Reviewed by Rod McLary Melodrome is the third title in the Giramondo’s Southern Latitude series. The purpose of the series is to bring to the attention of Australian readers books authored by writers from elsewhere in the Southern Hemisphere. One such writer is Marcelo Cohen who is an award-winning Argentinian writer. Melodrome is his 14th
Reviewed by Ian Lipke In this current volume David Baldacci introduces a new character in the form of Atlee Pine, an FBI agent responsible for a geographic area that includes the Grand Canyon in Arizona. Pine’s twin sister Mercy disappeared on the night that a monstrous human being snatched her from her bed. She was
Reviewed by Antonella Townsend This zany book is so much fun, I was smiling from the beginning and laughing out loud from the middle, as were my little companion reviewers. The text is written by Andy and illustrated by Terry’s hilarious cartoon drawings. On the bottom of every page is a joke. This was a
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke The ideas for this novel were born when the author, Chris Hammer, was doing research for the non-fiction book, The River, during the height of the millennium drought in Australia in 2008-09. The author’s working life was that of a journalist covering Australian federal politics and international affairs, reporting from more
With December looming an awkward question raises its expensive head – what appropriate gifts can be made to the children dotted throughout the family? Given that commercial toys often end up in the bin by Easter it is hard to make good sustainable choices. And so the hunt begins. Responsible gift givers can relax! Thanks
Reviewed by Ian Lipke It is not often that the Louvre Museum in Paris publishes a collection of their holdings in book form. We need to go back to 1972 when Genevieve Monnier compiled a catalogue of pastel works to thus make it possible to assess the diversity and importance of the Collection. Her catalogue
Reviewed by Antonella Townsend There might be a case for thinking dogs are blessed with an emotional intelligence that exceeds their beloved humans. At the very least they are a great source of comfort to those who share their lives. So it behoves the human race to spend some effort in understanding their devoted companions.
Reviewed by Clare Brook If ever there was a book that was fated to be an award winning film Natasha Lester’s The Paris Seamstress is it. Set in Paris and New York it has romance, mystery and intrigue. The protagonists are struggling to claim their place in the glamorous fashion industry of the time, but
Reviewed by Ian Lipke A reviewer’s task is to ascertain the author’s purpose in writing a book and to make an informed decision about the extent to which the writer has been successful. This is particularly important in the case of Tjanera Goreng Goreng’s memoir A Long Way from Go Go. The author holds a
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke Nicholas Sparks is a wonderful story teller and the presentation of the words on the page makes his stories even more readable. Breaking the text up into readable paragraphs and the extensive use of dialogue to provide the reader with much needed information about the protagonists makes the reading a pleasurable
Reviewed by Pauline Seath Two sisters. One baby. An impossible choice. This is a story of the consequences of drug addiction, and unconditional sibling love. Although this book opens with a desperate phone call to her older sister, this story is about the younger sister Annie and what has brought her to the situation she
Logan identifies the job of the poetry critic as one of contextualising, i.e. as far as he is able, to place the poem into the environment in which it was created. A writer of poetry does not necessarily consider how readers in years to come may interpret his words, but that does not negate the
Reviewed by Norrie Sanders At the age of fourteen, Jade Hameister hatched a simple plan: to ski to the north and south poles and across Greenland. In these days of bucket lists and helicopters, it all sounds simple. But Australian schoolgirl Jade set the bar pretty high. Each trip was to be unsupported and unassisted
Reviewed by E.B. Heath Poetry is the art of calling the same things by different names. Mathematics is the art of calling different things by the same name. Henri Poincaré Eddie Woo was recently named Australia’s Local Hero of the Year, and is one of the top ten teachers in the world. Woo’s unique teaching
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke The Honey Badger guide to Life by Nick Cummins, as the title, cover and author suggest, is a blokey book, so why did I, a female septuagenarian decide to see what this book was all about? I suppose it was the cover which on the front sports a formally attired Cummins