Reviewed by E.B. Heath Roger Rogerson once described as: a talented and capable detective, a natural leader and communicator, good father, helpful neighbour, mesmerizingly charming, and an all round good bloke. Duncan McNab’s latest book, Roger Rogerson, presents Rogerson as an ego driven, corrupt and greedy detective, a murderer – an all round evil man.
Reviewed by Rod McLary The sub-title of this book immediately provides two clues to its subject. The year is the last year of World War I and ‘daring men’ suggests courage and risk-taking. This book offers a radical reappraisal of the Australian infantrymen and challenges the ‘historical neglect’ they have experienced since the great War
Reviewed by Amy Welsh The title of Jean-François Mallet’s wonderful new cookbook, Simplissime Light – The Easiest Cookbook in the World, does not lie; it is perhaps the clearest, most user-friendly, cookbook currently available. The graphic layout of Simplissime Light makes every aspect of the contents abundantly clear at a glance. Each recipe is clearly
Reviewed by Dr Kathleen Huxley Anne de Courcy is a best-selling writer, journalist and book reviewer who has received critical acclaim for her works depicting the rich social history of past eras. Her well-received, serialised for TV, biographies discuss the impact of prevailing financial and social conditions, contemporary attitudes and moral codes on her subjects’
Reviewed by Clare Brook In his latest novel, Whipbird, Robert Drewe has created a satirical portrait of Australia through the lives and circumstances of the Cleary Clan. The Clearys are gathered at Hugh Cleary’s vineyard outside Ballarat, to celebrate the 160th anniversary of Conor Cleary’s arrival, from Ireland, to the shores of Australia in 1854.
Reviewed by Clare Brook Yoga is learning to come back to yourself. It’s finding your limits, expanding your boundaries and being able to truly relax into who you are. The introduction to The Classic Yoga Bible, by Christina Brown, gives an explanation of yoga, and its intended benefits. Often, yoga is misrepresented as only a set of
Reviewed by Ian Lipke Nice one, Sarah Holland. A fantasy novel aimed at younger teenagers with enough deadly intent, magic, and romance to suit both girls and boys. The story is open-ended, allowing for at least one more volume. Minnesota born and bred, Sara Holland grew up in a small town where reading was a
Reviewed by Ian Lipke Jim Weatherall has taken possibly the most arid word in use on the planet and written a book that is scientifically precise, rich in history and cultural endeavour, and at all times, engaging. That word is nothing. Take all your molecules, atoms, electrons, quarks and gluons – such old hat science
Reviewed by Rod McLary The epigraph to The Secret Life is from a poem by Paul Éluard, a French surrealist poet of the 20th century: ‘There is another world, but it is in this one’. This brief quote captures the essence of Andrew O’Hagan’s three essays in The Secret Life in which he explores ‘the
Reviewed by Gretchen Winters Krista Tippett’s latest book is a wonderful testimony to her views on religion and personal growth. Tippett is a Peabody Award-winning broadcaster and New York Times best- selling author. In 2014, she received the National Humanities Medal from President Obama at the White House for “thoughtfully delving into the mysteries of
Reviewed by Ian Lipke Ask an Australian to identify the most famous Australian classical music conductor since 1788 and I’ll be astounded if anyone can do so. Drop the hint that he came from a farm in Tasmania and that he died offering support for AIDS sufferers like himself…prepare to agree that Australians in general
Reviewed by Ian Lipke Was there ever a time when Margaret Pomeranz and David Stratton were not on our screens? It doesn’t really matter because this pair of bickering intellectuals have been entertainers for years unnumbered, and solved the secret of success without really knowing they were seeking it. Wakefield Press has produced a booklet
Reviewed by Ian Lipke Stephen King and his son Owen dissolve their talents in a mish-mash of uninteresting characters and long-winded descriptions that address the issue of a world without women. What if all around the world women become shrouded in a cocoon-like gauze and turned feral if awakened? When the Kings wrote this clanger,
Reviewed by Ian Lipke Sandy is a fifteen year old boy who has grown to adolescence in one of the driest parts of Australia, the mallee country. Eighteen year old Red is Sandy’s brother. Both boys have been part of a nuclear family until the day the boys’ mother was killed in a vehicular accident.
Reviewed by Ian Lipke A review by Neville Taylor in http://www.rusivic.org.au/hero-or-deserter (Aug 2017) sets the scene of General Gordon Bennett’s world in the turmoil of 1942 Malaysia. In circumstances that no divisional commander would wish upon himself, Bennett was faced with having one of his three infantry brigades being split and moved to West Timor