Posted by BookieMonster | Posted on 19-06-2010
Category : Book Trade News
Tags: book news, book prizes, New Zealand, Terry Pratchett
News from yesterday that Geoff Walker is leaving his position as publishing director with Penguin NZ – after 25 years. A pretty amazing length of service to New Zealand publishing and he’s overseen some amazing authors and some interesting times. He will certainly be leaving some pretty big shoes to fill.
In other publishing news, if you’re an aspiring debut novelist here’s your chance to be rated by one of the best writers of our time – The Terry Pratchett Anywhere but Here, Anywhen but Now Prize! This has to be bigger than the Booker, quite frankly. Full details here.
Posted by BookieMonster | Posted on 10-06-2010
Category : Book Trade News
Tags: book news, book prizes, prizes
Barbara Kingsolver’s The Lacuna has won the 2010 Orange Prize for Fiction, holding off Booker Prize winner (and, more importantly, BookieMonster favourite) Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel. Has anyone read The Lacuna? It’s definitely on my list as I’m a big fan of The Poisonwood Bible (the only other book of Kingsolver’s to be nominated for the Orange Prize).
Good news for Tauranga book lovers! The council has unanimously agreed to dump their plan to charge for all adult library lending, after a very public outcry. They also a reversed a decision to cut library book stocks. Good show.
A short but good opinion piece in the New York Times on reading on e-readers – and the communal value of reading (something I’ve been thinking about and will be writing a post about shortly).
And, courtesy of Caustic Cover Critic, these awesome revamped promo book covers for Penguin’s 75th Anniversary from Amy Fleisher. I’m particularly fond of Frankenpenguin. I need that book buddy. 
Posted by BookieMonster | Posted on 01-06-2010
Category : Book Trade News
Tags: blogs, book news, paper
Interestingly, after my musing last week on temporary books there is a great interview on The Millions this morning with Melissa Klug on the Permanence Matters initiative. Lots of info on paper, types of paper, good types, bad types – basically enough to make a paper geek happy.
P.S. I mean “interestingly” because it’s interesting, not “interestingly” because I influence the interwebs! 
Posted by BookieMonster | Posted on 20-05-2010
Category : Book Trade News
Tags: book news, Booker prize, children's books, New Zealand
Some announcements overnight regarding award winners:
The NZ Post Children’s Book Awards winners were announced last night – full list here. Have to admit to being slightly surprised The Wonky Donkey missed out on the judged awards – but no surprise it took out the Children’s Choice!
And the Lost Man Booker for 1970 goes to Troubles by J.G. Farrell – anyone read it?
