Review by John Purcell I completely missed the talk about Stoner by John Williams. Originally published in 1965 to critical praise and few sales it sank like a stone until 2003 when it was rediscovered and celebrated as an American classic. I don’t know what I was doing at the time. Probably sitting in my second-hand bookshop reading and taking no notice of the world. Blissful memories. W... Read more
Review by Sarah McDuling Wow. Just … wow! Almost from the first page, The Poison Artist grabbed my attention and held it tight. I could not put this book down and honestly, there were moments so fraught with tension that I had to remind myself to keep breathing. Unfolding like a feverish nightmare where the lines between reality and fantasy are constantly blurred, The Poison Artist is a story d... Read more
Review by John Purcell Why do I put off reading books which come with a great many excellent recommendations? Is it some residue from my adolescent self, standing firm against the coercion of the group? Probably something as stupid as that. Well, I’m glad I overcame that foolishness when it came to picking up this much lauded, discussed and recommended novel, which is the first in a serie... Read more
Passionate or curious about Indigenous culture, stories or books? Then this festival is for you! Blak & Bright, the inaugural Victorian Indigenous Literary Festival, will take over the Wheeler Centre for four days of panels, performances, workshops and more, from February 18-21. The festival will feature more than 60 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander novelists, oral storytellers, poets,... Read more
The Australian Romance Readers Association have announced the finalists for the 2015 Australian Romance Readers Awards…..and the end result is delectable. ARRA members can now vote for their favourite in each category, but you have until 28 February to vote! Winners will be announced at the Awards Dinner, which will be held on 19 March 2016. For more details about the night click here. Fa... Read more
Here we are, after two weeks of nominations and voting nation-wide, we now have 75 of Australia’s Favourite Authors assembled for the final vote! You can vote for as many authors as you like, but you only get one chance to vote, so choose wisely! Don’t forget to spread the word, use the social buttons at the bottom of this post to share to family and friends. Polls close this Sunday... Read more
Our quest to discover Australia’s favourite author continues, and the final heat was a biggie, with nearly 12,000 votes cast in less than 24 hours! We’re delighted to announce that the following Aussie authors have made it through to the final round of voting… Markus Zusak Hannah Kent Matthew Reilly Andy Griffiths Shaun Tan Jackie French Ruth Park Dianne Blacklock Tara Moss Hu... Read more
There’s a common misconception that to be a ‘Strong Female Character’ you have to have masculine traits... Read more
Our annual vote to discover Australia’s Favourite Author is here again! Over 100,000 Australians had their say last year, and this year will be even bigger! It’s your chance to champion your favourite Australian authors and vote them through to next week’s final round of voting. You can vote for as many authors as you like, with the poll closing at midnight tonight. This is th... Read more
Our quest to discover Australia’s favourite author continues!!! We’re delighted to announce that the following wonderful Aussie authors have made it through to the final round of voting… Isobelle Carmody Traci Harding Garth Nix Sofie Laguna Liane Moriarty Mem Fox Kate Morton Anita Heiss Liz Byrski Monica McInerney Thomas Keneally Fiona Wood Di Morrissey Michael Robotham Kerry ... Read more
