Reviewed by Wendy Lipke The Botanist’s Daughter by Kayte Nunn came about as the result of the author’s belief that ‘stories circulate in the ether and if you are receptive, they will tap you on the shoulder and start to whisper in your ear’. (http://kaytenunn.com) On a visit to Sydney’s Royal Botanic Gardens the author
Reviewed by Ian Lipke Perhaps it is my bourgeois roots that find the lush splendour of Napoleon Bonaparte’s imperial household somewhat sickening. That some way to compensate for the ruin that was France after the long years of revolution had to be found, cannot be denied, but viewing the ostentatious luxury within which one small
Reviewed by Ian Lipke We read these days of Big History, a study of the universe from a split-second after the Big Bang to the demise of the last Black Hole. That was a long, long time interval. In a different context we can view another long interval though measured on a different scale. The
Reviewed by Ian Lipke This book is described as “the sweeping new saga by…”. I can assure readers that it is definitely not a saga, not even a narrow one let alone a sweeping one. But of course Barbara Hannay’s readers and the author herself realise that. It’s all part of the games we play
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke Fiona Palmer has made a name for herself as a rural romance writer. She has written nine bestselling novels and an earlier book Secrets Between Friends was a Top 5 best seller in 2017. Her latest contribution Sisters and Brothers is not the usual type of romance. Set around Perth in
Reviewed by Dr Kathleen Huxley This novel is a work of fiction written by a new voice in English Literature, Claire North. This name is a pseudonym for British author Catherine Webb who published previous, successful and acclaimed novels, ‘The first Fifteen Lives of Harry August’ and ‘Touch’ under the same nom de plume. In
Reviewed by Rod McLary The sub-title of this book is ‘The Inside Story of Putin’s War on America and the Election of Donald Trump’ which is perhaps a slightly sensationalised indication of what the book is about. Russian Roulette sets out to expose what the authors call ‘political skulduggery unprecedented in American history’. It charts
Reviewed by Norrie Sanders The Indian subcontinent has been ploughing its way into Asia for the last 40 million years and has delivered the highest mountain range on earth. The eastern extremity of this mighty arc of rock shelters the tiny Indian state of Nagaland. For perhaps a millennium, the Naga people have lived astride
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,