- Penguin has published a special edition of George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the book. Can't say the design turns me on. I'd much prefer the look of Burmese Days and Shooting an Elephant which have been republished in the livery of those Penguin Modern Classics I admire so much. Meanwhile, the New Statesman has published an interesting piece about Orwell's essays.
- The Guardian has published an interview with Pultizer prize-winning author Marilynne Robinson. I still haven't read Gilead nor Home, her Orange prize shortlisted novel which I purchased two weeks ago. I'll get around to it eventually...
- The Book People are selling a 10-set collection of Anita Shreve books for the knock-down price of £9.99. If I hadn't read most of them already I'd be buying this set in a blink of an eye. (You can see all the reviews of the Anita Shreve books I have read here.)
- I know I am very late with this, but the shortlist for Australia's Miles Franklin award has been announced. By all accounts it's caused a bit of a surprise, namely because there's not one woman on it. The five books on the list are: Breath by Tim Winton; Ice by Louis Nowra; The Pages by Murray Bail; The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas; and Wanting by Richard Flanagan. The winner will be announced on June 18.
- I'm a bit of a John McGahern freak, so I was surprised to find I'm not the only one to obsess about his work: the National University of Ireland, Galway is hosting the John McGahern International Seminar & Summer School in late July. (You can see all my reviews of McGahern's books here.)
- This story by Peter Temple marks the return of Jack Irish, the Melbourne-based hero who solves crimes while moving in legal, racing and cabinet-making circles. He first appeared in Bad Debts in 1996 and was followed by Black Tide (1998), Dead Point (2000) and White Dog (2003). His next one, Truth, is due out in Australia in November.
- Here's a book for cyclists worth checking out, although it's obviously got an American bias.
