Reviewed by Ian Lipke Undoubtedly one of the most exciting books released this year with perhaps the most atrocious cover of the year. Buy the book and you’ll see what I mean about both contents and cover. Following the successful streaming by Macquarie University of a Big History on Coursera it was inevitable that the
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke It is not often that the main character around which the story revolves is a nonagenarian but this is the case in Helene Young’s seventh novel Return to Roseglen. Ivy Dunmore lives at Roseglen, a cattle property west of the Atherton Tableland, but doesn’t know how long she can cope on
Reviewed by Ian Lipke Enjoying Retirement is the distillation of the thoughts of a genuine, highly qualified professional whose writing in the present instance demonstrates his commitment to the welfare of retirees. Michael Longhurst was a consultant psychologist before retirement who has based this particular book on his research with a sample of 200 retirees.
Reviewed by Ian Lipke The Mystery of Sleep is one of those books that the reader comes back to time and again to discover something new and enriching. It is a book that for most folk never becomes boring, but retains its freshness at each reading. Written by one of the leading lights in understanding
Reviewed by Rod McLary Short stories have a long history in the world of literature – in fact, they pre-date the novel. As the novelist William Boyd – himself no mean short story writer – has said ‘short stories seem to answer something very deep in our nature as if … something special has been
Reviewed by Dr Kathleen Huxley Note to Readers: When this book was reviewed it was taken at face value (as is any other book). We in no way support any unethical disclosure that has recently been associated with this work. The name …… that appears in the review is not known to us and is
Reviewed by Ian Lipke Unfamiliar with the writings of Harold J Cook before I picked up The Young Descartes I had no preconceptions about what I would soon read. Cook’s mountain metaphor captured my attention as it explains the strategies for determining the events in the life of the young Descartes. Much remains unresearched and,
Rise with the Dawn (Book 4 of the Red Queen Series) Reviewed by Ian Lipke Victoria Aveyard must be feeling very pleased with her efforts of the past few years…if she’s not, I urge her to check her bank account. She should be pleased, not because of anything to do with cash reserves (that was
Reviewed by Rod McLary Set in 1806 – a mere 18 years after the First Fleet landed in Botany Bay – this novel chronicles the activities of Martin Sparrow and a rag-tag collection of convicts, farmers, constables, prostitutes and hunters. Martin holds leased farmland near the lower reaches of the Hawkesbury River. He is heavily
Reviewed by Ian Lipke Readers of the Stephen King novels will love this classic tale. Baseball coach Terry Maitland stands accused of a particularly vicious rape and murder of a young boy. Arrested in front of a crowd watching a baseball game, the town turns on the popular family man when the evidence against him
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke In 2008, young researcher Joelle Gergis was contacted by the University of Melbourne to reconstruct Australia’s climate history for as much of the last 1000 years as possible. To help achieve this goal the South East Recent Climate History (SEARCH) project was born and funded in 2009. In 2014 the work
Reviewed by Ian Lipke In this book Wilbur Smith provides his readers with an insight into his own birth as a writer and the genesis of many of his tales that have thrilled so many people over many years. There has always been a swashbuckling tone to Smith’s books. For this he has been heavily
Reviewed by Ian Lipke I have not had the pleasure of reading any of Roy Gould’s work before Universe in Creation and I will have to take steps to rectify that situation. Gould writes the deepest scientific thoughts with the ease of a skilled raconteur. He is never boring, always interesting, seemingly unconcerned or unaware
Reviewed by Angela Marie Ziggy played guitar. And then he stopped. And the music world bowed its collective head in grief and shock. A bright and shining star extinguished. The royal chameleon of rock transformed and taken away too soon. His creative spark still exploding in Black Star, his final offering. It is not the
Reviewed by Norrie Sanders What makes a hero? Ralph Waldo Emerson thought that “A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is brave five minutes longer.” Tom Hanks once played the role of an ordinary man who fought behind German lines during the liberation of France: “A hero is somebody who voluntarily