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Thursday, May 16, 2013

Book of the Day - Inferno by Dan Brown

Book of the day is..... Inferno by Dan Brown
RRP $39.95
Our Price $29.95 



‘Seek and ye shall find.'

With these words echoing in his head, eminent Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon awakes in a hospital bed with no recollection of where he is or how he got there. Nor can he explain the origin of the macabre object that is found hidden in his belongings.

A threat to his life will propel him and a young doctor, Sienna Brooks, into a breakneck chase across the city of Florence. Only Langdon's knowledge of hidden passageways and ancient secrets that lie behind its historic facade can save them from the clutches of their unknown pursuers.


With only a few lines from Dante's dark and epic masterpiece, The Inferno, to guide them, they must decipher a sequence of codes buried deep within some of the most celebrated artefacts of the Renaissance – sculptures, paintings, buildings – to find the answers to a puzzle which may, or may not, help them save the world from a terrifying threat…

Set against an extraordinary landscape inspired by one of history's most ominous literary classics, Inferno is Dan Brown's most compelling and thought-provoking novel yet, a breathless race-against-time thriller that will grab you from page one and not let you go until you close the book.

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Author Interview - Sean Williams

Sean Williams came into the store to sign the third Troubletwisters book 'Mystery of the Golden Card' He was kind enough to answer some questions we had.



Tarran - Are you having fun writing the Troubletwister's series?
Sean - It is immense fun.
Tarran - How many books are there going to be in the series?
Sean - At the moment we are contracted for 5, but who knows what the future will bring.
Tarran - What's next for you?
Sean - I am writing Twinmaker which is a Y/A novel, unrelated to Trouble Twisters. Also, Garth and I are co authoring a new mystery book (cue mysterious music) and I am involved in the Crooked Letter tv show.
Tarran - Do you have any special traditions before starting a project?
Sean - No. I do warn my family that I will be going into writing mode and set the auto reply on my email.
Tarran - How do you feel about the sale of LucasArts?
Sean - Good. Quite excited to see how it will breathe new life into the franchise.
Tarran - How did you get to be the person who everyone wants to launch their book?
Sean - (Laughs) I'm not sure that is true but maybe it's because I am quick. No long speeches or taking my time.
Tarran - Do you prefer Ebooks or print?
Sean - I read ebooks but I buy print books for my bookshelf.

Magical twins, mystery and danger, unexplained events, and an Evil that refuses to be contained ... Twins Jack and Jaide are troubletwisters and in this book they must use their elusive Gifts to search Rourke Castle for the mysterious Golden Card of Translocation.

Can twins Jack and Jaide find the mysterious Golden Card of Translocation and make it out of Rourke Castle alive?
When eccentric Young Master Rourke dies in suspicious circumstances, troubletwisters Jack and Jaide are sent on a mission by their father to retrieve a lost Golden Card from somewhere within the vast Rourke estate. But secret agents for The Evil are also in pursuit of the card, and the troubletwister twins know that whoever finds it first will gain access to a Gift more powerful or terrible than any other. Together they negotiate secret passages, talking parrots and animated suits of armour, while trying to control their own fledgling Gifts. It rapidly becomes impossible to know who to trust and who might be an agent - even among those closest to them.

Monday, May 13, 2013

Book Review - Love Minus Eighty by Will McIntosh

Love Minus EightyLove Minus Eighty by Will McIntosh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

DUE JUNE 2013
I liked the concept of this book though parts of it was a bit confusing, particually the screens that follow people about.

In this book we follow the lives of about 4-5 people whose lives become entangled together. We meet Rob who ran over the girl he falls in love with. We meet Mira who was the first person to be frozen. It is interesting how these two people infulence the lives of those around them.

Veronika, Lorelei and Nathan make an interesting trio, but I felt the characters could have had a bit more depth to them.

All in all if you like futuristic novels then give it a whirl!

View all my reviews

Book Review - Muse (Mercy, #3) by Rebecca Lim

Muse (Mercy, #3)Muse by Rebecca Lim
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love how with this series I can put down say book 2 then pick up book 3 4-5 months down the track and still know what is going on without batting an eyelid. This series is fantastic! We see more of Mercy's story unfolding and the ending leaves you hanging for the next book.

If you haven't read the first 2 books then go out and buy them.

Mercy is dropped into a famous glamour model and suddenly hell starts to break loose.

Brilliant!

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Book Review - Life in Outer Space by Melissa Keil

Life in Outer SpaceLife in Outer Space by Melissa Keil
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was an enjoyable book to read. Nothing out there happens, but it is a story about a boy who meets a girl and they become friends and the effect of that friendship on the rest of the groups social stature.

I liked Sam and Camilla's characters and they brought to life the struggle of what to do when you are not sure if the other person likes you back.

View all my reviews

Hannah Kent Interview and Competition

On Thursday 9th of May, we had in store the marvelous Hannah Kent. She was signing copies of her book 'Burial Rites' for us and I thought this would be a great opportunity to get an interview with her. Hannah being the lovely person she is, agreed to answer a few questions.
                                           

Tarran - How long ago did you start writing Burial Rites?
Hannah - A long time ago. It was when I went over to Iceland for a student exchange program ten years ago that I first heard of Agnes and her story. Later when I was doing my PHD that gem of an idea became a novel. I researched for three years then it was about 6 months to write Burial Rites.
Tarran - How did you find out about the case?
Hannah- My foster exchange family told me about how the last person in Iceland to be executed was a woman when we were traveling one day in the first few months I was there. We went over an unusual natural landscape and there were three hills, and that is where Agnes was executed.
Tarran - Was the manuscript rejected before it was accepted?
Hannah - No, because the book won the Unpublished Manuscript Award then that got the publishers interested. I found an literary agent and they handled the rest. There was a rights auction overseas.
Tarran - What do you like to read?
Hannah - Mainly literary fiction, but I have started to read a bit of crime. I am reading Stigg Larrson at the moment. My favourite author though is Margaret Atwood.
Tarran - Have you got a name for your computer?
Hannah - No names for the computer. I photos of the area I am writing about and I have a clipping - you are not rude, on there. Also there is stickers from Eurovision that I put on there when I came home after a night out.
Tarran - How long does it take you to write a manuscript?
Hannah - Six months if I know the material, but it will generally take up to three years with research and then writing.
Tarran - What is next?
Hannah - I can't say too much but it will be set in Ireland in a similar time frame and will be even more loosely based on a real crime/trial again.
Tarran - Do you like writing about crime trials? Is that why you picked another one for your second book?
Hannah - I didn't know I would pick another one, but I heard about this case and an idea came for the story. It fascinates me, not so much the crime, but the psychological aspect of the whole thing.


I would like to thank Hannah for answering my questions and for coming in to sign for the store!!  Please support a local author and a brilliant one at that! We have a competition to win a signed copy of Hannah's book. Simply tell us in 25 words or less in the comments section on this page what is the most fascinating crime case in history you have heard about. Competition closes 25th May 2013 and only open to Australian residents.

Book Review - Acid by Emma Pass

AcidAcid by Emma Pass
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Set in a bleak futuristic Britain, we follow the story of Jenna Strong. Jailed for murdering her parents, she escapes and goes on the run. ACID are the corporation who have taken over Britain for the last 50-60 years. There is no internet, no libraries, no free speech. The London is divided into three, the Upper, the Middle and the Outer. Jenna has to fight to survive and to learn the truth about what sent her to prison!

Fantastic read, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I hope Emma Pass writes more novels like this!

View all my reviews

Thursday, April 25, 2013

AUTHOR GUEST POST - The story behind the story – Half Moon Bay by Helene Young

Ellie Wilding has been running from her past, but when the residents of Half Moon Bay call for help she knows it's finally time to return home.  As an international photojournalist, she's used to violence in war zones, but she's shocked when it erupts in the sleepy hamlet on the north coast of New South Wales, threatening all she holds dear.
Battle-weary Nicholas Lawson walked away from his military career leaving unfinished business. In a coastal backwater, that decision returns to haunt him. He remembers all too vividly his last lethal assignment in Afghanistan when Ellie's sister, Nina, was shot and killed. Ellie's been in his dreams ever since, even if she doesn't remember him…
As a storm rages and floodwaters rise, Ellie struggles to save her community. But who can she trust? Nick Lawson, the dangerously attractive stranger with secrets, or an old friend who's never let her down?
The story behind the story – Half Moon Bay.
Helene Young
Do you ever read the newspaper and think, ‘No way could that be true? How could something so horrible happen?’
I do that regularly. Often it’s a crime so horrific that I can’t comprehend a person being capable of such cruelty. Other times it’s a story that makes me cry with the scale of the tragedy. As a writer those moments frequently become the catalyst for a new story.
My Border Watch trilogy dealt with the threat of home grown terrorism, people trafficking, motorcycle gangs with their drugs, arms and violence, and the last book, Burning Lies, delved into the psyche of an arsonist. The research was fascinating and all three books are grounded in reality.
Half Moon Bay, my latest story, started life as a story about a corrupt council and a land grab. When I was twelve years old we lived in a small hamlet at Currumbin Beach on the southern Gold Coast.  At the time there was uproar over a proposed road development that cut a swathe through bush land and divided the community. It was the first time I really appreciated how people-power could be harnessed. I remember being very proud when my letter to the editor was published in the Courier Mail newspaper.
While I was busy writing the first draft of Half Moon Bay I read a news story about a journalist killed on assignment in Iraq. My sister was a journalist for many years so I had a small understanding of what drives people to put their lives on the line to report the news. I’m not talking ‘News of the World’ sensationalism here, but the sort of reporting that can change your opinion in an informed way, without favour or bias.
It started me thinking about a war correspondent’s motivation and how they coped with the traumas they see up close and personal. Of course my imagination didn’t stop there. Off it went on a tangent about a journalist who becomes complicit in a crime in order to prove her point.  From there it was a matter of interweaving the plots around a small community on the Northern New South Wales coast called Half Moon Bay.
My heroine, Ellie, is feisty but reserved. Life hasn’t always been kind to her so she’s happy to hide behind her camera and let the photos tell the story, but she’s weary of battle zones and wary of love.
Nick Lawson is the quintessential battle scarred soldier returning after a long and difficult tour of duty. He’s not looking for love any more than Ellie is, but when they find themselves on opposing sides the tension can’t help but ramp up.
Half Moon Bay is a fast paced action-filled story of corruption, betrayal and a community’s fighting spirit set in today’s world. It’s also a story of how love can blossom in the most unlikely of places.  
              

Multi-award winning author, Helene Young, lives aboard a catamaran moored near the Great Barrier Reef in the Coral Sea. She shares her sailing adventures with her husband and their dog, Zeus. Her work as a senior captain with a major regional airline takes her all over Australia and she draws inspiration for her stories from the communities she visits.
She won the Romance Writers of Australia (RWA) Romantic Book of the Year Award in 2011 and 2012. She was also voted most popular romantic suspense author by the Romance Readers of Australia (ARRA) in 2010 and 2011, and shortlisted for the same award in 2012.
Helene is the custodian of several thousand bees and in what spare time she has left, loves to read and travel.

Find Helene at

Friday, April 12, 2013

Book Review - Reboot - Amy Tintera

Reboot (Reboot, #1)Reboot by Amy Tintera

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A brilliant take on the zombie literature but with a twist.

This series is a duo. The first book ' Reboot' is due for release in Australia, June 2013.

After a virus and then war decimated the world, the surviours are rules by a organisation called HARC ( Human Advancement and Repopulation Corporation) Food is scarce and so is medical treatment. When people die, if they have had the virus or even sometimes you hadn't, you may come back to life as a Reboot. The main character Wren is 178 - meaning she was dead for 178 minutes before she rebooted. This makes her one of the strongest Reboots in Austin. When you come back as a Reboot, you are stronger, faster, able to heal from wounds that would normally kill you and they are less emotional. The longer you were dead means the more powerful you become. Wren takes a chance on Callum a 22, and this starts a change inside her. She begins to question events that start to happen when the scientists start playing God with the Reboots.

A fantastic twist on the zombie genre as we get to read a story that isn't mindless killing (yet) and we get to see a different side to the undead. I am NOT a fan of zombies, I can not stand them. Saying that, I really enjoyed this book and am keen to see where the author takes it.



View all my reviews

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

2013 CBCA Titles Shortlist Announced

Here are the titles that are on the shortlist for the 2013 CBCA 

BOOK  OF THE YEAR: YOUNGER READERS  
         
Pennies For Hitler by Jackie French
Other Brother by Simon French
After by Morris Gleitzman
Children of the King by Sonya Hartnett
Pookie Aleera Is Not My Boyfriend by Steven Herrick
The Tender Moments of Saffron Silk by Glenda Millard  ill. by Stephen Michael King
                
BOOK OF THE YEAR: EARLY CHILDHOOD
         
The Terrible Suitcase by Emma Allen ill. by Freya Blackwood
With Nan by Tania Cox ill. by Karen Blair
The Pros and Cons of Being a Frog by Sue DeGennaro
Too Many Elephants In This House by Ursula Dubosarsky ill. by Andrew Joyner
It’s a Miroocool! by Christine Harris ill. Ann James
Peggy by Anna Walker
     

PICTURE BOOK OF THE YEAR
         
The Coat by Julie Hunt ill. Ron Brooks
Tanglewood by Margaret Wild ill. Vivienne Goodman
Herman and Rosie by Gus Gordon
Sophie Scott Goes South by Alison Lester
Lightning Jack by Glenda Millard ill. Patricia Mullins
A Day To Remember by Jackie French ill. Mark Wilson

 

BOOK OF THE YEAR: OLDER READERS
(Please note age recommendations on these titles, as the Older Readers category is generally suitable for Secondary School age only)
         
The Ink Bridge by Neil Grant
Sea Hearts by Margo Lanagan
The Shiny Guys by Mark MacLeod
Creepy and Maud by Dianne Touchell
Friday Brown by Vikki Wakefield
The Wrong Boy by Suzy Zail


 EVE POWNALL AWARD FOR INFORMATION BOOKS
       
Python by Christopher Cheng ill. Mark Jackson
Lyrebird! A True Storyby Jackie Kerin ill. Peter Gouldthorpe
Topsy-Turvy World: How Australian Animals Puzzled Early Explorers by Kirsty Murray
Portrait of Spain for Kids by Queensland  Art Gallery
Tom the Outback Mailman by Kristin Weidenbach ill. Timothy Ide

CRICHTON AWARD FOR NEW ILLUSTRATORS
         
The Whale Shark Song by Sadie James
Ruby Red Shoes by Kate Knapp
A Forest by Marc Martin
Yellow Dress Day by Michelle Worthington ill. Sophie Norsa
Apollo the Powerful Owl by Gordon Winch ill. Stephen Pym
One Very Tired Wombat by Renee Tremi
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