Reviewed by Ian Lipke People remain fascinated by a spinster with no apparent redeeming qualities who failed to fit in with her society’s Number One requirement of any woman of the time viz that she find herself a husband. She compounded her objectionability with her preference for reading and walking, and became the cynosure of
Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve The unusual title, Good Dogs Don’t Make it to the South Pole, might be considered a statement of the shortcoming of being a good dog. Reading this book, one realises that, in fact, a good dog is most fortunate in not attempting a polar expedition, especially if it shared the fate
Reviewed by Rod McLary Towards the end of this book about gender and queerness, two of the characters have the following brief conversation – Do you know about gender euphoria? Is it just like, good feelings? About gender? It’s like … the opposite of dysphoria. [201] Dysphoria is defined as ‘a state of unease with
Reviewed by Rod McLary The God Game presents an interesting spin on the thriller genre – it is called a science-fiction thriller where the ‘enemy’ is a VR [virtual reality] computer game which has distilled ‘every religious text known to man’ to create GOD. Enticed by Peter – ‘smart, handsome, charming … both rich and
Reviewed by Norrie Sanders What a tale this is. William Buckley was a towering giant of a man. After being wounded in the Napoleonic wars, he fell on hard times and was transported to Australia for petty theft. Sailing into Port Phillip in 1803 as a convict dragged into the British government’s half-hearted attempt to
Reviewed by Norrie Sanders The Great Recession of 2007 – the one that Australians call the GFC – was a boon to economists. Book sales boomed as the very economists who had failed to predict the crash, tried to convince us that they knew why it occurred. If only those same economists could have predicted
Reviewed by Ian Lipke Heroes in literature, flawed though their personalities might be, usually follow a personal honour code. They are most often the main character of a literary work who, eschewing or disregarding injury or death, combat adversity through feats of human courage or the application of intellectual reasoning. These are sufficient to bring
Reviewed by E. B. Heath ‘Hawke was a vivid fellow; and entertaining by his very nature’. Tom Keneally Remembering Bob, edited by his eldest daughter, Sue Pieters-Hawke, is a compilation of one hundred and thirty-eight eulogies of praise for Australia’s 23rd Prime Minister. Reading it was akin to attending a long memorial service, while wondering,
Reviewed by Antonella Townsend It is a shame that a book such as Respect: Consent, Boundaries and Being in Charge of YOU needs to be written. But it is clear that it does! Teaching children that they can take charge of their bodies, and, if need be, over-rule adult behaviour, is a heavy subject. But
Reviewed by Rod McLary QualityLand was a best seller when it was first published in Germany in 2016. It has now been translated from the German to English and is to be published around the world. The story is set sometime in the near future in a world which is largely run by robots and
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke This is the second historical fiction novel by Martha Hall Kelly inspired by the life of World War heroines. Her earlier book, Lilac Girls, published in April 2016, became an international bestseller. It introduced readers to the real-life heroine Caroline Ferriday, from the famous Woolsey family of New York City who were
Reviewed by Antonella Townsend At its simplest, the act of cooking is an act of love; an act of indulging those you love with something delicious. The above is a quote from the introduction of Matt Preston’s latest cookbook – More, which is all about vegetables, nuts and grains. He promotes vegetarianism without the finger
Reviewed by E.B. Heath The title implies life and death, so unsurprisingly, Springtime: A Ghost Story, does not have the usual elements of the ghost narrative. No creepy houses, or deathly apparitions menacing from the shadows. Michelle de Kretser’s novella places the reader in the dazzling light of Sydney in the spring, teeming with energy,
Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve After so many years writing thrillers set in the Cold War era, in his 25th novel, Agent Running in the Field, the master has not lost his touch. From the beginning, this book is tense and gripping. His command of the language of spies, the protocols of MI6, is formidable and
Reviewed by Ian Lipke I had not heard of this artist until I attended an art history class at the University of the Third Age in Brisbane a couple of years ago. While weeks of studying the old masters had sharpened my analytic skills and broadened my knowledge of those things that make an artist