Can you hear that? Pages being briskly bookmarked, notepads scribbled on frantically, publicists sweating over author schedules… The Sydney Writer’s Festival is nearly here! And because I’m getting all excited, I’ve picked out some of my highlights for the 2015 edition, take a gander. For more details head to www.swf.org.au Read more

For a very limited time when you buy the paperback edition of The Strays, winner of the 2015 Stella Prize,  you will receive the full ebook edition, absolutely free! The Strays by Emily Bitto In The Strays, Evan Trentham is the wild child of the Melbourne art world of the 1930s. He and his captivating wife, Helena, attempt to carve out their own small niche, to escape the stifling conservatism ... Read more

Australia’s highest selling international author, Kate Morton, will be releasing a new book in 2015. Her fifith novel, The Lake House, will be released in October. In 2013, Kate Morton was voted Australia’s Favourite Novelist in a Booktopia readers poll, narrowly beating out Tim Winton and Monica McInerney for the top spot. Morton has sold over nine million books in 33 languages across 38... Read more

If you speak Wookiee, pilot a TIE fighter or dream of vacationing in Cloud City, today is a very special day for you. Happy Star Wars Day! To celebrate, we’ve picked out some of our favourite Star Wars titles to excite your Midichlorians. On this day of days, May the Fourth be with you, gentle Jedi… STAR WARS EPIC YARNS By Jack Wang, Holman Wang Jedi apprentices and little princesse... Read more

The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy was a fun, engaging read. While at times I was filled with anxiety for the characters I was also laughing really hard at other moments. And trust me, it takes something really special to make me laugh hard. That’s what I love about regency books and authors today, especially Julia Quinn. The stories reflect humans that are just as strange, endearing an... Read more

Booktopia and the Sydney Writer’s Festival are giving James Patterson readers the chance to see the bestselling author in conversation at the Sydney Town Hall! For a limited time only, order any two titles from the James Patterson Australian Editions collection and get two free tickets to see James Patterson at the 2015 Sydney Writers’ Festival, on May 8th. Offer ends May 1st, limit... Read more

Jeff Kinney’s bestselling Diary of a Wimpy Kid series has a new book, with the cover, title and a (very) brief synopsis being revealed just a few hours ago! The 10th book in the series will be titled Old School. The cover colour? Sleek black. So cool. In the latest instalment author-illustrator Jeff Kinney brings the series back to its roots, as Greg starts a new school year and faces a c... Read more

The shortlists for this year’s NSW Premier’s Literary Awards have been announced, featuring some of Australia’s most celebrated writers and young up and comers. How many have you read? CHRISTINA STEAD PRIZE FOR FICTION * Ceridwen Dovey – Only the Animals (More…) * Elizabeth Harrower – In Certain Circles (More…) * Sonya Hartnett – Golden Boys (More... Read more

While you were sleeping the shortlist for the 2015 Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction was announced, an intriguing list selected by this year’s judges. This year’s six shortlisted books were whittled down from a twenty-strong longlist, which can be found here. The shortlist selection includes five previously shortlisted authors and one debut novelist, playwright Laline Paull. The award wil... Read more

Today marks 90 years since the release of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s seminal novel The Great Gatsby. To celebrate, we’ve done some digging and found a few quirky facts about the novel many regard as the quintessential ‘Great American Novel’. 1. It wasn’t always going to be called The Great Gatsby At one time or another, all of these were in consideration: Among Ash-Heap... Read more