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I’m heading to Mexico City this Friday. It’s hosting this year’s Homeless World Cup (HWC), to which I take my annual pilgrimage. Which means I’ve done the only things rational: no packing whatsoever, but plenty of agonising over which books to take for the trip. I don’t yet own an ereader, not because I’m against [...]

I’m not proud of the fact that I harrumphed when I read on this here very blog that an 18-year-old girl from the UK has been awarded a six-figure book deal. I know, right? If I had to bet six figures on it, I’d wager that you’re harrumphing just a little too. It’s not that [...]

Crime. Violence. Nasty things. Could there be anything more appealing to kids? Crime Time by Sue Bursztynski has it all… and here’s your chance to win a copy. Crime Time is a who’s who of Australian crime. From infamous past criminals such as Ned Kelly, to more current underworld figures such as Tony Mokbel, there [...]

J.K.Rowling’s new novel was released yesterday. But before you rush to the shops with the kids in tow, be warned; if you’re expecting a bedtime story or a little light reading, her latest novel may surprise you. Described as her “first novel for adults”, The Casual Vacancy is a complete departure from the world of [...]

Last week I ran a giveaway for my latest book, Life, Death and Detention. There are only two copies to give away, but some great answers… making it rather difficult to decide on the winners. But, of course, I have to force myself to pick some. So here goes… Entrants simply had to tell me [...]

It’s Bookcamp day, and I’m stuck in an office in Canberra. Boo hoo. Philosophers on the future of the book are congregating in Brisbane as I write, preparing to make their pitch for what the Bookcamp unconference will cover. This year’s special guest is designer and writer Craig Mod. Mod is a former product designer [...]

I have quite the obsession with vintage books – it’s absolutely no secret. And no surprise. Vintage children’s books are at once inspiring and overwhelmingly beautiful – harking back to a time when book creation was more about genius than sales. Here I’m sharing some of my favourite vintage books – and I would love [...]

Ali Cobby Eckermann has won the 2012 Deadly Award for Outstanding Achievement in Literature for her verse novel Ruby Moonlight. This year’s Deadly Awards were announced at a special event at the Sydney Opera House on 25 September. The awards are presented to Indigenous Australians for excellence in the areas of music, sport, entertainment and community. [...]

Ben Goldacre’s Bad Science hilariously exposed the tricks that quacks use to distort science, becoming a 400,000 copy bestseller. Now he puts the $600bn global pharmaceutical industry under the microscope. What he reveals is a fascinating, terrifying mess. Doctors and patients need good scientific evidence to make informed decisions. But instead, companies run bad trials on their [...]

I love non-fiction and Neil Patrick Harris (in completely different ways, mind) but the announcement of his book deal has me less excited and more than a little confused about what, exactly, it is we will be reading. Not content with a mere biography or memoir, the scene has been set by press releases sent [...]

1. Which genre of children’s books do you like most and why? My bookshelves have literally thousands of books across lots of different genres so it’s hard to choose! But I think my favourite genres are adventure, history and a twist of magic – so much like the books I love to write myself. Some [...]

A pretty girl on a horse in a field — a rather idyllic sort of image. But at the bottom of the image are the words: “Sometimes, the bad memories are all you’ve got.” An intriguing juxtaposition. And it is this combination of words and image that made me pick up Michelle Heeter’s debut novel, [...]

18-year-old schoolgirl lands six-figure global publishing deal with HarperCollins Story first published online and has been read 17 million times Gibbs began writing at 14 and stayed up writing until 3am on school nights Global media storm has ensued with The Huffington Post,The Guardian, The Daily Mail, The Sunday Mail, Sky Newsand BBC Breakfast running with the announcement of [...]

A Stepford-Kids style thriller for the Alex Rider generation — sinister, shocking and impossible to put down.  When 14-year-old Henry’s mum loses her job, they are forced to move to Newton County — a small American town where everyone seems just a little bit too perfect… While Henry’s mother settles into her new job at the Malcorp [...]

Just loving the gorgeously retro illustrations in this book that send one winging back to the 1970s. Author/illustrator Tai Snaith has created a timeless peek into the typical Aussie family life . . . of our native fauna. The sun has risen and a colourful Gouldian family gobble their breakfast. On a nearby branch, retro [...]

The publishing industry is going through now what the music industry has been going through for a few years: fast-changing technologies, risk-averse dinosaur suppliers unsure how and unable to adjust to the market, users fed up with being dictated the terms under which they are allowed to use content that are invariably un-user friendly, and [...]

I booked a last-minute ticket to the Queensland Writers Centre’s (QWC) Going Indie seminar, unsure what I was going to hear, but hopeful it was going to be applicable. I’ve had good fortune with QWC’s workshops and figured this one, which was tackling the oft-sneered-at, but increasingly decent option of self-publishing, would offer a handy [...]

It’s no secret that I read (and pilfer) books religiously, but it’s less well known how many podcasts I also put into my brain. They’ll never replace the joy of reading a book for me, but they’re handy for passing the time while I’m doing such mundanities as driving, doing the grocery shopping, cooking, running, [...]

The longlist for the 2012 Samuel Johnson Prize for Nonfiction has been announced in the UK. The Samuel Johnson Prize is the UK’s most prestigious non-fiction award. The prize aims to reward the best of non-fiction and is open to authors of all non-fiction books in the areas of current affairs, history, politics, science, sport, [...]

The winners of this year’s Western Australian Premier’s Book Awards were announced on 17 September. The winner of the overall Premier’s Prize ($25,000) was Fiona Skyring for Justice: A History of the Aboriginal Legal Service of Western Australia (UWA Publishing). Skyring’s book also won the $10,000 WA History Prize. Buy the books here… The winners in each [...]

Charming, funny autobiographical stories from the legendary and utterly unique Bill ‘Swampy’ Marsh ‘Coming from a small place like Beckom, I’d never been in a library before. We only had three books at home so I was under the impression that there were only three authors in the world … So when I walked into the [...]

Shy Mousey Brown is watching a sweet, bounding hare, hopping all around, welcoming in spring, totally unaware of the surly old hound, lying in wait. Shy Mousey Brown knows this hound; he’s seen him before. How can he warn the bunny of the hound’s rather sinister motives? He’s so small. He can hardly be heard. [...]

1. Which genre of children’s books do you like most and why? I’m not sure if it quite counts as a genre, but I love children’s books that work with ideas you can wonder about all your life because of a sense that, without recourse to any clunky symbolism or a deliberately placed moral, something [...]

Want a free book? Yes? Excellent — ‘cause I’m giving away two copies of my newly released YA short story collection, Life, Death and Detention. To win a copy simply go down to the comments section at the end of this post and tell me why I should give you one. The two responses I [...]

Since first being published in 1955, the Guinness World Records book has sold over 120 million copies to date in over 100 countries, but it’s not resting on its laurels. The newly-released 2013 edition comes packed with 3D technology, info-graphics and over 3,000 mind-blowing records; ranging from the amazing (oldest couple to run a marathon, at [...]

Professor Dotty Dabble and her laboratory assistant robot Digby (43 light years old) are opening the mail. There is an invitation from Mad Inventor’s Monthly to enter their best invention, and win the holiday of a lifetime. But how can they possibly choose which amazing invention to enter? Should it be the chocolate cup (simply [...]

I hadn’t come across Tess Gerritsen’s novels before Last to Die landed up on my desk. Background reading told me that this is the 10th Rizzoli and Isles thriller and that the characters had spawned a hit TV series in the US. This mystery revolves around three young children all orphaned within a week of each other [...]

Are you a bowerbird? Australia’s most exciting stylist shows how to create enticing interiors with the things you treasure Sibella Court’s wanderlust has made her one of the world’s most sought-after stylists and creative directors. Like the Australian bowerbird, Sibella is famous for creating interiors that entice and inspire from found objects, beloved mementos and upcycled furniture. [...]

I’m heading to If:Book Australia’s Bookcamp in a fortnight’s time (and yes, I realise that sounds like the publishing industry equivalent of ‘band camp’. It’s not, honest. It’s far less salacious and potentially happily even more nerdy). Bookcamp’s actually an ‘unconference’ that’s designed to bring together creative, bookish people from a bunch of backgrounds to [...]

Browsing my friends’ bookshelves is always interesting but the books I love to get into (in more ways than one) are their baking books. Not every house has some but when I do come across a home with a well-stocked dessert-bookshelf, I can spend hours browsing and lingering over the lush photography. Puddings and cheesecakes [...]

Fifty Shades of Grey (herein referred to as Fitty Shades, because it sounds totes more street) is, according to hotel chain Travelodge and The Telegraph newspaper, the book most likely. Most likely to be left behind in hotel rooms, that is. Hmm. So much to unpack there. ‘Left behind’ implies deliberate ditching, but I wonder [...]

Quentin Saxby Blake was born in Sidcup, Kent, in 1932. His first published drawing was for the satirical magazine Punch, at the tender age of 16. Studying English Literature, he went on to complete a post graduate teaching diploma before studying at the Chelsea School of Art, and eventually taught at the Royal College of [...]

As if it wasn’t possible to make me love Kill Your Darlings (KYD) journal any more than I already did, they posted the following, hot-damn-I-wish-I’d-thought-of-that blog: Three’s a Crowd(pleaser). The premise (just in case you didn’t choose to click on that link)? That, as KYD Online Assistant Stephanie Van Schilt wrote: Love triangles are standard [...]

Fifty Sheds of Grey (yes, it’s a parody)… “I stared longingly through the shed window and adjusted my trousers. The sight of her dewy, slightly unkempt lawn had awoken my inner gardener.” Colin Grey’s life was happy and simple until the day everything changed – the day his wife read THAT book. Suddenly, he was [...]

I spent three days in Melbourne last week—something I needed to recharge and inspire me after the past three months of un-fun uncertainty and ahead of Tuesday’s widely expected Queensland budgetary hack job. It was exactly what I needed—budget or no budget, and be it writing, playwriting, or all manner of other arts practices, Melbourne [...]

Harper Voyager are throwing open the doors to unsolicited manuscripts for two weeks…here’s the full media release: NEW YORK, NY - September 12, 2012: In this time of accelerated evolution in the field of digital publishing, the editorial leaders of Harper Voyager in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia are delighted to announce an exciting joint [...]

Originally published in 2010, The Rain Train is clackerty-clacking back onto bookshop shelves. Written by Elena de Roo and illustrated by Brian Lovelock, this delightful picture book is published by Walker Books. The Rain Train is a simple story about a train trip in the rain — but it is told with wonderful words and [...]

The shortlist for this year’s Colin Roderick Award has been announced. The titles on the shortlist are: The Sons of Clovis: Ern Malley, Adoré Floupette and a secret history of Australian poetry (David Brooks, UQP) Alexander Macleay: from Scotland to Sydney (Derelie Cherry, Paradise Publishers) The Taste of River Water (Cate Kennedy, Scribe) An Eye [...]

It’s a departure from my normal non-fiction areas but I have recently been devouring dieting and exercise books. There was a few factors to me picking out these books, from some interesting new releases to my new hobby of running, but I will cheerfully admit my main motivation was superficial – I wanted to look [...]

It’s that time of the year again! Guinness World Records 2013 edition will be launched globally tomorrow, Thursday September 13. Buy the book here… Guinness World Records, the global authority on record-breaking achievement, will unveil its brand new 2013 edition of the famous Guinness World Records book in a global launch on September 13, 2012, [...]