CATEGORIES

The titles longlisted for this year’s Miles Franklin Literary Award have been announced.

The longlisted titles are:

    * Lovesong (Alex Miller, A&U)
    * The Bath Fugues (Brian Castro, Giramondo Publishing)
    * Jasper Jones (Craig Silvey, A&U)
    * Sons of the Rumour (David Foster, Picador)
    * The Book of Emmett (Deborah Forster, Vintage)
    * Siddon Rock (Glenda Guest, Vintage)
    * Boy on a Wire (Jon Doust, Fremantle Press)
    * Figurehead (Patrick Allington, Black Inc.)
    * Parrot and Olivier in America (Peter Carey, Hamish Hamilton)
    * Truth (Peter Temple, Text Publishing)
    * Butterfly (Sonya Hartnett, Penguin)
    * The People’s Train (Thomas Keneally, Knopf).

This year’s judging panel was made up of Morag Fraser, Richard Neville, Gillian Whitlock, Lesley McKay and Murray Waldren. Said Fraser: ‘It is exciting to discover new voices, and even more so when they are as accomplished and challenging as the debut authors on this year’s Miles Franklin longlist. The newcomers stand alongside some of the great names of Australian literature, writers who have helped define Australian culture and deepen our understanding of ourselves. For range and diversity, this is an outstanding Miles Franklin list.’

Deborah Foster, Glenda Guest and Patrick Allington have all been nominated for debut novels; Alex Miller, Thomas Keneally, Peter Carey and David Foster have all previously won the award.

The award shortlist will be announced in April, with the winner to be awarded at a presentation dinner on 22 June. 

Source: http://www.booksellerandpublisher.com.au/articles/2010/03/15206/

This article from Thorpe Bowker’s Weekly Book Newsletter and Media Extra is reproduced by kind permission of Thorpe-Bowker, a division of R R Bowker LLC. © Copyright 2009, Thorpe-Bowker.

Arts Minister Peter Garrett has announced the 10 new author ambassadors for the renamed Books Alive campaign ‘Get Reading’.

‘Alex Miller, Christos Tsiolkas, Craig Silvey, Nick Earls, Malla Nunn, Mark Dapin, Maggie Alderson, Judy Nunn, Georgia Blain and Rachael Treasure have this year joined the Get Reading! campaign as author ambassadors,’ said Garrett.

As reported in the Weekly Book Newsletter in November last year the Books Alive campaign will now be known as ‘Get Reading’ and will continue to be chaired by Sandra yates, with Cheryl Akle as project director. It will run in September 2010.

As with last year’s campaign, the ‘free book’ for customers in 2010 will be a choice of either a children’s book or a short story collection, both commissioned for the campaign.

‘Reading remains one of life’s great pleasures for everyone and Get Reading! will again showcase 50 great titles to encourage Australians to remember just how great it is take time out with a book,’ said Garrett.

‘We know from recent Australia Council research that 84 per cent of Australians read a novel in the past year,’ said Garrett. ‘Since it began Get Reading! and Books Alive have directly resulted in the sale of an extra 1.36 million books throughout Australia, opening up a whole new world of great yarns and experiences to people of all age groups right across the country. I am sure this year will be no exception.’

Source: http://www.booksellerandpublisher.com.au/articles/2010/03/15118/

This article from Thorpe Bowker’s Weekly Book Newsletter and Media Extra is reproduced by kind permission of Thorpe-Bowker, a division of R R Bowker LLC. © Copyright 2009, Thorpe-Bowker.

The titles in the running for the Barbara Ramsden award for excellence in editing have been announced.

The award, a joint activity of the Fellowship of Australian Writers and IPEd, recognises both author and editor contributions to the final work in any field of literature.

The following 16 titles, published during 2009, have been submitted for the award:

Fiction

    * Farming Ghosts (Jena Woodhouse, ed Barbara Ker Wilson, Ginninderra Press);
    * Wonders of a Godless World (Andrew McGahan, ed Ali Lavau, A&U);
    * Lovesong (Alex Miller, ed Ali Lavau, A&U);
    * The Devil You Know (Leonie Norrington, ed Sarah Brenan, A&U);
    * Bloodflower (Christine Hinwood, ed Elise Jones, A&U);
    * A Small Free Kiss in the Dark (Glenda Millard, ed Rosalind Price, A&U);
    * 88 Lines About 44 Women (Steven Lang, ed Meredith Rose, Viking);
    * Smoke in the Room (Emily Maguire, eds Rod Morrison, Judith Lukin-Amundsen, Melanie Ostell & Emma Rafferty, Picador);
    * Superbia (Philip Hui, eds Jo Jarrah & Catherine Day, Picador).

Nonfiction

    * Maralinga: the Anangu Story (Yalata and Oak Valley Communities, with Christobel Mattingley, ed Sussanah Chambers, A&U);
    * Seven Seasons in Aurukun: My Unforgettable Time at a Remote Aboriginal School (Paula Shaw, ed Siobhan Cantrill, A&U);
    * Grand Obsessions: the Life and Work of Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin (Alasdair McGregor, ed Nicola Young, Lantern);
    * Darwin’s Armada (Iain McCalman, ed Meredith Rose, Viking);
    * Shooting Balibo: Blood and Memory in East Timor (Tony Maniaty, ed Michael Nolan, Viking);
    * The Ghost at the Wedding (Shirley Walker, ed Meredith Rose, Viking);
    * The Making of Julia Gillard (Jacqueline Kent, ed Lesley Dunt, Viking).

Source: http://www.booksellerandpublisher.com.au/articles/2010/02/14953/

This article from Thorpe Bowker’s Weekly Book Newsletter and Media Extra is reproduced by kind permission of Thorpe-Bowker, a division of R R Bowker LLC. © Copyright 2009, Thorpe-Bowker.

The Wheeler Centre officially opened on Friday night, with the Centre’s first event, A Gala Night of Storytelling, raising $20,000 for the Indigenous Literacy Project the following evening. The storytelling event featured writers David Malouf, Cate Kennedy, Shane Maloney, Judith Lucy, Alex Miller, Chloe Hooper, Christos Tsiolkas, Alexis Wright, John Marsden, Tara June Winch, John Safran and Paul Kelly and was a sell-out.

Source: http://www.booksellerandpublisher.com.au/articles/2010/02/14873/

This article from Thorpe Bowker’s Weekly Book Newsletter and Media Extra is reproduced by kind permission of Thorpe-Bowker, a division of R R Bowker LLC. © Copyright 2009, Thorpe-Bowker.

Authors on tour from November to March 2010:

November
Susan Duncan, Random House (A Life on Pittwater)
Ben Elton, Random House (Meltdown)
Danny Buderus, Random House (Talent is Not Enough)
Judy Nunn, Random House (Maralinga)
Diana Gabaldon, Hachette (Echo in the Bone)
Paul Mercurio, Murdoch Books (Mercurio’s Menu)
Alex Miller, A&U (Lovesong)
Paullina Simons, HarperCollins (A Song in the Daylight)
Reg Mombassa, HarperCollins (The Mind and Times of Reg Mombassa)
Dr Karl Kruszelnicki, HarperCollins (Never Mind the Bullocks, Here’s the Science)
Di Morrissey, Macmillan (The Silent Country)
Ray Martin, Random House (Ray: Stories of My Life)
Mick Fanning, Random House (Surf for your Life)
Robert Forster, Black Inc. (The 10 Rules of Rock and Roll: Collected Music Writings 2005-09)
Bart Cummings, Macmillan (My Story)
Wayne Carey, Macmillan (The Truth Hurts)
Sheryl McCorry, Macmillan (Stars Over the Shiralee)
Kathryn Bonella, Macmillan (Hotel Kerobokan)
Kelly Doust, Murdoch Books (The Crafty Minx)

December
Matthew Reilly, Macmillan (The Five Greatest Warriors)
Ray Martin, Random House (Ray: Stories of My Life)
Daniel J Siegel, Scribe (Mindsight: Change your Brain and Your Life)
Philip Hoare, HarperCollins, (Leviathan, or the Whale)

February 2010
Patrick Ness, Walker Books (Monsters of Men)
Katherine Howell, Macmillan (Cold Justice)
Michael Goldfarb, Scribe (Emancipation: How Liberating Europe’s Jews from the Ghetto led to Revolution and Renaissance)

March 2010
Patrick Ness, Walker Books (Monsters of Men)
Xinran, Random House NZ (Message from an Unknown Chinese Mother) NZ only

Source: http://www.booksellerandpublisher.com.au/articles/2009/11/14073/

This article from Thorpe Bowker’s Weekly Book Newsletter and Media Extra is reproduced by kind permission of Thorpe-Bowker, a division of R R Bowker LLC. © Copyright 2009, Thorpe-Bowker.

Authors on tour from November to March 2010:

November
Susan Duncan, Random House (A Life on Pittwater)
Ben Elton, Random House (Meltdown)
Danny Buderus, Random House (Talent is Not Enough)
Judy Nunn, Random House (Maralinga)
Diana Gabaldon, Hachette (Echo in the Bone)
Paul Mercurio, Murdoch Books (Mercurio’s Menu)
Alex Miller, A&U (Lovesong)
Paullina Simons, HarperCollins (A Song in the Daylight)
Reg Mombassa, HarperCollins (The Mind and Times of Reg Mombassa)
Dr Karl Kruszelnicki, HarperCollins (Never Mind the Bullocks, Here’s the Science)
Di Morrissey, Macmillan (The Silent Country)
Ray Martin, Random House (Ray: Stories of My Life)
Mick Fanning, Random House (Surf for your Life)
Robert Forster, Black Inc. (The 10 Rules of Rock and Roll: Collected Music Writings 2005-09)
Bart Cummings, Macmillan (My Story)
Wayne Carey, Macmillan (The Truth Hurts)
Sheryl McCorry, Macmillan (Stars Over the Shiralee)
Kathryn Bonella, Macmillan (Hotel Kerobokan)
Kelly Doust, Murdoch Books (The Crafty Minx)

December
Matthew Reilly, Macmillan (The Five Greatest Warriors)
Ray Martin, Random House (Ray: Stories of My Life)
Daniel J Siegel, Scribe (Mindsight: Change your Brain and Your Life)

February 2010
Patrick Ness, Walker Books (Monsters of Men)
Katherine Howell, Macmillan (Cold Justice)
Michael Goldfarb, Scribe (Emancipation: How liberating Europe’s Jews from the Ghetto led to Revolution and Renaissance)

March 2010
Patrick Ness, Walker Books (Monsters of Men)

Source: http://www.booksellerandpublisher.com.au/articles/2009/11/14000/

This article from Thorpe Bowker’s Weekly Book Newsletter and Media Extra is reproduced by kind permission of Thorpe-Bowker, a division of R R Bowker LLC. © Copyright 2009, Thorpe-Bowker.

Barbara Kingsolver, author of The Poisonwood Bible, received all manner of mentions in Media Extra over the weekend. Her new book, The Lacuna, has been keenly awaited as it’s her first novel in nine years. In the book, main character Harrison Shepherd embarks on a journey from Mexico to America. Alex Miller’s protagonist in his new novel Lovesong is also on a journey; when he seeks shelter in a Parisian cafe from a sudden rainstorm he meets the niece of the cafe owner–which changes everything. Nick Hornby is in both the book and film pages at present. His new book Juliet, Naked is getting a bit of press and it can’t be bad for publicity that An Education, for which Hornby wrote the screenplay, has just been released in cinemas. Patricia Cornwall’s Scarpetta Factor and Garrison Keillor’s Pilgrims also featured on the Most Mentioned chart this week.

Most mentioned in the Media this week

1 Lacuna, The by Barbara Kingsolver
2 Lovesong, by Alex Miller
3 Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby
4 Pilgrims, by Garrison Keillor
5 Scarpetta Factor, by Patricia Cornwell

Source: http://www.booksellerandpublisher.com.au/articles/2009/11/13943/

This article from Thorpe Bowker’s Weekly Book Newsletter and Media Extra is reproduced by kind permission of Thorpe-Bowker, a division of R R Bowker LLC. © Copyright 2009, Thorpe-Bowker.

Authors on tour from November to March 2010:

November
Susan Duncan, Random House (A Life on Pittwater)
Ben Elton, Random House (Meltdown)
Danny Buderus, Random House (Talent is Not Enough)
Judy Nunn, Random House (Maralinga)
Diana Gabaldon, Hachette (Echo in the Bone)
Paul Mercurio, Murdoch Books (Mercurio’s Menu)
Alex Miller, A&U (Lovesong)
Paullina Simons, HarperCollins (A Song in the Daylight)
Reg Mombassa, HarperCollins (The Mind and Times of Reg Mombassa)
Dr Karl Kruszelnicki, HarperCollins (Never Mind the Bullocks, Here’s the Science)
Di Morrissey, Macmillan (The Silent Country)
Ray Martin, Random House (Ray: Stories of My Life)
Mick Fanning, Random House (Surf for your Life)
Robert Forster, Black Inc. (The 10 Rules of Rock and Roll: Collected Music Writings 2005-09)
Bart Cummings, Macmillan (My Story)
Wayne Carey, Macmillan (The Truth Hurts)
Sheryl McCorry, Macmillan (Stars Over the Shiralee)
Kathryn Bonella, Macmillan (Hotel Kerobokan)
Kelly Doust, Murdoch Books (The Crafty Minx)

December
Matthew Reilly, Macmillan (The Five Greatest Warriors)
Ray Martin, Random House (Ray: Stories of My Life)
Daniel J Siegel, Scribe (Mindsight: Change your Brain and Your Life)

February 2010
Patrick Ness, Walker Books, also touring in March (Monsters of Men)
Katherine Howell, Macmillan (Cold Justice)

source: http://www.booksellerandpublisher.com.au/articles/2009/11/13912/

This article from Thorpe Bowker’s Weekly Book Newsletter and Media Extra is reproduced by kind permission of Thorpe-Bowker, a division of R R Bowker LLC. © Copyright 2009, Thorpe-Bowker.

Peter Carey continues his reign of the Most Mentioned chart in MX this week. His new book Parrot and Olivier in America has been receiving some very positive reviews. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest–Swedish author Stieg Larsson’s awaited final book in the ‘Millennium’ trilogy–is also continuing to appear in the review pages, as is Ray Martin’s autobiography Ray: Stories of My Life. Alex Miller’s Lovesong and David Foster’s Sons of the Rumour also feature strongly on the chart this week.

Most mentioned in the Media this week

1 Lovesong, by Alex Miller
2 Parrot and Olivier in America, by Peter Carey
3 Sons of the Rumour, by David Foster
4 Ray: Stories of My Life, by Ray Martin
5 Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest, The by Stieg Larsson

Source: http://www.booksellerandpublisher.com.au/articles/2009/11/13875/

This article from Thorpe Bowker’s Weekly Book Newsletter and Media Extra is reproduced by kind permission of Thorpe-Bowker, a division of R R Bowker LLC. © Copyright 2009, Thorpe-Bowker.

Alex Miller returns to the realms of romance and desire, longing and solitariness, transience and creativity in his new deep, yet playful novel Lovesong; sure to appeal widely through its astute charm and emotional essence. The bulk of the story features John and Sabiha, an Australian man and Tunisian woman who meet in Paris where Sabiha helps run a restaurant with her widowed aunt, Houria. The imbalances of even the most loving relationships are explored through John and Sabiha–longing for distant homelands, compromise, and difficulty conceiving. Miller’s soft, unhindered prose really comes alive when the complications of secret desires and longing are introduced. The secret inner life is a common theme in Miller’s work, which always holds fascination. The other parts where descriptions are apt, are expressions of solitariness–both loneliness and an aloneness that is by selection. What’s different about this novel is that the main story is told through another character, Ken, an ageing writer in Melbourne, who meets the couple later in life and is drawn to their story due to the ‘sadness in the depths of [Sabiha’s] dark brown eyes’. The author, Ken, is as such admitting that he seeks the story behind the story, the secrets behind the façade of everyday life. This structure is also cheeky in a way, as Ken quotes Lucien Freud: ‘Everything is autobiographical, and everything is a portrait’. Ken’s last book was called The Farewell and he wondered why critics never equated it with his retirement (Miller’s own last book was The Landscape of Farewell), but he does find that he can’t ‘not write’, and thus seeks (and constructs) the story of John and Sabiha. Ken, and also the reader, then get to live out someone else’s life and history, desires, and indiscretions. You could read it as a statement about fiction itself–derived from truths of the self, of people known and met, your own and others’ lives; but also from burning curiosity (the spark for the story being the sadness in Sabiha’s eyes). ‘My life is in my books’ notes Ken towards the end, an admission that the reader is free to interpret the work of the writer as coming from their own secret inner life. The intertwining stories are told with gentleness, some humour, some tragedy and much sweetness. Miller is that rare writer who engages the intellect and the emotions simultaneously, with a creeping effect.

This review from Australian Bookseller & Publisher magazine (November 2009, Vol 89, No. 4) is reproduced by kind permission of Thorpe-Bowker, a division of R R Bowker LLC. © Copyright 2009, Thorpe-Bowker.