July 2020

Non-Fiction

The Louvre by James Gardner

Reviewed by Ian Lipke The Louvre is silent now, no footprints show that mankind has walked the corridors of time, no eyes feast on the artworks and sculptures that grace this famous shrine. COVID-19 has put a stop to that. How welcome then is James Gardner’s present history of the Louvre. Gardner describes his book

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Health/Wellbeing

skin care: The Ultimate No-Nonsense Guide by Caroline Hirons

Reviewed by Antonella Townsend Caroline Hirons’s Skin Care is a classic example of how ‘you-can’t-judge-a-book-by-its-cover’ – startling bright yellow, title in a large bold type with the inside cover decorated in a garish army camouflage pattern. Readers might wonder if it might be a quasi-medical journal published by a far right organization. However, after battling

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General Fiction

An Alice Girl by Tanya Heaslip

Reviewed by Wendy Lipke Bond Springs Station, north of Alice Springs, was first settled in the 1870s by a Mr Willoughby and Mr Youl, after a daunting twelve-month wagon trek through central Australia. Australia’s Cattle King, Sydney Kidman, became the property owner in 1910, from whom Grant Heaslip purchased it in 1964. The original houses,

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General Fiction

Finding Eadie by Caroline Beecham

Reviewed by Wendy Lipke Finding Eadie is the third historical novel by Caroline Beecham. This author provides a well-researched backdrop for her stories. In this case, it is World War Two in London and focusses on how many of those left behind struggled to carry on their normal lives. This is not a story about

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General Fiction

Croc Country by Kerry McGinnis

Reviewed by Wendy Lipke This novel is another interesting read from the pen of Kerry McGinnis. Using her vast experience of the outback, she has opened up this part of Australia to her readers. Kerry McGinnis is the oldest sister in a family who run a vast station out near Lawn Hill, in North-west Queensland

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General Fiction

A Lonely Girl Is A Dangerous Thing by Jessie Tu

Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve Sex as a consolation and substitute for fame, and a young woman behaving with the confidence and lack of commitment of the male, is the driving force of Jena Li – a brilliant child prodigy who once played her Stradivarius violin to international audiences. Being a young, now 23, beautiful Asian,

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Memoir/Biography

Enid by Robert Wainwright

Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve Enid, born in Australia’s Hunter Valley, one of seven children, became one of the most famous hostesses of the early twentieth century.  At her luxurious villa – La Fiorentina – on the French Riviera, an eclectic guest list graced its fabulous grounds.  Architects, movie stars, artists and politicians, aristocrats and businessmen,

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