When you have a big family, you are used to birthdays coming thick and fast, but when you’re an author, it’s a different kind of pleasure when the book birthdays do, too. Especially when they are for books that remain in print.

On Friday I celebrate Right Way Down’s second birthday and now, just two days later, I’m celebrating not one, but two more book-birthdays.

So, happy happy birthday to Toppling which is a massive 16 years old today! In human years that would be nearly old enough to drive. In book years, being still in print at 16 is an awesome achievement.

If you haven’t read Toppling, the fact it is still in print means it’s not too late! And here’s a taster for you – me reading the first chapter

And, because I will never forget a younger sibling, happy happy birthday to Do Not Forget Australia which is an awesome 14 years old and, again, still in print. If you don’t know the story of the liberation of the French village of Villers-Bretonneux and the subsequent long lasting connection between Australia and France, then this story will take you there.

I’ve blogged before about the reasons some books stay in print longer than others. Sometimes it’s good fortune, other times it’s that the topic remains current, or the book has won awards. Not every book can stay in print forever but I am mighty glad that these two continue to be there for readers to enjoy. And that’s due  in no small part to the readers who have read the books in the last 16 and 14 years. So if you HAVE read them, thank you!