Reviewed by Donald Lawie November 2016 marks one hundred years since the last shot was fired in the Battle of the Somme which commenced on 1 July 1916. Fought in the vicinity of the Somme River in northern France, the battle was an attempt by the British and French armies to defeat the forces of

Reviewed by Terrie Ferman Richard Glover will be familiar to readers of the weekend edition of The Sydney Morning Herald where he writes about any number of fairly ordinary issues. The tone of that column is light hearted and often insightful. He writes with similar insight in his memoir Flesh Wounds.  In an otherwise engaging

Reviewed by Jill   Bryan Fry’s fascination with the reptile world began early in life.  A supportive family did not try to dissuade him.  Fortunately he learnt caution early on, because this was to be his career and lifelong passion.  He achieved many firsts, both species capture and the unravelling of the puzzle that is

Reviewed by Jill Blood, dreams and gold : the changing face of Burma  is a study of contemporary Burma.  Author Richard Cockett has studied and monitored Burma over many years.  He combines historical research, interviews and his own observations to present a lucid, intriguing and sometimes awful account of the events and policies that its

Reviewed by Ian Lipke Jessica Whitman’s vivid imagination is never better shown than in her novel Wild One, where her leading characters are larger than life and her others are undeveloped, probably with the intention of allowing a sharper focus on the leads. The story is implausible but it would be an insensitive reader who

Reviewed by Sue Bond In the summer of 2004 I set out to investigate someone I scarcely knew, my father. The project began with a grievance, the grievance of a daughter whose parent had absconded from her life. I was in pursuit of a scofflaw, an artful dodger who had skipped out on so many

Reviewed by Elizabeth Emanuel It was with enormous excitement that I went to claim my review copy of the Australian Fish & Seafood Cookbook described as “the ultimate kitchen companion” by its authors, a formidable quartet of knowledgeable sea foodies. Award-winning providore John Susman, director of seafood supplier Fishtales, recognised that most of us have

Reviewed by Ian Lipke Serious critics don’t usually bother romance writing. It leaves us alone too. A lavishly illustrated cover and an intriguing blurb introducing a story about a tin of chocolates were not enough to set my spirit soaring as I flipped through Fiona McIntosh’s book. But then I discovered I was reading longer