Alison Huber
Alison Huber is the head book buyer for Readings. She has been selling books in Melbourne for twenty years. She is also a recovering academic.
Review — 21 Sep 2023
Body Friend by Katherine Brabon
Body Friend is told by an unnamed narrator who is suffering from a chronic autoimmune illness and living with daily debilitating pain. Her hostile body fights against itself, and to…
Blog post — 12 Sep 2023
Dear Reader, with Alison Huber
As you’ll read in Joe Rubbo’s wonderful piece of writing, the person whose name is synonymous with Readings (and the Australian books and publishing industry at large), Mark Rubbo, has…
Blog post — 8 Aug 2023
Dear Reader, with Alison Huber
I usually make a joke around this time of year that, for book buyers and retail buyers in general, it really is a case of Christmas in July, as many…
Review — 31 Jul 2023
The Sitter by Angela O’Keeffe
In The Sitter, the spirit of Hortense Cézanne – wife of the more famous Paul – is reanimated by the interest of her biographer and coexists in a hotel…
Blog post — 10 Jul 2023
Dear Reader, with Alison Huber
We have just returned from the annual gathering of Australia’s bookselling association (formerly known as the ABA, recently renamed BookPeople). It was a terrific event, and we heard some fantastic…
Blog post — 8 Jun 2023
Dear Reader, with Alison Huber
Every now and again, we booksellers are invited to spend an evening with a publisher and their authors. You may have romantic visions of what this involves – a little…
Review — 30 May 2023
Where I Slept by Libby Angel
Described as a work of autofiction, Where I Slept is firmly set in 1990s Melbourne and its streets, share houses, op-shops, squats, pubs, clubs, and cafes. Its narrator is found…
Review — 24 May 2023
The Boss of Everyone! by Danny Wallace
As I understand it, one of the most frustrating things about being a kid is that everyone tells you what to do all the time. Adults are always spoiling the…
Blog post — 4 Apr 2023
Dear Reader, with Alison Huber
I was struck by how fantastic this month’s Readings Monthly is. It is brimming with thoughtful reviews from our talented staff. Every time our dear editor sends me the reviews…
Review — 27 Mar 2023
What I’d Rather Not Think About by Jente Posthuma (trans. Sarah Timmer Harvey)
Jente Posthuma is a Dutch writer whose work has been widely acclaimed in the Netherlands, and has been listed for a number of prestigious awards. What I’d Rather Not Think…
