Book Recommendations Archives

10 tasty reasons to browse the romance section Following my successful, and contentious, blog post on the 10 hottest men in romance novels, I thought it only fair to share the 10 hottest men on romance covers. I know it’s Friday and you have tasks to complete before the weekend begins: perhaps you’re trying desperately to remain focused at work, putting the final touches on a presen... Read more

Such sad news to hear Hazel Hawke, one of the most energetic advocates for women’s rights and education has passed away aged 83. She was much more than the ex-wife of the former Prime Minister Bob Hawke. Mrs Hawke was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2001. She announced it publicly on the ABC series Australian Story in 2003 and gradually withdrew from public life. Her daughter, Sue P... Read more

Booktopia’s John Purcell recently took some time out to sit down with mega-bestselling author Hugh Howey. Before he wrote Wool and its prequel Shift, Hugh worked in the book industry, so his views are from a unique perspective, once a bookseller looking out and now an author looking in. Read more

Romance Specialist Haylee Nash shares 10 ways to heat up a cold winter’s night… I’m not sure about you, but there’s something about the promise of winter’s onslaught that makes me think longingly of red wine, long hot baths with a good book and cuddling up with a hot man. I mean this both literally and figuratively – men, at least in my experience, radiate heat, so there’s a practic... Read more

The Amanda Knox story remains one of the most curious events in recent legal history, appearing to come straight from the pages of the most ambitious thriller. Booktopia’s Andrew Cattanach reviews Amanda Knox’s memoir Waiting To Be Heard. Here was Amanda Knox. A young, attractive American studying in Italy who had been found guilty of murdering her flatmate, Meredith Kercher. Her bo... Read more

Looking for things to see at The Sydney Writer’s Festival? Come along and hear some experts from Booktopia chat about the wonderful world of books… Read more

Bestselling author Khaled Hosseini returns to our shelves with his hugely anticipated third novel. On the eve of its release, Booktopia’s Andrew Cattanach casts an eye over it. Maya Angelou once said “The desire to reach for the stars is ambitious. The desire to reach hearts is wise”. Whether Khaled Hosseini has heard that sage advice is unlikely. That he shares the same view,... Read more

Booktopia’s Andrew Cattanach has thrown himself into Dan Brown’s latest blockbuster. Read what he thought of all the hype . (Scroll to the bottom to see the three lucky people receiving copies signed by Dan Brown). How peculiar a world that seems content to throw billions of dollars at Adam Sandler dressing up as a woman to play his twin sister, yet derides an author because they of... Read more

“I don’t find writing romance restrictive. I find it liberating.” Mills & Boon author Michelle Douglas tells us why she loves being a romance author and reader. The romance genre speaks to me more than any other genre and I’ve wondered about this a lot. One of the reasons, perhaps, is that at heart romance is about joy and there are so few books out there that deal in joy. Please don’t thin... Read more

In the lead up to the 2013 Sydney Writer’s Festival we’ll be featuring a few of the key events we’re really looking forward to. We’ve also highlighted some great books to prepare you before basking in the warm glow of the festival. Here’s a couple of events that caught our eye… Read more