Boomerang Books Blog

As someone who doesn’t drink for very simple but seemingly-very-confusing-to-drinkers reasons—I don’t need alcohol to have a good time, I loathe and despise waiting in taxi queues and paying exorbitant amounts of money to have someone drive me home, and I hate feeling rubbish the next day—I came at The Age health reporter Jill Stark’s … Continue reading High Sobriety: My Year Without Booze

Today I realised I can no longer see my alarm clock over the stacks of books on my bedside table; from any angle, from any height. It never used to be this way. I was always a monogamous, one book at a time reader from the age of six. Novel series might have come out … Continue reading Reading Resolutions

There’s no such thing as too much Twilight or Fifty Shades of Grey, especially when it’s in the form of a savvy, fun-poking parody. Fifty Shames of Early Grey by Fanny Merkin (AKA Andrew Shaffer) is the first (but certainly not the last) Fifty Shames spoof to emerge. The first three chapters of its existence … Continue reading Fifty Shames of Earl Grey

Award-winning children's author and illustrator Alison Lester talks about books.

British author Helen Nicoll, best known as the writer of the ‘Meg and Mog’ books for children, has died aged 74. Nicoll wrote 17 books, illustrated by Jan Pienkowski, about Meg, a witch whose spells always seem to go wrong, her cat Mog, and their friend Owl. What is your favourite Meg and Mog book?

At twenty – an age when many young people are just starting out in their careers – Alexandra Adornetto is already a hugely successful international author. Since publishing her first book at fourteen, Alexandra has written five more bestsellers, moved to the United States, started university, and is now also pursuing an acting and modelling … Continue reading 20-year old Aussie wunderkind Alexandra Adornetto has another bestseller in the wings

A few months ago I reviewed Carole Wilkinson’s new Dragonkeeper novel, Blood Brothers (see: “New Dragonkeeper”). Now I get to follow that up by throwing a few questions at Carole. Here’s the interview… It has been a few years between Dragonkeeper books. Why did you wait so long? Actually, I had no intentions of writing … Continue reading Carole Wilkinson and Blood Brothers

I’m not proud of the fact that I harrumphed when I read on this here very blog that an 18-year-old girl from the UK has been awarded a six-figure book deal. I know, right? If I had to bet six figures on it, I’d wager that you’re harrumphing just a little too. It’s not that … Continue reading Six-Figure Harrumphing

Want a free book? Yes? Excellent — ‘cause I’m giving away two copies of my newly released YA short story collection, Life, Death and Detention. To win a copy simply go down to the comments section at the end of this post and tell me why I should give you one. The two responses I … Continue reading BOOK GIVEAWAY: Life, Death and Detention

As if it wasn’t possible to make me love Kill Your Darlings (KYD) journal any more than I already did, they posted the following, hot-damn-I-wish-I’d-thought-of-that blog: Three’s a Crowd(pleaser). The premise (just in case you didn’t choose to click on that link)? That, as KYD Online Assistant Stephanie Van Schilt wrote: Love triangles are standard … Continue reading Three Loves Are The Charm?

Fifty Shades of Grey (herein referred to as Fitty Shades, because it sounds totes more street) is, according to hotel chain Travelodge and The Telegraph newspaper, the book most likely. Most likely to be left behind in hotel rooms, that is. Hmm. So much to unpack there. ‘Left behind’ implies deliberate ditching, but I wonder … Continue reading No Book Left Behind?

I’m heading to If:Book Australia’s Bookcamp in a fortnight’s time (and yes, I realise that sounds like the publishing industry equivalent of ‘band camp’. It’s not, honest. It’s far less salacious and potentially happily even more nerdy). Bookcamp’s actually an ‘unconference’ that’s designed to bring together creative, bookish people from a bunch of backgrounds to … Continue reading Bookcamp

It’s a departure from my normal non-fiction areas but I have recently been devouring dieting and exercise books. There was a few factors to me picking out these books, from some interesting new releases to my new hobby of running, but I will cheerfully admit my main motivation was superficial – I wanted to look … Continue reading Mid-month round-up – dieting, running and glad-wrapping your glutes

One of New Zealand’s best known faces, Annabel Langbein is that country’s leading celebrity cook, food writer and publisher, the star of her own international TV series, a passionate advocate for using seasonal ingredients as a means to cooking and eating well and a member of the Sustainability Council of New Zealand. Popularly known as The Free … Continue reading Meet Annabel Langbein

I’m not normally a Nick Earls fan, but there’s always room for exceptions to the rule. And never more so than on the eve of the handing down of what I suspect will be an Arts-unfriendly Queensland budget (As a side note, I’m also still genuinely confused that Campbell Newman would choose September 11 to … Continue reading Room For Reading Exceptions

1. Which genre of children’s books do you like most and why? Surrealistic comedy adventures. One thing most of the best ones have in common is that they don’t patronise children. I’ve always believed in reading (and writing) ‘up’. If there’s something a reader doesn’t understand then that’s okay. I avoid whimsy, fantasy and ‘issue-based’ … Continue reading Five Very Bookish Questions with author Martin Chatterton