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The 2014 Man Booker Prize for Fiction shortlist
Congratulations to the authors shortlisted for the 2014 Man Booker Prize!
This is the first year that this prestigious literary award has been open to any author writing in English, as long as their work is published in the United Kingdom (previously, the prize was only open to authors from the UK & Commonwealth, Republic of Ireland or Zimbabwe.) The shortlist includes books from two Americans. It also includes Australian author Richard Flanagan!
Here is the shortlist in full:
To…
Sam Vincent on gonzo ethnography in Blood and Guts
by Sam VincentBlood and Guts isn’t so much a work of investigative journalism as an exercise in gonzo ethnography. Over the summer of 2012-13 I sailed to Antarctica with the zealously vegan crew of Sea Shepherd’s flagship, the Steve Irwin – an experience that would form the (fake) meat of my book on the whaling controversy. I returned to land with ten notebooks brimming with notes, but I didn’t return with many formal interviews.
Spending literally every waking hour for three months…
Five reasons to read this book before you see the film
Here are five reasons to read S.J. Watson’s thriller Before I Go To Sleep before you see the film (due for release in October).
1. The structure of the novel works so well!
Given this book is from the perspective of Christine, a woman with some serious memory issues (think Drew Barrymore in 50 First Dates but much, much creepier), the fact that the structure of Before I Go To Sleep works so well is actually quite impressive. S.J. Watson…
What I Loved: Monkey Grip by Helen Garner
I read Monkey Grip when I was first trying to learn to be a writer, and looking around to see if there was anything Australian that could help me. There must be tens of thousands of Australians who have gone through this: you’re young, you read Crime and Punishment and Madame Bovary, or other books as strong, and you think: alright, that’s very, very strong. But who’s strong, who can help me, here? And the book I found…
Meet the bookseller with Alexandra Mathew
We chat with Alexandra Mathew about her love for immersive books and classical music.
Why do you work in books and music?
My primary area of interest and knowledge is in classical music, but I also happen to love reading, so the two go together nicely. It’s a privilege to share my love of books and music with like-minded people.
What book or music would you happily spend a weekend indoors with?
Donna Tartt’s The Secret History is the perfect…
What we're reading
Each week we bring you a sample of the books we’re reading, the films we’re watching, the television shows we’re hooked on or the music we’re loving.
Ann is reading How to Get There by Maggie Mackellar
We’re lucky to have writers such as Favel Parrett, and of course Bob Brown in Optimism: Reflections on a Life of Action (my other favourite read of the month), sharing Tasmania with us as an integral part of their stories.
Now I have…
Our staff recommend gifts for Father's Day
Chris recommends…
The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell
Metaphysical thriller, meditation on mortality and chronicle of our self-devouring times, this kaleidoscopic novel crackles with the invention and wit that have made David Mitchell one of the most celebrated writers of his generation. Here is fiction at its most spellbinding and memorable best.
Read our review here.
Tam recommends…
The History of Rock ’n’ Roll in Ten Songs by Greil Marcus
In his review of the book, Tam writes, ‘(Marcus)…
The Father's Day face-off
We put some of our favourite dad characters in the ring.
Most Loveable Dad…
[he is] the most marvellous and exciting father any boy ever had.
William (from Danny the Champion of the World)
vs.
…honest as the day is long, reliable, trustworthy and able.
Arthur Weasley (from the Harry Potter series)
Points to Arthur Weasley for his equal opportunities attitude to wizards, his gentle parenting and his forgiving nature. He does, however, have the huge advantage of…
September Blockbusters
In the literary calendar September is typically a month for the Big Releases and 2014 had been no different. Here’s a list of blockbusters available this month.
The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell
Our reviewer writes, ‘ The Bone Clocks has a clear protagonist: the rebellious, clairvoyant Holly Sykes, whose life is thrown into tumult from a young age by the disembodied voices of the ‘Radio People’ and the enigmatic Ms Constantin.’
Read the full review here.
Celebrate Indigenous Literacy Day at Readings
Come celebrate Indigenous Literacy Day with us! Buy a book and you’ll help raise funds for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation.
The Indigenous Literacy Foundation aims to raise literacy levels and improve the opportunities of Indigenous Australians living in remote and isolated regions. The foundation does this through a free book supply program that goes to over 200 organisations and communities, and through a community publishing project that publishes books and stories, largely written by children. The foundation needs your support…
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