Skulduggery Pleasant: the story continues.

Great news for fans of the Skulduggery Pleasant series by Derek Landy.  We have a date for the sixth book in the series: Death Bringer.  It will be published in September and the buzz is building.  To ensure you get your copy straight away, you can pre-order it now. $20.

The Butcher, The Baker…

and The Best Coffeemaker. Gaye Weedon and Hayley Smorgon have provided the most comprehensive guide for a Melbourne Foodie I’ve ever seen. Think a thorough mix of the Age’s well-loved foodies’ guide, good food guide and good cafe guide, PLUS a whole lot more. Whether you’re looking for somewhere to buy bread for lunch, get a cake for a party, have a quiet (or loud) drink with friends, this book will help you find it. And give you more choices than you realised you needed! The subtitle says it all; Classic recipes, hidden gems and fabulous flavours from the heart of Melbourne. Couldn’t be more true.

Whether you want to go out for coffee or stay in and cook up a storm, The Butcher, The Baker, The Best Coffeemaker is a must for your book shelf and also makes a lovely, not to mention practical, gift for you foodies out there. You know who you are, this should be on your wishlist; it’s on mine. Paperback, $39.95

Alice-Miranda Highton-Smith-Kennington-Jones

There is a delightful series of books about a young girl called Alice-Miranda and her friends set in a boarding school.  They have adventures and while it could all be a bit twee, it isn’t.  They are funny and are about friendships, being brave, being responsible and a lot more.  The fourth Alice-Miranda story has just arrived and a young girl you know, especially if she likes stories about real girls, not fairies or fantasy will love them.  The author, Jacqueline Harvey obviously really knows about girls and what makes them tick.  Ages 8-11 $15.95 each.

Rosalie Ham Book Talk

There Should Be More Dancing by Rosalie Ham author of The Dressmaker was reviewed by Heather in our most recent email newsletter. Rosalie Ham was the guest on Random House’s monthly Book Talk, check out the video below. If you want to read Heather’s review of this book, and other booky goodness, I’ve got good news. This month (and next!) if you sign up for any of our email newsletters (there are THREE to choose from) you’ll go into the draw to win a weekly prize. The July prize is an advance copy of Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh thanks to Macmillan publishers. Just email us to subscribe! Prize must be picked up in person.

Inheritance is coming…

How excited are you?! Christopher Paolini’s world wide phenomenon is coming to a close in September…

Road Test: What’s For Dinner? by Michele Curtis

Michele Curtis is one half of the team that created the perennially popular In the Kitchen – always a bestseller at Fairfield Books. It is a huge book, and includes just about everything you could possibly need to know about food and cooking. What’s For Dinner? is equally fabulous, though on a smaller scale! In it Michele has focused on recipes that are quick and easy to prepare, perfect for weekday family meals. It has over 220 recipes set out in easy-to-use categories (stir-fries, one-pots, on the grill, in the oven etc), with lots of gorgeous photos to provide inspiration.

I have two young kids, and not a lot of time to cook. Although we have a rotation of tried and true recipes that we all like (read: that both kids will actually eat!), we really could do with some new ideas to add to the mix. After a flick through What’s for Dinner?, I decided to try out the Greek lamb and feta meatballs. The recipe was laid out clearly and was easy to follow, didn’t take too long, and actually ended up looking just like the picture! I served them with tzatziki, lemon, Greek salad and pitta bread – yum. And best of all BOTH kids ate it all and asked for more! Now I just have to decide which recipe I should try next… maybe Spanish rice with chicken, Moorish lamb with quince glaze, or sticky lemongrass pork patties? Fancy being this excited about everyday cooking! Highly recommended. Paperback, $39.95.

Top Books for Young Adults

Our wall of Top Tens got expanded to Top Fifteens a little while ago now, with the exception of our Young Adult list. With our original 20 books for teenagers we had, loosely, 10 for boys and 10 for girls. We’re having a really hard time deciding how many to add, and what books! So even though we haven’t finished deciding what books to add to the twenty we can all agree on is these;

Five Books for Teenager Boys AND Girls

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

(The link above will take you to our other blog, where this review is)

Six Impossible Things by Fiona Wood

Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley

Dreaming of Amelia by Jaclyn Moriarty  – also on the other blog

Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist by Rebecca Cohn and David Levithan

We haven’t blogged about all of these but rest assured someone, often more than one of us, has read them and loved them! Just ask us in store if you’d like to hear more. 3 out of the 5 are also by Australian authors. Go Aussie.

Mobile Phone SIM

Something Completely Different

A Simple, Easy, Pre-paid Mobile Phone Service

for the light user!

We found SavvyTel for our personal use and thought we’d share it with customers.

Starter Pack SIM cards – $5 including $5 of call credits.

Savvytel use the Optus Network, covering 96% of all people. Calls are 24c/min plus 20c flagfall.

SMSs are 15c. worldwide.

All rates are 24/7.

THERE ARE NO CONTRACTS   CALL CREDITS NEVER EXPIRE

You can keep an existing number and recharge the service online or at over 20,000 outlets around Australia.

GO TO SAVVYTEL.COM.AU FOR MORE DETAILS

The Age Good Cafe Guide 2011

Melbournians love lots of things. Complaining about the weather whilst refusing to live anywhere else. Laneways. Drinking in laneways. Drinking coffee…sometimes in laneways but suburbia will do. Drinking coffee and eating brunch, especially on Sundays, even if you have to queue for a table. And now deciding where to go is so much easier! The Age Cheap Eats guide always has a few options but now in stock is the dedicated Age Good Cafe Guide by Matt Holden. At only $10 you can’t run out of places to while away a morning, or afternoon, or entire day if you feel like it! I’d recommend starting with award winners and the three ‘cup’ cafes, listed at the front. I certainly agree with the awards for Best Cafe; Auction Rooms in North Melbourne and Best Coffee going to Seven Seeds in Carlton. Popular spots Apte (2 cups), Gypsy Hideout (2 cups) and Red Door Corner Store also get a mention along with many local gems worth a visit on your day off. Next on my list is Wide Open Road in Brunswick, winner of Best New Cafe and from the people behind A Minor Place, I am expecting good things. In store now. The Age Good Shopping Guide, also $10 is coming soon.

Action Adventure for young readers: Ranger in Danger

Ranger in Danger is an exciting new series which is based on the adventures of real-life Australian ranger and environmental activist Sean Willmore, and includes true stories of wildlife rangers from around the world. In each book the reader goes to a different country, so encounters a variety of animals and landscapes. The sub-title of these books is “Decide Your Destiny”, and that is exactly what you do – at the end of each page the reader must make a decision about what to do next, and go to the page that corresponds with that choice. Thus the books are interactive, providing an extra level of reader involvement which makes them particularly appealing to reluctant readers.  It also means that there are numerous adventures are to be had in each book! Action-packed and fast-paced, this series is perfect for adventurous kids aged 8-12. $12.95 each.