Meet the bookseller
Meet the bookseller with Aurelia Orr
In this meet the bookseller column we chat with Aurelia Orr, one of our fabulous Readings Kids booksellers! We talk about her time on our Teen Advisory Board, recent favourite reads, and what she'll be reading next.
Why did you decide to work in books?
I decided I wanted to work in books when I first started shopping at Readings Carlton when I was 12 years old. I immediately fell in love with the store. It was like Belle seeing…
Meet the bookseller with Tracy Hwang
In this Meet the Bookseller column we chat with Tracy Hwang, one of our excellent Emporium booksellers! We talk about her favourite part of bookselling, treasured recent reads, and what she'll be reading next.
Describe your taste in books.
I mostly read fiction. A lot of it is Asian lit and translated fiction, and I’m especially drawn to stories written by and about diaspora. While these sorts of stories are what make up the bulk of my reading lately, my…
Meet the bookseller with Emma Clarke
In this Meet the Bookseller column we chat with Emma Clarke, one of our excellent St Kilda booksellers! We talk about everything from the favourite part of the job to the ideal fictional world to be trapped within.
Emma is also the new host of our weekly Readings St Kilda storytimes that take place every Saturday at 2pm.
What is your favourite part of your job?
There are a lot of things I love about my job. My favourite ……
Meet the bookseller with Lou Ryan
In this month’s Meet the Bookseller column we chat with Lou Ryan, our fabulous Carlton shop manager! We talk about how a conversation with a friendly bookseller began her life-long career in publishing, how a 1980s bookstore compares to those of 2021, and what she’s been reading lately.
Why did you decide to work in books?
I was a directionless and underemployed 24-year-old who loved reading. I visited The Paperback bookshop in Melbourne and cross-examined bookseller Sally Madsen (whose next…
Meet the bookseller with Oliver Driscoll
Oliver Driscoll works as a bookseller at Readings Doncaster and we’re delighted he has also just released his first book! I Don’t Know How That Happened is a funny and unsettling collection of poems. Here, Oliver talks about writing, his doubts about publishing trends, and shares what’s on his TBR pile.
Tell us about your book!
So, I don’t mean to sound as though I’m playing I Don’t Know How That Happened, but it’s a small and quiet poetry…
Meet the bookseller with Kim Gruschow
In this month’s Meet the Bookseller column we chat with Kim Gruschow, a buyer and experienced children’s and YA specialist at our St Kilda shop. She chats about the pleasure of translated fiction, the rise of books about climate crisis, and shares who she’d invite to a dinner party – and why.
Describe your taste in books.
I like very specific visual catalogues. I like sharp novels that come in at around 200 pages. I like innovative and creepy comic…
Meet the bookseller with Alexa Dretzke
In our latest Meet the Bookseller column, we chat with Alexa Dretzke, the Assistant Manager & Children’s Book Buyer for our Hawthon shop. Alexa fell into the book industry by accident and first came on board at Readings more than 17 years ago! Here, she talks about the reward of selecting the right book for a customer, and shares what’s on her TBR pile.
Why did you decide to work in books?
It was happenstance, as my career was originally…
Meet our new Human Resources Manager Megan Wood
Megan Wood started at Readings in late 2019, stepping into the role of Human Resources Manager for the company. Here, we ask her about her about some of her favourite authors, and which fictional world she’d choose to live inside of.
Describe your taste in books.
I find my taste varies quite a lot. I wouldn’t say I have one particular genre or style of book that I favour, it really depends on my mood at the time. I do…
Meet the bookseller with Pia Spreadborough
Pia Spreadborough has worked at Readings since 2010, moonlighting at various stores, managing book launches and more. She now works in the Readings warehouse as a member of our busy online dispatch and receiving teams. Here, she chats about books and what happens when you turn feminism into a commodity, and shares the disaster artists she’d invite to a dinner party.
What is your favourite part of your job?
I’ve worked at Readings since I was 18, so I’ve had…
Meet the bookseller with Athina Clarke
Athina Clarke is one of our brilliant children’s and young adult book specialists, and has worked at Readings since 2002 – first at the Port Melbourne shop, before moving onto Readings Malvern where she’s been the buyer for more than seven years. She has been involved in a number of initiatives around children’s books over the years and was named the recipient of the ABA Elizabeth Riley Fellowship for Children’s Bookselling in 2017.
Why did you decide to work in…
Meet the bookseller with James Butler
James Butler works as a bookseller at our Hawthorn shop. Here we chat with them about how they ended up working in bookshops, and what’s an Australian book everyone should read.
Why did you decide to work in books?
I began working in an independent bookshop when I first started studying creative writing and English literature at university. It felt like work that was the perfect extension of my studies and just another place to be excited about writing and…
Meet the bookseller with Dave Little
byIn our latest Meet the Bookseller post, we chat to Readings Carlton bookseller and customer service extraordinaire Dave Little about how he came to work in books, what books have made an impact on him, and what he’s looking to read next.
Why did you decide to work in books?
I started working at an independent bookstore in Brisbane soon after I studied literature at uni. I didn’t intend to stick around for too long but came to really love…
Meet the bookseller with Margaret Snowdon
byMargaret Snowdon is a bookseller and the immensely knowledgeable art & design book buyer with the very good eye at Readings Carlton.
Here, she chats about her favourite parts of her job working on the floor, the books that made an impact on her growing up, and how she came to work in the book industry.
Why did you decide to work in books?
It just happened. I was at a loose end after I finished school and an…
Meet the bookseller with Sam Kelly
bySam Kelly is a bookseller at Readings Doncaster and the spark that drives the Doncaster middle fiction book club. Here, she chats about the favourite parts of her job, books that have changed the way she thinks, and what’s on her reading pile right now.
Sam also runs the website Retrieve-a-Book, where she posts young adult and middle-fiction book news, reviews and recommendations.
What is your favourite part of your job?
Definitely the people, both customers and colleagues. You…
Meet the bookseller with Freya Howarth
byFreya Howarth is a bookseller at our St Kilda store. Here, she chats to us about the best parts of her job, talks about books that have changed the way she thinks, and why bookshops should always just be a little bit haunted.
Tell us about a book that changed the way you think.
His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman. I’m not sure if it’s quite right to say it changed the way I think, so much as formed it…
Meet the bookseller with Fiona Hardy
Fiona Hardy is a woman of many talents: bookseller, Readings Monthly‘s crime fiction columnist, co-host of the Readings podcast episodes Good Cop, Bad Cop and the soon-to-be published author of the eagerly anticipated middle-grade novel How to Make a Movie in Twelve Days, (available September). In what little spare time she has, she also blogs about children’s books at Fiona The Hardy.
Here she shares some of her biggest literary influences and some hilarious candid memories from…
Meet the bookseller with Kathy Kozlowski
Kathy Kozlowski is a children’s book specialist who has worked in children’s literature for more than 40 years. Here, she shares the changes she’s witnessed in the book industry and which authors she’d invite to a dinner party.
Why did you decide to work in books and what is your favourite part of the job?
It was a light bulb moment during university when I realised that if I worked with children’s books I could forever be in the land…
Meet the bookseller with Amanda Rayner
Amanda Rayner is a bookseller and returns officer at our Carlton bookshop. Here, she shares what books are on her TBR pile, her most formative read and which fictional world she’d choose to be trapped in.
What is your favourite part of your job?
I love working in an industry where your knowledge expands every day, but there is always more to learn. I’ve met some of my closest friends while working in books; not surprisingly, it’s a good place…
Meet the bookseller with Claire Atherfold
Claire Atherfold is the Children’s Book Buyer at our newly renovated State Library bookshop. Here, she shares what books are on her TBR pile, and which authors she would invite to a dinner party.
Why did you decide to work in books?
Books have always been a large part of my life. From a very early age I have memories of my mum reading to me, and of totally getting lost in the tales and adventures, placing myself in the…
Meet the bookseller with Mike Shuttleworth
Mike Shuttleworth has worked as a bookseller at our Hawthorn shop for close to four years but he’s been an advocate for youth literature for far longer – organising events and writing about youth literature since 2002! We chat with him about literary trends, weird bookshop queries, and which book he would choose to be trapped inside of.
Why did you decide to work in books?
I went to university to study journalism and fell down a rabbit hole called…
Meet the bookseller with Gabrielle Williams
Gabrielle Williams has worked at Readings for the past six years where she juggles dual roles as a bookseller at Malvern shop, and as the Grants Officer for the Readings Foundation. She is also an award-winning author of young adult novels, most recently including the funny and heartfelt My Life as a Hashtag. Here, she shares some of her favourite recent reads and some advice on how customers can support the work of the Readings Foundation.
What is your…
Meet the music specialist with Dave Clarke
Dave Clarke is our Music & DVD Manager. Here, he shares some of his favourite musicians and most memorable moments from working at Readings over the past 16 years.
Why did you decide to work in music? And how did you end up at Readings?
I did a work experience week at my local store – Pet Sounds in Malvern (which much later became Readings Malvern) – back in August of 1984. Dave, the owner, liked me and offered me…
Meet the bookseller with Judi Mitchell
Judi Mitchell has worked at Readings for close to 20 years. At the moment, she juggles four different roles: Senior Customer Service Officer, Staff Trainer, Digital Content Assistant and the Editorial Assistant for the Readings Monthly. Phew! Here, she tells us her favourite thing about working at a bookshop, and what books are next on her TBR pile.
Why did you decide to work in books?
I’m not sure whether I decided to work in books or whether books…
Meet the bookseller with Tom Hoskins
Tom Hoskins has worked at Readings for 15 years, and been manager of our shop at the State Library Victoria since 2010. Tom is also involved with making the Readings Podcast, and is the manager of the Melbourne Writers Festival Bookshop at Federation Square – please come visit him at this year’s festival!
Here, we chat with him about how bookshops serve communities, and the thrill he gets from seeing a customer pick up an unusual book he’s…
Meet the bookseller with Angela Crocombe
Angela Crocombe has worked at Readings for more than seven years, and is now the manager of our Kids shop. We chat with her about the bookselling trends she’s noticed in recent years, and her favourite part of a working day.
Why did you decide to work in books?
Books have always been my passion. Despite this, I never really believed it was possible to work with them every day. But after doing degrees in economics and politics (which were…
Meet the bookseller with Bernard Vella
Bernard Vella has worked at Readings for close to 15 years, and managed our Malvern shop for six of those years. We chat with him about the singular pleasures of physical books, and what he likes to read – everything from the classics to books about dinosaurs.
What is your favourite part of your job?
That’s easy – looking after our customers. I’d like to think that each of the Readings shops serves a community. It’s an immensely satisfying thing…
Meet the bookseller with Kara McQueen
Kara McQueen recently stepped into the role of shop manager at Readings Doncaster. Here, she shares the authors she’d invite to a dinner party, and explains why customer queries make her nervous.
Why did you decide to work in books?
I don’t think I ever consciously decided to work in books – books chose me. I’ve always been an avid reader and one of my very first jobs was bookselling. When I moved abroad after high school, I was lucky…
Meet the bookseller with Sharon Peterson
After working as the assistant manager at Readings Carlton for almost 10 years, Sharon Peterson has recently moved into the role of shop manager at Readings St Kilda. We chat with her about bookshop proposals, her love of the classics, and what exciting reads she has on her TBR pile.
Why did you decide to work in books?
I can’t say that I actually ‘decided’ to work in books (I vaguely remember wanting to be a teacher) but my first…
Meet the bookseller with Joe Rubbo
Joe Rubbo has worked on and off at Readings over the past 13 years, and is the son of our managing director, Mark Rubbo. The former manager at Readings Doncaster, he now manages our Carlton shop. Here, we chat with Joe about his favourite recent reads, and what happens in bookshops between 9pm and 11pm.
Why did you decide to work in books?
I started out at the Hawthorn shop, a part-time job while studying Arts. I always thought that…
Meet the bookseller with Tara Kaye Judah
We chat with Tara Kaye Judah about her fondness for feminist film theory and capitalist critique, and why she loves the cover of David Vann’s Goat Mountain.
Why do you work in books?
If I were to build a fort with walls of knowledge, the final result would be a bookstore. I want to live peacefully in a fort of knowledge. At Readings, the fort is also friendly.
What book would you happily spend a weekend indoors with?
Anything…
Meet the bookseller with Alexandra Mathew
We chat with Alexandra Mathew about her love for immersive books and classical music.
Why do you work in books and music?
My primary area of interest and knowledge is in classical music, but I also happen to love reading, so the two go together nicely. It’s a privilege to share my love of books and music with like-minded people.
What book or music would you happily spend a weekend indoors with?
Donna Tartt’s The Secret History is the perfect…
Meet the bookseller with Tate Jerrems
We chat with Tate Jerrems about his mysterious taste in books and Germaine Greer.
Why do you work in books?
So many times has the book tucked snug under my arm or banging around in my backpack been the catalyst for a decision to move, meander, imagine and explore. Through reading, we live out someone else’s creative explorations as if they were our own, eventually altering the way we tell our own tale. The opportunity to give an experience such…
Meet the bookseller with Kate Campbell
We chat with bookseller Kate Campbell about her penchant for organising bookshelves and the parallels Frankenstein draws with cosmetic use in the twenty-first century.
Why do you work in books?
I love my job at Readings for so many reasons. It’s wonderful to be surrounded by beautiful books at work; oh, and it’s always exciting, albeit a little overwhelming, to see the new releases come through each month. Predominantly, it’s because I like speaking with customers and helping them find…
Meet the bookseller with Savannah Indigo
We chat with bookseller Savannah Indigo about her penchant for organising bookshelves and the parallels Frankenstein draws with cosmetic use in the twenty-first century.
Why do you work in books?
When I was younger, I had a fascination with organising bookshelves. I would obsess over mine at home and reorganise any shelves at bookshops that I thought weren’t up to scratch (much to staff frustration). I think from around age 10, I knew that I needed to work with books.
…
Meet the Bookseller with Miles Allinson
We chat with bookseller Miles Allinson about the value of well-made objects and his desire to develop a rare skin disease (so he can find the time to read Proust, naturally).
Why do you work in books?
Basically, I’m unqualified to do much else. After studying for 25 years (or what feels like it), the only other thing I’m really qualified to do is throw leaves around and prank-call people. Also, I have a functional addiction to books. I like…
Meet the Bookseller with Kushla Egan
We chat with bookseller Kushla Egan about Laini Taylor’s haunting fairytales, dreams of being Eloise and refreshing feminist perspectives on Australia.
Why do you work in books?
I have always loved a) books and b) telling people what to do/read. As I grew older, working with what I love just made sense. There is rarely a time where I see myself doing anything else – I get to work with new titles every day and am allowed a really diverse…
Meet the bookseller with Samuel Zifchak
We chat with Samuel Zifchak about the magic of books, and exactly what makes a striking cover.
Why do you work in books?
Books have always been an instrumental part of my life. My grandfather was heavily involved in bookselling and both my parents are voracious readers. We used bookshelves for wallpaper. I would rarely raise my head from a book as a child. Books inspire me, entertain me and gently encourage me to examine my own beliefs about everything…
Meet the Bookseller with Stella Charls
We chat with
Why do you work in books?
I started reading books when my parents threw out our TV. I was three years old, and I think I remember them destroying it (maybe even burning it in the backyard) because I’d developed a dangerous TV obsession. Luckily, reading proved equally addictive. It’s said we’re experiencing the ‘Golden Age of Television’ at the moment, which makes getting through the stack of books on rotation next to my bed a constant…
Meet the Bookseller with Ed Moreno
We chat with
Why do you work in books?
As soon as I was able to read, Dad made a chart which involved a specific reward for each book on the chart; I’d receive the reward once I’d read the book and told Dad what I thought of it. The reward usually involved more books, which we’d pencil into the chart, and so on, and so on. Later, my first real job was at a bookstore.
How would you describe…
Meet the Bookseller with Deborah Crabtree
We chat with
Why do you work in books?
I’m told I’m a machine when it comes to reading: working in books allows me to feed the machine. Books are my addiction, and while I’d ideally love to be spending my days writing and reading books, bookselling keeps me plugged into the literary world and allows me to talk about books ad infinitum.
Which book would you happily spend a weekend indoors with?
Meet the Bookseller with Annie Condon
We chat with bookseller
Why do you work in books?
I have always loved books, and was desperate to go to school and learn to read. My parents were journalists and I grew up in a house filled with books, newspapers and magazines. If I didn’t work in a bookshop, I would still spend a lot of time (and money) in bookshops. Maybe it’s something to do with being born in the same year that Readings began?!
Best book you’ve…
Meet the Bookseller with Steve Bidwell-Brown
We chat with
What’s the strangest experience you’ve had in a bookshop?
I once helped a budding Charlie Chaplin impersonator find books about his hero. He was a young method actor looking to audition for a mime school in France. Our exchange generally consisted of me communicating with words and him responding through mime. He’d pirouette on his cane to agree with something, and strum his fake moustache when perturbed. It was a strange, beautiful language he was trying to…
Meet the Bookseller with Amy Vuleta
Amy Vuleta shares some of her favourite new releases from Australian authors, and tells us which Michael Chabon book inspired her to invest in a beehive!
Why do you work in books?
I’ve always loved to read, and when I was a teenager I realised that most of what I knew about the world – of history, geography, biology and human relationships – I had learned from reading stories. I’ve always sought knowledge of the world in fiction, which may…
Meet the Bookseller with Marie Matteson
Marie Matteson chats about Virginia Woolf, gothic fiction in a contemporary setting, and the joy to be found in reading
Why do you work in books?
I feel I’ve been surrounded by books my whole life and it seems entirely natural to me that I would end up working among them. There’s a photo I have of the Christmas when I was five and I’m sitting on top of a copy of Edward Gibbon’s History of the Decline and Fall…
Meet the Bookseller with Lou Fulco
Lou Fulco admits to a love of foreign crime shows and gives advice on how to return a DVD with bite marks in it. (Be very angry…)
Why do you work in books?
I actually came to Readings as a music and DVD specialist. Readings was the place that I used to buy many of my books from prior to that, so the marriage was a bonus.
Name a book/film/album that has changed the way you think.
Every book I’ve…
Meet the Bookseller with Emily Gale
Emily Gale chats about time-slip novels, half-eaten kumquats and swooning over Morris Gleitzman.
Why do you work in books?
Books keep me sane (ish), but I have to remind myself that I fell into children’s books by chance. My first job as an editorial assistant was just one of many I applied for after uni, and 15 years down the line, it seems outlandish that I could have ended up doing something different. I’ve worked as an editor, a writer…
Meet the Bookseller with George Munn
We chat with George Munn about Cormac McCarthy’s stunning prose, customers sleeping in stores and anthropomorphised woodland creatures.
Why do you work in books?
I could say it’s because I love them (which is definitely the case), but honestly? It’s because my mum told me to. She sat me down when I was about 15 and explained that a bookshop is quite probably the best place to work. After eight years working in bookshops, I would have to agree with…
Meet the Bookseller with Kara Nicholson
We chat with Kara Nicholson about David Foster Wallace’s
Why do you work in books?
Books are my favourite objects and reading is my favourite pastime – seems only natural.
What are you reading now?
I’m reading the new biography of David Foster Wallace, Every Love Story is a Ghost Story by D.T. Max. I started it the day after I read an interview with Wallace where he said that ‘a big part of serious fiction’s purpose is to give…
Meet the Bookseller with Selena Tan
We chat with Selena Tan about what she’s reading right now, and why the smell of a new book is so tempting.
Why do you work in books?
I love the smell of books, and receiving stock is always potentially exciting. Like the time I discovered I Am Maru by mugumogu straight out of the box. Also, there is the possibility of meeting authors I admire. David Levithan is definitely my meet-the-author highlight of this year.
Working at the State…
Meet the Bookseller with Chris Dite from Readings Carlton
We chat with Chris Dite from Readings Carlton about
Why do you work in books?
It’s an opportunity to push your tastes onto other people. But more than that, the social capital is intense. I don’t think there’s any other retail job people actually envy you for. It’ll also be nice to look back on when I’m older and tell my grandkids (who won’t care), ‘I worked in a bookshop when everyone started to panic about the end of bookshops.’…
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