As a die-hard fan of both the boy wizard AND adaptations, interpretations, re-dos of all kinds, I’m looking forward to the inevitable Harry Potter spin off novels that someone will one day write. Here’s a sample of some I would gladly welcome into my arms.

Dumbledore’s off-screen adventures, as told by Kate Beaton

Beaton’s smart and funny, sometimes sexy, comics would no doubt capture the essence of a young Dumbledore – the world’s greatest ever wizard (sorry Gandalf). And can’t…

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As a species we’re impressed by the idea that loving someone the minute you clap your eyes on them is a sign of purity. Some sort of mystical superiority. This extends to art in the sense that we’re eager to declare ‘I’m your biggest fan’ or to insist that we loved an author long before the rest of the world caught on. I know I’m not immune to this, but one author I didn’t get straight away (one I scoffed…

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I am writing this column from Jaipur Literature Festival; it’s early days yet but yesterday I was privileged to hear one of my favourite authors, Paul Theroux, speak about his career as both a travel writer and novelist; having had three novels published and needing to make a living he thought travel writing was the way to go so he hopped on a train in London and travelled to India, Asia, Russia and back, which resulted in one of the…

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We were sad to hear of the recent death of children’s book illustrator Margaret Bloy Graham, who was 94.

Although you may not recognise Margaret Bloy Graham by name, it’s very likely you’ll know Harry the Dirty Dog, her famous character, which she created alongside her then-husband Gene Zion (followed by No Roses For Harry, Harry By The Sea, and Harry and the Lady Next Door).

Harry was originally published in black-and-white. Margaret added colour in…

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Each month we choose a newly released book that we feel is perfect for a book club. Then we roadtest it. We read the book (and encourage you to read along with us), and at the end of the month, we’ll share our thoughts about its potential for book clubbers, and also our own book club discussions about the book.

Our pick for February is Anne Tyler’s A Spool of Blue Thread.

If you’re also planning to read A…

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The American Library Association (ALA) have announced their top books for children and young adults, including the influential Caldecott, Coretta Scott King, Newbery and Printz awards.

The winners include:

Randolph Caldecott Medal for most distinguished picture book for children:
The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend by Dan Santat

Coretta Scott King Award for an author:
Jacqueline Woodson (author of Brown Girl Dreaming)

Printz Award for young adult novel:
I’ll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson

John Newbery…

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Bryan Stevenson’s memoir, Just Mercy, is a profoundly important work.

Lauded as a real-life Atticus Finch, Stevenson grew up a member of a poor black community in the racially segregated South. He was a young lawyer when he founded the Equal Justice Initiative, a legal practice dedicated to defending those most desperate and in need. One of his first cases was that of Walter McMillian, a young black man who was sentenced to die for a notorious murder he…

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The Art of Asking: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help by Amanda Palmer

The Story of A Prime Minister: Paul Keating by David Day

We are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler

The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan

The Brain’s Way of Healing: Remarkable Discoveries and Recoveries from the Frontiers of Neuroplasticity by Norman Doidge

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

Plenty More by Yotam Ottolenghi

Alan Turing:…

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February is already a tremendous month. On the fiction front James Bradley returns after a lengthy spell between books with a wonderful novel entitled Clade. As many of you may know, James is a regular book reviewer, so when I caught him a few weeks ago describing a book under review as ‘thrillingly taut and idea-rich’, I couldn’t help but feel he had involuntarily penned a brilliant encapsulation of his own new book. If you are ever stricken with…

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Here is our literary calendar of books by Australian authors due for release in the first half of 2015!

We’ve included a wide range of books we’re already excited about, but we’ve also overlooked quite a few, so to that end, we’ll be updating the calendar on an ongoing basis.

FEBRUARY

Before I Sleep: My Life Fighting Crime and Corruption by Ray Whitrod

Clade by James Bradley

Earth Dances: Music in Search of the Primitive by Andrew Ford

Everything You…

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