Reviewed by Rod McLary The title of this new book may well be a nod to Dorothea Mackellar’s ‘I love a sunburnt country’. There is certainly much that the book and the poem share – not the least of which is both authors’ love of the western country. But in the novel, the country is
Reviewed by Ian Lipke When we write about London society in the early eighteenth century it is important to realise that owning land was the main form of wealth, and the wealthy had political power and influence. As the century opened, a rich gentry class developed with less power than the great landowners and nobility,
Reviewed by Antonella Townsend Just when I had made a firm commitment not to get another cookbook, along came Cook and Feast by Audra Morrice. Now, I had no prior knowledge of Ms Morrice, but I can say, without a doubt, that I will be following her work in future. This beautiful hardback book (190
Reviewed by Rod McLary The sub-title of this book by Luke Williams is East West Sex Death which offers the reader a good indication of what is inside the book. And what is inside is a fascinating and intriguing story of one man’s search for some sense of purpose to his life. While that may
Reviewed by Norrie Sanders What would you make of a club that is exclusively male, meets in a common tavern, shuns a supporter for marrying a Catholic, and admits adulterers, pornographers, infidels and scoundrels? Many would predict few members and a short life. The former is true but certainly not the latter. This particular club
Reviewed by Antonella Townsend Let’s face it, with the title, My Unicorn Farts Glitter, this big pink, glittery book is assured of success. Among many others, grandparents will buy it to delight grandchildren with added bonus of annoying fussy parents. There is little point in asking young children what they think about it – they
Reviewed by Antonella Townsend I love young adult novels. And, yes, I am a tad (decades) outside the demographic. A diverse range of characters carrying an ethical and compassionate message has populated the ones I have read to date. Most refreshing in this time of global discontent! Monuments by Will Kostakis is no exception. Loaded
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke There was only one permanent resident on Wolfe Island until a storm brought with it a skiff with a girl at the tiller, two young men and a dark-haired child. ‘You,’ I said to the big girl. ‘Yes,’ she said. ‘Kitty Hawke, right?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘Then you’re my
Reviewed by Ian Lipke It is affirming to open the mail and find a book by a novelist who really knows how to create a piece of art out of his writing. I had never read any of Kerr’s work until now when I had the pleasure of reading The Partisan Heart. A reader’s decision
Reviewed by Rod McLary Short stories are a challenge to write and to read. The ‘rules’ regarding novels do not always apply – the dictionary definition of a short story is ‘an invented prose narrative shorter than a novel usually dealing with a few characters and aiming at unity of effect and often concentrating on
Reviewed by Rod McLary Robert Macklin is the author of 29 books – a number of which address the history of Australia. In his most recent book – Castaway – he has written a critical examination of the ‘Frontier Wars’ which took place in the 19th century between the advancing European settlers and the Aboriginal
Reviewed by Gerald Healy A great collection of letters from a diverse group of Australians to their dads. In the vast majority of cases these are positive tributes to the man who inspired and nurtured them while growing up. In some cases, these dads have provided the role model for their own parenting attempts. The
Reviewed by E.B.Heath Pamela M Lombard, banking executive, For charging fees upon the dead, Shall be exhumed before her time And her head garlanded with worms. Adjudged Philip Dean Griffith Review 65: Crimes and Punishments features multi-faceted issues of crime and changing ideas of justice. The diverse contributions of essay, memoir, reportage, poetry and fiction,
Reviewed by Ian Lipke Speaking of politicians in the pubs of Australia is not really a very good idea. Australians in general don’t venture approving opinions about our elected representatives. But speak of Don Dunstan and some will praise and others cringe. Australians are uncomfortable with the existence of gays and lesbians (the pub crowd
Reviewed by Rod McLary Most of us – at some time in our lives – would have received what was known as a ‘chain letter’. They were letters which, if you did not follow the instructions in the letter, threatened to cause some harm – often just described as ‘bad luck’ or ‘misfortune’. Some chain