In what may be one of the strangest product placements of our time, a US toilet paper manufacturer has sent the message that girl bears like to read Franz Kafka when nature calls. In a commercial for Charmin toilet paper, which features a series of interviews with animated bears about their bathroom habits (you heard me), one young bear holds up a copy of Kafka’s The Metamorphosis and remarks, ... Read more

In September each year, Get Reading runs a month-long, nationwide campaign focused on inspiring more Australians to discover or rediscover the pleasure of reading. The 2013 Top 50 Books You Can’t Put Down delivers another great range, made up entirely of Aussie authors. There’s something for everyone, from picture books to history, memoirs to popular fiction, award-winners, classics and m... Read more

‘A brilliant rollercoaster ride of a novel. I couldn’t put it down.’ Hugh Jackman The Booktopia Book Guru asks Steve Worland author of Combustion and Velocity 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 Sydney, ra... Read more

GREED is greatly overrated… BUT FEAR ISN’T In early 2012 it was announced that Cormac McCarthy had written his first original screenplay – news which provoked huge excitement, a swift deal and the appointment of Ridley Scott to direct. But this is no ordinary screenplay. This is a work of extraordinary imagination which draws on many of the themes of McCarthy’s work as well as... Read more

Every couple of weeks Booktopia’s Andrew Cattanach reviews a cookbook. He is an Incompetent cook. He is The Incompetent Cook. Bill’s Italian Food by Bill Granger The meals: Mozzarella, Roasted Capsicum and Caper Pizza Artichoke and Ham Lasagne Pistachio and Orange Loaf Cake Read more

The first full length trailer for the film adaptation of Tim Winton’s 2005 short story collection, The Turning, has been released. Have a peek below. Doesn’t it look fantastic! A huge production across all facets of the Australian arts community featuring acclaimed writers, directors, actors and cinematographers, along with the Artistic Director of Bangarra Dance Theatre, Stephen Pa... Read more

‘It’s said that a Jack Reacher novel is bought every four seconds somewhere in the world… Lee Child’s genius has been to create a tough guy hero that men will envy and women will adore’ Daily Express. By addictive bestseller Lee Child, the brand new, action-packed, high-tension Jack Reacher thriller, which sees Reacher, at the end of his long journey, honing in on his target i... Read more

This year Booktopia’s Christopher Cahill celebrates Father’s Day with a look back at some of film and television’s greatest (and most notorious) father figures, leaving aside some obvious ones (Atticus Finch etc). Screen dads have a habit of setting the bar incredibly high when it comes to being a father but they’re a wonderful guide of what to do, and what not to do, in... Read more

Book Week is coming to an end nationwide, but it’s still Kids Month at Booktopia, so we thought we’d sit down and name the children’s books that meant the most to us growing up. John Purcell The Asterix Series A combination of humour, history and in-jokes I understood more and more as I got older. Plus, I was scared of any large blocks of text because I was basically dyslexic,... Read more

Hindsight is a wonderful thing when reviewing books. But access to the author’s thoughts, well that’s pure gold. A few days ago we asked Fiona McFarlane, author of The Night Guest, what she hoped people take away with them after reading her work. I hope people are haunted by the story they’ve just read; that they’re left thinking about trust, dependence, aging, and the ways the past... Read more