Reviewed by Rod McLary William Faulkner once said The past is never dead. It’s not even past. And this new novel by Australian Chinese writer Isabelle Li exemplifies that quote as she sets out the story of Mr Zhao, his carer Sister Fu and his son Jr. They live in Shenyang in Northeast China at
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke The children’s picture book, Tiki and Jill, retells the story of the Great Australian Camel Race, an endurance undertaking from Ayres Rock (Uluru) to the Albert Shire on the Gold Coast. This covered a distance of 3260 kilometres and took place between 28th April and the 16th of July 1988. The
Reviewed by Ian Hamilton It may be that there are more periods of history when this book would have been banned than periods of history when this book would be published. Think back to the test cases of the twentieth century, perhaps most famously that of D. H. Lawrence’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover. Although published in
Reviewed by: Gayle Williams People often find themselves at a metaphorical crossroads in life. In The Crossroads by C. J. Box, Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett is found at a literal one — slumped over the wheel of his pick-up truck with a bullet through his head. Three roads run out from that lonely junction,
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke The back cover of this children’s hard covered book, tells the reader that: ‘In this book you’ll find lots of things that grow Branching ever upward, or tangled deep below…’ While the front cover has the words ‘Seeds of wisdom only nature knows’. This is a book that not only tells
Reviewed by Rod McLary According to the Urban Dictionary, ‘tight lines’ is a good luck wish between fishermen – meaning that if your lines are tight, you are catching lots of fish. And Tight Lines is the title of this coming-of-age novel by Allee Richards and tells the stories of Luke, Josh and Matty who
Reviewed by Rod McLary This sprawling saga tells the story of Pastor Martin Gerlach, his wife Alma and their fourteen-year-old son Benjamin – or ‘Benno’ – who live on a Lutheran mission deep in the Australian outback. It is 1922, and the Pastor and his family have travelled from Leipzig to run the mission with
Reviewed by Rod McLary Grunge literature – or simply grunge lit – is a genre of Australian literature which looks at the lives of young people in disadvantaged circumstances and often deeply involved in alcohol or drug abuse. The characters live on the social and cultural margins of their city. The term was created after
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke Simply Beside Herself is the first novel by Judith Katherine who has always been fascinated by the narratives around role and how it can either broaden or narrow our worlds. Often people get caught up in doing the right thing, and what others expect by not making a fuss. This is
Reviewed by Gayle Williams Margarita Nazarenko’s Unbothered is not a manifesto for indifference. Rather, it is a guide to developing personal standards and living by them with confidence, free from the weight of other people’s opinions. At its core, the book encourages readers to cultivate enough self‑trust that external approval no longer dictates their emotional
Reviewed by Ian Hamilton This novel-memoir has smatterings of cultural references but the one that comes to mind, but not mentioned, is Frost’s poet “The Road Not Taken” because our protagonist’s story centres on his choices deliberate and choices fateful. I don’t think Frost ever wrote the complementary poem “The Road Taken” but the two
Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve Whether wishing to learn of the vivid life of one of history’s greatest figures or appreciating the brilliant scholarship involved in bringing this to the reader, Edmund Richardson’s biography of the legendary Macedonian/Greek is enormously satisfying and thrilling to read. Thousands of versions of Alexander have been scattered around the world.
Reviewed by Rod McLary Patricia Cornwell is a best-selling author of over forty books – most of which feature her much-loved character Dr Kay Scarpetta a forensic pathologist. Her first novel Postmortem won the Creasey, the Edgar, the Anthony and Macavity Awards – the first book ever to win these major awards in one year.
Reviewed by Clare Brook Reality and magical realism blended to create a nail biter plot concerning life for a Muslim girl in a private and very conservative American College. This sums up The Ocean Would Paint Me Blue by Zoulfa Katouh. It connects stereotypical attitudes with the lived experience of those from another culture. It
Reviewed by Gayle Williams Eileen Cummings’ I Am the Daughter They Stole is a first‑person account of an extraordinarily brave and resilient woman. As the title suggests, Aunty Eileen is a member of the Stolen Generations. Born in 1943 on a cattle station in Arnhem Land, where her mother worked as a domestic servant, she