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 Welcome to September, Booktopia is very proud to be supporting Indigenous Literacy Day today! The Indigenous Literacy Project is run throughout the book industry to support reading in remote communities and you can support it at any time by clicking here. However today is Indigenous Literacy Day and we will be donating 5 per cent of today's sales to the project, so please, join us by opening your hearts and your wallets by midnight tonight. Many of you will be aware of the 50 Books You Can't Put Down campaign which has just kicked off in earnest and goes until the end of the month. This annual national project is designed to put good books into the hands of as many people as possible. The concept is simple - buy any of these 50 terrific books and receive a gift of either Grug Learns to Read (for littlies) or 10 Short Stories You Must Read This Year (for adults). We will be sending out the guide to the 50 books over the next week or two with every parcel leaving the warehouse. Better still, the 50 books are live on the site right here, so go for it! We have a packed issue as usual. We have Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol at a world beating price so join the thousands (literally) who have pre-ordered it with us in preparation for its September 15 release. We are also taking pre-orders for Matthew Reilly's Five Greatest Warriors and an absolutely stunning limited edition of Carl Jung's previously unpublished seminal illustrated work, The Red Book. We have a prize pack of nine Man Booker winning novels (special Vintage Classic editions) up for grabs thanks to our friends at Random House Australia. We also have limited numbers of a very cute Olivia plush toy which we are happy to include for free with Olivia books if you are quick. We are getting increasing interest from customers for signed editions. This month we have signed editions of Mama Mia by Mia Freedman, as well as the three Spellman books by Lisa Lutz (which will be of particular interest to collectors of the crime genre - you know who you are). Thank you Simon and Schuster Australia for introducing us to the wonderful Lisa. And finally - we have reviews, reviews and more reviews. Enjoy the newsletter and if you are thinking of ordering, do it today to support Indigenous Literacy Day! Until next month, Toni Whitmont Editor in Chief Booktopia |
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| BIG GUNS |
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| OK, I know it is unusual to start a newsletter with books we don't actually have in the warehouse yet but there is method in my madness. Later on this month sees one HUGE release, one CULT release plus we have a special competition for what will be the biggest book of October. STAND BY FOR SEPTEMBER 15  THE LOST SYMBOL by Dan Brown.This is going to be huge. There are 81 million copies of The Da Vinci Code in print world wide and its sequel, The Lost Symbol is hitting September 15 with an initial print run of 6.5 million. In Australia the entire print run of 600,000 has been subscribed and the printers are working over time to double the size of the run. Here at Booktopia we have The Lost Symbol at a world beating price of $19.95 - that is off the RRP of $49.95. You would be mad to pay more. We'll have extra crews on stand by to ship to you on September 15. Sydneysiders can pick up from the warehouse after 9am. There are also abridged audio versions available on CD and MP3. SEPTEMBER 15 AGAIN  Pride and Prejudice and Zombies was a late drop-in to the lists in April and this hilarious spoof of Austen with Elizabeth Bennett determined to wipe out the zombie menace just stormed through the best selling charts. September 15 sees the world-wide release of zombies part two, SENSE AND SENSIBILITY AND SEA MONSTERS by Jane Austen and Ben H. Winters. What? Regency romance with giant lobsters, rampaging octopi, two-headed sea serpents, and other biological monstrosities? You got it! Jane Austen meets Jules Verne and Spongebob Squarepants. Here is the book trailer. It is good for a laugh. Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters RRP $24.95 Booktopia price $19.96 Available September 15. OCTOBER 20  FIVE GREATEST WARRIORS by Matthew ReillyIt began with Six Stones when Jack West and his loyal team were in desperate disarray: they've been separated, their mission is in tatters, and Jack was last seen plummeting down a fathomless abyss. It finishes here in a race to locate and set in place the remaining pieces of The Machine before the coming Armageddon. As the world teeters on the brink of destruction, we finally learn of the Five Warriors of history. Matthew Reilly is the international bestselling author of seven novels: Contest, Ice Station, Temple, Area 7, Scarecrow, Seven Ancient Wonders, The Six Sacred Stones, the children's book Hover Car Racer and one novella, Hell Island. His books are published in over 20 languages, with worldwide sales approaching four million copies.  FIVE GREATEST WARRIORS has its world wide release on OCTOBER 20. Booktopia has a complete set of SIGNED Platinum Collectors' Editions to give away to anyone pre-ordering Five Greatest Warriors. Go into the draw for a set of SIGNED Matthew Reilly Platinum   Collection hardbacks of:  Contest Ice Station Temple Area 7 Scarecrow Seven Ancient Wonders    The Six Sacred Stones Simply pre-order Five Greatest Warriors here. Email me with your order number to go into the draw. The winner will be announced in the next Booktopia Buzz. The Matthew Reilly Platinum Collection is now in stock, each RRP $27.99, Booktopia price $22.39. Click here to read more. |
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| A ONCE IN A LIFE TIME BOOK |
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 THE RED BOOK by Carl JungSwiss scholar Carl Jung died an old man in 1961, leaving behind him a hugely influential body of work encompassing psychology, dreams, art, religion, mythology and philosophy. His approach to the psyche was through other areas - alchemy, astrology, literature and sociology. He fathered the collective unconscious, analytical psychology and synchronicity. Although Jung considered his private writings and drawings seminal in the formation of his theories, they have been unpublished until now. October will see the release of a magnificent volume, The Red Book, which will be a must not only for anyone with an interest in modern psychology, but also for lovers of history, art and the development of ideas. The Red Book is simply stunning. It is an illuminated volume that he created by hand between 1914 and 1930, through which he developed his principal theories. This is an enormous red leather facsimile of his previously unpublished work, full of his calligraphy and illustrations. The second half of the book is translated into English and annotated. This looks like a medieval manuscript, embossed in gold and the most precious of colours. Very limited numbers of the magnificent book are being produced and we have secured 12 of them. There is enormous interest in this work of art and imagination. Click here to pre-order for a mid-October release. Please note that when these are sold, there will be no more. |
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| TONI'S FAVOURITES FOR SEPTEMBER |
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| FICTION | NON FICTION | UNDER 18 | ||
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 Tara Moss returns to form with Siren. Australian doctor and forensic specialist, Kathryn Fox storms back with Blood Born, based loosely on a gang rape trial that many people will be unfortunately too familiar with. The sense of menace is palpable and Fox comes with the endorsement of no less than crime queen Kathy Reichs. And while still on Australian fiction, Kathy Charles delivers a glamorous and seedy dissection of Hollywood and its fetishes in Hollywood Ending. Also a debut novelist is H. M. Brown whose Red Queen is a sexy psychological thriller set in the isolation of the Australian bush. Liz Byrski always has a strong following with her unflinching gaze at women's relationships, this time Bad Behaviour juxtaposes Zoe in Freemantle and Julia in England, linking them back to the heady days of 1968 when they first met.  Finally, in his first novel for adults, the multi award winning children's writer Gary Crew writes a story of passion, revenge and creativity with The Children's Writer. I haven't caught up with that one yet but it promises to be interesting.The Age of Orphans by Laleh Khadivi comes with high praise - three generations of Kurdish women and of course, there is Man Booker Prize nominated J. M. Coetzee's Summertime. There is plenty more fiction on Booktopia's Top Picks for September, or click here to go straight to my detailed reviews. |  In the glossy and gorgeous category, my favourites are Outrageous Yachts by Jill Bobrow, In Vogue: 50 Years of Australian Style by Kirstie Clements and Lee Tulloch, Remarkable Trees that Shaped Australia by Richard Allen and We Are One: A Celebration of Tribal People by Jo Eade. Curiosities include The Secrets of Codes by Paul Lunde (think The Lost Symbol), Red Square Blues by Kim Traill, and Around the World in 80 Trades by Connor Woodman, the latter two being both travel writers of sorts. When it comes to business and networking, you'll be interested in Accidental Billionaires: Sex, Money, Betrayal and the Founding of Facebook by Ben Mezrich, not to mention All a Twitter: A Personal and Professional Guide to Social Networking with Twitter by Tee Morris. And finally, Australians writ large - Richard Pratt: One Out of the Box by Rod Myer and James Kirby while media buyer extraordinaire and philanthropist Harold Mitchell reveals all in Living Large. On to matters of the heart. The Butterfly Effect (Dannielle Miller) is about raising happy, confident, teenage girls, Navigating Teenage Depression is by Gordon Parker and Kerry Eyres, both of whom are experts in the field, Allan and Barbara Pease are back with Why Men Want Sex and Women Need Love: Unravelling the Simple Truth and for a bit of fun there is My Other Wife is a Car: Confessions of a Car Tragic by John Wright. There is plenty more non-fiction on Booktopia's Top Picks for September, or click here to go straight to my detailed reviews. |  First things first. We are only weeks away from the launch of two new newsletters for kids - 0 - 5 Buzz and 6 - 12 Buzz so if you are interested, make sure you either update your newsletter preferences or at least keep an eye on the site. The two stand outs that have taken my eye this month are Charlie Higson's The Enemy and The 39 Clues Slipcase Edition. I love Brian Falkner's new one, Brainjack. The most beautiful book of the month would have to go to Michael Morpurgo with This Morning I Met a Whale and Freya Blackwood's Ivy Loves to Give as a close second.  Robert Ingpen renders his illustrations magnificently in Lewis Caroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. This is a wonderful addition to Ingpen's beautiful re-working of the classics. And at the other end of the spectrum, there is Poo Pop Up Book which is all about what goes in, and then comes out again - fun and educational.There are plenty more books for babies and children, and separately for our young adults ages 13 and up, here on Booktopia's Top Picks for September, or click here to go straight to my detailed reviews. | ||
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| FICTION PROMOTIONS |
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| Here is a lovely thing for you to aspire to! We have one set of nine classic Man Booker prize winning books, re-jacketed as matching Vintage classics up for grabs. This collection will go to one lucky buyer of any of the nine titles listed below.  To go into the draw, email me with your order number and the title that you purchased. Winners will be announced next month. Buy any of these titles to have a chance of winning the lot. Click to order. The Sea, The Sea by Iris Murdoch   Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha by Roddy DoyleDisgrace by J M Coetzee Possession by A S Byatt How Late It Was How Late by James Kelman Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie Amsterdam by Ian McEwan The Gathering by Anne Enright The Famished Road by Ben Okri       SIGNED EDITIONS Booktopia has long been a fan of Lisa Lutz, whose Isabel Spellman series gives Janet Evanovich more than a run for her money. Lutz is fascinated with writing about very real women, not the cartoon cut-out figures that so often populate the crime genre. Izzy Spellman is a work of comic genius, but she rings completely true with her failings and cobbled together personal life. Lutz herself knows the scene well, having worked as a private investigator in one of her past lives and ishe uses her experience in an 'unprofessional advice' column entitled 'Ask Lutz'. Meanwhile, Lisa Lutz very kindly signed copies of her three books, with very Pink Panther-esque titles - The Spellman Files, Curse of the Spellmans and Revenge of the Spellmans.   We have limited numbers in stock now. Click here to order this in stock signed title: The Spellman Files RRP $29.95 Booktopia price $23.96 Click here to order this in stock title:  Curse of the Spellmans RRP $29.95 Booktopia price $22.39 Click here to order this in stock title: Revenge of the Spellmans RRP $32.99 Booktopia price $26.39 |
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| NEW YORK: A NOVEL | THE HOLLOW TREE | REMARKABLE CREATURES | ||
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 Edward RutherfurdFans of London, Ireland and Dublin have been waiting for this one! Rutherfurd's following grows larger and larger with each book. Rutherfurd is a fine writer and his novels, which chronicle the history of settlements from their foundation to the present day, mixing both fictitious and real life figures, have enormous appeal. This is a sweeping drama of the city that never sleeps, of immigrants and landmarks. This is probably his most ambitious novel to date and will be of interest to readers of history, fiction and travel writing. Click here to order this in stock title: New York RRP $34.95 Booktopia price $27.96 |  Jacob G RosenbergJacob Rosenberg sadly died last year, before his final, unerringly poignant and beautiful novel, made its way into print. Rosenberg made his way to Australia in 1948 having been the sole family survivor of the German death camps. This, his first novel, echoes his two prize-winning memoirs, East of Time and Sunrise West. The Hollow Tree is a tale of love and loyalty in a time of war, a tale in which somewhere, the spark of optimism continues to beckon the mysterious narrator. Rosenberg is recognised as a luminous writer and this story, while not for the faint-hearted, certainly doesn't disappoint. So how do we describe Jacob G. Rosenberg's particular type of greatness? Inevitably you start to make comparisons when encountering such things. Rosenberg's lyricism and mastery of language puts him up there with other Jewish masters of story: Singer, Potok and Levi. He has that essential element of greatness, a flavour all his own, a voice and style distinct from any other. (From The Age, 2005) Click here to order this in stock title: The Hollow Tree RRP $26.99 Booktopia price $21.59 |  Tracy ChevalierChevalier's gift is to provide insight into significant moments in history, by personalising them, often from the point of view of peripheral fictitious characters. Chevalier is best known to us for her novel (and later film), The Girl with a Pearl Earring. Remarkable Creatures is set in Lyme Regis at the time when fascination with fossils was undermining God's dominion over the world, and consequently, man's dominion over woman. Chevalier presents us with the unlikely, and engaging, friendship between Mary Anning, whose poor background belies her knowledge of both science and business, and the wealthy Elizabeth Philpot, who effectively comes to her rescue. Chevalier is a wonderful story teller who transports the reader with her in her imagination to an earlier time. Click here to read an interview with Chevalier. Click here to order this in stock title: Remarkable Creatures RRP $27.99 Booktopia price $22.39 | ||
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| HOMER AND LANGLEY | CENSORING AN IRANIAN LOVE | TOP PRODUCER | ||
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 E. L DoctorowPack rats on a grand scale, the Collyer brothers made news in 1947 when they were found dead by a policeman who broke into their New York house after neighbours smelled a stench coming from it. The corpses were surrounded by more than 100 tons of rubbish they had collected — newspapers, furniture, 14 pianos, even an intact Model T. From these facts, along with a few factual liberties, E. L. Doctorow has fashioned a moving novel of obsession, filial love, and the darker side of the American Century. As described by the younger brother, Homer, the Collyers seem normal until they bump up against the world. A new E. L Doctorow is always cause for excitement. You may also want to read some background on the Collyer brothers of Harlem on this very strange A Death a Day blog. Is it just me or is that a seriously weird blog? Click here to order this in stock title: Homer and Langley RRP $29.99 Booktopia price $23.99 |  Shahriar MandanipourThere is no doubting the appetite for stories from the veiled countries of the middle east and Iranian writer Mandanipour, who has been living in the US for only three years, may well become the next big thing. Censoring an Iranian Love Story will appeal to lovers of The Yacoubian Building and The White Tiger. To get an idea of this book, you have to imagine trying to conduct a love affair in modern Iran. Writing a love affair is more troublesome still. In a land where proximity between a man and woman may be the prologue to deadly sin and where illicit passion might be punished by death, writing that most redemptive of human narratives becomes the greatest literary challenge. Much lauded Mandipour weaves together legend, literature and history in his story of young lovers Dara and Sara. This is comic, touching, inventive and celebrates the power of the written word and a love that is wonderfully real. Thank goodness Mandanipour has finally been translated into English. Do read this review from The Guardian here. Click here to order this in stock title: Censoring an Iranian Love Story RRP $29.99 Booktopia price $23.99 |  Norb VonnegutNow for a complete change of pace. Norb Vonnegut (yes, nephew of Kurt) spent twenty years working on Wall Street in the kind of areas that make the headlines. His financial thriller takes us to places that we can only guess at - it is sharp, and dark and it will make you check and double check again your investments. This book takes off where Tom Wolfe's Bonfire of the Vanities left us in the greed is good age. It revolves around two best friends - Grove O'Rourke who is a top producer at his investment firm, and Charlie Kelemen, whose spectacular murder is carried out in front of hundreds of party goers at the beginning of the novel. More than anything else, it is about how money can cover up just about anything. To read an extract, click here. Click here to order this in stock title: Top Producer RRP $32.95 Booktopia price $26.36 | ||
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| NON FICTION |
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| AUSTRALIANS: ORIGINS TO EUREKA |
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 Thomas KeneallyAt last! One of Australia’s greatest writers tackles a landmark publishing venture with both authority and accessibility. Australians: Origins to Eureka is the first volume of Keneally's three volume history of this country from its origins to the present. Keneally hopes “to excite readers with the very humanity of our national tale.” And who better than Tom Keneally, himself a National Living Treasure, to bring to life on the page the vast range of characters who have formed our national story, to bring to us “the feel of their clothing, the smell of their lamps, the sweat of their midnights, the icy water buckets of their dawns, their exaltations, their terrors, the peculiar intimacies of their sins and generosities”. This is history made flesh, a living, breathing, rollicking read that will make you look at our nation with fresh eyes and new perspectives. Thomas Keneally was born in 1935 and, as well as writing many acclaimed novels - such as The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith and Schindler’s Ark - has shown an increasing interest in producing histories including The Great Shame and The Commonwealth of Thieves. He has won the Miles Franklin award, the Booker Prize and the Los Angeles Book Prize, as well as countless other local and international awards. He is currently an ambassador for the 50 Books You Can't Put Down campaign. Keneally has been working on this project for more than a decade. Origins to Eureka is being launched by Prime Minister Rudd and has a massive print run. Click here to order this in stock title: Australians: Origins to Eureka RRP $59.99 Booktopia price $47.99 |
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| THE ME MYTH | AUSTRALIAN TRAGIC | |
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 What Do You Mean It Is Not All About Me?Andrew Griffiths I was lucky enough to sit in on an Andrew Griffiths presentation at an industry conference recently, and I have to say, it was a stunner. Griffiths describes himself as a "serial entrepreneur" and his passion is for helping people achieve their business and personal dreams. We have been distributing chapter samplers of his new book for a couple of months and have had terrific customer feedback. Griffiths is a get up and go kind of guy and he absolutely lives what he preaches. As an orphan growing up in Western Australia, he survived neglect, abuse and tragedy. In spite of this childhood filled with so many negatives, he grew into a positive, funny and endlessly enthusiastic man who has taken what life has thrown at him and grown from it rather than letting it overwhelm him. He started his first business at the age of seven when he sold newspapers in the red light district of Perth. Since then he has gone on to sell encyclopaedias door-to-door, travelled the world as an international sales manager for a large Japanese shipping company, worked in the Great Sandy Desert for a gold exploration company, been a publisher, had his own scuba school and retail store, and worked as a commercial diver throughout Australia and Papua New Guinea. He has founded and run two boutique marketing and corporate communication firms in Australia. The experiences and observations gained from working with hundreds of clients became the major catalyst in writing his series of business building books, 101 Ways, which have been sold in 50 countries and translated into many languages. Stop analysing and start living! Click here to order this in stock title: The Me Myth RRP $29.99 - Booktopia price $23.99 |  Jack MarxAustralian Tragic was one of the up and coming titles presented to booksellers at our recent national conference and I have to say, there was a palpable buzz of excitement around it. Marx bills himself as one who rummages around in current and not so current affairs, looking for "strange thoughts, fringe theories and utterances commonly left unuttered". Well, he certainly has done a lot of fruitful rummaging with Australian Tragic, an alternative history of the antipodean weird and wonderful. These gripping tales from the dark side of our history chronicle catastrophe, fools, lost opportunities and chance gone wrong - from Aboriginals used as curios in American circuses, to Martin Bryant, to the NSW doctor who used to transplant monkey glands into men to improve their sexual health (true fact), - this is an altogether different view of the lucky country. Click here to order this in stock title: Australian Tragic RRP $35.00 Booktopia price $28.00 | |
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| CHARLES MANSON: COMING DOWN FAST | SMALL MIRACLES | |
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 Simon WellsI don't usually go in for true crime but the 40 years that have elapsed since the set of grisly murders including that of Roman Polansnki's wife Sharon Tait have not dimmed the bizarre fascination that Charles Manson still holds for people. Manson is still in jail, with his next parole hearing due in 2012. Meanwhile, if you google his name you will get more 2,070,000 results - and that is scary in itself. Simon Wells (the great grandson of HG Wells) has written an account of the Manson reign of terror where drugs, sex, murder, mind control and music all played a part. He presents new evidence, new testimony and new photos. I am told by someone who has read just about every book on the subject, that Charles Manson: Coming Down Fast is a must read. Click here to order this in stock title: Charles Manson: Coming Down Fast RRP $35.00 Booktopia price $28.00 |  Rachel Stanfield-PorterAfter the loss of her first two sons, Rachel Stanfield-Porter established the Bonnie Babes Foundation in 1993, a non-profit organisation which concerns itself with the health and well being of families. Its focus is to fund medical research and support services for the parents of the one in four babies in Australia each year that are lost through still birth or miscarriage. In Small Miracles, Stanfield-Porter draws on her years in this field to give us previously untold stories of remembrance, recovery and courage. She also conveys the joy of those families whose babies have survived traumatic pregnancies and birth. This is a book of healing and hope that will be of interest to an enormous number of people. Click here to order this in stock title: Small Miracles RRP $24.99 Booktopia price $19.99 | |
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| KILLER COMPANY | HARVEST | |
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 James Hardie ExposedMatt Peacock It seems that for years now we have been watching the train wreck that is James Hardie, not to mention the tragic battles of people trying to get compensation for the deadly diseases they have contracted as a result of exposure to its products. If anyone had any doubt that this company has acted in a morally reprehensible way, throughout the course of its history, they had only to watch The 7.30 Report last week to realise the worst, with its segment on the danger lurking beneath the aging carpets of many Australian homes. ABC journalist Matt Peacock has been doggedly tracking down this company for more than 30 years. In Killer Company, he presents meticulous research about the decades of subterfuge which is only now finally being exposed. Click here to order Killer Company RRP $35.00 Booktopia price $28.00 |  A Complete Australian Guide to the Edible GardenMeredith Kirton Writer, broadcaster and earth mother of note, Meredith Kirton has already brought us Australian gardening and design bibles, Dig and Plot. Now she presents us with Harvest, which, along with its companion volumes, is both handsome to look at and utterly practical and informative. This is a substantial book about seasonal growing in its most do-able format, all meticulously and lovingly brought to us by someone who really knows her quinces from her kumquats. Click here to order this in stock title: Harvest RRP $69.95 Booktopia price $55.96 | |
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| MAMA MIA | THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH | |
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 A Memoir of Mistakes, Magazines and MotherhoodMia Freedman Many people will know and love Mia Freedman from her blog and newspaper columns. Many more will remember her as the young reigning queen of Cosmopolitan magazine before she stepped out in the brash world of commercial television and was unceremoniously, and very publicly, dumped. In Mama Mia, Freedman reveals herself, with beguiling and unflinching honesty - from the highs of the publishing world to the very tragic lows of mid-term miscarriage. Freedman is warm and disarming and her every-woman tale makes compelling reading. We have already sold more than 100 of these books, such is Freedman's fascination. We have signed copies of Mama Mia in stock now. Mama Mia Booktopia price $27.99 |  Richard DawkinsWhen he published The God Delusion in 2006, famous scientist, atheist and polemicist, Richard Dawkins, re-ignited the debate between the religious and scientific establishments that had been raging since Darwin published On the Origin of Species almost 150 years earlier. Now Dawkins has gone one step further with The Greatest Show on Earth in which he takes on the creationists with a brilliant and uncompromising look at the incontrovertible evidence for Darwin's theory. This book will thrill his supporters and be hugely challenging for his detractors. Dawkins is a passionate advocate for evolution and this latest book comes at a time when science is being challenged in the most unlikely of places. As an aside, it is interesting to note he has eschewed publication in a more expensive hardback, choosing the paperback as a way of getting his message out to the greatest number of people. Richard Dawkins will be a guest of the Adelaide Writers Festival next year. Click here to order the audio version, on CD. Click here to order this in stock title: The Greatest Show on Earth RRP $35.00 Booktopia price $28.00 | |
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| TOO YOUNG TO VOTE |
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 OLIVIA - WITH AN OLIVIA PLUSH PIGWhen it comes to pigs, there isn't a girl, or dare I say a parent, who can resist Olivia? She of the black and white tights and the cute red pinny has whimsied her way into our hearts. To celebrate Ian Falconer's latest paperback (Olivia Forms a Band) we are giving away 10 (only) Olivia plush toys. To win one of these ten toys, simply order one of the three Olivia books below, and email me with your order number. Winners will be announced next month. And the story line for the most recent paperback, Olivia Forms a Band? In typical fashion, Olivia has decided to form a band: a one-pig band, to be exact. And, as we all know, Olivia is certainly capable of making enough noise to sound like an entire orchestra. Featuring gatefold flaps, fireworks, experiments with lipstick and a very cross mummy, this book is simply and hilariously told and gorgeously rendered - sure to  delight Olivia fans of all ages!! To win an Olivia plush toy, order one of the three titles below and email to enter the competition. Click here to order this in stock title Olivia (available from 15th September) RRP $16.99 - Booktopia price $13.59  Click here to order this in stock title Olivia Forms a Band RRP $16.99 - Booktopia price $13.59 Click here to order this in stock title Olivia Saves the Circus (available from 15th September) RRP $16.99 - Booktopia price $13.59 |
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| HAIRY MACLARY, SHOO | TASHI AND THE GOLEM | |
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 Lynley DoddsHairy Maclary scuffled onto the scene in 1983 and since then, the little terrier from Donaldson's Dairy has been at the centre of more than a dozen books. With his friends Bottomley Potts all covered in spots, Bitzer Maloney all skinny and boney, Schnitzel von Krum with a very low tum, they have been responsible for havoc, chaos and mayhem where ever they have poked their wet doggy snouts. In this latest adventure, Hairy Maclary decides that a delivery van is the the place to snoop. The driver however has other ideas. This is a great read out loud picture book that will be enjoyed equally by children and adults. Ages 4 + Click here to order this in stock title: Hairy Maclary, Shoo RRP $21.99 Booktopia price $17.59 |  Anna & Barbara Fienberg, illustrated by Kim GambleAll my favourites are back this month, this time in the shape of the mercurical Tashi, yarn spinner and adventurer extraordinaire. For those of you who haven't discovered Tashi yet, you are really missing out. The Tashi books are full of daredevil adventures and tricky characters all brought to life lovingly with Kim Gamble's line drawings. In this latest episode, Tashi and his friends make a golem out of mud and clay in order to frighten away a bully, but, wouldn't you know it, the golem has ideas of his own. Tashi books are all enjoyable as stand alone stories and can be read in any order. They are perfect for five and six year olds, while newly independent readers gobble them up. Click here to order this in stock title: Tashi and the Golem RRP $11.99 Booktopia price $9.59 | |
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| BELOVED SERIES |
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| ALEX RIDER | RANGER'S APPRENTICE | TIME QUAKE | ||
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 Anthony HorowitzWith more than nine million books in print, screen credits for Stormbreaker and television credits for Foyle's War, Midsomer Murders and others, Anthony Horowitz is no flash in the pan. His most successful venture however has been his Alex Rider series, an all action spy genre with 14 year old Alex as the hero. Alex Rider is enjoyed by both boys and girls from the age of nine. We have all seven Alex Rider missions in stock now. And hold onto your hats kids - the eighth mission, Crocodile Tears, will be out on November 12. Click here to pre-order Alex Rider 8: Crocodile Tears for November delivery. Click here to order these in stock titles: Alex Rider: Stormbreaker  RRP $17.95 Booktopia price $14.36Alex Rider: Point Blanc RRP $17.95 Booktopia price $14.36 Alex Rider: Skeleton Key RRP $17.95 Booktopia price $14.36 Alex Rider: Eagle Strike RRP $17.95 Booktopia price $14.36 Alex Rider: Scorpia RRP $17.95 Booktopia price $14.36 Alex Rider: Ark Angel RRP $17.95 Booktopia  price $14.36Alex Rider: Snakehead RRP $17.95 Booktopia price $14.36 |  John FlanaganMore great stuff, again enjoyed by boys and girls in the upper primary ages. Our own John Flanagan has had huge success with his Middle Ages series of adventure and mystery, Ranger's Apprentice now being translated into many languages and sold all over the world. We will be hearing a lot about this series - not only is John Flanagan the National Literacy Week ambassador this week, but the next installment, Ranger's Apprentice 9: Halt's Peril, will be out in November. Meanwhile, the series has had a face-lift with stunning new jacket treatments from up-and-coming Australian fantasy artist Jeremy Reston and a new look, more interactive website featuring new games and more bonus material has just been launched. We have all of the new look Ranger's Apprentice in stock now with the first one at a very low special introductory price. Click here to pre-order Halt's Peril for November. Click here to order these in stock titles:  Ranger's Apprentice: The Ruins of GorlanRRP $5.00 - Booktopia price $4.00 Ranger's Apprentice: The Burning Bridge RRP $16.95 - Booktopia price $13.56 Ranger's Apprentice: The Icebound Land RRP $16.95 - Booktopia price $13.56 Ranger's Apprentice: Oakleaf Bearers RRP $16.95 - Booktopia price $13.56 Ranger's Apprentice: The Sorceror in the North RRP $16.95 - Booktopia price $13.56 Ranger's Apprentice: The Siege of Macindaw RRP $16.95 - Booktopia price $13.56 Ranger's Apprentice: Erak's Ransom RRP $16.95 - Booktopia price $13.56  Ranger's Apprentice: The Kings of ClonmelRRP $16.95 - Booktopia price $13.56 |  Linda Buckley- ArcherIt is all about time travel in Buckley-Archer's adventure series for 9 - 12 year old children. In the first book,  Gideon the Cutpurse, Peter and Kate were catapulted back to 17th century London which is a den of thieves and highwaymen. In The Tar Man they experience a powerful enemy in a heart-stopper set a hundred years into the future. Now, in the third and final installment, Time Quake, the Tar Man's controller, Lord Luxon, steals the time machine landing them all in 18th century America as it plunges headlong into revolution.This is a thrilling conclusion to the series. To read an interview and see Buckley-Archer's self portrait, click here. Time Quake RRP $19.99 - Booktopia price $15.99 | ||
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| BATTLE FOR THE BOYS |
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It is the bane of every parent's life - how to get those boys engaged in reading. And it is the dream of every publisher to happen onto a series that will be so compelling that the boys will be pestering their parents for the next installment. Of course, this ground is well covered with the Zac Power series by L. I. Larry and we have the four latest Extreme Missions in stock now for those kids needing their Zac fix.  Click here to order this in stock titleZac Power Extreme Missions: Sand Storm RRP $9.95 Booktopia price $7.96 Click here to order this in stock title Zac Power Extreme Missions: Dark Tower RRP $9.95 Booktopia price $7.96   Click here to order this in stock titleZac Power Extreme Missions: Ice Patrol RRP $9.95 Booktopia price $7.96 Click here to order this in stock title Zac Power Extreme Missions: Water Blaster RRP $9.95 Booktopia price $7.96 While Zac has been a sure fire winner, the field is hotting up and I think our erstwhile hero is about to get a run for his money with the new Battle Boy series by Charlie Carter.  Battle Boy ticks all the bases - it has a strong, punchy recognisable name, has arresting covers with foil and embossing. It has the perfect length and typesetting with the pages visually accessible. The lead character is an ordinary boy navigating extraordinary situations. Battle Boy, like Zac Power, is a spy with a wonderful range of humorous gadgets, there are goodies and baddies, cliff hangers and near misses. Battle Boy is a boys' own adventure spy narrative that takes our hero back to famous battles in history so that each story  has real narrative and emotional depth. There will be 8 titles within the next nine months,The first two being Open Fire and Red Devil Down. Best of all, Open Fire is available at a special, very low introductory price. Say goodbye to battles over reading, with Battle Boy. Ages 7 - 9 years Click here to order this in stock title Click here to order Battle Boy 1: Open Fire. RRP $4.99 Booktopia price $3.99 Click here to order this in stock title Click here to order Battle Boy 2: Red Devil Down. RRP $9.99 Booktopia price $7.99 |
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| A TASTE FOR THE GOTHIC |
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| THE GRAVEYARD BOOK | EMILY THE STRANGE: LOST DAYS | DRACULA | ||
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 Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Chris RiddellFilm maker and writer Neil Gaiman does a good line in twisted as anyone familiar with Coraline will know. With illustrator Chris Riddell, the combination is a powerful imagining. The Graveyard Book is part of the 50 Books You Can't Put Down promotion that started last week. More than 8,000 copies were sold in Australia in hardback. The paperback will bring Gaiman's tale to a whole new audience. Ages 10 + Click here to order this in stock title: The Graveyard Book RRP $16.99 Booktopia price $13.59 |  Rob RegerMention her to girls over 12 and you'll get instant recognition. Emily the Strange has previously only existed in cyberspace, although she has inspired designers from Jean-Paul Gaultier to Mark Jacobs. Emily the Strange is not your average 14 year old girl. She hates pink, she loves science and her best friends are four black cats. This first novel is full of mystery, calamity poker, doppelgangers and earwigs. Intriguing, and so very, very strange. Ages 11 + Emily the Strange: The Lost Days is presented as a demi hardback. Click here to order this in stock title: Emily the Strange: The Lost Days RRP $19.99 Booktopia price $15.99 |  Claire Brampton & David HawcockWho hasn't scared themselves to death at some stage of other with Bram Stoker's Dracula? This version is really cool, and exceptionally well put together. It is a pop up manga style graphic novel which presents the greatest ever gothic story in a fresh new light. This is a strongly visual book with a dramatic pop-up on every spread. It is not however for littlies. Ages 10 + Click here to order this title: Dracula RRP $39.95 Booktopia price $31.96 | ||
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| GIRL STUFF |
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 I probably shouldn't go in for all this boy/girl stereotyping but you can't argue the fact that certain books do largely appeal to one or the other.CHINESE CINDERELLA AND THE MYSTERY OF THE SONG DYNASTY PAINTING by Adeline Yen Mah Chinese American author Adeline Yen Mah has made a name for herself with Falling Leaves and One Thousand Pieces of Gold but her children's books are perhaps even better known. Chinese Cinderella is her autobiography adapted for children, tracing her roots from her mother's death when she was only a couple of weeks old, against the backdrop of the Japanese invasion of China. Chinese Cinderella and the Secret Dragon Society is its companion volume which is an adventure/fantasy set in Shanghai during the second world war and is based on stories that she wrote as a child to relieve her loneliness. Now comes Chinese Cinderella and the Mystery of the Song Dynasty Painting, which takes the reader back to a world of great wealth and great poverty, all inspired by a very real ancient painting. Click here to read an extract. Ages 10 + Click here to order this in stock title: Chinese Cinderella and the Mystery of the Song Dynasty Painting RRP $15.99 Booktopia price $12.79  MAGIC STUDY by Maria V SnyderThis is definitely young adult/fantasy territory - the sort of readership that enjoys the Twilight series. This is part two from a New York Times bestselling author, the first being Poison Study in which Yelena's death sentence is commuted in return for becoming a food taster for a dangerous enemy.  In Magic Study, Yelena's quest to be reunited with her family is thwarted, while her enemies learn of her increasing magical powers. I would put this as 16 plus, but I know younger readers will love it if they get their hands on it. Magic Study RRP $19.99 Booktopia price $15.99 |
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| NOVELTY BOOKS |
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 WHERE'S WALLY AND THE INCREDIBLE PAPER CHASE by Martin HandfordYou know something is a phenomenon when it has appeared on The Simpsons, Friends and the cover of Rolling Stone. Well, there are more than 47 million Wally books in circulation around the world, across 27 countries, and the new one, Where's Wally and the Incredible Paper Chase, is the most interactive and brain boggling yet. This one features a fold out swamp jungle game with press out counters and forfeit cards. Click here to order this in stock title: Where's Wally and the Incredible Paper Chase RRP $24.95 Booktopia price $19.96  GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS 2010 : THE BOOK OF THE DECADEUnbreakable records, free never before seen downloadable clips and images, the top 50 record breakers of the decade, planets, engineering, the body, the modern world, technology and sport, sport, sport. This title will be released on September 15. Click here to order RRP $49.99 Booktopia price $39.99  ENCYCLOPEDIA OF IMMATURITY: AUSTRALIAN EDITIONThong throwing, uses for loo paper, minty wrapper tearing, how to do a wheelie, how to really annoy your brothers and sisters - this is a new edition of the 2007 best seller, with heaps and heaps of Australian content including skills, activities, mischief and a whole lot of hitherto secret knowledge! Click here to order this in stock title: Encyclopedia of Immaturity: Australian Edition RRP $29.99 Booktopia price $18.39  FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM by JK RowlingQUIDDITCH THROUGH THE AGES by JK Rowling  These two little gems haven't been available for a couple of years during which time they have been re-worked by none other than JK Rowling herself. These are great little books for children who are hooked on Harry but for whom the whole Harry Potter saga is really too complex and - let's face it - way too scary. They also make great companions to Tales of the Beedle Bard. Click here to order this in stock title: Fantastics Beasts and Where to Find Them RRP $13.99 Booktopia price $11.19 Click here to order this in stock title: Quidditch Through the Ages RRP $13.99 Booktopia price $11.19 |
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THE BEST AUSTRALIAN BOOKS FOR UNDER 18s If you buy for children and you are after the best, these are the books that have just been awarded prize winners by the Children's Book Council of Australia: |
| TALES FROM OUTER SUBURBIA IN STOCK Shaun Tan Book of the Year - Older Readers |
| PERRY ANGEL'S SUITCASE Glenda Millar Book of the Year - Younger Readers |
| HOW TO HEAL A BROKEN WING Bob Graham Book of the Year - Early Childhood |
| COLLECTING COLOUR Kylie Dunstan Picture Book of the Year |
| ALIVE IN THE DEATH ZONE Lincoln Hall Eve Pownall Book of the Year (information book) |
| HANDLING EDNA Barry Humphries |
| LEVIATHAN Scott Westerfeld |
| THE RED BOOK Carl Jung |
| THE INFINITIES John Banville |
| THE GIRL WHO KICKED A HORNET'S NEST Stieg Larsson |
| HAVE A LITTLE FAITH Mitch Albom |
| WONDERS OF A GODLESS WORLD Andrew McGahan |
| FIVE GREATEST WARRIORS Matthew Reilly |
| THE GOURMET Muriel Barbery |
| THE HUNGER GAMES 2: CATCHING FIRE Suzanne Collins |
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 AND ANOTHER THING: DOUGLAS ADAMS' HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY: PART SIX OF THREEWith the blessing of Douglas Adams estate, Eoin Colfer has taken up his pen to write part six of the Hitchhiker's Trilogy, And Another Thing, which will be available mid October. Before everyone goes into a paroxysm of paranoia, remember that Colfer has sold many, many more times the number of books that Adams ever did. Meanwhile, this month, all the previous books have been re-released with jackets in line with the new one, so newcomers and old fans can have a matching Hitchhiker's library.  The very first one even has a DYI jacket treatment with a whole lot of stickers so you can make your very own version of Arthur Dent's quest for that cup of tea at the end of the universe.So long and thanks for the fish! Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Douglas Adams In stock RRP $22.99 Booktopia price $18.39 Restaurant at the  End of the Universe Douglas Adams RRP $22.99 Booktopia price $18.39 Life, the Universe and Everything Douglas Adams RRP $22.99 Booktopia price $18.39  So Long, and Thanks for the Fish Douglas Adams RRP $22.99 Booktopia price $18.39 Mostly Harmless Douglas Adams RRP $22.99 Booktopia price $18.39 And Another Thing Eoin Colfer RRP $39.95 Booktopia price $ 31.96 (pre-order for October) |
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OTHER LITTLE GEMS Oxfam is perhaps not as well known in Australia as it might be but that doesn't detract from this fine, and well priced, series of collected short stories, a portion of whose sales will go towards the charity. But forget the feel good factor - why would you go past writers such as Ian Rankin, Lionel Shriver, Jeanette Winterson, William Boyd, Vickram Seth, Sebastian Faulkes, Joanna Trollope, Hanif Kureishi, Nicholas Shakespeare etc?Each of the Ox-Tales has a theme. Click to order these in stock titles. Ox-Tales: Fire (conflict) RRP $12.99 Booktopia price $10.39 Ox-Tales: Water  (flood)RRP $12.99 Booktopia price $10.39 Ox-Tales:  Earth (famine)RRP $12.99 Booktopia price $10.39 Ox-Tales: Air  (climate change)RRP $12.99 Booktopia price $10.39  CLEO: HOW AN UPPITY CAT HELPED HEAL A FAMILY  Lovers of Marley and Me and Dewey will lap up (sorry) Cleo: How an Uppity Cat Helped Heal a Family by Helen Brown GentryRRP $26.99 Booktopia price $21.59  How often have you told your child to go and play?‘Such a simple childhood activity is fundamental to the way we develop and engage with the world through the whole of our lives,’ says Sue Cant, who has co-authored Small Fry Play - Inspiration for Creative Play with Kids along with Susie Cameron and Katrina Cook. This is a well known and well qualified team and Small Fry Play is both a hands on tool packed with practical ideas and a celebration of family. Small Fry Play RRP $24.99 Booktopia price $19.99 |
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| READ THE BOOK, SEE THE MOVIE The pick of the film tie-ins at the moment are: The Time Traveler's Wife Audrey Nifenegger In stock RRP $24.95 Booktopia price $19.96  (includes the first 3 chapters of the new book Her Fearful Symmetry which is available to pre-order for October). The Soloist Steve Lopez RRP $24.95 Booktopia price $19.96  Mao's Last DancerRRP $32.95 Booktopia price $28.95  Mao's Last Dancer (YA edition) In stockRRP $19.95 Booktopia price $17.50  The Peasant PrinceLi Cunxin (children's picture book adaptation) RRP $29.95 Booktopia price $23.96 CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR AUGUST WINNERS! Congratulations to Therese Luscombe, Sue McCleary, Helen White, Susan Ayres and Janet Stevens who were the winners of our Don Watson August Buzz Competition! We hope you relish reading your copies of Weasel Words and Death Sentence! |
AGATHA CHRISTIE: SEVEN DEADLY SINS BOXED SET  Agatha Christie This beautiful hardback collection of seven of Christie's best stories is all about Sin! The stories include Pride, Envy, Evil, Sloth, Avarice, Gluttony and Wrath. At this great value price, Christie makes a perennial gift favourite. Agatha Christie: Seven Deadly Sins Box Set RRP $79.99 Booktopia price $64.00 IN FOR SOME INTRIGUE?  Betrayal: The Life and Lies of Bernie MadoffAndrew Kirtzman RRP $45.00 Booktopia price $36.00 Madoff: Corruption, Deceit, and the Making of the World's Most Notorious Ponzi Scheme Peter Sander RRP $26.96 Booktopia price $21.56 TRUE COMPASS  Edward KennedyTed Kennedy was widely regarded as one of the great senators in the United States' history. He was also the patriarch of America's most heralded family. In True Compass, five years in the making, Senator Kennedy speaks with unprecedented candor about his extraordinary life. The publication of this landmark autobiography has been rushed forward for obvious reasons and will be available from September 12. Click here to pre-order True Compass RRP $50 Booktopia price $39.95 |
