Book Recommendations Archives

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

Get ready. World. Everyone’s favorite newsman Ron Burgundy is writing a tell-all memoir. The legendary comic character, created by Will Ferrell and director Adam McKay, will grace our bookshelves soon as the world waits for the highly anticipated December release of the sequel to Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. Read more

It seems like every book lover around the world (and particularly Australia) have their fingers crossed that the upcoming film adaptation of Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief is worthy of the novel. As message boards and chat rooms begin to fill with excited chatter about the soon to be released film, the conversation invariably heads down the I-hope-they-don’t-mess-this-up path. So it ... Read more

It’s always a good sign when established authors take time out to spruik a new novelist, and Matthew Reilly has done just that. In a post on his Facebook page, Reilly said, “today sees the release of a great new novel by a young author who I think could become a true global success.” “It is by Scott Baker and he is simply a fantastic new talent.” High praise indeed... Read more

Already featured in nearly every news outlet in the country, I Am Pilgrim is enjoying the sort of word of mouth publicity that propelled Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl into a mega-bestseller. The first novel by British-born Aussie-raised screenwriter Terry Hayes debuted at the top of the British bestseller list this week, atop a podium featuring the likes of Dan Brown and J.K. Rowling. Read more

Inspired by our own John Purcell’s much publicised call for men to read more female writers, we asked some of our favourite male writers to nominate some of their favourite female wordsmiths. Here are the results, enjoy! Tony Park Fishing for Tigers by Emily Maguire Loved it. Evocative images of Vietnam and an interesting, sensual story. Six years ago, Mischa Reese left her abusive husban... Read more

Romance Specialist Haylee Nash steps a little outside her genre to give us a sneak peak at the Next Big Thing, The Returned by Jason Mott. Eighteen months ago I received an urgent email from a chief editor from the New York office asking me and my publishing colleagues to quickly read a manuscript that they were considering bidding on. By quickly, they meant overnight. They had to make their bi... Read more

Cats are curious, cuddly, and sometimes cantankerous. So it should come as no surprise that they have been the companion of choice for countless writers over the years. Samuel Johnson Once described as “the most distinguished man of letters in English history”, Johnson’s devotion to felines caused a falling out with his friend and biographer James Boswell, who was a big cat ha... Read more

The Secret Lives of Emma series has sold more than 50,000 copies and last year made Purcell one of the best-selling debut authors in Australia. As head of marketing for Australian online bookstore Booktopia, Purcell has tracked a further kick in sales since his unmasking. Read more