Australians still reading real books in 2014

Despite the rise of digital books, Australians – particularly the youth of Australia – were still reading real books in 2014. And they were still a popular choice as gifts, says The Sydney Morning Herald (January 3-4, 2015). It was also noted that children still prefer printed books, especially illustrated stories.

The best-selling book of 2014 in Australia was an Australian children’s author – Andy Griffiths and illustrator Terry Denton with The 52-Story Treehouse. American author Jeff Kinney was second with The Long Haul. The teen romance The Fault in Our Stars by John Green was third. Rounding out the top five were Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn and Minecraft: The Official Construction Handbook (a gaming handbook). Nielsen BookScan compiled the list of Australian bestsellers.

While bookstore sales declined in 2013, there was an increase in sales in 2014 of 2.2% to 55.4 million (this does not include e-books or self-published books). Some bookstores in Australia have recorded an increase in children’s books since 2010. Also strong local (Australian) content by Australian authors for children and youth continued to be popular, especially books based on gaming franchises.

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The acacia thorn trees of Kenya

There are nearly 800 species of acacia trees in the world, and most don’t have thorns. The famous "whistling thorn tree" and the Umbrella Thorn tree of Kenya are species of acacia that do have thorns, or spines. Giraffes and other herbivores normally eat thorny acacia foliage, but leave the whistling thorn alone. Usually spines are no deterrent to giraffes. Their long tongues are adapted to strip the leaves from the branches despite the thorns. The thorny acacia like dry and hot conditions. The thorns typically occur in pairs and are 5-8 centimetres (2-3 inches) long. Spines can be straight or curved depending on the species. MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Suda...

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Independence statue, Phnom Penh

MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

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