CATEGORIES

Did you know that the Get Reading! Campaign for 2010 has started.  Purchase one of the 50 Books you can’t put down from Boomerang Books and you’ll get a free book!

The 50 Books You Can’t Put Down guide for 2010 is available to browse or download on the all-new beefed-up website, as well as a host of other material, including previous years’ guides.

Information on the two free books and the all-new Outdoor Reading Rooms , events listings, book retailer and library listings, first chapter downloads, a Kids’ Room, News , poetry, television commercials, a blog and more make this the most comprehensive website in the history of the campaign.

So go to getreading.com.au, have a browse and check out dates for events or Reading Rooms near you. Or download a first chapter or two. And GET READING!

The first Get Reading! Outdoor Reading Room was open over the weekend in Sydney’s Hyde Park and it was a huge success.

For a gold coin donation to the Indigenous Literacy Project, people enjoyed the sunshine, relaxed in the comfy furniture, browsed the 50 Books You Can’t Put Down and chatted to visiting authors Judy Nunn, Gabrielle Williams, Malla Nunn and William Kostakis. Kids loved the kids’ corner, where they could draw, colour in and do puzzles, or just read a book.

The mood was buzzy but homely, and those who dropped by didn’t want to leave. To see the photos click here or go to getreading.com.au

So if you’re in Brisbane, Melbourne or Wagga Wagga, don’t miss the chance to relax in the Get Reading! bubble chairs or chat to an author or two. Get outdoors, make a gold coin donation to the Indigenous Literacy Project, and enjoy your very own celebration of books and reading!

OUTDOOR READING ROOMS DATES AND LOCATIONS

1–5 September: Brisbane
Maiwar Green, Southbank Cultural Centre
State Library of Queensland
Stanley Place, South Bank, Brisbane
10 am – 4 pm daily

10–12 September: Melbourne
The Amphitheatre, Federation Square
Flinders St, Melbourne
10 am – 4 pm daily

14–15 September: Wagga Wagga
Wagga Wagga Library Garden
Baylis Street, Wagga Wagga
Tues, 14 September: 9 am – 4 pm
Wed, 15 September: 10 am – 4 pm

Dead In The Family by Charlaine Harris
Reviewed by Molly

Dead In The Family, #10 in the Sookie Stackhouse series, is definitely no let-down. Loyal and dedicated fans who have read the previous books in the series will not be disappointed.

The novel is still action-packed and realistic in its depiction of Harris’ supernatural world, however in this particular book, but there’s been a change: you’ll meet a slightly more world-wary Sookie. This in no way detracts from her original character – in fact, this growth of character is what makes her easily likeable and real.

The intricacies of Sookie’s relationship with Eric are explored, and Bill is by no means absent. Nor are her fae relatives, of which there are some who seek revenge on Sookie.

Indeed, Sookie must accept and heal from the devastating torture she experienced in the previous novel under the hands of her fae relatives, and the deaths of her fairy godmother, Claudine and her new friend Amelia’s werewolf boyfriend.

Overall, this book most definitely lives up to expectations and there is much room for an 11th – loyal fans and readers will be very pleased with this latest wonderful addition. (5 stars)

A big thanks to all the members who submitted reviews – keep reviewing your favourite books at http://www.boomerangbooks.com.au for your chance to win! For being this month’s winner, Molly has won $50 to spend in Boomerang Bucks.

Boomerang Fact: Did you know that the Sookie Stackhouse books are the basis for the wildly successful TV series, True Blood?

Things We Didn’t See Coming by Australian author Steven Amsterdam (Sleepers Publishing) has been longlisted for this year’s £10,000 (A$17,000) Guardian first book award in the fiction category. Other authors longlisted in the fiction category are Rebecca Hunt, Ned Beauman, Maile Chapman and Nadifa Mohamed. The shortlist for this year’s prize will be released in late October, with the winner announced at the beginning of December. Amsterdam is one of the authors included in the new Sleepers Almanac, which has just been released for the first time as an iPhone app.

Source: http://www.booksellerandpublisher.com.au/articles/2010/08/17214/

This article from Thorpe Bowker’s Weekly Book Newsletter and Media Extra is reproduced under licence from Thorpe-Bowker, a division of R R Bowker LLC. © Copyright 2010, Thorpe-Bowker.

Text Publishing has announced that film rights to Toni Jordan’s Addition have been acquired by Buon Giorno Productions and Bruna Papandrea.

The film is set to be co-produced by Cristina Pozzan of Buon Giorno Productions and Papandrea.

Pozzan, who has worked in the film industry for more than 25 years, said the film of Jordan’s book ‘promises to be a highly original and sophisticated romantic comedy’.

US-based Australian producer Papandrea said she had ‘long wanted to return to Australia to work on a project that was both smart and also had broad commercial appeal’ and added that Addition was ‘just that piece’. Papandrea’s producer credits include the upcoming All Good Things, featuring Kirsten Dunst and Ryan Gosling.

Publisher Michael Heyward said Text, which sold the film rights direct, was ‘thrilled to have found the right partners for what promises to be a stellar movie’.

Source: http://www.booksellerandpublisher.com.au/articles/2010/08/17221/

This article from Thorpe Bowker’s Weekly Book Newsletter and Media Extra is reproduced under licence from Thorpe-Bowker, a division of R R Bowker LLC. © Copyright 2010, Thorpe-Bowker.

The longlist for the 2010 Inky Awards has been announced. The Inkys are international awards for teenage literature, presented by Inside a Dog, a website funded by the State Library of Victoria.
Here are the longlisted books:

The Gold Inky (Australian books)

* Liar (Justine Larbalestier, A&U)
* Guardian of the Dead (Karen Healey, Little, Brown)
* Merrow (Ananda Braxton-Smith, Black Dog Books)
* Raw Blue (Kirsty Eagar, Penguin)
* Swerve (Phillip Gwynne, Penguin)
* The Piper’s Son (Melina Marchetta, Viking)
* Confessions of a Liar, a Thief and a Failed Sex God (Bill Condon, Woolshed Press)
* Anonymity Jones (James Roy, Woolshed Press)
* Stolen (Lucy Christopher, Chicken House)
* Loving Richard Feynman (Penny Tangey, UQP)

The Silver Inky (international books)

* The Poison Throne (Celine Kiernan, A&U)
* Going Bovine (Libba Bray, A&U)
* Heist Society (Ally Carter, Lothian)
* Leviathan (Scott Westerfeld, Viking)
* The Bride’s Farewell (Meg Rosoff, Puff)
* Shiver (Maggie Stiefvater, Scholastic)
* The Wrong Grave (Kelly Link, Text)
* Will Grayson, Will Grayson (David Levithan & John Green, Text)
* Shark Girl (Kelly Bingham, Candlewick Press)
* The Sky is Everywhere (Jandy Nelson, Walker Books)

There is also a Creative Reading Prize (an iPad) awarded to a young person for a creative response to a book they love.

The Inkys shortlists will be announced on 12 October. Voting is then opened to readers of Inside a Dog until 19 November. The winners will be announced on 25 November. For further details see: www.insideadog.com.au

Source: http://www.booksellerandpublisher.com.au/articles/2010/08/17237/

This article from Thorpe Bowker’s Weekly Book Newsletter and Media Extra is reproduced under licence from Thorpe-Bowker, a division of R R Bowker LLC. © Copyright 2010, Thorpe-Bowker.

Allen & Unwin won all awards in the Sisters in Crime Australia’s 10th Davitt Awards for best Australian women’s crime writing, presented by Val McDermid in the Celtic Club as part of the Melbourne Writers Festival.

* Adult Fiction: Sharp Shooter (Marianne Delacourt, A&U)
* Children’s & YA Fiction: Liar (Justine Larbalestier, A&U)
* True Crime: Lady Killer (Candace Sutton & Ellen Connolly, A&U)
* Readers’ Choice: Forbidden Fruit (Kerry Greenwood, A&U)

Forty crime books competed for the Davitt Awards this year. Judges were impressed by the 10 children’s and YA crime book entries. ‘Not only were there a high number of children’s and young adult crime novels this year, but the judges were bowled over by their high calibre,’ said Sisters in Crime spokesperson Tanya King-Carmichael.

Source: http://www.booksellerandpublisher.com.au/articles/2010/08/17213/

This article from Thorpe Bowker’s Weekly Book Newsletter and Media Extra is reproduced under licence from Thorpe-Bowker, a division of R R Bowker LLC. © Copyright 2010, Thorpe-Bowker.

Sales of bestselling book Eat, Pray, Love (Elizabeth Gilbert, Bloomsbury) continue to gather steam, with the book topping the bestseller charts for the second week in a row. The film adaptation starring Julia Roberts is due to hit cinemas next month. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Stieg Larsson, Quercus) has moved up to second place, while Jessica Watson’s True Spirit (Hachette) places third on this week’s bestseller chart. Another anticipated film adaptation has sparked book sales and generated a new entry to the top 10 bestseller chart–Tomorrow, When the War Began, (John Marsden, Pan), the first book of the popular young adult ‘Tomorrow’ series, sits at number nine on the chart. The film featuring an Australian cast, including two Aussie soap stars, screens in cinemas this week. The Power (S&S) by Rhonda Byrne, author of The Secret is number one on the highest new entries chart while Trick of the Dark (Val McDermid, Hachette) tops the fastest movers chart this week–Weekly Book Newsletter.

Source: http://www.booksellerandpublisher.com.au/articles/2010/08/17232/

This article from Thorpe Bowker’s Weekly Book Newsletter and Media Extra is reproduced under licence from Thorpe-Bowker, a division of R R Bowker LLC. © Copyright 2010, Thorpe-Bowker.

Anonymous Premonition by Yvette Holt (UQP) has won this year’s Kate Challis RAKA Award.

The $25,000 award for Indigenous creative artists is offered in a five-year cycle with a different area of the arts–creative prose, drama, the visual arts, scriptwriting and poetry–being recognised each year.

In 2011, the award will be for creative prose.

Source: http://www.booksellerandpublisher.com.au/articles/2010/08/17235/

This article from Thorpe Bowker’s Weekly Book Newsletter and Media Extra is reproduced under licence from Thorpe-Bowker, a division of R R Bowker LLC. © Copyright 2010, Thorpe-Bowker.

The winners of the Age Book of the Year Awards were announced on Friday 27 August at the opening of the Melbourne Writers Festival.

Alex Miller was the overall winner of the Age Book of the Year award for Lovesong (A&U), which also won the fiction category, winning a total of $20,000 in prize money.

The winner of the Poetry category was Pirate Rain (Jennifer Maiden, Giramondo) and Ten Hail Marys (Kate Howarth, UQP) won in the nonfiction category. The prize money for each award is $10,000.

The Age editor-in-chief Paul Ramadge and literary editor Jason Steger presented the awards. ‘This wonderful city has produced many wonderful writers,’ said Ramadge. ‘I’m delighted to kick off this festival by honouring our home-grown talent.’

Source: http://www.booksellerandpublisher.com.au/articles/2010/08/17223/

This article from Thorpe Bowker’s Weekly Book Newsletter and Media Extra is reproduced under licence from Thorpe-Bowker, a division of R R Bowker LLC. © Copyright 2010, Thorpe-Bowker.