Publishers Showcase at CYL (SLV) – win Divergent!

Last night was the Pulisher's Showcase at The Centre for Youth Literature at the State Library of Victoria.

I went with Steph from My Girl Friday and after filling ourselves up with yummy cupcakes and milkshakes (which was a bad idea considering the event was catered!) we headed over there.

Steph, because she is a legend, has already put up a very comprehensive summary of all the new books coming out in the coming year!

Each publisher presented four books to the crowd - most did two from this year and two coming next year.

Many authors were there too, presenting on behalf of their publishers, including Fiona Wood, Cath Crowley and Michael Pryor to name a few.

As Steph scribbled madly beside me (honestly, check out her post! Look at the detail!) I just sat back and marveled at all the new books.

At the train ...

Melina is back! Win a copy of Froi of the Exiles

Blood sings to blood, Froi . . .
Those born last will make the first . . .
For Charyn will be barren no more.

Three years after the curse on Lumatere was lifted, Froi has found his home - or so he believes.

Fiercely loyal to the Queen and Finnikin, Froi has been trained roughly and lovingly by the Guard sworn to protect the royal family, and has learned to control his quick temper. But when he is sent on a secretive mission to the kingdom of Charyn, nothing could have prepared him for what he finds. Here he encounters a damaged people who are not who they seem, and must unravel both the dark bonds of kinship and the mysteries of a half-mad Princess.

And in this barren and mysterious place, he will ...

What Are You Thankful For?

So yesterday it was Thanksgiving in America and despite not being American, I really think the holiday has some good values that the rest of the world could see fit to introduce.

A holiday without presents where everyone gathers around to give thanks for what they have? Yes, please!

(It's also hilariously ironic that they often call it Turkey Day and that I have a picture of a Turkey on here as my nick-name in primary school was Turkey! My surname is Burke, then you go Burkey-Turkey... get it? My best friend even named her new gold fish after me when we were 12, Turkster and Gobbling :P)

However if I ever were to go to America to celebrate it, I wouldn't eat the Turkey - ewww! My best friend always refers to that as me not wanting to be a cannibal by ...

Because I Am A Nerd…

This arrived in the mail for me today:

It's a first-edition Virginia Woolf My Moment. It is BEAUTIFUL.

It even came with some old newspaper clippings from the 1960's which are articles about Woolf:

It's pretty much the coolest thing ever. It has the yellowing paper, that delicious old-book smell.

It's golden-embossed spine has 'The Hogarth Press' on it which is just fantastic, and I love love that it is a first edition.

As some of you may know, I collect Woolf like she's going out of fashion. I have all her dairies, all her letters, all her books and essays, almost every biography written on her, and lots on other people in her life: Leonard Woolf, Vita Sackville-West.

I found this in a second-hand bookshop in Lorne (Fowlers, just a great store) when I went a few weeks ago. (Sadly, I was down to my ...

The Slap: Special Screening of Richie with Christos Tsiolkas – Please Go For Me!

So I'm guessing everyone in Australia has been watching The Slap?

It seems everyone has been watching it - yesterday I was out having lunch in a cafe and three middle age men were behind me and they were talking about how 'bloody good' The Slap was.

The mini series, by ABC, has had generally positive reviews, and, if my Facebook feed is anything to go by, it well-loved by general viewers.

Me? I've been watching it (obviously!). I haven't watched last night's yet (Aisha) as I was out, but I plan on watching it tonight.

Can I be honest for a second?

I really enjoyed the first episode, Hector. Thought it was great. I also loved Anouk.

But as the weeks have gone by, I'm finding my liking for it has been dwindling...

Last week's, Manolis, I was on my phone for most of it and ...

The Sending: Competition

WELL! It's been a long time for Obernewtyn Chronicles fans as The Stone Key was published in 2008.

Thankfully, The Sending, is out now!

The series, first published in 1987, has been a huge hit with devoted fans all over the world - and critics, with plenty of awards won too.

The Sending:

The sixth book in The Obernewtyn Chronicles. The time has come at last for Elspeth Gordie to leave the Land on her quest to find and stop the computermachine Sentinel from unleashing the deadly Balance of Terror arsenal. But before she can embark on her quest, she must find a lost key. And although she has long prepared for this day, nothing is as she imagined. Elspeth's search will take her where she never thought to go, and bestow upon her stranger companions than any she thought to have. It will ...

Review: Evangeline, The Wish Keeper’s Helper by Maggie Alderson

Evangeline the toy elephant lies under the bed all day, waiting and waiting for something to happen.

If only she could be useful somewhere...

Will her wish be granted?

I am pretty sure (pretty pretty sure) that this is the cutest book ever.

I mean, if a dancing elephant in a dress on the front cover isn't enough - or the fact it's a beautiful hardback with special flowers and stars that shine in the right light - or the absolutely charming colour illustrations through-out, then the story will capture your imagination in a huge way.

Alderson writes beautifully about discarded toys who live dusty lives under beds, wishing of being a Constant Companion. They talk about the time they were the Constant Companion, only to be chucked aside in favour of a new toy.

It is, simply put, a charming book, one that will be ...

Of Media Releases and Time

Sometimes, you sit back and think of something and get all stressed and worried.

Sometimes, you want to do something but you have no idea. (I think this is one of those times where I should leave that. I meant to write 'time' not 'idea' but hey - someone's trying to tell me something!)

Sometimes, it seems that there isn't enough time in the world to do everything you want to do, and when you have an inability to say no and take on too much: it's a problem.

Things I need at the moment:

Time Sleep My cold/hay fever to go away A massage, as my back is very sore at the moment from all the hunching over I do at work and on the computer Money to pay an over-due parking fine from the Marieke Hardy event To go to the gym, they are taking my money ...

Lots ‘O Book News and More A in YA

OMG! Big news! Angela is leaving Crikey!

(And I say that because she's keeping LiteraryMinded, just moving it.)

Shocking! Scandalous!

(Or maybe everyone knew but me until I found out on Twitter this afternoon.)

Well either way, it's the end of an era that's for sure! I'm going to miss Angela on there, but it's okay, as you can follow her new blog (address)! Hoorah!

Also, the new book blogger for Crikey is pretty awesome, she'll be starting soon but you can follow her on Twitter now.

I also discovered today (today's been a good day for discovering!) that you can BUY ECK. ECK. ECK!!!

As in Eck from Meg Rosoff's There Is No Dog. Which you've all read, right?

I can't believe it. A toy Eck!

I'm so incredibly excited. I think I shall have to send an email enquiring about special delivery :p

In other book news (as ...

Blogging as Graffiti

I saw Contagion on the weekend. Jude Law's character, a journalist, is chasing Laurence Fishburne's character for information about what's happening.

Fishburne's character spits at him, "Blogging is not writing: it's graffiti with punctuation."

I smirked and, much to the dismay of those sitting around me, pulled out my phone to jot down the quote.

Of course, I started to think of defenses in my head but when I really thought about it, it's true.

But then again, that can be said of any print or online writing. As I mentioned in the interview that was posted over the weekend (you all enjoyed that, right?!) this can been seen as simply my soap box for anything I want to say.

And, you know, people say that about certain journalists with columns in papers *cough*.

And then you could say that about authors pushing their own agenda's in ...

Monthly Archives: November 2011