Aussie Readers discussion
Book Related Banter
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Oh wow, I had no idea funding for Trove expires July this year, Diana. Will definitely sign the petition - it has been such a valuable resource in my family tree research.
Diana wrote: "Hoping you will all help sign the parliamentary petition to continue funding for Trove. Trove is an online archive that provides access to a huge range of archives free to all Australians. It is t..."
Done! I had heard a little about this recently - so hard to believe this incredible resource is in jeopardy.
I wasn't aware of this either. have now signed. Thanks for calling attention to this.
My Mum actually told me about Trove a year or two ago as I hadn't heard of it. I will sign the petition right now!
Yep, did it through work. It's a very good service/resource.
I was mesmerised by this video of Pip Williams hand-binding a hardback copy of her book, The Bookbinder of Jericho when I saw it on Insta yesterday, to coincide with the book launch. Enjoy!https://youtu.be/P5yNcLnyCMQ
Was surprised to see a message in my inbox this morning - Book Depository is closing on April 26https://www.theguardian.com/books/202...
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Suzie wrote: "Was surprised to see a message in my inbox this morning - Book Depository is closing on April 26Very sad new book depository is my go to place for books as ,reliable and doesn’t charge for postage and takes PayPal. What now?
Phrynne wrote: "That is very sad. Book Depository has always been a great supplier of books with free postage! I will miss it."I know! I'm devastated ... and I think I have over 100 books in my wishlist.
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Dale wrote: "Very sad new book depository is my go to place for books as ,reliable and doesn’t charge for postage and takes PayPal. What now?"I agree! I have used Booktopia, but their website is driving me insane with all its requirements to disable ad-blocking, enable Java etc. etc. Fishpond didn't used to charge postage, but I think many of their titles were simply an Australian drop ship for Book Depository, as the prices were always similar. I suppose that will dry up now, too. If you review for Boomerang Books, you accrue 50c credit towards purchases per review (you can redeem up to 50% of the value of purchases), and they sometimes have great free shipping deals.
That's sad. "This comes after the bookseller’s parent company Amazon announced it had decided to “eliminate” a number of positions across its Devices and Books businesses."
Given Amazon also own Goodreads, I can't help but feel its days are maybe numbered too - the recent changes haven't exactly been positive.
Don't forget Booko.com.au guys.. I know though everyone has their favourite places to buy from, but when cost is an issue it always finds you the cheapest online price (not Kmart/BigW/Target though).
Rowan wrote: "Given Amazon also own Goodreads, I can't help but feel its days are maybe numbered too - the recent changes haven't exactly been positive."Sadly, acquisition by Amazon often seems to sound the death-knell for the most beloved non-commercial features of these websites. I still mourn the death of the full-interaction version of IMDb...
Suz wrote: "Don't forget Booko.com.au guys.. I know though everyone has their favourite places to buy from, but when cost is an issue it always finds you the cheapest online price (not Kmart/BigW/Target though)."Ooooh, good tip, thanks Suz! I haven't encountered Booko.com.au before.
Suzie wrote: "Was surprised to see a message in my inbox this morning - Book Depository is closing on April 26https://www.theguardian.com/books/202..."
That is very sad. I've bought a lot of books from them over the years. They will be missed!
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I agree! I have used Booktopia, but their website is ..."
Booktopia's delivery price is ridiculous (IMO). It was $6.95, now $7.95!
That delivery price increase might have something to do with them being ordered to pay a $6 million fine, Brenda! https://www.booktopia.com.au/images/e... - I noticed this was plastered across the top of Booktopia this morning.
Federal Court has apparently fined them $6 million under Consumer Laws.
Rowan wrote: "That delivery price increase might have something to do with them being ordered to pay a $6 million fine, Brenda!"Yep, that's a pretty comprehensive breach of Sale of Goods legislation!
And I agree Brenda, re: postage costs, but EVERYTHING suddenly (since Covid) seems super-expensive to ship, especially internationally. Perhaps that's why Amazon decided that Book Depository's much-beloved sales model wasn't sustainable?
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https://www.booktopia.com.au/images/e... - I noticed this was p..."
Wow! That's huge! I hadn't heard anything about that, thanks Rowan!
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Yep, that's a pretty comprehensive breach of Sale of Goods legislat..."
And that's sad! There have to have been millions of customers of Book Depository! A lot of lost jobs there too :(
Suz wrote: "Don't forget Booko.com.au guys.. I know though everyone has their favourite places to buy from, but when cost is an issue it always finds you the cheapest online price (not Kmart/BigW/Target though)."I didn't know about that website Suz. That's going to come in handy. I used it this morning when I was looking to order a book! 💜 Thanks !
Nice to get an acknowledgement from an author - Jack Beaumont on my review of The Frenchmanhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Doesn't happen very often.
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Alex wrote: "Nice to get an acknowledgement from an author - Jack Beaumont on my review of The Frenchmanhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Doesn't happen very often."
That's awesome, Alex! Well done. Great review.
Rowan wrote: "Alex wrote: "Nice to get an acknowledgement from an author - Jack Beaumont on my review of The Frenchmanhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Doesn't happen very often."..."
Thanks Rowan. Good book too.
Brenda wrote: "Congrats Alex, brilliant!"Thanks Brenda.
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She's cut off her nose to spite her face, abusing the reviewer who gave her a good review, 4 stars - because it wasn't 5! That reviewer has changed her rating to 1 star, and a large number of others, some who haven't read the book, have all given it 1 star! Plus her publisher has dumped her! I wonder if she realises now that that's not the way to get a following!!
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7...
She certainly didn’t do herself any favours did she, Brenda :)
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Always find it interesting when a publisher withdraws a book just before publication. Even more so, when it's because of police concerns.https://www.theguardian.com/australia...
https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au...
In this case, Victoria Police said there were multiple inaccuracies in the upcoming memoir. Hachette has now pulled it.
Publishing contracts must be so hard to get, it puzzles me why some authors then throw it all away.
Wow, that's astonishing Rowan. You've got to wonder whether the publisher did any due diligence.
It sure is, Ange! You would've thought they had some kind of fact-checker delve into things before going to print. Apparently not.
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https://www.theguardian.com/australia......"
Wow Rowan! That's amazing! Terrible that the police officer has obviously lied about a lot of things, but also that the publisher didn't check the facts, as you said. I don't think I've ever heard of that happening..
Yes, I couldn't recall it happening either, Brenda! Madness. It certainly raises questions about the kind of fact-checking (or lack of) that publishers do these days.
Reading that article made me think of the Fakes & Frauds series they’ve been doing on The Book Show podcast (ABC). I mean, it’s shocking and disappointing, but it’s not the first time this has happened. I think it’s great that Hachette has taken such swift action, even if they brought it upon themselves.
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Madness. It certainly raises questions about the kind of fact-checking (or lack of) that publishers do these days."
And how much is "truth" when we read non-fiction!
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Completely agree with your last sentence Andrea :)
Rowan wrote: "Always find it interesting when a publisher withdraws a book just before publication. Even more so, when it's because of police concerns.https://www.theguardian.com/australia......"
God, that's disgusting! I'm glad they pulled it.
Krystal wrote: "Rowan wrote: "Always find it interesting when a publisher withdraws a book just before publication. Even more so, when it's because of police concerns.https://www.theguardian.com/australia......"
Me too, Krystal! Port Arthur is still such a sensitive event down here. I don't understand why anybody would lie about anything to do with it.
I agree with Andrea - it's great Hachette took such swift action.
On a lighter note, recently discovered the African novels by AA Tony Park. Currently engrossed by Last Survivor, which revolves around the illegal trade in rare cycads. Never given cycads much thought, but as I drove slowly around Anderson Gardens here in Townsville the other day, there it was. One of the biggest cycad collections in public in Qld. Which leads to another mystery: how long do these plants live? Big, ugly looking things, stuck on a well-drained arid slope, they obviously survived TC Yasi in 2011. Next time I'll walk over for a closer look. My thanks to author Tony Park
Alex wrote: "On a lighter note, recently discovered the African novels by AA Tony Park. Currently engrossed by Last Survivor, which revolves around the illegal trade in rare cycads. Never given ..."Don’t you think that the name ‘cycad’ just sounds like something indestructible? 😆
Alex wrote: "On a lighter note, recently discovered the African novels by AA Tony Park. Currently engrossed by Last Survivor, which revolves around the illegal trade in rare cycads. Never given ..."I remember getting the term confused with cryptid the whole time I was reading that book so it made things quite weird haha
Krystal wrote: "Alex wrote: "On a lighter note, recently discovered the African novels by AA Tony Park. Currently engrossed by Last Survivor, which revolves around the illegal trade in rare cycads...."Sounds like a rare case of too much klipdrift...
Alex wrote: "Krystal wrote: "Alex wrote: "On a lighter note, recently discovered the African novels by AA Tony Park. Currently engrossed by Last Survivor, which revolves around the illegal trade..."Haha!
I'm super-excited to share that I'm attending a full day of panel discussions tomorrow for Terror Australis (sorry, you'll have to google yourselves, as Goodreads have prohibited the link for your convenience) Readers' and Writers' festival south of Hobart. The panels will include some of my favourite crime writers, including Ann Cleeves (the international headline guest), Garry Disher, Rob R.W.R. McDonald, Sarah Barrie, Dinuka McKenzie and Tasmania's own David Owen and Jo Dixon! I can't wait!
I hope you have an amazing time Sarah! It's such an epic lineup!
Aussie Readers
Books mentioned in this topic
Sisters Under the Rising Sun (other topics)The Tattooist of Auschwitz (other topics)
Sisters Under the Rising Sun (other topics)
Last Survivor (other topics)
Last Survivor (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Heather Morris (other topics)Tea Cooper (other topics)
Alison Stuart (other topics)
Ann Cleeves (other topics)
Sarah Barrie (other topics)
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Trove is an online archive that provides access to a huge range of archives free to all Australians. It is the memory house for the nation and imperative for researchers, genealogists, family historians and students. It receives 20 million hits a year and is a vital part of Australian heritage. Currently, funding for Trove expires in July 2023. Trove also provides a catalogue of almost all public libraries. If you are after a title Trove can tell you where to find it.
Signing the petition is a two step process. Sign then confirm in the email sent to you.
https://www.aph.gov.au/e-petitions/pe...