The Booktopia Book Guru asks Louisa Bennet author of Monty and Me Ten Terrifying Questions ____________ 1. To begin with why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself – where were you born? Raised? Schooled? As a child I lived in a quintessential English village in a tumbledown house with crooked floors and secret staircases. Behind the house were rolling hills and horse paddocks; at ... Read more

The world is in a state of shock this morning as news of the passing of Jackie Collins filters through. Unbeknownst to all but those close to the 77 year-old bestselling author, Collins had been battling breast cancer for the better part of six years, a period that included numerous books, media appearances and tours, including a visit to Booktopia HQ in 2013. On that visit we fell in love with... Read more

Just when you thought it was safe to move back to the Washington woods, Stephanie Meyer is at it again with the release of a special 10th anniversary edition of Twilight, the novel that started it all. The special re-release, which will be out Oct. 7, will include exclusive bonus content. “It’s amazing to me that 10 years have passed since Twilight was first published. For me, this ... Read more

This year’s race for the Man Booker Prize promises to be one of the most intriguing in recent memory, with six extraordinary novels being named in a shortlist that shunned big names and early favourites Marilynne Robinson, Andrew O’Hagan and former winner Anne Enright. Hanya Yanagihara’s A Little Life remains the early favourite to take out the major prize, with Anne TylerR... Read more

Just when we thought we couldn’t love Kate Forsyth any more…. Australian Author Kate Forsyth has released an impassioned plea for increased government support for local authors in the wake of the announcement that $104 million will be removed from the Australia Council for the Arts. A regular guest at writers festivals both home and abroad, Forsyth has always been a highly respected... Read more

  The Booktopia Book Guru Asks Sami Sparrow, the creator of Sami Sparrow’s Emporium of Colour and Delight, 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 Alexandra, Victoria. Raised in the beautiful village of Exeter in the Southern Highlands of NSW. Primary School at Exet... Read more

John Flanagan visited Booktopia HQ today to sign a GIGANTIC pile of The Tournament at Gorlan, the prequel to his internationally bestselling Ranger’s Apprentice series. A John Flanagan day is always a fun day, the great man was on top form, and thankfully his hand didn’t drop with all the signing we had him do! It’s been two long years since the last book in his Royal Apprenti... Read more

I have a confession to make. With a long drive to work, a busy workload and a severe case of reader’s FOMO, I find myself listening to as many books as I read these days. Okay, not quite as many, but I’m going through a couple of audiobooks a week at the moment, which is something I never thought I’d do. And you know what? I’m loving it. Gone are those long hours staring... Read more

Yesterday (Australian time) marked the anniversary of the day little Harry Potter boarded the Hogwarts Express: at 11 a.m. sharp at London’s Kings Cross Station. And doesn’t J.K. Rowling know how to set twitter in a spin! I’m in Edinburgh, so could somebody at King’s Cross wish James S Potter good luck for me? He’s starting at Hogwarts today. #BackToHogwarts — J.K.... Read more

From The Guardian: Oliver Sacks, the eminent neurologist and writer, has died at his home in New York City. He was 82. The cause of death was the cancer, Kate Edgar, his longtime personal assistant, told the New York Times, which had published an essay by Sacks in February revealing that an earlier melanoma in his eye had spread to his liver and that he was in the late stages of terminal cancer... Read more