This passionate open letter was recently published on J.K. Rowling’s website. As the vote for Scottish Independence approaches, we’ve decided to publish it in full to give Australians an idea of the magnitude of this decision, not unlike our 1999 Republic Referendum. Do you agree with J.K? Leave your comments below. I came to the question of independence with an open mind and an awa... Read more

Samuel Johnson, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in the English language, was born on this day in 1709. We’ve put together a few facts about the man described as “arguably the most distinguished man of letters in English history.” – Johnson’s A Dictionary of the English Language was published in 1755, and remains arguably the most influential wo... Read more

At the recent Australian Book Expo, we set up a camera and asked Booktopians to review their favourite book. The response was amazing, with so many wonderful book lovers keen to chat about their favourite reads. Here are some of the best. Enjoy! Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson Click here for more details Bitter Greens by Kate Forsyth Click here for more details Colorless Ts... Read more

Seriously, do we need to say anything? Roll the tape. We learnt this… 1) Jennifer Lawrence is awesome. 2) Liam Hemsworth is doing pretty well without Miley. 2) Donald Sutherland is the creepiest guy in The Capitol. 3) We miss Philip Seymour Hoffman. 4) In the future, either planes become exceedingly easy to be brought down, or arrows are the most powerful weapon known to man. But wait, yo... Read more

Kate Forsyth is one of Australia’s favourite authors and one of the most successful working today, thanks to a rather large royalty cheque from Russia. She chats with John Purcell about that cheque and book 1 of her new series for children The Impossible Quest: Escape from Wolfhaven Castle. Grab a copy of Escape from Wolfhaven Castle here Escape from Wolfhaven Castle by Kate Fosyth Tell y... Read more

The cultural cringe will be closely examined on the ABC tonight in Brilliant Creatures, a documentary on Australia’s propensity to send its intellectuals packing. Hosted and largely conceived by British novelist Howard Jacobson, Brilliant Creatures is a two-part look at the endowments to and departures from Australia by four of its very best minds: Germaine Greer, Robert Hughes, Barry Humphries... Read more

Grab a copy of The Rosie Effect here The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion Don Tillman and Rosie Jarman are back. If you were swept away by Graeme Simsion’s international smash hit The Rosie Project, you will love The Rosie Effect. The Wife Project is complete, and Don and Rosie are happily married and living in New York. But they’re about to face a new challenge. Rosie is pregnant. Don sets about... Read more

Could he do it? That’s the question on everyone’s lips as Richard Flanagan continues his surge towards a Man Booker Prize for his beautiful novel The Narrow Road to the Deep North. Flanagan’s masterpiece was controversially overlooked for this year’s Miles Franklin. 2010 winner Howard Jacobson is joined by fellow UK writers Ali Smith and Neel Mukherjee, with the new inte... Read more

Jason Segel is just plain annoying. Not only is he a great actor, screenwriter, and musician, but now he’s also an author. Damn you Segel. He’s teamed up with Kirsten Miller to put together a new book Nightmares! It’s all kinds of scary awesomeness. Eleven-year-old Charlie Laird is desperate for a good night’s sleep – or even just a nap. Ever since he moved into hi... Read more

Every week Booktopia’s Andrew Cattanach reviews a cookbook. He is an incompetent cook. He is The Incompetent Cook. Tex-Mex from Scratch by Jonas Cramby It’s time for another instalment of The Incompetent Cook. This week he road tests Tex-Mex from Scratch by Jonas Cramby. Scroll down to see how you could win a Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker valued at $699! It’s been a busy few mo... Read more