I’ve been waiting for aaaages for Sony to launch their ebook reader in Australia, and today they finally announced it.

The Reader—it boggles my mind how Sony could possibly have trademarked such a common word—features the E-Ink Pearl display, which I believe is the same type of screen that the newest Kindles have.

Book Bee has all the details, the most important being that the Reader will integrate with REDgroup’s online bookshops, which includes Borders Australia. The device will be sold at Borders (online and bricks and mortar shops), Angus and Robertson, Myer, Sony Style stores and Sony centres.

Update: CNET reports that Readers will start from $229 and on Twitter I’m told that the 6″ model is around $259. I haven’t seen an official price list. (more)

Last night’s Jennifer Byrne Presents special, in place of ABC’s regular First Tuesday Book Club, was an interview with author and controversial political activist Ayaan Hirsi Ali. If you haven’t heard of Hirsi Ali, she has written two memoirs, Infidel and Nomad, and has been called the feminist counterpart to Salman Rushdie.

Hirsi Ali talks about the evolution of her ideas and the experiences that influenced her. Here’s the excerpt from the transcript, in which Hirsi Ali talks about the empowering ideas she found in romance books (any emphasis is mine):

JENNIFER BYRNE: But you did have exposure to European things, your father had been educated there.

But also, you started reading English books. Things like Enid Blyton and Barbara Cartland, which I just found hysterical to think were considered completely challenging to authority. How could Barbara Cartland be challenging to authority? (more)

Tracey O'Hara (Winner, R*BY Award -- Romantic Elements)

There was no shortage of glamour in last night’s Romance Book of the Year (R*BY) awards where Sophia James took out the top prize in Australian romance fiction, winning the Long Romance category for Mistletoe Magic (in Christmas Betrothals, Mills & Boon/Quills), beating Christine Wells and romance veteran Stephanie Laurens, who was nominated twice in the category.

Tracey O’Hara received the R*BY in the Romantic Elements category, which goes to novels of any length  or genre in which romance plays a significant—though not necessarily a central—-role in the story. Her book, Night’s Cold Kiss (HarperCollins/Eos), was the only speculative fiction work shortlisted for the R*BY.

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Ann Gracie as Dame Barbara Cartland (RWAus 2010 Cocktail Party)

Last night I attended my first ever  Romance Writers of Australia conference event: the Harlequin-sponsored cocktail party. What? You thought I was going there to work? No, no, I signed up for all the parties!

The cocktail party is a themed event and this year it was ‘Fantasy Island’. Never say that writers aren’t a creative bunch because some of the costumes were pretty amazing. Anne Gracie was awarded the best costume prize for her fabulous Barbara Cartland.

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Bronwyn Parry’s third Dungirri book shelved

In case you missed her announcement, Bronwyn Parry is no longer working on her third Dungirri book. If there’s one thing I admire in an author it’s knowing when to let go of a book or series. The good news is that Parry seems to have a new book in the works, so yay for her and for us readers!

FANGtastic Fiction’s change of focus

I noticed that our friends over at FANGtastic Fiction have decided to stop selling books directly but have become a kind of portal for book recommendations. If you love your books with a touch of the supernatural, it’s worth checking out the site. (more)

ARRA book signing event

The Australian Romance Readers Association is hosting a book signing event at the Romance Writers of Australia later this year. The book signing will be on Friday, August 13 at the Crowne Plaza in Coogee.

There are over 40 authors expected to be at the signing, including some big names in Australian romance. Entry is free for ARRA members and RWA delegates. It’s also open to the public for a $5 registration fee. If you’re planning to attend, it’s best to register in case the event is booked out. Check out the flyer below and click here for details. (more)

The finalists for this year’s Romance Book of the Year (R*BY) Awards have been announced. Congratulations on the finalists and good luck!

Long Romance Category
Mistletoe Magic by Sophia James
Mastered by Love by Stephanie Laurens
Temptation and Surrender by Stephanie Laurens
Wicked Little Game by Christine Wells

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It’s a mix of genres this month in the Mixed Bag, which includes Deborah Locke’s memoir—a must-read for fans of Underbelly.

Don’t Bargain With The Devil by Sabrina Jeffries (School For Heiresses #5)

Dont Bargain With The Devil by Sabrina Jeffries (School For Heiresses, Book 5)

When Lucy Seton discovers that famous magician Diego Montalvo plans to build a pleasure garden next door to Charlotte Harris’s finishing, she’s determined to thwart his plans. But he’s sneaky and charming and continually makes Lucy forget her vow to be the paragon of propriety. Diego has ulterior motives, however. He intends to return Lucy to her long-lost grandfather even if he has to kidnap her.

Don’t Bargain With The Devil is the kind of book I might have enjoyed when I was just discovering historical romance, with its over-the-top dashing hero and the heroine who tries to be a good girl but can’t help herself in the hero’s presence. But I’ve been reading historical romance for a long time, and this one didn’t stand out above the rest. I skimmed bits of it, and while Jeffries comes up with some good lines here and there, the most interesting bit about the book is the mystery of who the hero in the final book of the series will be. (more)

Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta

Not to to be effusive or anything, but this is the book that began my love affair with Melina Marchetta’s books.

When I read fiction, regardless of genre, I automatically seek a sense of connection with the words on the page. Sometimes a scene will get me, or a character, or a turn of phrase. I long for these moments of empathy that can turn an otherwise forgettable book into a treasure in my bookshelf.

Saving Francesca gives me diamonds on every page.

Francesca Spinelli is one of thirty girls at St Sebastian’s, a previously ‘all-boys’ school that has opened its doors to girls in Year Eleven for the first time ever.’ She misses the feeling of belonging she had at her old school with her old friends:

St Sebastian’s pretends it’s co-ed by giving us our own toilet. The rest of the place is all male and I know what you’re thinking if you’re a girl. What a dream come true, right? Seven hundred and fifty boys and thirty girls? (more)

The short story is that Telstra gave me a free phone to play with. Here’s a summary of the first week.

You can read my full disclosure and links to related posts here.

So I’ve had the HTC Desire for over a week now, and I have to say that it almost sucks as a phone. I rarely use it for calls, and when I diverted my number to go to the HTC, I found it difficult to handle people actually calling me. I also kept accidentally calling random people.

That aside, the HTC rocks as a toy. It’s a great gadget. Not perfect—but great enough. It’s not as intuitive as I’d like it to be at times, and it suffers from menu overload, but on the whole it isn’t too bad. It does some seriously cute things that I’ll talk about later this week. (more)