Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve With a penchant for excitement, action and change, mingled with kindness and goodwill, Napoleon Sunshine crams more incidents into this last stage of his life than many in their lifetime. He is determined to make the most of every minute. He astounds his family by suddenly announcing he is divorcing his

Reviewed by Ian Lipke Nora Roberts has been criticized on the grounds that her plots are recipe-driven and her characters stale and uninteresting. Yet this American grandmother has hundreds of thousands of fans who do not support that view. Not only has Roberts continued to churn out romances, a new one very six months or

Reviewed by Ian Lipke To say I have read the book does it no justice unless I tell something of the tragedies that immerse themselves in the very soul, and in the darkest moments, sprinkle bright sunshine in the pages. This is a book whose tentacles source every emotion. It’s a comforting book and a

Reviewed by Antonella Townsend Toby Tosspot, Pig Iron Bob, Black Jack, The Laird of Melbourne, Lying Rodent, Ming the Merciless, Eggwit, The Silver Bodgie, The Mad Monk, Dr. Death!    I love Australia!  Only here would Prime Ministers be given such irreverent epithets. Not Australian born, and woefully ignorant of its political history, I really appreciated

An interview by Rod McLary on behalf of the Queensland Reviewers Collective You are an Australian with a deep connection to western New South Wales and Queensland through your grandmother and your own early life in Roma.  You have described your grandmother as a ‘gentle teller of stories’.  Are both your books [The Woolgrower’s Companion

Reviewed by Rod McLary The title of this new book may well be a nod to Dorothea Mackellar’s ‘I love a sunburnt country’.  There is certainly much that the book and the poem share – not the least of which is both authors’ love of the western country.  But in the novel, the country is

Reviewed by Ian Lipke When we write about London society in the early eighteenth century it is important to realise that owning land was the main form of wealth, and the wealthy had political power and influence. As the century opened, a rich gentry class developed with less power than the great landowners and nobility,

Reviewed by Rod McLary The sub-title of this book by Luke Williams is East West Sex Death which offers the reader a good indication of what is inside the book.  And what is inside is a fascinating and intriguing story of one man’s search for some sense of purpose to his life.  While that may

Reviewed by Norrie Sanders What would you make of a club that is exclusively male, meets in a common tavern, shuns a supporter for marrying a Catholic, and admits adulterers, pornographers, infidels and scoundrels? Many would predict few members and a short life. The former is true but certainly not the latter. This particular club

Reviewed by Antonella Townsend Let’s face it, with the title, My Unicorn Farts Glitter, this big pink, glittery book is assured of success.  Among many others, grandparents will buy it to delight grandchildren with added bonus of annoying fussy parents.  There is little point in asking young children what they think about it – they

Reviewed by Antonella Townsend I love young adult novels.  And, yes, I am a tad (decades) outside the demographic.  A diverse range of characters carrying an ethical and compassionate message has populated the ones I have read to date.   Most refreshing in this time of global discontent!  Monuments by Will Kostakis is no exception. Loaded

Reviewed by Wendy Lipke There was only one permanent resident on Wolfe Island until a storm brought with it a skiff with a girl at the tiller, two young men and a dark-haired child.                 ‘You,’ I said to the big girl.                ‘Yes,’ she said. ‘Kitty Hawke, right?’                  ‘Yes.’                ‘Then you’re my

Reviewed by Ian Lipke It is affirming to open the mail and find a book by a novelist who really knows how to create a piece of art out of his writing. I had never read any of Kerr’s work until now when I had the pleasure of reading The Partisan Heart. A reader’s decision

Reviewed by Rod McLary Short stories are a challenge to write and to read.  The ‘rules’ regarding novels do not always apply – the dictionary definition of a short story is ‘an invented prose narrative shorter than a novel usually dealing with a few characters and aiming at unity of effect and often concentrating on