Booktopia Buzz, the best of April and Stephenie Meyer’s new Twilight book, The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner

Posted on March 31, 2010 by Toni Whitmont

Its been a huge day here at Booktopia. First up  was the announcement that Stephenie Meyer is releasing a Twilight/Eclipse novella on June 5. The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner is going to be a must-read for all those millions of Twilight readers who are in desperate need of a Stephenie fix. I’m serious about the millions. The print run is 1.5 million.

We’ve got the US hard back edition heavily discounted – down from  $27.99 to…wait for it…$14.95. There will be an Australian edition released on the same day, hopefully a paper back, and we’ll give you a terrific price on that as well. More information on that one in the next 24 hours.

Now, to the Buzz titles for April.

Matt Hilton’s Slash and Burn and Dead Men’s Dust together for $24.99

Light of Lucia by Luciana Sampogna

House Rules by Jodi Picoult

Angelology by Danielle Trussoni

We’ve got Beatrice and Virgil by Yann Martel, ANZAC Day, we’ve got Mother’s Day, we’ve even got the State of Origin. Go to town!

Filed under: Booktopia, Coffee Table Books, cook books, Crime/Thriller, Fantasy, Fiction, Literature, Non Fiction, Romance, Young Adult | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

BREAKING NEWS: The Shroud of Turin

Posted on March 31, 2010 by John Purcell, The Booktopia Book Guru

The Shroud of Turin will be displayed at Turin Cathedral, where it has been kept for more than 500 years, and where it was last on display to the public ten years ago for the Church’s Jubilee Millennium celebration.

At a Vatican press conference Archbishop of Turin, Cardinal Severino Poletto, announced details of the display which will take place at the city’s Cathedral from April 10 to May 23.

The shroud bears the faint image of the front and back of a tall, long-haired, bearded man and appears to be stained by blood from wounds in his feet, wrists and side, London’s Daily Telegraph reports.

Also: Digital artists have recreated the face of Jesus for a History Channel documentary – and he’s nothing like the man depicted in Renaissance paintings.

And: In 1978 in his international bestseller The Turin Shroud Ian Wilson ignited worldwide public debate with his compelling case endorsing the shroud’s authenticity. Now, 30 years later, he has completely rewritten and updated his earlier book to provide fresh evidence to support his original argument. Shroud boldly challenges the current post-radiocarbon dating view – that it is a fake. By arguing his case brilliantly and provocatively, Ian Wilson once more throws the matter into the public arena for further debate and controversy.

Filed under: Fiction, Non Fiction | Tagged: | Leave a Comment »

BREAKING NEWS: A New Twilight Book! The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella by Stephenie Meyer

Posted on March 31, 2010 by John Purcell, The Booktopia Book Guru

“NEW YORK, NY (March  2010) – Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, a division of Hachette Book Group, has announced today that it will release the first new title from Stephenie Meyer in nearly two years. The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner is a novella told from the point of view of Bree, a character originally featured in Eclipse. The novella (at 192 pages) will be released at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, June 5, 2010 in hardcover for US$13.99  with a first printing of 1.5 million copies. One dollar for each book sold in the US from the first printing will be donated to the American Red Cross  International.”

“Fans of The Twilight Saga will be enthralled by this riveting story of Bree Tanner, a character first introduced in Eclipse, and the newborn vampire world she inhabits. In another irresistible combination of danger, mystery, and romance, Stephenie Meyer tells the devastating story of Bree and the newborn army as they prepare to close in on Bella Swan and the Cullens, following their encounter to its unforgettable conclusion.” (from the official press release.)

BOOKTOPIA IS TAKING PRE-ORDERS NOW!

BOOKTOPIA’S PRICE $14.95 (RRP$22.99)

Plus: Here is the new trailer for the next Twilight film – Eclipse!



Filed under: Fantasy, Fiction, Movies, Romance, Young Adult | Tagged: | 2 Comments »

BREAKING NEWS: CHILDREN’S BOOK AWARDS

Posted on March 30, 2010 by Booktopia

The Children’s Book Council Of Australia Awards

The 2010 Short List

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Book of the Year: Older Readers

These books are for mature readers.

CHRISTOPHER, Lucy – Stolen
CLARKE, Judith – The Winds of Heaven
LARBALESTIER, Justine – Liar
METZENTHEN, David – Jarvis 24
MILLARD, Glenda – A Small Free Kiss in the Dark
TANGEY, Penny – Loving Richard Feynman (more…)

Filed under: Children's Fiction, Fiction, Literature, Young Adult | 1 Comment »

BREAKING NEWS: Sizzling Sixteen, Janet Evanovich & Katherine Heigl

Posted on March 30, 2010 by Booktopia

The release date of the latest Janet Evanovich  novel, Sizzling Sixteen, has been announced. June 24 will be a huge day for Stephanie Plum fans (one day earlier for US readers).

In a break with tradition, the jacket image has also been made public in advance.

It is summertime in Jersey and our favourite bounty hunter is up to her old antics – grand-scale fun, hilarious capers and action galore.

Meanwhile, the movie version of the series launcher One for the Money is being made starring Katherine Heigl. We will have to wait at least another 18 months to see how well Stephanie translates to the big screen.

Pre-orders are now being taken.

Filed under: Fiction, Movies | Tagged: , | 5 Comments »

Alex Miller, author of Lovesong, The Ancestor Game, Journey to the Stone Country and more, answers Ten Terrifying Questions

Posted on March 30, 2010 by John Purcell, The Booktopia Book Guru

The Booktopia Book Guru Asks

Alex Miller

author of

Lovesong, The Ancestor Game, Journey to the Stone Country

and many more,

Ten Terrifying Questions

———————————————————————————————-

1. To begin with why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself – where were you born? Raised? Schooled?

BORN: 369 Fulham Road, London SW1; RAISED: 101 Pendragon Road, Bromley Kent; SCHOOLED: Pendragon Rd Primary then Cooper’s Lane Secondary Modern.

2. What did you want to be when you were twelve, eighteen and thirty? And why?

At 12 I wanted to be a cowboy in the wild west; at 18 an Australian stockman in the Gulf Country of Australia; at 30, a novelist.

3. What strongly held belief did you have at eighteen that you do not have now?

At eighteen I believed in the moral progress of our species.

4. What were three works of art – book, painting, piece of music, etc – you can now say, had a great effect on you and influenced your own development as a writer?

The book was Frank Dalby Davison’s Man-Shy, which I read in Somerset at sixteen. Davison’s story kindled my dream of becoming an (more…)

Filed under: Author Interview, Fiction, Literary Prizes, Literature, Writing tips | Tagged: , , , | 4 Comments »

BREAKING NEWS: Philip Pullman Possibly Pilloried

Posted on March 29, 2010 by Booktopia

Philip Pullman’s latest literary offering – The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ – has caused a stir among religious zealots.

Pullman told the Sunday Times -

“Many refer to the title itself, for which there is clearly a passionate objection from some out there,” he said. “The letter writers essentially say that I am a wicked man, who deserves to be punished in hell.

Luckily it’s not in their power to do anything like sending me there.”

The book is the latest in The Myths Project, which is a long-term global publishing project where some of the world’s most respected authors re-tell myths in a manner of their own choosing -  Karen Armstrong,  Margaret Atwood,  Michel Faber, David Grossman, Milton Hatoum, Alexander McCall Smith,  Klas Ostergren, Victor Pelevin, Ali Smith,  Su Tong, Dubravka Ugresic,  Salley Vickers and  Jeanette Winterson.

Filed under: Fantasy, Fiction, Young Adult | Tagged: | Leave a Comment »

Light of Lucia with Luciana Sampogna – cooking with love

Posted on March 29, 2010 by Toni Whitmont

You couldn’t get a more enticing book launch than this – an invitation to a Tuscan villa in inner city Sydney where you could spend several hours cooking an Italian banquet from scratch, before sitting down to eat and drink with  colleagues. And the afternoon at Cucina Italiana was everything that was promised – and more!

Luciana Sampagna has run her cooking school from her house in Annandale for many, many years. She is all about celebration – celebration of life, celebration of love and celebration of food. From the minute you step into the home you are transported to another world – trickling fountains, mosaic tiles, a woodfire oven, an enormous communal table,  hand crafted drying racks for pasta and wicker work “mandolinos” she imports from Italy that make a colander not only redundant, but (more…)

Filed under: Booktopia, Coffee Table Books, cook books, Gift Books, Non Fiction | Tagged: , , | 2 Comments »

BREAKING NEWS: George Orwell’s Capital

Posted on March 29, 2010 by Booktopia

A near perfect signed first edition copy of George Orwell’s Down And Out In Paris And London sold at auction last week for a staggering $141,734 (£86,000).

Inside, was an inscription to his agent –

”With the author’s kind regards, to Mr LP Moore without whose kind assistance this book would never have been published. Eric Blair, 24.12.32.”

(Eric Blair was George Orwell’s real name.)

Beforehand, the seller was told to expect anything from between $4,000 and $7,000!

Filed under: Fiction, Literature, Publishing | Tagged: | Leave a Comment »

THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO by Alexandre Dumas (A review by John Purcell)

Posted on March 27, 2010 by John Purcell, The Booktopia Book Guru

Buy Now!We think we know the story of The Count of Monte Cristo, but in truth, until we have read Robin Buss’ new translation, published by Penguin Classics, we know nothing. All previous popular editions in English were reprints of a poorly translated and abridged nineteenth century edition which reduced the great work to the level of a common pot-boiler. These second-rate editions were then translated into film. In short, The Count of Monte Cristo we have always known is an impostor!

The new translation brings a greater depth and subtlety to the story from the outset, setting the scene thoroughly, introducing us to Edmond Dantes and his fiancé Mercédès, drawing both their characters deftly, revealing their youth, innocence, and promise, and in so doing, we feel the blow of the unjust act which follows more deeply. We, too, yearn for revenge.

The Count of Monte Cristo was always a story of extremes, of murder and vengeance, of great wealth and ambition, of love and intense hate, but now, with Dumas’ descriptive capacity restored, with his imagination untethered by dull witted opportunistic hack translators, with his canvas cleaned of impurities, the reader’s involvement is increased, the ride becomes real and the lessons, though harder to learn, once learnt, are unforgettable.

Filed under: Fiction, Literature | Tagged: , | Leave a Comment »

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