Martin Shaw

Martin Shaw is a former head book buyer

Blog post — 4 Apr 2013

Round-Up of April New Releases

Do you know that feeling when one of your colleagues turns out to be a bit of a dark horse? I well remember getting a copy of Best Australian Stories

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Blog post — 28 Feb 2013

Round-Up of March New Releases

Let’s start my wrap-up of March with some highlights from the thriving independent Australian publishing scene. Our new writing feature this month focuses on Michelle Dicinoski’s Ghost Wife from Black…

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Blog post — 31 Jan 2013

Round-Up of February New Releases

Our head books buyer Martin Shaw looks at the new releases out this month.

There seems no other way to begin a wrap of February books without mentioning Graeme Simsion’s…

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Blog post — 14 Jan 2013

Most Anticipated Books of 2013

Our head books buyer Martin Shaw previews the best of the rest of the year

Well a prognosis at this early time of year is perhaps a little daring of…

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Blog post — 4 Dec 2012

Final Round-Up for 2012

It’s Christmas, and it’s also the season when the books sections of our newspapers and magazines typically look back at the year that’s been and nominate their ‘best-ofs’. We’re no…

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Blog post — 31 Oct 2012

Round-Up of November New Release Books

As I write, it’s that time of year when there is a flurry of awards: the Nobel, the Booker and the Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards, to name a…

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Blog post — 27 Sep 2012

Round-Up of October New Release Books

Neil Young and Patti Smith in conversation – discussing Neil’s upcoming autobiography, Waging Heavy Peace – was the hottest ticket at the US book convention I attended in June. So…

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Blog post — 28 Aug 2012

Round-Up of September New Release Books

Our head book buyer Martin Shaw looks at new releases out this month.

This is the sort of month where you could read every day and still have a raft…

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Blog post — 31 Jul 2012

Round-Up of August New Release Books

Our head book buyer Martin Shaw looks at new releases out this month.

A certain industry scallywag regularly opines about ‘booksniffers’ (NB: as this gentleman is somewhat of a Trojan…

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Review — 6 Aug 2012

The Engagement by Chloe Hooper

[[chloe-hooper3]]To follow up an acclaimed debut must be one of literature’s fraughtest feats. When a proof copy of The Engagement landed on my desk, my first response was simply joy…

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