Hardie Grant Books has a new literary non-fiction and memoir list. This blog has been created so that people can get involved with reading and reviewing these new and upcoming titles and then share their reviews right here.

Do you love reading and writing? Do you want to win prizes and get your reviews published? Do you want to be part of the club?  Then read on…

What is the review panel?

Hardie Grant Books is creating a  review panel of readers who write short reviews of our latest literary non-fiction titles.  The selected reviewers will have one month to read and write a short review of the book. The reviews will then be sent to us for publication on this blog that will be linked to the Hardie Grant website, Facebook and Twitter pages. You also have the option of posting your individual reviews on other websites such as Booktopia and Amazon.

What do I get out of it?

Not only do you get your writing viewed by hundreds of people passing through the websites but you also get copies of not-yet-published proofs. We’ll also send you a thank you gift as a gesture for your hard work.

What will I be reading first up?

The Testimony

This is a book that’s already caused some intense reactions around our office – a warning not to read it on the train unless you’re ok with getting emotional in public!

It is the amazing true story of Holocaust survivor and human rights campaigner Halina Wagowska and a record of what comes next for her after the camps and her emigration to Australia.

When Gods Collide

Written in Kate James’ darkly comic and engrossing reportage style this is as much a spiritual journey as a detective story. Having grown up among missionaries in India, Kate returns to her birthplace in search of herself and the story behind the brutal murder of compatriot Graham Staines. She exploresIndia’s complex tapestry of religion and mysticism, assessing its Christian, Buddhist, Hindu and atheist heritage as she comes to terms with the faith she has rejected.

How do I become a reviewer?

If you love literature and discussing/writing about books and are interested in participating in our review club then please submit a short review (less than 150 words) of a book of your choice to stephlittle@hardiegrant.com.au. We’ll choose our favourite entries to be the first members of the Hardie Grant Book Review (which will consist of about 15 reviewers). We will then send you the first book proof in the mail and we ask that your first review be submitted to us within two weeks. Reviews will be published on our blog in February or March 2012 just in time for the publication of the books.

We look forward to hearing from you!