Book Recommendations Archives

The energy of this debut novel just leaps off the page. Musa, a charismatic rapper, has successfully translated the idiom and pulse of performance to the page with its syncopated rhythms and hard-edged beats. Inevitably, he is being compared with his mate Christos Tsiolkas for his full-frontal engagement with contemporary Australian society: in this case, multicultural masculinity with its surg... Read more

How strange it is to know a voice so well, yet know nothing about the person behind it. Ray Warren has been purring like a wolverine in my living room for most of my life. On the rare occasions we were allowed to watch TV during dinner, it was usually Ray’s voice emanating from that part of the room, a big game that even mum’s lamb roast couldn’t compete with. They are the str... Read more

I loved this little book. A finished copy was recently given to me by Simon and Schuster Australia. I get sent a lot of books but I suspect this one was chosen for me the reader not me the bookseller. Whoever thought to send it probably guessed I would love it. Michael Katakis, who I have never heard of before, now feels like an old friend. Reading his short (144 pages), hard-bound book of essa... Read more

During the Football World Cup we gave you a chance to win a Chelsea Jersey signed by football royalty Frank Lampard. All you needed to do to enter was buy a book from the Frankie’s Magic Football series! And the lucky winner is… T.Baer, New Norfolk, TAS FRANKIE AND THE WORLD CUP CARNIVAL : BOOK 6 by Frank Lampard Frankie and his friends and their dog, Max, are magic-ed to Brazil whe... Read more

One of Australia’s favourite novelists Kate Forsyth, author of Bitter Greens and The Wild Girl, continues her monthly blog with us, giving her verdict on the books she’s been reading. I came home from the ANZ Festival of Literature & the Arts in London with a whole bag of books and am slowly reading my way through them. Quite a few of them are by Australian writers who were spea... Read more

There seems to be two types of people in this world. Those who love Michael Robotham, and those who haven’t heard of him yet. It can be difficult for a crime writer to receive critical acclaim and popularity. Books by design are denser than any cop drama on TV, asking questions designed for reflection rather than ratings. Formulas are examined and broken down, cliches noted, thin characte... Read more

Books! Chocolates! Now that I have your attention… oh wait… no, that’s what I needed to tell you. You could win a pile of books and chocolate! To celebrate the upcoming release of Liane Moriarty’s new book, Big Little Lies, the good folks at Pan MacMillan are giving you the chance to win 1 of 3 awesome prize packs valued at $299. All you need to do is buy a copy of Big L... Read more

If you bought a feature title in our June Young Adult Buzz you went in the draw to win a special hardcover edition of John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars. The winners are… C.Dudley, Joyner, QLD A.Beverley, Nambucca Heads, NSW S.Mosley, Mundubbera, QLD T.Lloyd, Swan Hill, VIC C.McKenzie, Bunbury, WA C.Birelo, South Yarra, VIC J.Giaouris, Carss Park, NSW R.Cullen, Young, NSW K.Wilson,... Read more

J.K Rowling has published a new Harry Potter short story on her Harry Potter fan site Pottermore. The 1,500-word piece released this morning centres on a now 34-year-old Harry Potter with greying hair attending the Quidditch World Cup 2014. Rowling has also been writing other pieces on the tournament for Pottermore to coincide with the World Cup in Brazil. Rowling writes that as Harry approache... Read more

In Born to Fly, Ryan recounts his remarkable journey from a boy with a dream to becoming, at age 19, the youngest person ever to circumnavigate the world solo in a single-engine aircraft, and shares with us the joy of flight. Grab a copy of Ryan Campbell’s Born to Fly here Born to Fly by Ryan Campbell The most extraordinary aviation adventure of the decade. A great story in the spirit of ... Read more