Our latest blog posts
Books on reconciliation and colonialism in Australia
May 27th - June 3th marks National Reconciliation Week, a time to reflect on Australia's colonial history and to consider how we can contribute to ongoing reconciliation. The theme for 2024 is 'Now More Than Ever', so we've put together this collection of nonfiction by First Nations authors that reflects the need for continued action and empathy, in order to achieve meaningful reconciliation between all Australians.
Finding the Heart of the Nation by Thomas Mayo
In this updated edition of…
Australian fiction to pick up this month
Only the Astronauts by Ceridwen Dovey
Adrift in outer space, a motley crew of human-made objects tell their tales, making real history sweeter and stranger.
Starman, a lovelorn mannequin orbiting the Sun in his cherry-red car, pines for his creator. The first sculpture ever taken to the Moon is possessed by the spirit of Neil Armstrong. The International Space Station, awaiting deorbit and burial in a spacecraft cemetery beneath the ocean, farewells its last astronauts. A team of tamponauts sets…
What We're Reading: Wilkinson, Oliver & Shin
Each week our wonderful staff share the books and music that they've been enjoying.
Alicia Vu, a member of The Readings Teen Advisory Board, is reading Deep Is the Fen by Lili Wilkinson
This is a mysterious, fantastical and haunting tale! Lili Wilkinson weaves a page-turning novel that is a perfect mix of adventure, romance and fantasy.
The main protagonist, Merry, undergoes a bewitching journey to understand magic, witches, love, and the consequences of unchallenged power... Deep Is the…
Great new Australian middle fiction
There's lots of wonderful new middle fiction coming out, so we've put together a roundup of our latest favourites from Aussie authors. From fantasy adventures about strange conspiracies or wild chases, to realistic fiction about school projects and fresh starts, these titles will delight any young reader.
By Bren MacDibble
Bastienne Scull is a young orphan who lives with the local Witnesser of Miracles, Lodyma Darsey, who investigates 'miraculous events' and spins them into stories she tells…
Top picks for book clubs this month
Australian fiction | Safe Haven by Shankari Chandran
After arriving in Australia seeking asylum, Fina dedicates herself to aiding the refugees held in a detention centre at Port Camden, a remote island outpost. Appalled by the mistreatment of those in custody, Fina speaks out to the media about the poor conditions within the facility, as a result she is arrested, taken from her home in the small country town of Hastings and threatened with deportation.
When a security officer dies…
A spotlight on translated fiction this month
This month we're reading fiction translated from: Swedish, Japanese, Italian, Icelandic and French!
Antiquity by Hanna Johansson (translated from Swedish by Kira Josefsson)
Antiquity follows its unnamed narrator, a lonely woman in her thirties who becomes enamoured of a chic older artist, Helena, after interviewing her for a magazine. Helena invites the narrator to join her in the Greek city of Ermoupoli where she summers with her teenage daughter Olga. At first an object of jealousy, Olga morphs into an…
Erpenbeck & Hofmann win the 2024 International Booker Prize
Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck, translated from German by Michael Hofmann, was announced last night as the winner of the 2024 International Booker Prize. The joint win encompasses two significant firsts for the prize, with Jenny Erpenbeck becoming the first German writer and Michael Hofmann the first male translator to win the International Booker Prize.
Kairos is the intimate and devastating story of the path of two lovers through the ruins of a relationship, set against the backdrop of a seismic…
Why you need to read All Fours by Miranda July
Miranda July's second novel All Fours is now available, and our booksellers are desperate to share their excitement for this new title! Following a 45-year-old woman's unexpected journey of reinvention, All Fours has been described by the publisher as 'new and thrillingly, profoundly alive'.
Somehow not convinced? Read our staff thoughts below to see why you need to pick it up ASAP.
All Fours is one of the best books I have read in a very long time. It is…
Romance heroes more swoonworthy than Colin Bridgerton
New episodes of the Bridgerton Netflix series are finally here, but if you're finding Penelope's new look to be the highlight and Colin to be mostly forgettable, try one of these books! The romantic leads will be living in your head rent-free.
For more regency vibes
Reputation by Lex Croucher
Reputation by Lex Croucher is as much about friendship as it a romance, but it has the diversity (and wilder side) of the Bridgerton show, with even more wit and…
At Home with Chris Gordon, the best lifestyle books of the month
Ela! Ela!: To Turkey and Greece, a Journey Home Through Food by Ella Mittas
Are you wistfully dreaming of travelling through Turkey and the Greek islands, but all you can afford is a souvlaki on Sydney Road? Ella Mittas, who was taught to cook by chefs including Annie Smithers, has you covered in her first collection of recipes, essays and memories. From her home in Melbourne she bounces off to the most stunning places, using each chapter to highlight the…
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