Tonight is a big night on the Australian literary landscape, with the second annual Stella Prize being awarded in Sydney. Will Hannah Kent continue her amazing year of success with Burial Rites? Will Fiona McFarlane take the gong for her hauntingly beautiful The Night Guest? Could Alexis Wright add a Stella to her Miles Franklin with The Swan Book? Or perhaps 2014 will see the first non-fiction... Read more

The 14th Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIAs) shortlists were announced this morning in Sydney, with a raft of new categories and a host of wonderful writers and books. The inaugural International Book of the Year award contains Man Booker winner Eleanor Catton and Pulitzer Prize winner Donna Tartt, while the hotly contested Literary Fiction Book of the Year has some extraordinary authors jo... Read more

The Booktopia Book Guru asks Josephine Moon author of The Tea Chest Ten Terrifying Questions 1. To begin with why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself – where were you born? Raised? Schooled? I was born in Brisbane and raised in the north-western suburbs. I went to three Catholic schools, St William’s Primary School in Grovely, St Benedict’s College in Wilston and Mt Maria Senior... Read more

René Redzepi has taken the top spot at the World’s 50 Best Restaurant Awards. The Noma chef and A Work In Progress author was the surprise win of the night, taking back his world’s best restaurant crown from last year’s winner El Celler de Can Roca. Noma has now won the award an astonishing four times. How do you achieve greater creativity at the world’s best restaurant? René Redzep... Read more

Grab a copy of Every Parent’s Nightmare here The story of Jock Palfreeman has captivated Australia. Booktopia’s Andrew Cattanach took a look at award-winning journalist Belinda Hawkins’ account of the harrowing story of a young Australian jailed for murder. Wrong place, wrong time. Some phrases are uttered so often in our daily lives that they lose their punch, struggling to convey the re... Read more

It’s official. A Big Friendly Giant is coming to a cinema near you. Filmmaker Steven Spielberg is set to adapt Roald Dahl’s classic children’s book The BFG for the big screen. The house was absolutely silent. No voices came up from downstairs. There were no footsteps on the floor above either. The window behind the curtain was wide open, but nobody was walking on the pavement ... Read more

Thanks to Harlequin Books Australia, every Booktopia customer who orders a copy of Rachael Johns’ new novel Outback Blaze before May 1st will go in the draw to win 1 of 10 High Tea experiences at The Tea Cosy, The Rocks, Sydney on 10th May 2014 (flights not included). Oh, did we mention that Rachael Johns herself will be at the High Tea too! For those unable to get to Sydney there are als... Read more

The Booktopia Book Guru asks Shona Innes author of Life is Like the Wind and Friendship is Like a Seesaw Ten Terrifying Questions ___________________ 1. To begin with why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself – where were you born? Raised? Schooled? I was born and raised in sunny Queensland. I was born in Toowoomba, but grew up living in Buderim on the Sunshine Coast. I went to pr... Read more

Allen and Unwin have announced the Australian and New Zealand publication of Jodi Picoult’s new novel, Leaving Time. Due to be released in October 2014, Leaving Time will make the perfect Christmas present so start dropping hints to your loved ones now! Read an extract of Leaving Time here Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult Alice Metcalf was a devoted mother, loving wife and accomplished scient... Read more

The Booktopia Book Guru asks Gabrielle Tozer author of The Intern Ten Terrifying Questions 1. To begin with why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself – where were you born? Raised? Schooled? I was born and raised in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, a wonderful regional town where I completed both primary and high school, and ate chicken-salted potato gems by the bagful. Next stop, th... Read more