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Comics and graphic novels we loved in 2015
Our staff share some of their favourite comics and graphic novels from the past year.
Angela Crocombe, Children’s Book Buyer
One of my favourite graphic novels this year was Kidglovz. This spellbinding graphic novel is both beautiful and heartbreaking. It is the story of a musical child prodigy exploited by his mentor who discovers freedom when he meets petty thief, Shoestring. Kid’s epic hero’s journey from naivety to knowledge of his past, appreciation of his talent and ultimately, awareness…
20 gift ideas under $20
This Annoying Life: A Mindless Colouring Book for the Highly Stressed by Oslo Davis ($9.99)
Within This Annoying Life you’ll find scenes of angst and stress ready for you to add your creative flourishes to. And why not - we’re all in this mess together and there’s nothing we can do about it! So pick up your pencils, give yourself a moment, then colour your way through the pain of everyday life. For adults of all ages.
The story behind BOLD
by David HardyDavid Hardy is the editor of BOLD: Stories from older lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people, a new anthology from Melbourne not-for-profit book publisher, The Rag and Bone Man Press. Here, Hardy tells us about the process of making the book, and why it matters.
BOLD is a collection of stories from more than 60 older lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people. They are largely unknown stories outside their circle of family and friends, and all…
The 10 best books I shared with my children this year
When I told my children I was leaving my job at Readings, they were shocked. “But where will we get our books from?” they said, which sounds a bit dramatic unless you’ve seen the volume of books I’ve been bringing home since I started the job. I’ve felt very lucky these past four years to have access to such a huge array of beautiful books to test-drive with them. So you can be assured that my family’s top ten books…
Our best books, CDs & DVDs of 2015
Every year our staff vote for their favourite books, albums, films and TV shows of the past twelve months. Here’s a round up of all the blog posts featuring our best books, CDs & DVDs of 2015:
The Best Fiction Books of 2015
The Best Non-Fiction Books of 2015
The Best Young Adult Books of 2015
The Best Picture Books of 2015
The Best Junior Fiction Books of 2015
Our children's and YA top ten bestsellers of the week
Diary of a Wimpy Kid Book 10: Old School by Jeff Kinney (both the paperback and hardback editions)
This & That by Mem Fox and Judy Horacek
My Dog Bigsy by Alison Lester
The Red Queen by Isobelle Carmody
The Wonder Garden: Wander Through The World’s Wildest Habitat and Discover More Than 80 Amazing Animals by Jenny Broom and Kristjana S Williams
What Do You Wish for? by Jane Godwin and Anna Walker
Our top ten bestsellers of the week
The Moroccan Soup Bar: Recipes of a Spoken Menu and a Little Bit of Spice by Hana Assafiri
The Other Side of the World by Stephanie Bishop
Reckoning: A Memoir by Magda Szubanski
This Annoying Life: A Mindless Colouring Book for the Highly Stressed by Oslo Davis
A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James
Even Dogs in the Wild: The New John Rebus by Ian Rankin
Watson’s Worst Words: A Compendium of Management Gibberish by Don Watson
All…
2015 PM's Literary Award Shortlist
Congratulations to the authors shortlisted for the 2015 Prime Minister’s Literary Awards
The Prime Minister’s Literary Awards recognise and reward excellence in Australian literature and history. Award Categories are fiction, poetry, non-fiction, Australian history, young adult fiction and children’s fiction.
Fiction
Amnesia by Peter Carey
Golden Boys by Sonya Hartnett
In Certain Circles by Elizabeth Harrower
The Golden Age by Joan London
To Name Those Lost by Rohan Wilson
Non-fiction
Encountering the Pacific: In the Age of Enlightenment by John…
The best picture books of 2015
Here are our top ten picture books of the year, voted for by Readings staff. Displayed in no particular order.
Mr Huff by Anna Walker
Anna Walker’s latest picture book is a beautiful insight into that ‘huffy’ feeling; you know, when nothing is turning out right, and it definitely isn’t going to be your day? The tale is uplifting, but isn’t magically solved in the end – a more realistic, relatable outcome for children and adults. A beautiful story in…
The best junior fiction books of 2015
Here are our top ten junior fiction (ages 5 to 9ish) books of the year, voted for by Readings staff. Displayed in no particular order.
The Bad Guys: Episode 1 by Aaron Blabey
Who said the bad guys always have to be bad? Maybe they want to have a go at being good too. At least, that’s Mr Wolf’s plan when he rounds up his bad buddies Mr Snake, Mr Shark and Mr Piranha, but being the good guys isn’t…