Reviewed by Wendy Lipke As expected from the title Brilliant maps, Ian Wright has compiled a book of maps, but if you want to find the usual information found in an atlas then this is not the book for you.  This publication, I believe, is more suited as a coffee table book in a home

Reviewed by Clare Brook The CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, is renowned for its practical application of science within society and industry.  The burgeoning weight problem within Australian communities, and the dangers of the ensuing ‘fad’ diets, inspired rigorous research and clinical trials on low-carb eating.  This resulted in the first CSIRO Low-Carb Diet, published in 2017,

Reviewed by Antonella Townsend It’s hard to believe that farts are on-trend!  Well, in children’s books anyway.  I like to keep up with children’s literature; No One Likes a Fart is the second ‘fart’ book I’ve read this year.  The first was a pink and glitter affair regarding unicorns and younger brothers, (My Unicorn Farts

Reviewed by Ian Lipke Penny Wong has always been one of the more interesting politicians in the Australian Federal Government. She appears to be a consummate practitioner of her chosen path, holds a very responsible position in the Parliament and can demonstrate an overwhelming intelligence in demolishing her opposition. But what is she really like?

Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve Act of Grace is a brilliant novel, where the characters’ stories intertwine with breath-taking ease, but without relying heavily on coincidence. In one case, Toohey goes into a little café where Nasim is working. She is the mother of the baby he unintentionally shot dead in Iraq. Considering the numerous cafés

Reviewed by Ian Lipke Walter Scheidel’s Escape from Rome is one of those books that should be measured by the kilogram rather than the number of pages were it not for the academic brilliance of his arguments, his central thesis and the support he provides to affirm his bizarre thesis. Bizarre was the view I

Reviewed by Ian Lipke For an opener to the day I was served a treat, care of an early courier and author Frances Whiting. The Best Kind of Beautiful is the story of a young woman who prefers ‘loner’ status and a man who has a very busy social life. The attraction between them lies

Reviewed by Angela Marie “I believe that a person can become possessed by someone else – at least in part. That one life can slip inside another, giving it shape. . It was how I could anticipate what she would do before she did it, because I believed I understood how she thought, and the

Reviewed by Wendy Lipke It has been said that Di Morrissey is one of the most successful Australian authors. She now has over 25 best-selling novels and five children’s books to her credit.  Each spring, she produces a novel which hits the stores in time for Christmas. Over the past ten years her books have

Reviewed by Ian Lipke The tome that arrived on my desk was very attractively presented in hard cover and, in combination with its muted tones, breathed academia. It was meant to tell all who came in contact that it was not a frivolous document and would be treated on its own terms. Affixed to the

Reviewed by Ian Lipke I’m pretty sure that Michael Connelly has never written a book that has failed the stringent standards he sets. If he has, it has never passed through the publisher’s gate. I remember The Poet and Trunk Music from many years ago. I suspect the good writers are those who have found

Reviewed by Angela Marie What do Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Shirley Henderson, John Hurt, James Corden, Tom Wilkinson and Rob Brydon have in common? Yes, they are all actors and this prominent cast voice the characters of the wonderful The Gruffalo’s Child film which first aired Christmas Day, 2011. This is the star-pulling power of

Reviewed by E.B. Heath Once again Christmas is looming expensively on the horizon, so it is a real advantage to know about the latest beautiful books on offer.  Consider the Platypus by Maggie Ryan Sandford, illustrations by Rodica Prato, is definitely a candidate.  Within the pages of this large dignified hardback, Sandford details, in a

Reviewed by Ian Lipke Terry Eagleton published How to Read Literature in 2013 in the United States and 2014 in Australia…and I missed it. It was only in recent weeks that I managed to lay hands on a copy. It was worth the wait. Eagleton examines literature with the mind-set of a lawyer. He pays

Reviewed by Gerard Healy In this, the 26th installment of the DCI Banks series, author Peter Robinson displays his usual deft touch with the police procedural. The novel has two stories, seemingly unrelated, running side by side. In the main one, Detective Superintendent Alan Banks and his team are trying to solve a murder in