Book Recommendations Archives

The Booktopia Book Guru asks Fiona Palmer author of The Sunburnt Country, The Road Home, Heart of Gold and The Family Farm… Nine Naughty Questions ———————– 1. I wonder, is a Romance writer born or made? Please tell us little about your life before publication. Hmm, you know I’m not sure. Maybe it’s both? I think it was reading romance books ... Read more

Lauren Oliver is mean. Please understand, this criticism comes from a place of love. I say this as a devoted Lauren Oliver fan. I’m not suggesting she is a bad person. I’m sure she’s a lovely person. But she’s downright cruel to her readers. Case in point: The Delirium Trilogy. Anyone who suffered through the heart-breaking ending of Book One in this trilogy will back me up here. Delirium ends ... Read more

Toxic Oil: Why Vegetable Oil Will Kill You & How to Save Yourself by David Gillespie, author of Big Fat Lies: How the Diet Industry is Making you Sick, Fat and Poor , Sweet Poison and The Sweet Poison Quit Plan Everything you believe about fat is wrong. Polyunsaturated oil – everyone knows it’s good for you, right? Wrong! And we all know artery-clogging, cholesterol-forming saturated ... Read more

An IT consultant in his 50s decides to write his first novel. The novel is sold to 30 different countries and advances exceed $1 million. And that’s just the About The Author section, imagine how good the story inside the book is. Don Tillman  needs a wife. He has evaluated data and it’s obvious that this is all that is required in his life. He is a professor of genetics, physically... Read more

If you’re going to dream, dream big. So when my partner and I were throwing around ideas for how to spend our not too far off honeymoon my first thought was a trip on the legendary Orient Express.  As Caroline’s eyes lit up in excitement I knew in a heartbeat that her love for Agatha Christie was going to cost me. This love affair with one of history’s greatest crime writers began with the nove... Read more

The longlist for the 2013 Stella Prize has just been announced, containing a great mix of exciting new talents and familiar faces. Named after one of Australia’s most important female authors, Stella Maria Miles Franklin, the Stella Prize is worth $50,000, and both fiction and non-fiction books are eligible. The 2013 Stella Prize shortlist will be announced on Wednesday 20 March. The inaugural ... Read more

UPDATE: Now that the book is out, read our review here. Exciting news for Dan Brown fans today as the cover for his early anticipation new novel Inferno was unveiled today. Collectors of his previous bestsellers The Lost Symbol, Angels & Demons and the record-breaking The Da Vinci Code won’t be left disappointed, with Inferno carrying much the same design as the rest of his catalogue.... Read more

The Booktopia Book Guru asks Boyd Anderson author of Amber Road, Errol, Fidel and The Cuban Rebel Girls and 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? In true medieval tradition, I was born and raised in the same suburb in which I ... Read more

Rarely does a blurb prepare you so perfectly for what you are about to read. The Childhood of Jesus is not like any other novel you have read. And it is with the same forthright vagueness, if there is such a thing, that J.M. Coetzee tells a beautiful tale of love, loss, and everything in-between. Let’s address the elephant in the room. J.M. Coetzee was awarded the 2003 Nobel Prize for Lit... Read more

February is the month of love at Booktopia, and to celebrate we’re counting down the 50 Greatest Love Stories Ever Told, as voted by you. After thousands of votes, the poll closed on Sunday and we’ll be counting down the top 50, with the top 10 being announced at midday tomorrow, Valentine’s Day. So sit back and enjoy the great works that made it to 20-11 in your voting. And don’t forget to scr... Read more