Book Recommendations Archives

If you haven’t read Kirstie Clements’ memoir The Vogue Factor you must. It’s all the things you wanted to know about the fashion industry and more. Clements has created a sensation internationally with her tell-all book of an industry whose inner-workings are as strange and shocking as any around. The Devil Wears Prada has nothing on The Vogue Factor. The most refreshing part ... Read more

Jodi Picoult’s latest offering The Storyteller has been widely acknowledged as her best work for some time. Booktopia’s Andrew Cattanach shares his thoughts. Rarely do I read a copy of a new Jodi Picoult before my mother. In fact, never have I read a copy of a new Jodi Picoult before my mother. Her bookcase is drowning in books from the bestselling US author, and eagerly awaits news... Read more

Female authors have dominated the longlist for this year’s Miles Franklin literary award, earning eight of the 10 nominations. Romy Ash, Lily Brett, Michelle de Kretser, Annah Faulkner, Drusilla Modjeska, ML Stedman, Carrie Tiffany and Jacqueline Wright make up the female contingent, while Brian Castro and Tom Keneally are the only fellas. The 10 nominations will be narrowed down at a pub... Read more

The Booktopia Book Guru asks Kim Kelly author of This Red Earth 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, raised there at Little Bay, and schooled at La Perouse and Maroubra. A very suburban childhood, plenty of good old ... Read more

The Booktopia Book Guru asks Maggie Groff author of Good News, Bad News and many more… 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 Hampshire, England and raised in the village of Portchester. Much of my childhood was spent pl... Read more

The Booktopia Book Guru asks Joy Dettman author of Ripples On A Pond, Wind in the Wires and many more… Ten Terrifying Questions ———————– 1. To begin with why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself – where were you born? Raised? Schooled? My father was a bush poet, a frustrated writer and a hoarder of old documents. When he died ... Read more

Author Claire Vaye Watkins was awarded the Story Prize in New York this morning for her debut collection, Battleborn. As winner she receives $20,000. She faced some tough competition for the prize, with celebrated writers Dan Chaon and Junot Diaz also on the shortlist. Dan Chaon was the recipient of the 2006 Academy Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, while Junot ... Read more

The longlist for the 2013 Women’s Prize for Fiction has been announced, and with Australia’s M.L. Stedman and Carrie Tiffany being joined by New Zealand’s Emily Perkins, the diversity of the list has been applauded the world over. Formerly The Orange Prize for Fiction, the longlist for The Women’s Prize for Fiction will be cut down to a shortlist at the London Book Fair ... Read more

Check out the beautiful Australian Classics series, with a special offer from Booktopia. A&R Publishers launched in 1888 and by 1895 had a bestseller with Banjo Paterson’s The Man From Snowy River. The success of A&R confirmed the existence of Australian literary talent – and an audience hungry for Australian content. The company went on to publish some of the most famous names in Austr... Read more

The Booktopia Book Guru asks Asphyxia author of The Grimstones Series 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 Melbourne, the oldest girl in a very big family, and I immediately set to work bos... Read more