Reviewed by Wendy Lipke We’re Going on a Treasure Hunt is a hard-paged square children’s book by Martha Mumford and illustrated by Laura Hughes. There is much about this book that would engage young readers. The illustrations are colourful and humorous as they depict the adventures of four bunnies in their search to find
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke Laura Elvery has been the recipient of awards for her short stories and was given a Varuna Residential Fellowship to write this novel. Throughout the work there is evidence of thorough research but because so much is already known about the famous “Lady of the Lamp”, Florence Nightingale, a new angle
Reviewed by E B Heath Something that hurts one of us, hurts all of us. Jahan Kalantar Talk Your Way Out of Trouble – a memoir of Jahan Kalantar’s professional life as a barrister and lawyer. In the Prologue readers will learn about the inner workings of ‘the eye’ – it’s a lawyer-y thing. Apart
Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve The much loved Swedish author, Fredrik Backman’s latest novel, My Friends, has all the characteristics of his style which combines warmth, charm, and humour mingled with sadness and wisdom. It presents a powerful illustration of the value of friendship and art which takes the form of the tale of four childhood
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke As the name suggests this story is set in the world of higher education and universities. Sadie Shaw and Jonah Fisher had both embarked on careers in the field of literature. They had gone on to higher degrees and eventually taken temporary teaching jobs at universities in this field. Both had
Reviewed by E. B. Heath The history of human relationships with dogs, has been less than ideal. There are sections of this book that are hard to read. But it ends well. Most societies are beginning to adopt an empathetic approach to all of nature, including our most valuable of companions, the dog. Although, this
Reviewed by Ian Lipke When an author begins a book with a very provocative statement as this writer does with Whisky Valley, s/he needs to be clear that her book is a companion piece, and that the second will continue with the same level of charge as the first. Sauers’s first novel, called Echo Lake,
Reviewed by Ian Hamilton One imagines that the work of historians has at least two dimensions: the first dimension being to understand past events, including their causality (if that can be determined or surmised) and significance. The second dimension is to examine how that past has influenced – even shaped – our present world and
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke Set in the north island of New Zealand, Jennifer Trevelyan’s novel, A Beautiful Family, with the accompanying words ‘The summer that changed everything’, is all about relationships within the family unit and the outside ones that impact on it. What made this book unusual for me was that the story is
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke This hard covered 290 x 230 mm 44-page book has been created by Eleri Harris, award winning cartoonist, journalist, editor and feminist and history tour guide. Her non-fictional comics have found their way across the world. Created as a children’s book, it highlights issues such as inclusivity, equality and accessibility. To
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke Earth Speak is the first book by Sean McCann who lives on Noongar lands in Perth. He is a small business owner, a rope access technician and a rigger. This book is illustrated by Gamilaroi woman, Jade Goodwin. With her commitment to showcasing a range of perspectives through her illustrations, she
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke In children’s picture books like this, often the pictures take centre stage with the text stating what the illustrations show. I don’t believe that is the situation in Sofie Laguna’s publication, The Last Egg. The water-coloured illustrations by Jess Racklyeft are beautifully presented and support the story rather than dominate it.
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke Rachel Morton is the author of the book with a most unusual title, The Sun Was Electric Light. This is her first novel, and it won the 2024 Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for an Unpublished Manuscript. It was also the winner of the 2025 UQP Quentin Bryce Award. This latest award
Reviewed by Rod McLary Juliet [Romeo and Juliet] famously asked ‘what’s in a name?’ and answered herself by saying ‘a rose by any other name would smell as sweet’. But the premise of Florence Knapp’s debut novel is that a person’s name will shape the direction of his/her life and this is subsequently explored through
Reviewed by Richard Tutin Black Inc’s latest title in the “Shortest History” series heads for France and its fascinating story. Colin Jones, who has authored several titles on different aspects of French history, has been given the brief to bring this survey to life while at the same time keeping it within the framework as