Did you win a signed Audiobook Prize pack, or a signed collection of Brian Cox books?

In November and December we gave you the chance to enter two incredible competitions.

We had 8 Bolinda Audiobook packs up for grabs with each audiobook in the pack signed by the author, or 3 books signed by Professor Brian Cox to win!


HumanUniverseBriancoxCompNewsletterBanner21214

And the lucky winner of the Brian Cox pack is…

S.Patterson, Baynton, WA

All you had to do to enter was buy Human Universe.

human-universeHuman life is a staggeringly strange thing.

On the surface of a ball of rock falling around a nuclear fireball in the blackness of a vacuum, the laws of nature somehow conspired to create a naked ape that can look up at the stars and wonder where it came from.

In this spectacular new book, Professor Brian Cox will take readers out of this world and into a whole new dimension as he gives us a new perspective on more…

Grab a copy of Human Universe here


Bolinda-Comp-LargePromoBanner-495x200px-FINAL

And the lucky winners of a Bolinda Audiobook pack are…

L.Malcolm, St Ives, NSW
L.Henderson, Camberwell, VIC
P.Hughes, Modbury, SA
S.Goldstein, Bonalbo, NSW
N.Wheeler, Bensville, NSW
K.Jackson, Condamine, QLD
K.Tseng, Concord West, NSW
R.Brown, Kilmore, VIC

All you had to do to enter was buy a Bolinda Audiobook.

Each pack contains a signed edition of Cleanskin Cowgirls by Rachael Treasure, Loyal Creatures by Morris Gleitzman, The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton, Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty, The Fictional Woman by Tara Moss, Courting Trouble by Kathy Lette, Sapphire Skies by Belinda Alexandra, Quick by Steve Worland, The Road Back by Di Morrissey, South Of Darkness by John Marsden, The Great Zoo Of China by Matthew Reilly, The 52-Storey Treehouse by Andy Griffiths.


Congratulations to the winners!
Not a winner? Don’t worry, we have plenty more prizes to giveaway! Check them out here.

Never Mind the Bollocks – Here are Andrew’s Favourite Books of 2014

Favourite BooksThe downside of working in such an exciting place that is growing faster than rhubarb in the dark (look it up, it’s a thing) is that because you’re always on your toes, always being presented with new challenges…

…you’re always trying to find the precious time to read.

But never fear. I’ve managed to squeeze in some fantastic books this year, and I think I’d share my 10 favourite ones with you.

So here they are.


loyal-creaturesLoyal Creatures

by Morris Gleitzman

I read Loyal Creatures the night before interviewing Morris Gleitzman for Booktopia TV. I was terrified at the prospect of grilling one of my childhood heroes. Within a few pages I completely lost myself in the book.

It’s a gorgeous read, another incredible effort from Gleitzman, and I genuinely had to hold back tears at the end of the book.

Click here for more about Loyal Creatures


the-sex-lives-of-siamese-twinsThe Sex Lives of Siamese Twins

by Irvine Welsh

You really should find time to read this caustic gem from Irvine Welsh, although perhaps not at the gym, or an organic cafe, or while watching The Biggest Loser. I say that because Welsh shines his light on the world of militant self-improvement and you may not recover in time.

If you’ve read Welsh, you know what to expect and won’t be disappointed. The only surprise will be just how much he’s matured as a writer, how adept he’s become at taking on the voice of his characters. Sometimes it only takes a mirror to see just how bizarre the world is becoming.

Click here for more about The Sex Lives of Siamese Twins


your-fathers-where-are-they-and-the-prophets-do-they-live-forever-Your Fathers, Where are They?

by Dave Eggers

The full name of Dave Eggers’ work is Your Fathers, Where are They? And the Prophets, Do They Live Forever? Such is his sense of humour I suspect he’s put together this ridiculously long title just to make end of year lists awkward. In fact I’m sure that’s why, and I love him all the more for it.

Made up entirely of dialogue, Your Fathers shines a light in uncomfortable corners while being raucously funny in many places. It’s an easy read in a sense, the real work comes from the time you have to yourself after reading it, reflecting on the world Eggers toys with. If you watch the news and don’t know whether to laugh or cry, this is the book for you.

Click here for more about Your Fathers, Where are They?


a-little-historyA Little History

by Bleddyn Butcher

If the inclusion of this in my ‘best of’ list wasn’t a big enough clue, I’m a pretty gigantic Nick Cave fan. A Little History is an intimate look at the career of Cave and his closest collaborators over the years.

It’s easy to forget how long Nick Cave has been on the scene, his music has always been so innovative and relevant throughout the years. This is a must have for all Birthday Party, Bad Seeds, and Grinderman fans. Cavesters will know what I’m talking about.

Click here for more about A Little History


colorless-tsukuru-tazaki-and-his-years-of-pilgrimageColorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage

by Haruki Murakami

I include this in my list with a caveat. You see I was not, as so many others professed to being, disappointed by Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Year of Pilgrimage. The reason is simple, if a little bit of a backhand to Murakami.

I don’t consider him to be a truly great writer.

I think he’s good, very good in fact. Norwegian Wood is one of my favourite books. I don’t, however, think he’s an immortal of the craft. If you are expecting Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki to be one of the one of the finest works of literature created, it’s not. That work only happens once in a generation.

Books are best enjoyed if you’re able to separate the work from the creator, unburden yourself from the shackles of expectation and enjoy the book purely for what is between the covers. If you do that, I’ve no doubt you’ll love Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Year of Pilgrimage, the themes of loneliness and belonging that it ponders, and agree with me that it is comfortably one of the best books of 2014.

Click here for more about Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki


foreign-soilForeign Soil

by Maxine Beneba Clarke

I was privileged to have had the opportunity to not just meet Maxine Beneba Clarke, but interview her for Booktopia TV. It was in the middle of a busy Sydney Writer’s Festival but her energy and enthusiasm for the craft of writing was amazing. I’ve read many short story collections this year, but Foreign Soil was my favourite.

Putting aside just how wonderful her prose is, how seamless her transition between characters and voices is, so much of Beneba Clarke’s stories are for the voiceless and the downtrodden. I’ve no doubt she will fast become one of Australia’s most influential and important writers. I can’t wait to read more from her.

Click here for more about Foreign Soil


lists-of-noteLists of Note

by Shaun Usher

In case you forgot, what you are reading is a list. In all likelihood only my mother and my year 7 English teacher thinks it is of note.

I love lists, I adore High Fidelity almost entirely for the constant lists. I can’t get enough of them, and it seems some of history’s most important figures feel the same way. If there was a museum dedicated to lists (if there isn’t already) this book would be the guidebook. I lost myself for hours in this incredible collection, dedicated entirely to the list.

There’s a list of ‘available names’ Charles Dickens compiled for possible characters in his fiction, Galileo’s list of parts needed to build his telescope, a list of dream lovers a pre-fame Marilyn Monroe wrote with a friend. Quite literally, the lists go on. I absolutely adore this unique collection.

Click here for more about Lists of Note


my-salinger-yearMy Salinger Year

by Joanna Rakoff

For me, my love of books expands far beyond the reading and writing. I’m intrigued by every aspect of their creation. The life of a writer, the printing process, the cover design, the editing process, acquisition meetings…

…and of course, the literary agency responsible for making and breaking so many writers.

This is a beautiful, funny, and at times melancholy look into the world of a New York literary agency in the early 90s, desperately trying to hold onto the ideals of the past. There are long lunches, huge slush piles and not a computer in sight. Oh, and did I mention J.D. Salinger rings occasionally? One for the real booklovers.

Click here for more about My Salinger Year


not-that-kind-of-girlNot That Kind of Girl

by Lena Dunham

How did she do it? How can Lena Dunham have all those expectations and all that money thrown at her (a rumoured advance of over $4mil), and somehow manage to write a brilliantly raw and honest memoir before she’s even turned 30?

I loved Not That Kind of Girl. It reminded me of how important brutal honesty is in any kind of writing, let alone memoirs. It establishes a theme and, despite what seems like endless digressions, never loses its footing. It’s an amazing piece of work. Shockingly funny like few books I’ve read. Incredible stuff.

Click here for more about Not That Kind of Girl


golden-boysGolden Boys

by Sonya Hartnett

Golden Boys is the best novel I’ve read in 2014. There, I said it. I admired Sonya Hartnett’s writing before, now I idolise it. A tender, and at times savage, exploration of lost innocence, told from the eyes of a small group of children in the suburbs of Australia.

Please, I’m begging you, grab a copy of this book and read it. It’s extraordinary. Don’t be put off by the tough subject matter, this is what fiction is for. Exploring worlds we dare not explore ourselves, hearing stories we’d usually shield our ears from. Last year I called The Narrow Road to the Deep North the best novel I’d read for the year, and I’m doing the same for Golden Boys in 2014. A remarkable book.

Click here for more about Golden Boys

Did you order a book featured in the YA November Buzz? You may have won a copy of Sara Shepard’s new book, The Perfectionists.

Did you know that by subscribing to our newsletters you don’t just get the latest news and reviews on the hottest titles around, but the chance to win sweet sweet prizes?

The YA November Buzz, had a fantastic giveaway, with 1 of 5 free copies of Sara Shepard’s new book, The Perfectionistsup for grabs. All you had to do to enter was buy a book featured in the buzz between October 23rd and October 30th.


And the lucky winners are…

M.Thomson, Boambee East, NSW
S.Glase, Port Macquarie, NSW
F.Sherry, Camberwell, VIC
K.Simpkins, Bilambil Heights, NSW
E.Brakey, Aberfoyle Park, SA


9781471404344The Perfectionists

By  Sara Shepard

In Beacon Heights High, Nolan Hotchkiss is king. His charm, wealth and good looks are deceptively seductive, and many are the students whose lives and reputations have been ruined by it. All while Nolan continues to reign, unquestioned and undisrupted. Until now, that is.Mackenzie, Ava, Julie, Caitlin and Parker seemingly don’t have much in common.

Each has their own friends, dramas and goals. But one thing they do share: they all have a deep hatred of Nolan Hotchkiss. And they all think it’s about time he paid for what he’s done. They come up with the perfect murder – a hypothetical murder, of course. It’s all wishful thinking…until they wake up one morning to find that their wish has come true. Nolan has been killed – in exactly the way they planned. The thing is, they didn’t do it. So who did?

About the Author

For as long as she can remember, Sara Shepard has been writing. However, when she was young she also wanted to be a soap opera star, a designer for LEGO, a filmmaker, a claymation artist, a geneticist, and a fashion magazine editor when she grew up. She and her sister have been creating joint artistic and written projects for years, except they’re pretty sure they’re the only ones who find them funny.

She got her MFA at Brooklyn College and now lives outside Philadelphia, PA with her husband and dogs. Her first adult novel is called The Visibles/ All The Things We Didn’t Say.

Sara’s bestselling young adult series, Pretty Little Liars, is loosely based on her experiences growing up on Philadelphia’s Main Line…although luckily she never had any serious stalkers. The series has also inspired the ABC Family television series of the same name.


Not a winner? Don’t sweat it! We have a ton of prizes that you could win in time for Christmas!

Christmas-Assets-Main-Campaign-2014-Rotating-Homepage-Banner-770x200-v2

Celebrate Booktoberfest with Booktopia and Text Publishing- you could win a prize pack worth over $700!

Celebrate Booktoberfest with Booktopia and Text Publishing and you could win this amazing prize pack worth over $700!!!

Just buy any title in Text Publishing’s Booktoberfest Showcase and you could win!

Click here to enter Text Publishing’s showcase

Our Top Pick

The Rosie Effect

by Graeme Simsion

‘We’ve got something to celebrate,’ Rosie said.

I am not fond of surprises, especially if they disrupt plans already in place. I assumed that she had achieved some important milestone with her thesis. Or perhaps she had been offered a place in the psychiatry-training programme. This would be extremely good news, and I estimated the probability of sex at greater than 80%.

‘We’re pregnant,’ she said.

The Rosie Project was an international publishing phenomenon, with more than a million copies sold in over forty countries around the world. Now Graeme Simsion returns with the highly anticipated sequel, The Rosie Effect.

Don Tillman and Rosie Jarman are now married and living in New York. Don has been teaching while Rosie completes her second year at Columbia Medical School. Just as Don is about to announce that Gene, his philandering best friend from Australia, is coming to stay, Rosie drops a bombshell: she’s pregnant.

In true Tillman style, Don instantly becomes an expert on all things obstetric. But in between immersing himself in a new research study on parenting and implementing the Standardised Meal System (pregnancy version), Don’s old weaknesses resurface. And while he strives to get the technicalities right, he gets the emotions all wrong, and risks losing Rosie when she needs him most.

The Rosie Effect is the charming and hilarious romantic comedy of the year.

Click here to enter Text Publishing’s showcase

Celebrate Booktoberfest with Booktopia and Thames & Hudson- you could win a prize pack worth $700!

Celebrate Booktoberfest with Booktopia and Thames & Hudson and you could win this amazing prize pack worth over $700!!!

Just buy any title in Thames & Hudson’s Booktoberfest Showcase and you could win!

Click here to enter Thames & Hudson’s showcase

Our Top Pick

The Forever House

by Cameron Bruhn, Katelin Butler

Imagine a home designed and built especially for your family to grow, evolve and create memories in over a lifetime.

The Forever House celebrates 23 such dwellings through the intimate stories of the families and architects who created them.

Featuring the Seidler house in Sydney and an introduction from Peggy Seidler for the 60’s section, The Forever House covers the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s and 80’s with an essay introducing each section.

These are homes, still lived in today by the families that had them commissioned.

Click here to enter Thames & Hudson’s showcase

Celebrate Booktoberfest with Booktopia and The Five Mile Press- you could win a prize pack worth $999!

Celebrate Booktoberfest with Booktopia and The Five Mile Press and you could win this amazing prize pack worth $999!!

Just buy any title in The Five Mile Press Booktoberfest Showcase and you could win!

Click here to enter The Five Mile Press showcase

Our Top Pick

Little Elliot, Big City

by Mike Curato

Amid the hustle and bustle, the big crowds and bigger buildings, Little Elliot leads a quiet life in the big city. Little Elliot faces a unique set of challenges in his daily life.

But he doesn’t mind! There are too many wonderful things to enjoy. Whether meeting that special friend who lifts him to new heights, or finally getting that long-awaited cupcake, it’s the little things that count in this sweet story.

This message will resonate with every reader, little or big.

Click here to enter The Five Mile Press showcase

Celebrate Booktoberfest with Booktopia and Murdoch Books- you could win a prize pack worth over $800!

Celebrate Booktoberfest with Booktopia and Murdoch Books and you could win this amazing prize pack worth over $800!!!

Just buy any title in Murdoch Books’ Booktoberfest Showcase and you could win!

Click here to enter Murdoch Books’ showcase

Our Top Pick

Sepia

by Martin Benn

Sepia, is quite simply, one long, exquisite, “wow” moment.’ – John Lethlean, Weekend Australian Magazine

Renowned chef Martin Benn takes the reader on a culinary journey through 60 of his exciting dishes. Based around four degustation menus, the book highlights the technical mastery and sheer beauty of Martin’s food, with its deep connections to Japanese cuisine and flavours and its focus on texture and contrast. Included is the recipe for Martin’s incredibly intricate, exquisite Chocolate Forest Floor. Text, design and photography combine to recreate the atmosphere and the sophisticated, art deco feel of his Sydney restaurant, Sepia.

Interspersed among the menus are narrative features exploring the workings of the restaurant, and the stories of its staff and clientele, while location photography captures a sense of old-fashioned, cosmopolitan glamour.

Click here to enter Murdoch Books’ showcase

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 14,762 other followers

%d bloggers like this:
http://blog.booktopia.com.au/tag/booktopia/page/2/
blog.booktopia.com.au
crawl=CC-MAIN-2015-11
218177
application/http; msgtype=response
sha1:VU7JDXNUUOSM4QSEVWDTFD5XNDTPOMXJ
<urn:uuid:efc6ec40-e797-4b84-96a3-3c41d3c0daad>
2015-03-03T12:38:05Z
192.0.78.12
sha1:XAYZY64X6FUXRVRTRQX7CMDWWNEP2LY5
<urn:uuid:e8eee836-1f2d-48f3-aa89-ebf91d4973f9>
http://blog.booktopia.com.au/tag/booktopia/page/2/
length
response
<urn:uuid:5f24e838-0062-4f82-98df-952b155e4012>
robots: classic
hostname: ip-10-28-5-156.ec2.internal
software: Nutch 1.6 (CC)/CC WarcExport 1.0
isPartOf: CC-MAIN-2015-11
operator: CommonCrawl Admin
description: Wide crawl of the web with URLs provided by Blekko for February 2015
publisher: CommonCrawl
format: WARC File Format 1.0
conformsTo: http://bibnum.bnf.fr/WARC/WARC_ISO_28500_version1_latestdraft.pdf