Rodney Hogg

As I type we have ex-cricketer Rodney Hogg in the store promoting his new book The Whole Hogg. The book is subtitled 'Inside the mind of a lunatic fast bowler' and is a selection of Rodney's recollections and anecdotes.
I'm sure John could give you a detailed account of Rodney's entire career (and if I ask him nicely, he might just post one), but being the non-sports girl that I am, all I can tell you guys is that he's a really nice guy with some entertaining stories to tell.

So, even if you didn't make it today, come in and have a look at his book. While stocks last we will have signed copies for you. They'll make a great present for a sports-inclined friend or family member!

-Janelle

Robert Jordan

Unfortunately we have some sad news for fans of the popular author.
When we arrived at the store this morning, we recieved the sad news that Robert Jordan has passed away.
You can find all the details at his blog, where his cousin made the announcement.
http://www.dragonmount/RobertJordan

Robert Jordan was a popular and talented author and his Wheel of Time series is considered a staple of the fantasy genre.

No doubt there will be much speculation from fans about the completion of the final book of the series. My guess is that it will be ghost written by another author from Jordan's notes,a s is often the case in circumstances like this.

However, more importantly, our sympathies go out to Jordan's family and friends and we hope that they will be given the necessary space and time to grieve.

Signed Books!

On Saturday, Lorraine Marwood came in and signed a few copies of her books for us.
Lorraine writes childrens books and she signed her latest book The Girl who Turned into Treacle for us.
The Girl who Turned into Treacle is part of the Aussie Nibbles series and is perfect for children who are just progressing to chapter books.
So, come in and have a look. If you've never come across the Aussie Nibbles series before, you may find a whole new series to collect for your child and you can begin it with a signed copy.
Ask us at the counter.

Updates

Hi guys.
We've been a bit lax with the posts lately, so we're sorry about that.
Here are a few things that have been happening at our store lately:

- As you all know, we had a Harry Potter release party here on the release date of the final book. We all had fun dressing up and all the customers were really eager to get their books. We even had a group of people waiting outside before we even arrived at the store! We had a pinata and a small group of children had a blast bashing at it with a broom stick. (The broom stick is a little worse for wear, though.) We didn't play all the games we had planned though, because everyone wanted to rush straight home to start reading! I think everyone appreciated the donuts though, and the deal the Donut King here offered our customers for the weekend was well received.
Once I'd finished working, I followed precedent and rushed home to read Deathly Hallows too (and I thought it was a great final book).

- The 2007 Books Alive promotion started the week after the Harry Potter release. For those of you who haven't seen the ads or come across the guide - the Books Alive promotion basically gives away a free book if you purchase any one of the selected books.
The free book this year, The Ballad of Les Darcy, is one Peter Fitzsimons (author of Kokoda, Tobruk and others) has written specially for the promotion, so this is the only way to get it.
The selected books come from the Books Alive Great Read guide. If you haven't come across a copy of the guide, we have plenty here in store, so drop in and pick one up.

- As you can see from post below, we have a catalogue sale currently running. A few things have sold out already, but there are still some great titles left to be snapped up.

That's just about it from us at the moment. We have a high school student on work experience with us this week. We're showing him the ropes and a bit about how the store and the industry works (and discussing a lot of teen fantasy books in the process). So if you come in this week, you might be able to meet him too.

Happy reading everyone, and don't forget to ask us about anything specific you're after.

~Janelle~

SPRING INTO BOOK CITY!!!

Come & see the great range of books in our newest catalogue. We have some great gift ideas for dad as well as a range of children's assorted titles at bargain prices.

There is something for everyone.

Ideas for dad include: * ShaneWarne: My Illustrated Career for only $14.95
* Australian Motoring Atlas for only $29.95
* The Military Atlas of World War II for only $14.95

Hurry while stocks last. Visit us in store for many other great bargains.

See you soon

~ Petrina & Pamela ~

Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows party!

The eagerly awaited 7th, and final, instalment of J.K. Rowling's thrilling series hits the shelves at 9am on Saturday the 21st of July 2007.

To celebrate this special occasion, we will be holding a Harry Potter party in store from 9.15am on that day!

We will have themed games and competitions to entertain you, before you head home to get started on the newest addition to the Harry Potter series.

Come dressed as your favourite Harry Potter character to win great prizes!

Hope to see you there!

~Pamela & Petrina~

Books and Movies

There's a few adaptations at the cinemas at the moment. If you're like me, you'll want to make sure you've read (or in some cases, reread) the book before you go see the movie.

A modern children's classic has just made it's way to the cinema. The Bridge To Terabithia by Katherine Paterson was first published in 1977 and quickly became a favourite. Countless pre-teens and teens have read and studied it for school (one of the better books I read for school). It's a brilliant coming of age story that weaves elements of the fantastical with real life to tell the characters' story.

Definitely worth a read, or reread, even if you don't intend on seeing the movie. But I recommend seeing the movie too. I saw it last week and it's a brilliant adaptation. There are some changes, as there always are when a book is transposed to film, but all the important bits are there and it stays true to the tone and point of the story, even when changes are made. You'll need as many tissues for the movie as you did for the book.

Romulus, My Father is also out at the cinemas at the moment. This best selling biography by Raimond Gaita tells the story of his father Romulus through Raimond's eyes. It's a beautiful biography that explores love and life and is well worth the read for what you will gain from it, especially because of the local settings.

For all those kids who have seen the previews for the upcoming Nancy Drew movie and were entranced, or perhaps older readers who wish to revisit their old favourites, we have a large range of Nancy Drew novels in stock all the time.

There's also a host of recent and upcoming movies that we have tie-in material for. We have colouring books, sticker books, movie novellisations, young reader books based on the movies and other similar things for Spiderman 3 and Shrek the Third.

We also have a display bin devoted to The Simpsons in honour of the highly anticipated, upcoming movie.

No tie-in material for the Transformers movie as yet, but we hope to have some soon. In the mean time, fans who don't already have them can enjoy the DK Visual Guide and the DK Ultimate Guide for the cartoons.

So, if you need to brush up before you go see a movie, you loved the movie and you want more, or you just can't wait until the movie comes out, come in and see us.
And if I haven't listed your favourite here, be sure to ask us in store, on the phone, by email, or right here, because I'm sure there are plenty I've missed!

New Moon - Stephanie Meyer

Wow! That one certainly went quickly. We've already sold out and put in an order for more. We've had a few customers put orders in for it too, so feel free to leave your name as well, or you might miss out on this lot too.
I hope it's worth the wait. I haven't started mine yet, as I've got a couple of other books that have been waiting patiently in my pile of books to read.

Stephanie Meyer

For those of you who have been eagerly awaiting the Australian release of the sequel to Stephanie Meyer's Twilight, your wait is over!
New Moon has just arrived in store. We also have copies of the newly reprinted and rejacketed Twilight. Both covers are black with a striking use of white and red. They definitely stand out on the shelf!
I hope you all enjoy it. I've already got mine on hold.

Wintry Weather

It's beginning to get pretty chilly around here, which usually means most of us just want to spend our spare time curled up by the heater. We've got plenty of great reads for you to curl up with, if that's your plan, so come in and have a browse before you hibernate.
We've also got some great winter cookbooks, like the winter edition of The Age's Epicure, Complete Comfort Food edited by Bridget Jones, Marie Clare's Comfort and plenty of others.

For those of you who are feeling motivated, you'll find a variety of craft books, along with plenty of household maintenence and renovation books.

If you feel like getting out in the garden - when it's not too wet, of course (hasn't the rain been great?) -we're currently stocking a range of sustainsable gardening books along with some very useful books with hints and tips for waterwise gardening which is such an important issue to us here.

Remember, if you pop in, don't hesitate to ask us questions or have a chat. That's what we're here for, and we love it.

Don't judge a book by it's cover?

I was having a discussion with a customer earlier today about some books that have just come out with new covers, (The Obernewtyn Chronicles by Isobelle Carmody) and the conversation turned to how important a cover is to the book.

We all know the old maxim that we shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, but how far can it really be applied to actual books? The cover is the first thing any reader sees - it's the first impression of the book. I know very well that a cover doesn't tell you the quality of the content, but I'll still scan the shelves for one that jumps out at me. A good cover can make the difference between a book being picked up for closer inspection, or passed straight over.

That's why old books are reissued with new covers quite frequently, and why books that are turned into movies come out with a movie cover. A new cover can open up the book to a whole new audience, as is evidenced with David Eddings' Belgariad series, which is currently available in a Teenage/Junior Fiction cover as well as it's standard adult fantasy covers. The text inside is the same, but the new cover marks it as appropirate for a younger age group, as well as making it more palatable to that age group.

We ended up discussing how a cover can make or break a new author. If you're unknown, it doesn't matter how brilliant your book is if you can't get anyone to pick it up in the first place. New authors have to rely so heavily on marketing, and the cover is a huge part of this. The cover does become less of a factor once an author has established their reputation, but it's still improtant, because there will always be a reader, who either hasn't heard of, or hasn't been interested in the author yet. A good cover could be the extra push they need.

In this current market, with so much choice available, covers really need to show you what sort of book to expect. However, this can end up in boring covers that all look the same, especially in the general fiction markets. It's a fine line to tread, but it's one that publishers really must tread if they wish their authors to be successful.

And what's on the back of the cover is just as important, because once the book has been picked up, it's the blurb at the back that tells a prospective reader what they can expect. Most people don't have an in depth look through the book before they buy or borrow it. They read the back cover and have a quick flick through. And the criteria is the same. A good or intriguing blurb catches the reader and a bad or boring blurb usually means the book will be put back down.

So whilst we all know that we shouldn't judge a book by its cover and that both covers and blurbs can be wildly misleading, I think it's true that we all do use the cover as a gauge of what the book will be like. Whether this is a good or a bad thing is a completely different topic.

What does everyone else think?

~Janelle~

Children's Promotion!

We've just started a new children's promotion for Usborne Farmyard Tales in store.

When you buy any title from the Farmyard Tales series, all you need to do to win a prize is find the little yellow duck who hides on every page.

Get in before stocks run out!

Local Authors

We've had a stack of local authors bring out books recently.

A popular choice at the moment is Snake's Bum On A Biscuit by Mallee Green (aka Melva Graham) from the Harcourt area.
This is a fun Aussie cookbook filled with standard country recipes and tips with some not-so-standard names. This is a great reference book for anybody who wants good, wholesome food without the fuss.

FairyBread: Practical Pointers for Baby & Beyond is written by two Lockwood ladies: Josie Eastwood and Roxanne Tonzing. It's a practical collection of tips for babies and toddlers that came together whilst raising their own children. This little book covers most of the situations you're likely to encounter and throws a dash of fun in too. Oh, and yes, it does include the recipe for fairybread!
Visit their website at www.fairybread.com.au

If you're after an inspiring read, So Beautiful: Our Journey compiled by Jeff Hulls is one for you. So Beautiful is the story of Lauris Hulls' life and the journey her family took with her. It details how Lauris was determined to live a life of value, even when she was physically capable of doing little. So Beautiful is definitely worth a read, but be aware that you may end it with tears in your eyes. You wouldn't be the first.
If you'd like to get in contact with Jeff Hulls, visit his website: www.sobeautiful.net.au

Of course, there's also the ever popular Sheepshit on the Brain by Ken Prato. This little gem has been reviewed in various publications across country Victoria. The book's subtitle basically tells you all about the book: the trials and tribulations of a would-be gun shearer. This is basically a very entertaining collection of anecdotes, short stories and poems from Ken's life as a shearer in Victoria. It's a great book for anyone who's had anything to do with the shearing and farming industry in Vic, because it's full of places and people they can recognise.

There are plenty of other books by local authors hiding in our shelves, so come in and have a browse and a chat with us. You're bound to find a gem.

~Janelle~

Welcome to Book City!

Hi, and welcome to our inaugural post. We hope to entertain and inform you about upcoming events- in our store and in the book world, new releases, specials and some of our old favorites.

We want this to be your blog too, so if there's anything you'd like to hear about, let us know and we'll try to help you out.
Talk to you all soon

~Janelle~