Books alive 2008

Hi all

A new aussie on board!

Just wondering what everyone thought of the 2008 Books Alive guide produced by the Government. How many have you read and what did you think of it as a list of reccomended reading material?

Cin

The format for Books Alive is pathetic. It was much better in previous years when you could buy any of the BA books and then choose another BA title for $5. The way it is currently structured, there is no incentive for customers to buy more than one BA title -- since they are only going to get the same boring free book again.

As a bookseller, I think Books Alive stinks in its current format.

The 'free' books offered in 2007 and 2008 didn't do much for me. Boxing biographies and action-thrillers are not my cup of tea ;)

exactly my point, digifish. in previous years the customer got to *choose* which book they got as a bonus, even if it wasnt free.

I hadn't heard of the Books Alive guide until I read about it here. Attempted to get more information on the web. Terrible site. Couldn't be bothered with it. What is the point of Books Alive? Unimpressed... as you've probably gathered!

Were there any interesting books on the list (from any of your points of view)?

>4 in previous years the customer got to *choose* which book they got as a bonus

Wow, I didn't realise that... they should go back to that system!

>5 I only glanced vaguely at the selection this year when I was passing thru the book section at Myer. Since the bonus book was about bombs or terrorism or some such, I didn't pay a lot of attention. I think Kate Morton's latest book was on offer but I figured it'd be much cheaper to get it from my usual source, i.e. the Book Depository.

I actually didn't mind the list. There are a couple in the guide that I have on my shelves to read and a few more that I was given as gifts for my birthday.

I rarely buy the books in Australia unless they are cheap at somewhere like BigW

Thrin I believe it is a government initiative to get more people reading.... not sure that it is working!

I thought the list was quite interesting - there were certainly some I wouldn't bother reading, but the free book 'Bombproof' was OK, really quite funny, in the same sort of way as Flanagan's 'The Unknown Terrorist' (neither really about terrorism), and enough to make me purchase 'Breath', which I was going to do anyway (but a free book made it better value, sort of).