – this may give you pause – on average, the audience makeup for contemporary female writers…

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You may have seen Woo Woo by Ella Baxter was named our Fiction Book of the Month for August, but if that's not enough to convince you its worth picking up, here are some passionate endorsements from our booksellers!

'Ella Baxter must be one of the most unique voices in Australian publishing at the moment. Woo Woo is a darkly comic satirical take on the contemporary Melbourne art scene. It is much like gleefully belly-sliding down a hallway of very…

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Looking for something juicy to discuss in your book club? Try one of these new releases, chosen by our booksellers to appeal to a wide range of readers and provide plenty to talk about.

Australian fiction

Woo Woo by Ella Baxter

Sabine is having a moment. Her new exhibition, Fuck You, Help Me, is opening soon and, as her gallerist says, 'Hell is an artist three days before their exhibition opens.' But it's not only this coming milestone that…

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A Vermont boarding school hidden away in the mountains, a lavish estate filled with puzzles upon puzzles, or a resort island set off the coast of New England. Friends that stab you in the back, or an anonymous voice threatening to reveal all of your secrets . . .

The murder mystery genre is full to the brim of captivating stories that will stun you into silence, with insightful and witty characters, extravagant locations, and plots that are dying to…

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We are proud to announce the six shortlisted titles for The Readings Children's Prize 2024! The Readings Children’s Prize is presented for the best new contribution to Australian children’s literature from an emerging author.

Our staff judges for the 2024 prize are Dani Solomon (chair of judges, Readings Kids), Athina Clarke (Readings Carlton), Miranda La Fleur (Readings St Kilda), and Kate O’Mara (Readings Hawthorn).

The Lonely Lighthouse of Elston-Fright: An Elston-Fright Tale by Reece Carter, illustrated by Simon Howe

The…

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