Reviewed by Ian Lipke Walter Scheidel’s Escape from Rome is one of those books that should be measured by the kilogram rather than the number of pages were it not for the academic brilliance of his arguments, his central thesis and the support he provides to affirm his bizarre thesis. Bizarre was the view I
Reviewed by Ian Lipke For an opener to the day I was served a treat, care of an early courier and author Frances Whiting. The Best Kind of Beautiful is the story of a young woman who prefers ‘loner’ status and a man who has a very busy social life. The attraction between them lies
Reviewed by Angela Marie “I believe that a person can become possessed by someone else – at least in part. That one life can slip inside another, giving it shape. . It was how I could anticipate what she would do before she did it, because I believed I understood how she thought, and the
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke It has been said that Di Morrissey is one of the most successful Australian authors. She now has over 25 best-selling novels and five children’s books to her credit. Each spring, she produces a novel which hits the stores in time for Christmas. Over the past ten years her books have
Reviewed by Ian Lipke The tome that arrived on my desk was very attractively presented in hard cover and, in combination with its muted tones, breathed academia. It was meant to tell all who came in contact that it was not a frivolous document and would be treated on its own terms. Affixed to the
Reviewed by Ian Lipke I’m pretty sure that Michael Connelly has never written a book that has failed the stringent standards he sets. If he has, it has never passed through the publisher’s gate. I remember The Poet and Trunk Music from many years ago. I suspect the good writers are those who have found
Reviewed by Angela Marie What do Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Shirley Henderson, John Hurt, James Corden, Tom Wilkinson and Rob Brydon have in common? Yes, they are all actors and this prominent cast voice the characters of the wonderful The Gruffalo’s Child film which first aired Christmas Day, 2011. This is the star-pulling power of
Reviewed by E.B. Heath Once again Christmas is looming expensively on the horizon, so it is a real advantage to know about the latest beautiful books on offer. Consider the Platypus by Maggie Ryan Sandford, illustrations by Rodica Prato, is definitely a candidate. Within the pages of this large dignified hardback, Sandford details, in a
Reviewed by Ian Lipke Terry Eagleton published How to Read Literature in 2013 in the United States and 2014 in Australia…and I missed it. It was only in recent weeks that I managed to lay hands on a copy. It was worth the wait. Eagleton examines literature with the mind-set of a lawyer. He pays
Reviewed by Gerard Healy In this, the 26th installment of the DCI Banks series, author Peter Robinson displays his usual deft touch with the police procedural. The novel has two stories, seemingly unrelated, running side by side. In the main one, Detective Superintendent Alan Banks and his team are trying to solve a murder in
Reviewed by Angela Marie “Sucking hard on the filter, I hold the smoke inside my chest, picturing the toxic chemicals and black tar clogging my lungs, causing cancer or emphysema or rotting my teeth. A slow death, I know, but that’s life, isn’t it – a long, drawn-out suicide.” Welcome to Langford Hall, a children’s
Reviewed by Rod McLary It is difficult to categorise this latest book by Stephen Chbosky written some twenty years after his first – The Perks of Being a Wallflower. On one level, it is a straightforward horror story primarily involving a group of eight-year-old children but, on another, it seems to be a battle between
Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve Unfollow chronicles Megan Phelps-Roper’s difficult struggle to leave the extremist Westboro Baptist Church, Kansas, in order to live in the world beyond. In the process, she provides a starkly honest, uncompromising examination of life in the confines of the small community. From the age of five, she joined the family of
Reviewed by Antonella Townsend I have just swung, Tarzan style, through the gamut of emotions from delight to sadness and anger. Alfred Fidjestøl’s biography of Julius and his struggle to live a happy life reaffirms the importance of a safe and stimulating environment and a stable social system that provides calm justice. Julius was lucky
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke How this book came about is just as interesting as the information it contains. When acknowledging his information sources, Derek Rielly says ‘It will come as no surprise to anyone who has spun, even briefly, in David Gulpilil’s orbit that this book only happened via the magic of cosmic coincidence. To