At The Children's Bookshop, we are excited about 2011 because we are forty years old! The store started in 1971 and will hopefully continue to thrive as we move through our fortieth year.We have many celebrations and events planned with lots of author visits and a big party with a special guest.
And some great books await us in 2011.
What is great for adults? Five Bells by Gail Jones (Random House) is out in February and is a beautiful novel linking with Slessor's famous poem. I loved it. Intelligent, beautifuly written, beautifully crafted... and memorable.
Two other great reads include When God was a Rabbit by Sarah Winman (Hachette) out in April.This is perhaps one of the great reads of 2011. It is a quirky, sensitive and dynamic tale of love between a brother and sister over a span of years. This is a debut author we need to keep an eye on because her first novel offers great promise.
The other novel to look out for is Past the Shallows by Favel Parrett out in May (Hachette). This is a brief and deceptively simple tale that resonates long after the final pages have been read. I loved it even more after the second reading. This is also a debut novelist- I can't wait to see what Favel writes next.
Looking forward to a great year of great reading.