Reviewed by Rod McLary “Exegesis’, or the critical interpretation of a religious text, has an extensive history dating back to 100 BCE. It includes an investigation into the history and origins of the text and may also include the study of the historical and cultural background of the author and the text. In Christian terms,
Reviewed by Ian Lipke It’s comforting to know that a reader can still find an honest, well-written, enjoyable thriller of the likes that Scott Westerfield writes. His new book is just that. It’s intended for Young Adult reading and fits that niche market quite neatly. It is the story of two sisters. Rafia is brought
Reviewed by Norrie Sanders Exodus was Leon Uris’ influential novel about the birth of Israel, commemorating the extraordinary events which created a homeland for Jews after the Second World War. It was a story of hope following the horrors of Hitler’s holocaust. But another exodus took place at that time that has not been commemorated.
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke Charles Frazier, in his new novel Varina, takes the reader back to the American Civil War years in America, just as he did in Cold Mountain, a very well-known novel of the recent past. The novel switches from the early 20th Century back to the 1840s quite seamlessly as we journey
Reviewed by Pauline Seath All the Burning Bridges, written by veteran Australian actor Steve Bisley, is a sequel to his highly acclaimed first book Stillways, a memoir published in 2013, and nominated for several literary awards. Steve, a born storyteller, grew up in Lake Munmorah, near Newcastle NSW. Stillways tells of his childhood, candidly, sometimes
Reviewed by Rod McLary With a nod to Frederich Nietszche, Rowan Hooper’s book is – in his own words – ‘a book about what it feels like to be exceptional and what it takes to get there’. Structured in three parts – Thinking, Doing and Being – the book explores the diversity of humans and
Reviewed by Rod McLary Behrouz Boochani is a Kurdish journalist who has been held in the Manus Island offshore processing centre since 2013. This book is a first-hand account of his experiences in the centre. It has an immediacy which, in no small way, was created by the process by which it was written. Boochani
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke The Botanist’s Daughter by Kayte Nunn came about as the result of the author’s belief that ‘stories circulate in the ether and if you are receptive, they will tap you on the shoulder and start to whisper in your ear’. (http://kaytenunn.com) On a visit to Sydney’s Royal Botanic Gardens the author
Reviewed by Ian Lipke Perhaps it is my bourgeois roots that find the lush splendour of Napoleon Bonaparte’s imperial household somewhat sickening. That some way to compensate for the ruin that was France after the long years of revolution had to be found, cannot be denied, but viewing the ostentatious luxury within which one small
Reviewed by Ian Lipke We read these days of Big History, a study of the universe from a split-second after the Big Bang to the demise of the last Black Hole. That was a long, long time interval. In a different context we can view another long interval though measured on a different scale. The
Reviewed by Ian Lipke This book is described as “the sweeping new saga by…”. I can assure readers that it is definitely not a saga, not even a narrow one let alone a sweeping one. But of course Barbara Hannay’s readers and the author herself realise that. It’s all part of the games we play
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke Fiona Palmer has made a name for herself as a rural romance writer. She has written nine bestselling novels and an earlier book Secrets Between Friends was a Top 5 best seller in 2017. Her latest contribution Sisters and Brothers is not the usual type of romance. Set around Perth in
Reviewed by Dr Kathleen Huxley This novel is a work of fiction written by a new voice in English Literature, Claire North. This name is a pseudonym for British author Catherine Webb who published previous, successful and acclaimed novels, ‘The first Fifteen Lives of Harry August’ and ‘Touch’ under the same nom de plume. In
Reviewed by Rod McLary The sub-title of this book is ‘The Inside Story of Putin’s War on America and the Election of Donald Trump’ which is perhaps a slightly sensationalised indication of what the book is about. Russian Roulette sets out to expose what the authors call ‘political skulduggery unprecedented in American history’. It charts
Reviewed by Norrie Sanders The Indian subcontinent has been ploughing its way into Asia for the last 40 million years and has delivered the highest mountain range on earth. The eastern extremity of this mighty arc of rock shelters the tiny Indian state of Nagaland. For perhaps a millennium, the Naga people have lived astride