Latest Reviews

History

Queensland Reviewers Collective (QRC) is the new name for an initiative that began eighteen years ago. Up until November 2016 it was known as M/C Reviews. In December 2015, the M/C Reviews website had a major security breach that took it down, and the editor of the book reviews section and some of the reviewers responded by starting a blog as a temporary site for book reviews until the website could be repaired. Unfortunately, it eventually became apparent that the website was not able to be restored, thus ending its long and illustrious presence as a place for the lively engagement with books and film through reviewing.

Once again, the editor and a small group of book reviewers decided they valued M/C Reviews enough to enable its rebirth as the Queensland Reviewers Collective. It no longer has an association with the Queensland University of Technology.

The website that M/C Reviews was initially a part of was M/C – Media and Culture, founded in 1998 as, according to the History section, ‘a place of public intellectualism, analysing and critiquing the meeting of media and culture’. It was meant as a place where the popular and the academic could meet, and ‘debates may have some resonance with wider political and cultural interests’.

The website was initiated and developed at the University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia; since 2004, it has been hosted by the Creative Industries Faculty at the Queensland University of Technology in Kelvin Grove. The first publication was the M/C Journal, still thriving today, followed by M/C Reviews, and then M/Cyclopedia of New Media.

Acknowledgement of Country

In the spirit of reconciliation Queensland Reviewers Collective acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.

Other Reviews

Non-Fiction

The Big Book of Australian Yarns by Jim Haynes

Reviewed by Wendy Lipke The Big Book of Australian Yarns is compiled by Jim Haynes, recipient of an OAM in 2016 for services to the performing arts as an entertainer, author, broadcaster and historian. He has published other works as the result of decades of research into popular culture and history from around Australia. The

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Non-Fiction

Mean Streak by Rick Morton

Reviewed by Norrie Sanders Prior to reading Mean Streak, if anyone had told me that 500 pages about the inner workings of the public service would be riveting reading, I would have laughed. Having read this book, I am not laughing. It is a mesmerising account of one of the most iniquitous government failures in

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2024 Award Winners

2024 Walkley Book Award Andrew Fowler has won the 2024 Walkley Book Award for Nuked: The Submarine Fiasco that Sank Australia’s Sovereignty (MUP). Walkley judges said: ‘Andrew Fowler’s razor-sharp analysis uses extensive research and interviews to explore the government’s diplomatic betrayals, alliances and failures, and reveals a complete lack of transparency in major decisions involving gigantic sums

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Non-Fiction

The Immortals of Australian Football by Andrew Clarke

Reviewed by Richard Tutin Australian Football (AFL) or Australian Rules as it has often been called is not as well known in Queensland as it is in the southern states particularly Victoria. The recent Grand Final win by the Brisbane Lions men’s team has though spurred many Queenslanders to look more seriously at the game.

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Non-Fiction

Great Game On by Geoff Raby

Reviewed by Norrie Sanders China and Russia are two countries with very different trajectories. The former is a resurgent superpower, an economic miracle in just 40 years. By contrast, the once mighty Russian empire is now labelled a “regional power” and can only dream of reclaiming its “lost” territories. As a long time China watcher,

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Children

From the Films of Harry Potter – 100 Objects by Jody Revenson

Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeves This hardback and weighty volume is an addition to the ever-increasing mountain of books, toys, even Lego that features the staggering success of the Potter phenomenon. The eight films of the much-loved books have been an unparalleled success, and it is the production values of the movies that made this such

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Children

Marigold’s Magic Stars by Samantha Wills

Reviewed by Wendy Lipke The author of Marigold’s Magic Stars is Samantha Wills who is described as a multidisciplinary creative. She is a writer, creator, educator, speaker and feminist. She says of herself, “I’ve never done things the way you’re ‘meant’ to do them. That approach saw me get really terrible grades in high school

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Children

We’re Hopping Around Australia by Martha Mumford

Reviewed by Wendy Lipke The story in this bright, square, hard covered children’s book follows four bunnies as they set off on a trip around Australia. They do this using various modes of transport. They arrive in Sydney in a sea plane then take a jeep to more outback areas before boarding a hot air

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Penguin Literary Prize

Penguin Literary Prize In 2017, Penguin Random House Australia established the Penguin Literary Prize to discover, nurture and develop literary fiction writers, providing a unique platform for new and diverse voices to emerge. Offering aspiring authors the chance to become a part of the Penguin Random House (PRH) community, the winner of the Penguin Literary

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If you would like to contact the coordinator of the Queensland Reviewers Collective, either to enquire about becoming a reviewer, to offer a book to review, or to make a comment on the blog generally, please use the form.

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