Book Recommendations Archives

In one of our biggest prize offers to date, when you order My Dad Thinks He’s Funny from Booktopia you will go in the draw to win ONE of FIVE book packs worth $500 each, courtesy of the good people at Walker Books Australia. See image below, it’s a wonderful prize. This is an opportunity not to be missed. My Dad Thinks He’s Funny is a great Father’s Day gift, a great bir... Read more

The thing about Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl is that a) you have to read it and b) you have to avoid spoilers at all costs. There’s a lot of buzz surrounding this book at the moment. People are talking. Whatever you do, you MUST NOT discuss this book with anyone who has read it. If a friend recommends Gone Girl to you and starts trying to tell you what it’s about, you need to block your ears... Read more

The other day I was in a rehearsal room with a bunch of young women. Several were reading one of the Fifty Shades of Grey  trilogy while waiting to perform. I was surprised. I thought this was a book you might want to read in private (as you can tell, I haven’t read it). I asked one of these young women how it felt to be reading this book at work, in a public place and she replied: ‘Oh I’m on t... Read more

Tired of the Olympics already? Me too. So while my colleagues offer you some… normal… titles by which you might find a reprieve, I am going to offer you some more fantastical ones. Here are 5 worlds of wonder you can jump into  to escape this one – if only for a couple of days (or hours depending on how fast you read). Please note I am not including ‘Lord of the Rings... Read more

Caroline Baum: It might be a bit early to think about stocking fillers, but  make a note of this one, it will tickle the fancy of anyone irreverent and with a playful way with words. These elaborate, imaginative insults and good wishes (phrased to sound like the ancient sayings of a mystic or from a poorly translated fortune cookie) could be the start of a great new parlour game: try and make u... Read more

Gold, Gold, Gold! If that famous phrase has you bleeding from the ears, you’re probably not alone. But before you run to your Olympic proof, Penguin Classics lined bunker, I would like to point out the incredible parallels to be drawn between the world of literature of the Olympic Games. Just in time for the glory, the majesty and the spandex of the coming weeks here are 11 interesting fa... Read more

The only thing better than discovering a new series of books is realising that the author is not going to make you wait too long for the next instalment. Having been introduced to Sulari Gentill’s Rowland Sinclair novels earlier this year with Miles off Course, and then devouring books one and two with all the gusto of a confirmed historical fiction addict, I was pretty much ecstatic when I rea... Read more

Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus. What hogwash. To say we both share the same galaxy is an appallingly optimistic assumption. Since the dawn of time men have struggled to break free of the shackles of ordinary life. We want to be allowed to do things we enjoy, like getting drunk or chasing frogs. Just as women have yearned for space away from male madness so they can talk about Florence ... Read more

Drawn from Paradise is David Attenborough’s journey through the cultural history of the birds of paradise, one of the most exquisite and extravagant, colourful and intriguing families of birds. From the moment they were introduced to the European mind in the early sixteenth century, their unique beauty was recognised and commemorated in the first name that they were given – birds so... Read more

“Earth Platinum, the world’s largest atlas will start delivering from 20th February 2012. Earth Platinum is a comprehensive world atlas, featuring a world map for each of the thematic topics, Europe map, Canada map, USA map, Australia map, India map and more. The creator, Gordon Cheers, believes Earth Platinum will present the best national geographic map for every country in the wo... Read more