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Bestselling books in new, compact formats
These bestselling books are now available in smaller, more affordable formats!
Prophet Song by Paul Lynch
On a dark, wet evening in Dublin, scientist and mother-of-four Eilish Stack answers her front door to find the GNSB on her step. Two officers from Ireland's newly formed secret police are here to interrogate her husband, a trade unionist.
Ireland is falling apart. The country is in the grip of a government turning towards tyranny and Eilish can only watch helplessly as the…
Books to gift this Mother's Day that our booksellers absolutely loved
This Mother's Day we're recommending some of our absolute bookseller favourite titles from recent times. Backed by our well-read bibliophiles, these novels are wonderful choices to gift the special reader in your life.
Trespasses by Louise Kennedy
'A story of intimacies and the minutiae of the day-to-day of ordinary life set against The Troubles. I fell in love with all the characters, as flawed as they were, and felt that I lived the months with them in that small suburb…
Debut fiction to read this month
What I Would Do to You by Georgia Harper
In a near-future Australia, the death penalty is back. But if the victim's family wants the perpetrator to die, they have to do it themselves. Twenty-four hours alone in a room with the condemned. No cameras. No microphones. Just whatever punishment they decide befits the crime.
Ten-year-old Lucy was murdered in bushland adjoining her family farm. Through counselling sessions with their court-appointed psychologist we learn the stories of her family members…
Top picks for book clubs this month
Australian fiction | Dirt Poor Islanders by Winnie Dunn
Meadow Reed used to get confused when explaining that she had grandparents from Australia, Tonga and Great Britain. She'd say she was full-White and full-Tongan, thinking that so many halves made separate wholes. Despite the Anglo-Saxon genetics that gave Meadow a narrow nose and light-brown skin, everybody who raised her was Tongan. Everybody who loved her was Tongan. This was what made her Tongan.
Growing up in the heat-hummed streets of…
What we're reading: Andrew, Knight & Fan
Each week our wonderful staff share the books and music that they've been enjoying.
Yasmin Baker is reading Your Blood, My Bones by Kelly Andrew
I recently read Your Blood, My Bones by Kelly Andrew in one sitting – I could not put it down! It was spooky and the plot was intense, but for me it was the characters that kept me reading; I fell in love with all three, and was so curious on what was going to…
The Women's Prize for Fiction 2024 shortlist
The shortlist for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2024 has been announced! The Prize is awarded annually to the author of the best full-length novel of the year written in English and published in the UK. The winner receives £30,000, anonymously endowed, and the ‘Bessie’, a bronze statuette created by the artist Grizel Niven.
Monica Ali, the Women's Prize for Fiction 2024 chair of judges, says: 'This year’s shortlist features six brilliant, thought-provoking and spellbinding novels that between them capture…
What to give for Mother's Day (that isn't another pair of slippers)
If you believed most of the marketing you'd be forgiven for thinking that every maternal figure in Australia would like nothing better for Mother's Day than a pair of fluffy pink slippers and maybe a new blender. We're not so sure. Instead of the traditional gifts this year, check out some of our (OK, slightly tongue-in-cheek) suggestions for what to give instead.
Instead of a fleece dressing gown, My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Mosfegh
Set in New…
The April Crime Review
These are the crime books which have been read and reviewed by our excellent booksellers this month – all in one place!
It Takes a Town by Aoife Clifford
Reviewed by Aurelia Orr from Readings Kids
Reading this book, I’m reminded of a quote in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, when Jordan says ‘And I like large parties. They’re so intimate. At small parties there isn’t any privacy.’
Set in the Australian countryside in the small town of…
The 2024 Age Book of the Year shortlists
The 2024 Age Book of the Year Shortlists have been announced! Judges for this year’s awards include Readings' own Mark Rubbo. The winners will be announced during the Melbourne Writers Festival opening gala on 8 May, with each category winner to receive $10,000.
The shortlisted books in each category are:
Fiction
Women & Children by Tony Birch
The Anniversary by Stephanie Bishop
One Day We’re All Going to Die by Elise Hearst
The Idealist by Nicholas Jose
Books to read based on The Tortured Poets Department
Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department is finally here! And after listening to it on repeat, I've chosen a book that encapsulates each song (for part one!). So find your favourite song and its corresponding book and keep the sad vibes going.
'Fortnight (Feat. Post Malone)'
I was supposed to be sent away, but they forgot to come and get me
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
‘I was supposed to be having the time of my life.’
When Esther…
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