book lists – I Think the Cover Was Red …

These are the 100 best fantasy books of all time

November 5, 2020November 4, 2020Posted in General, NewsTagged book lists, Classics, Fantasy, George R.R. Martin, Neil Gaiman, Philip Pullman, Roald Dahl, Tolkein, William GoldmanLeave a comment

If you like rollicking reads about dragons and dwarves or wizards and elves. If you like stories of magical adventures and mystical battles, with or without a medieval twist. If you like tales of fairies and goblins or weird talking animals. If you like marvellous epics set in intricate make-believe worlds where things aren’t always what they seem. Then do I have a book list for you.

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The best 7 books set in Venice (because you can’t go there right now)

July 25, 2020July 25, 2020Posted in GeneralTagged Anne Rice, book lists, Ian McEwan, Kazuo Ishiguro, Michelle Lovric, Patricia Highsmith, Philippa Gregory, Thomas Mann, VeniceLeave a comment

Ah, Venice. Strolling your cobble-stoned streets and soaking up your history is my life’s dream. Yes, yes. I know Venice is overrun with tourists. And overpriced. And confessing you want to go there usually garners screwed up noses from people who’ve already been and are happy to tell you it’s “so overrated”.

Especially when you confess part of the dream involves sitting in St Mark’s Square, sipping some of that overpriced coffee and scribbling into a notebook. But, embarrassing life dream or not, Venice still tops the list of places I must see before I die.

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9 books for teens who love dance that are actually good

July 9, 2020July 9, 2020Posted in Junior, YA fictionTagged ballet, book lists, Catherine Bruton, dance, Jennifer Longo, Michaela DePrince, middle grade, Noel Streatfeild, Paula Chase, Sona Charaipotra, Sophie Flack, Tara Eglington, Tom Crosshill, YA fiction1 Comment

My daughter is mad for dance. Doesn’t matter if it’s ballet, jazz, contemporary or whatever … a LOT of dance goes on at our place. She also loves books. And that’s the problem, you see. Because my dance-loving daughter tells me that most books about dance and dancers are just plain rubbish.

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11 books about refugee children that will break your heart

June 15, 2020June 14, 2020Posted in Junior, YA fictionTagged Andrea Davis Pinkney, book lists, Clare Atkins, Deborah Ellis, Deng Thiak Adut, Fabio Geda, Katherine Marsh, Libby Gleeson, Morris Gleitzman, Onjali Q. Rauf, Randa Abdel-Fattah, Refugees, social issues, Zana FraillonLeave a comment

Refugee. It’s a word that should evoke compassion, that should make us open our hearts and our borders to people fleeing war. To families, desperate for a safe place to call home. To children who have seen and suffered terrible things. Instead, it’s a word that is used to spread fear and even hate.

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The top 100 books you need to read right now

June 4, 2020June 4, 2020Posted in General, NewsTagged book clubs, book listsLeave a comment

There’s nothing like a good book list to help point you in the right direction when you’re looking for your next read.

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These are the best Australian books of 2020

May 17, 2020June 4, 2020Posted in General, NewsTagged Anna Krien, Australian authors, Book awards, book lists, Carrie Tiffany, Charlotte Wood, Gerald Murnane, John Hughes, Melanie Cheng, Miles Franklin, Peggy Frew, Philip Salom, Tara June Winch, Tony BirchLeave a comment

If you love your literature with a homegrown Aussie bent, then you’re going to love what I’m about to reveal. The Miles Franklin Literary Award 2020 longlist has landed. And it’s good news for lovers of Australian literature looking for their next better-than-good read.

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These are the 7 books every Star Wars fan needs

May 4, 2020June 3, 2020Posted in Junior, YA fictionTagged Adam Rex, book lists, Matthew Reinhart, pop-up books, Star WarsLeave a comment

Think Star Wars is just a movie? Think again. Sure, it’s one of the biggest movie franchises of all time. With epic battles, dastardly villains, fallen heroes and plot twists aplenty. But there’s other ways to enjoy Darth Vader, Princes Leia, Luke, Hans Solo, Chewie and co than on the big screen.

Yep, I’m talking books. There are books that let you explore everything Star Wars in more thrilling, up-close detail than anything you’ve seen on the big screen. Don’t believe me? I find your lack of faith disturbing.

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11 specky-tacular footy books for kids

April 19, 2020June 3, 2020Posted in JuniorTagged Adrian Beck, Anita Heiss, book lists, Cyril Rioli, David Lawrence, Felice Arena, George Ivanoff, Michael Wagner, Nicole Hayes, sport, Tony WilsonLeave a comment

Hear that? It’s the sound of a thousand mini footy-mad hearts breaking now that coronavirus has put the 2020 junior footy season on a semi-permanent pause.

Well, kids might not be able to play as a team while we’re in a COVID-19 lockdown, but that doesn’t mean they can’t read like one.

Here are 11 excellent books and book series’ about Australian Rules Football – better known as footy – for kids. From picture books to junior fiction and middle-grade reads, there’s a football book for every kid.

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What to read after The Hunger Games

April 5, 2020June 3, 2020Posted in YA fictionTagged book lists, Cory Doctorow, Dystopian fiction, James Dashner, Joelle Charbonneau, John Marsden, Lois Lowry, Margaret Atwood, Michael Grant, Neil Shusterman, Patrick Ness, Scott Westerfield, The Hunger Games, Veronica RothLeave a comment

A deadly virus that sweeps the world. Hundreds of thousands of people around the globe infected. Government lockdowns, deserted streets, confusion and despair. It’s either life with coronavirus … or the plot from your favourite dystopian novel.

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The books on the 2020 International Booker Prize Shortlist

April 3, 2020June 3, 2020Posted in General, NewsTagged Book awards, book lists, Booker Prize, Daniel Kehlmann, Fernanda Melchor, Gabriela Cabezón Cámara, Marieke Lucas Rijneveld, world stories, Yoko OgawaLeave a comment

Using the ongoing global coronavirus lockdown as a good excuse to log some serious reading time? Me too! Lucky for all of us, the 2020 International Booker Prize shortlist has just been announced. And suddenly, there’s an extra six books to add to all our growing TBR piles.

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All the books on the CBCA 2020 shortlist

March 31, 2020June 3, 2020Posted in Children, Junior, NewsTagged Astrid Scholte, Book awards, book lists, Bruce Pascoe, CBCA, Emily Rodda, Meg McKinlay, Sami Bayly, Vikki WakefieldLeave a comment

Children's Book Council of Australia 2020 Book of the Year awards

Need a new book for the kids to get lost in? You’re in luck! The Children’s Book Council of Australia has just announced the shortlist for its 2020 Book of the Year awards. Get ready to have your book brains blown…

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