Reviewed by Richard Tutin When we want to make sense of modern society who can we turn to for some ideas and possible guidance? Philosophers spring to mind but the field is wide and varied. The same goes for other writers who have written about the state of their society as they saw it. Professor
Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve The title, Unsettled, poses questions that Kate Granville’s personal history of the last 200 years seeks to offer with powerful insights into our own relationship with the land which was ‘settled’ by the English in 1788. The crushing defeat of the referendum in 2023 compels those who were disappointed and deeply
Reviewed by Norrie Sanders Australia is famously girt by sea, and a beautifully presented hardback on our 40 coastal tracks from across the nation has to be welcomed. The walks have previously featured in Great Walks magazine and, according to Brent McKean, this book is a little different because you really get to understand what
Reviewed by Norrie Sanders Journalists are prolific story tellers. Their profession is demanding and stress is no stranger. But that can go to another level when they become the story. Particularly when that story involves incarceration in a foreign jail. Working for an Arab news service, Peter Greste suddenly went from relative obscurity in Australia
Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve The sequel to the first novel written by this husband and wife team Dead Girl Gone is, by all accounts, as charming and humorous as readers previously enjoyed. Written in brief, alternating chapters, Eloise and Garth, own and run Sherlock Tomes in a small New Zealand town, Havelock North. Over time,
Reviewed by Ian Lipke Sara Foster is beginning to establish herself as an author who contributes a little bit extra to her stories. Her latest book, When She Was Gone, is an excellent example of a story that appears straight forward but, as each event or piece of knowledge is revealed so too are complications
Reviewed by Rod McLary Home invasions would be a terrifying experience for the homeowners and their families. As well as the personal and property violence, there are the after-effects – the emotional damage wrought by the invasion and the invaders. The author of this novel – Abigail Dean – has disclosed a long-held fear of
Reviewed by Ian Lipke David Baldacci has tried his hand at historical fiction in his latest book Strangers in Time. While the meaning of the title eludes me, and the classification of the book not being given as Young Adult, these lose any importance in a cracking story of fourteen-year-old Charlie Matters and fifteen-year-old Holly
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke Allen and Unwin have produced another book by the creative team behind CBCA Picture Book of the Year, Iceberg. This one is called Volcano. This hard covered 26x31cm, 31-page book tells the story of how the seabed changes as a volcano births a new mountain. This book is the work of
Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve In two of her very successful previous works, Emma Donoghue created situations in enclosed scenarios which were riveting to read. The Paris Express too is a masterful example of stories of a group of people brought together; this time for a few hours for the train journey from Granville, in Normandy,
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke This book, which is the final in a series, is the creation of Reece Carter, a high-profile Australian nutritionist who has also written two non-fiction books for adults. He has appeared on many of Australia’s major television networks and his written work has featured in The Australian Women’s Weekly and GQ
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke As I get older, I often think of the early years of my life spent at my grandfather’s holiday home across the Esplanade from the beach at Hervey Bay. The time spent on the beach building volcanos and preparing bonfires or walking along the sand, exploring rock pools or just swimming
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke What a fascinating informative book which I am sure all students would enjoy reading. It has been presented in a unique format and includes typical Australian humour. Yet at the same time it shares lots of information about the work being done at the Melbourne University by the TIGRR research team
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke Unlike many novels, the title of this book is immediately linked to the story it tells. I was fascinated to discover that the journey of this story forms a circle. It begins with a university student’s experience watching a lyrebird and continues twenty years later with the same woman, now a
Reviewed by Ian Lipke A description of a novel, set in an Australian town, the story described as an “unputdownable, supernatural thriller about a mysterious global event” contains more than enough emotive terms to get the blood of the most jaded reader surging. This is the case with Chris Flynn’s Orpheus Nine, a publication of