CATEGORIES

Today, Sherryl Clark is back to tell us about one of her very new releases, One Perfect Pirouette. Attending the National Ballet School is every aspiring dancer’s dream. It’s been Brynna’s for as long as she can remember. When her parents move her family to Melbourne so Brynna can attend a top ballet school, it [...]

Mafia Honey was and is a remarkable animal. Was, because he was, in truth, Marilyn Monroe’s pet Maltese terrier for the last two years of her life. Is, because, as he demonstrates in Andrew O’Hagan’s book, he is a remarkably literate, philosophical, perceptive and intelligent animal, even if he is an inveterate name-dropper. His pedigree [...]

Some other snaps from the Conference: Bob Graham took us through his life and his life’s works. He was then treated to orchestrated interpretations of four of his picture books (composed and conducted by George Ellis) including How To Heal A Broken Wing.  Ursula Dubosarsky and Tohby Riddle took to the stage to discuss the process behind [...]

In an early post on her Poisoned Apples & Smoking Caterpillars blog here at Boomerang, Aimee Burton discussed the emergence of what she described as mashups, the combining of literature with monsters. I prefer the term ‘massics’ (classics with monsters). However as the originator of the term, I get to include pretty much whatever I [...]

One of our favourite Tweeps, @tyecat, with Markus Zusak The Conference’s other ‘International Star’ Markus Zusak stopped by on the second day and gave attendees a preview of his latest novel - the epically titled Bridge of Clay. My memory is pretty lousy, which is great, because it means this post will be kept relatively spoiler-free. Of course, if you don’t [...]

Me, Melina Marchetta I really hate the overuse of ‘awesome’ as a word, but sometimes, someone possesses so many wonderful qualities that in lieu of actually listing them all, it becomes easier just to call them awesome. Melina Marchetta is one of those people. And yes, even she mispronounces her own name. [Her, Susanne Gervay [...]

Doctor Who! Yep, I’m still on that topic. The greatest television show ever made! The best tie-in books in existence! As the fifth season of the current series nears its conclusion on Australian television, I am joined by Aussie author Stephen Dedman. As well as writing short stories, role-playing games and numerous novels including For [...]

  Libby Gleeson at the CBCA 65th anniversary dinner Libby Gleeson is a powerhouse of children’s literature. Don’t believe me? Click here. Her books have helped shaped the world views of so manny Aussie kids, and hers was the keynote address of the CBCA NSW Conference.  This was my first Libby Gleeson experience, and I [...]

Jackie French, me, Bruce Whatley The CBCA NSW Conference… wow. I’ve been to my fair share of festivals, but never before have I been to one that felt so inclusive. Authors and other attendees weren’t separated. My experience with other festivals, as both speaker and attendee, has been that after sessions, speakers disappear to green rooms, [...]

Just After Sunset by Stephen King Reviewed by Rad Hall This collection of short stories by Stephen King does not start off with a bang: ‘Willa’ is a good story, neither too weak nor, however, terrifying. ‘The Gingerbread Girl’ was better, more thriller than out-and-out horror, but human and captivating. ‘Harvey’s Dream’ was where the [...]

Author Michael Collins discusses the inspiration for his semi-autobiographical novel Midnight in a Perfect Life, which details a troubled writer’s increasing ambivalence as he and his partner Lori embark on fertility treatments to conceive their first child.

The Managing Director of Boomerang Books, Clayton Wehner, will participate in a panel discussion about reducing carbon emissions at the upcoming Australian Booksellers Conference in Brisbane in early July.  Boomerang Books recently became Australia’s first carbon neutral online bookstore. The ABA Conference will run a panel on reducing carbon emissions with Joel Silver, president of [...]

ANZACS IN ARKHANGEL: The untold story of Australia and the invasion of Russia in 1918-19 by Michael Challinger Review by Ross Hamilton – ross@rosshamilton.net I was quite interested in this book when it first appeared on bookshelves and have ripped into it after obtaining my copy via Boomerang. The author states from the outset that [...]

Sherryl Clark is an award-winning author of 41 children’s books, and 3 adult books (two of which are poetry collections). She’s also a writing teacher at Victoria University TAFE where she taught me a lot of what I know about writing. I was lucky enough to have Sherryl launch my YA novel, Letters to Leonardo [...]

Call me a snob, but there’s a certain sort of book that I tend to avoid like the plague. You know the ones: the easy-to-read misery memoirs that follow a certain formula to cue tears at specified intervals throughout the book. They very ones that are instant bookclub hits. I realise that that makes me [...]

Speaking to an ex sales rep friend the other day, I learned that the thickness of a book can contribute to its success or failure on the shelves.  Specifically, a very thick book will mean that only two or three books will fit in a ‘pocket’, which is the space one book facing out takes [...]

I should probably issue a disclaimer that I not only know this author, I consider him one of my best friends. I should probably also disclose that my brother rates a mention within the book’s chapters and I get one at the end (at least, I think it’s me). But I would also like to [...]

A unique, fascinating fictional peek into one of the most extraordinary periods of the twentieth century, from the vantage point of Maf, the dog given to Marilyn Monroe by Frank Sinatra. Description In November 1960, Frank Sinatra gave Marilyn Monroe a dog. His name was Maf. He had an instinct for the twentieth century. For [...]

The Australian Booksellers Association has reached an agreement with the American Booksellers Association to bring the IndieBound movement to Australia.

Picture book author Catriona Hoy has always loved writing. I wrote lots of bad poetry as a teenager, filled with angst, and dreamt of being a songwriter. I didn’t’ see writing as a career though and did a science degree at university. I did a lot of writing as a teacher, designing units etc which [...]

I’m always a bit divided on true-life travel stories. On good days, tales of the indomitable human spirit triumphing over adversity and tough terrain uplifts my soul and inspire me. But on bad days, when getting out of bed is a major battle and surviving until lunch without returning to it in tears looks unlikely, [...]

It’s easy to say that whaling is wrong, and I’d be lying if the recent locked talks at the farce of an International Whaling Commission conference in Morocco didn’t make me want to shake someone. But what’s harder but more effective is being able to explain articulately and persuasively why it is. Which is why [...]

Today has certainly been a day of political interest here on Australia’s fair shores. But have no fear, there will be no talk of Prime Ministers, political parties or mining taxes here at Literary Clutter. Instead, I’m sticking with the topic I introduced last time — Doctor Who. My last post was about the literally [...]

Guys, just finished David Mitchell’s newest: The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet, and just had to share my thoughts on it. It is ah-mazing. I don’t know why I haven’t read more of his work, but last year was my first taste of his genius, when I finally worked up the courage to plough [...]

Trudie Trewin is the author of I Lost My Kisses and Wibbly Wobbly Street. She grew up on a farm in South Australia, but says, my outdoor play time was hampered by a condition which left me unable to cope with cold weather – known as ‘Acute Sookie-la-la syndrome’. But don’t worry – having that [...]

THANKS TO ALL THE HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE WHO ENTERED OUR ALEX RIDER COMPETITION Congratulations to our lucky winners Maria and Kara-Lee. Thanks to Walker Books Australia, your complete Alex Rider sets are now on their way out to you. I’m sure you’ll enjoy reading them. Dee

Excellent article in the Guardian this week about the internet. It seems almost laughable that someone could write a four thousand word essay about the internet these days, so central is it to the way we live our lives. But John Naughton has, and it’s excellent. He makes an excellent point about disruption being an [...]

Here it is! At long last! The post I have been threatening you all with since I began writing Literary Clutter. The post you have all been waiting for with bated breath… The first Doctor Who post. Now, for those of you who do not know what Doctor Who is (because, clearly you’ve been living [...]

This week we’re having a picture book fest at Kids’ Book Capers – we’re taking time to celebrate some great Australian picturebBooks and their creators. Unfortunately, in a single week we can only cover a small selection of wonderful Australian picture books, but we’ll be delving into the minds, the lives and the inspirations of [...]

Some Canadian friends recently asked me to recommend some good books that would give them a comprehensive understanding of Australia and its treatment of Indigenous Australians. I have to admit I was pretty stumped. Partly because I’m—embarrassingly—not sure I’m across our treatment of Indigenous Australians, and partly because as someone with Irish and Scottish heritage, [...]

Princess Belle stepped forward and curtsied to the royal guests. The King said, “This is my daughter, Princess Belle.” The King of Danzania held out his hand. Forgetting she was wearing a clown trick ring, Belle shook his hand. A zing of electricity buzzed from the ring … Princess Clown is the new book from [...]

Speaking to a particularly ebook-wary friend the other day, I was told the only reason an ebook might be useful is when travelling. Years ago, he said, he travelled with half his pack full of cassette tapes and half with books, then stuffed a few pairs of underpants around them. After he started using an [...]

What have I been reading lately? I’m glad you asked! In Lonnie’s Shadow by Chrissie Michaels, Fury by Shirley Marr and TimeRiders by Alex Scarrow. All three are YA. But they are three very different books. And at least two of them are a notch above your average YA novel. First up, In Lonnie’s Shadow by [...]

In addition to being a TV presenter, literary critic and very successful author, Clive James is a famously acerbic interviewer; witty, dry and possessed of a portly poise that allows off colour joking while looking dignified. He once interviewed Arnold Schwarzenegger, now the Governator of California, back then a muscle-bound movie action hero. They showed [...]

We’re road-testing a new feature today: Wednesday Web Sighting. We’re hoping, every couple of Wednesdays, to point you in the direction of what’s hot on the Web this week. Today, via our friends at Hachette, we’re giving you a sneak peak at their upcoming July promotion: Winter Flings. Winter Flings has the best selection of eligible bachelors to [...]

Today Sue Walker is back at Kids’ Book Capers to talk about how she wrote her new junior fiction book, Arnie Avery. Sue, can you tell us what your new book is about? Arnie Avery is about your typical 13 year old boy.  He has a sense of humour, he likes riding his bike, and [...]

One commenter on my last post raised an interesting point that I’d like to draw out as a follow-up post. A question – why are publishers ‘unlikely to stop using’ DRM, even if it doesn’t benefit them so much, as you indicate? I agree, getting rid of DRM is the way to go, but it [...]

The ongoing Crawford family folklore is that someone—most likely my brother—made off with my un-cracked, un-dog-eared, un-read copy of Fahrenheit 451. But there’s a lesser known but equally important one. That is, that my brother is no longer allowed to recommend books for me to read. I used to accept recommendations from him*, I really [...]

An article in The Guardian, published April 2010, discusses Philip Pullman as a possible trendsetter for the current onslaught of angels in YA fiction. One of the voices of the article claims that “on the ladder that goes up from the mushroom to God, angels are one rung above us”- angels are seen as superior [...]