Books
Our nation's story
Anna Clark A collaboration by some of Australia's top historians has produced an invaluable overview.
The weight of expectations
Author Lloyd Jones was a close observer on set in Bougainville as his novel was transformed for the screen.
Booklight
Bridget Jones is back: care factor zero
NICK GALVIN 4:34pm A weekly round up of our top book reviews, with authors Helen Fielding, Tim Winton and Susan Wyndham falling under the reading light.
Book
Bill Bryson's unforgettable summer
MICHAEL LALLO It was the year TV was invented, radio came of age, Mt Rushmore was carved and gangster Al Capone was at his most powerful. And it was all Bill Bryson needed to inspired his latest book.
Kings landing
Game of Thrones author, George R.R. Martin, under siege from fans
ANDREW STEPHENS From childhood dreams to the blood-soaked machinations of Westeros, George R.R. Martin's wild imaginings have captivated readers and viewers alike. The man behind Game of Thrones retraces his journey to a place of ice and fire.
Undercover: book news
Susan Wyndham Bob Carr to reveal all about his time as Foreign Minister; good books you might have missed; and inspiration for budding non-fiction writers.
Halloween reads
Ten books guaranteed to scare you witless
LINDA MORRIS These terrifiying page turners make perfect Halloween fare, just don't read them alone. You've been warned!
ABC Story
Secret letters reveal Jolley's life was as intriguing as her fictional characters
Susan Wyndham The author's love life discloses a web of deceit.
Charities use imagination to help build literacy skills for disadvantaged children
RACHEL BROWNE Two new books arrive in the Hobson family's mailbox every month, one for four-year-old Emma and one for baby Samuel.
Love letters opened
Susan Wyndham Letters reveal Australian novelist Elizabeth Jolley lied to lover's family about his personal life.
Behind the silver linings
KAREN HARDY Personal experience fuels Matthew Quick's latest journey - inside the mind of a troubled teen.
Books that changed me: Jenny Bond
Author and former teacher Jenny Bond talks about her favourite books.
Bookshop
Thuy On On the shelf this week: The Incredible Here and Now, Murder and Mendelssohn and Unconditional Love.
Colonial history a brutal backdrop in visceral Tasmanian western
James McNamara Pirate-hunter William Burr has a decent life in British Honduras. There are brigands to capture, beautiful women and plenty of booze.
Satisfying plot is thickened with gift of the gab
Review By Daphne Guinness It's more than three decades since Colleen McCullough wrote The Thorn Birds and - not wanting to be typecast - vowed never to pen another family saga. But two dozen books later, here she is doing just that, claiming she was bored after failing eyesight put paid to her other love, painting.
Tales of menace and memory
Kalinda Ashton A poet and academic draws on literature and the subconscious to create a collection of unnerving yet poignant stories.
Stories that stoke fear
Jane Sullivan Margaret Atwood's theory is that 'horror' is to do with the body and 'terror' with the mind.
Bookmarks
Jason Steger E-readers on the rise; Cap'n Bob's aweigh; a classic kicking; irony and Capote; Framing a new Janet; Lynne Truss' full stop.
Italian writers dissect the nature of evil and revenge
Reviewer: ANNA CREER Roberto Costantini's debut a long, complex novel, which demands patience and concentration.
McCullough's gift of the gab put to good use
Reviewer: DAPHNE GUINNESS What Colleen McCullough has is the gift of the gab, as do all the characters in this wedge of a book.
Obligation and desire
Reviewer: PETER PIERCE This is a novel in which the author's gradual growth in confidence is palpable.
Exploring the reef
Reviewer: JENNIFER MORAN o description or photo quite prepares a swimmer for an unspoilt reef.
Stations of the Cross
Reviewer: MICHAEL DUFFY Whether a poet or a pervert, a dramatist or a drug dealer, you were likely to find people like yourself in Kings Cross.
Tales of pathos and discomfit
Reviewer: KALINDA ASHTON This collection is characterised by encounters with the bizarre, the repressed and the uncanny
Litbits
Ray Martin to talk about his World
Ron Cerabona Ray Martin will talk at the ANU about his new book, Ray Martin's World on Wednesday.
Rowing, but not so merrily
Reviewer: ROBERT WILLSON James Adair has written a rousing tale of an adventure that most of us could scarcely dream about.
Book extract
The real Bob Menzies, a memoir
In an extract from her book, Heather Henderson tells of the affection her father Robert Menzies had for those who worked for him.
Best books
Turning the page
Nick Galvin Colleen McCullough is back with a family saga, while Louis Nowra exposes the underbelly of Kings Cross. Our round-up of this week's best book reviews.
Undercover: Book News
Susan Wyndham Different covers for The Luminaries, Mr Mo shaves for charity and why authors should always be paid for their work.
New book
After The Slap: Christos Tsiolkas on the fear that follows success
Jason Steger Christos Tsiolkas has been out early. We were to meet in a cafe not far from his home in the northern suburbs of Melbourne, but as I'm on my way, I get a call. He's gone to check it out and decided it's too noisy. It's back to his place instead.
Books
David Beckham offers e-book signing through Facebook
LINDA MORRIS Book signings are a traditional way for authors to engage their readers. David Beckham, retired soccer professional and walking advertising billboard, plans to extend the custom to his Facebook fans when he launches a new photo book next week.
Off the shelf
Erotic fairytale first book pulled from the New Zealand National Library for being too explicit
Simon Day A graphic novel that depicts the sexual encounters of fairytale heroines has made history.
Take three ...books on film and television
We review British Trash Cinema, 100 Science Fiction Films and Star Trek. The Visual Dictionary
Sunday Author
Matthew Quick: You're OK and not alone
Matthew Quick knows about life on the fringe, he tells Karen Hardy.
Drawing back the curtain on the king of couture
Reviewed by Peter Craven You don't have to spend your life dreaming of real and imaginary catwalks to realise that Karl Lagerfeld is some kind of genius.
Books that changed me: Lenny Bartulin
Author and poet Lenny Bartulin talks about his favourite books.
Love in its many dimensions
LINDA MORRIS There is a little of author Colleen McCullough in each of the characters in her new romantic romp.
Paul Livingston: for king and country ... and family
Tim Barlass Paul Livingston has shone a light on an unusual family history.
Behind the veil
MALCOLM KNOX Kerry Stokes has gone from rags to riches. But as Malcolm Knox reports, truth and closure are elusive in the story of the media mogul who is a master of reinvention.
Riding shotgun
John Elder How JFK died has attracted plenty of theories, but author Colin McLaren says his book gives the true account.
Interview: Donna Tartt
Caroline Baum After the long wait for her third novel in 20 years, this intriguing talent would much rather the spotlight was on her writing than on her.
Bad boy Bond
The dark side of 007
Beyond the champagne fizz and glamour of the world's most famous fictional spy lies a dark portrait of flawed humanity. As Melbourne's love affair with the legend continues, Jonathan Green explores the awful truth about James Bond.
The return of the recluse
Caroline Baum Donna Tartt is back in the limelight with the release of her third novel.
Throwing out the junk
Jane Sullivan Nobody's sure who first said it, but there's a piece of advice to writers that's always coming up.
Bookmarks
Jason Steger Niven's Scots fling; a psycho Nobel rant; the Jackal bares teeth; Dohle's Amazon grace; Bridget Jones in a muddle; Hazel Rowley's helping hand, and a new den in Clunes.
Landscape of love and fear
REVIEWER: ANDREW RIEMER In his new novel, Alex Miller set himself a considerable technical challenge.
Donna Tartt: The reluctant literary star
Don't expect to find Donna Tartt on Twitter or Facebook. The author became a recluse following her 1992 debut and remains as private and enigmatic as ever.
Anthology showcases the rich history of 'Poetry'
Reviewer: GEOFF PAGE Poetry magazine is almost certainly the world's pre-eminent magazine for the art form.
Litbits
Book talk
RON CERABONA Dr Rick Gekoski will speak in Canberra about his latest book and recount his experiences working with authors such as J. K. Rowling and Seamus Heaney.
Awards
Short story competition
The Age short story competition is now accepting entries.
Video
King's Speech book unveiled
Grandson of Lionel Logue, King George VI's speech therapist, releases book of treasures which fills in the movie gaps.
'Borat' to play Iraqi dictator
Sacha Baron Cohen will portray an Iraqi dictator in a film based on a book believed to have been penned by Saddam Hussein.
Joe Jackson promotes conspiracy book
Joe Jackson hopes to uncover the conspiracy behind his son's death, helping promote a new book 'What Really Happened to Michael Jackson'.
Palin wins Gawker injunction
US federal judge orders Gawker Media to pull leaked pages of Sarah Palin's forthcoming book from its blog.
Former President Bush book tour
Former President George W. Bush has kicked off his book tour with a signing of his book, "Decision Points".
The evolution of the bogan
A new book argues that bogans have transformed into celebrity-mimicking racists.
President Obama pens children's book
A children's book authored by US President Barack Obama hit bookstores across the US on Tuesday.
Magazine under fire for plagiarism
Recipe author Monica Gaudio explains how she first learnt about the US cooking magazine Cooks Source's act of plagiarism.
Keith Richards launches autobiography
Keith Richards signs copies at London book launch.
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