Still Life 4 by nessguide (via Flickr)
Yes, it’s on again! For a chance to win some books, come and enter our Melbourne Cup sweep! Fancy hats optional.
Update: Numbers are up! We only got 14 entries this year, so I’ve doubled everyone up. Anyone who got a number over 24 won’t get a second horse, but they’ll automatically get a free book from our giveaway pile—lucky you! :-D Good luck, everyone!
Tomorrow we’re celebrating the Race That Stops The Nation and as has become our annual tradition at Book Thingo, we’re running a readers’ sweep.
Here’s how it works:
1. The first 24 people to comment here or tweet using the hashtag #btsweep are in. If you’re commenter #25, that’s okay—we’ll keep the comments open, and if we get another 24 people, we’ll run a second sweep.
2. Participants signing up via comments must do so before noon tomorrow (1/11/2011) AEDT to give me time to allocate your horses.
3. Participants signing up via Twitter must do so before midnight tonight (30/10/2011) AEDT to give me time to allocate your horses.
4. Only Australian participants are eligible, but overseas readers can wear fancy hats and join in spirit. (If you live overseas but can supply an Australian mailing address, that’s good enough.)
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Photo: svilen001 (via Flickr)
Australian Australian genre fiction readers’ calendar
In an effort to keep track of events that may be of interest to me or to readers who visit Book Thingo, I’ve created a Google calendar of Australian events celebrating readers who love genre fiction.
This calendar will include author appearances, book signings, award ceremonies and festivals. I’ve also included general book-related celebrations, such as #spbkchat, the NYOR book club and general literary events where genre fiction features in the program.
You can see a list of upcoming events in the right sidebar on the blog (under the picture of the dying fairy). If you’re reading this blog via a mobile device, click here to view the calendar. It’s a public, so anyone can see it.
If you’d like me to include your event, please send an email to calendar@bookthingo.com.au and include the following information:
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Tasmanian romance readers
ARRA has put out a call for Tasmanian romance readers to please contact the organisation. It might lead to a romance-related Tassie event. Please let them know you’re interested!
The Boomerang Bride in print
The Boomerang Bride by Fiona Lowe, featuring a fruit cake-toting Aussie bride-to-be, will be published in print through the Harlequin Reader Service in February 2012. (Unfortunately, this service isn’t available in Australia.) (Source: @FionaLowe)
Google ebook store coming to Australia
According to this article in The Bookseller, Google is planning to launch its ebook store in Australia ‘soon’. Not only will this provide competition, which is good for consumers, it may also help booksellers looking to get into the ebook market:
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September not only marks the beginning of spring, but also one the largest nationwide celebration of books: Get Reading! month.
If you’ve been to a local bookshop, you might have noticed the Get Reading! stickers on some of their books. These books are listed in the booklet 50 Books You Can’t Put Down, and if you buy a copy you’ll also get a free book!
Last year, the Get Reading! list included a few romance titles. This year, you’ll find Karly Lane’s romantic suspense novel, North Star, on the list. You might remember Lane as a panelist at this year’s Australian Romance Readers Convention.
Although not romance, the list includes titles that many genre readers will be familiar with, such as Suzanne Collins’s hugely popular The Hunger Games. This dystopian teen book is a fast-paced, unputdownable read and features a reality TV fight to the death. Be warned: it features a love triangle, which is not resolved until the third book.
As promised, we’re giving away a signed copy of this awesome book by Melina Marchetta. (My author crush. I’d ask you not to tell her, but she probably already knows, because I’ve spoken to her twice—very briefly—and was almost incoherent both times. I tried to compose myself, but it was just impossible.)
Aaaanyway. You want this book. You really do. Trust me.
BOOK GIVEAWAY: For a chance to win a SIGNED copy of THE PIPER’S SON, tell us your favourite song by a band and why. (Thanks to @SnarkyWench for suggesting the question!)
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Photo: svilen001 (via Flickr)
Kelley Armstrong events
Thu, Aug 11 — Sun, 14 — Romance Writers Conference
Mon, Aug 15 — Dymocks Collins St, 6.30pm
Tue, Aug 16 — Galaxy Bookshop, 5.30pm
Wed, Aug 17 — Dymocks George Street, 12.30pm
(Source: Media release)
Maria V. Snyder — Updated list of public events
Thu, Aug 4 — Byron Bay Writers Festival, 11am – 11.45am: Vampires VS Gritty Realism
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Source: stockxchng
Remember that exciting news I mentioned on Twitter last week? It’s been difficult not to spill the beans, but now I can finally officially welcome Envyious to our team of regular bloggers at Book Thingo!
I’ve been thinking of inviting more people to join our group of regular bloggers for a while now, but it wasn’t until I looked at all my unread review copies that I realised there was no way Decadence, Wandergurl and I could possibly get through them. Plus, I’ve known for a while that we needed another blogger whose reading palette includes books that the three of us wouldn’t typically select.
Some of you may know Envious from Twitter, or you may have met her at ARRC, and if so you would know that she’s an avid reader, works for a bookshop, and writes entertaining reviews. (She was a finalist in the Readers Challenge for ARRC 2011 with her review of Dream Master by Maggie Nash.)
As a bonus, Envyious is based in Melbourne, so hopefully we can cover more events outside of Sydney.
But most of all, she’s totally awesome and we’re very excited to have her on board! Her first review goes up tomorrow, so watch this space. In the meantime, feel free to throw some virtual cheers her way. :D
Kelly Hunter giveaway winner
Congratulations to obsidiantears83, who won our giveaway of Red-Hot Renegade by Kelly Hunter. She chose Captain Thunderbolt as the renegade who would make a fantastic romance hero:
Captain Thunderbolt. Every time I drive through Uralla, in the New England ranges, I wonder what his life story was actually like, because it is so romanticsed. There is also Thunderbolt’s Boulder just outside town where he used to hide out. He was a horse theif and was arrested, did hard labour, and then his wife’s helped him escape. They became bushrangers and lived hard, mostly between the hunter valley and the new england.
Top 10 things romance oversells
Julie of Gypsy in my soul lists of some of the most unrealistic things we might encounter in romance. And she does it with love for the genre. Hilarious. (Source: @VaVeros)
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