Reviewed by Norrie Sanders Prior to reading Mean Streak, if anyone had told me that 500 pages about the inner workings of the public service would be riveting reading, I would have laughed. Having read this book, I am not laughing. It is a mesmerising account of one of the most iniquitous government failures in
2024 Walkley Book Award Andrew Fowler has won the 2024 Walkley Book Award for Nuked: The Submarine Fiasco that Sank Australia’s Sovereignty (MUP). Walkley judges said: ‘Andrew Fowler’s razor-sharp analysis uses extensive research and interviews to explore the government’s diplomatic betrayals, alliances and failures, and reveals a complete lack of transparency in major decisions involving gigantic sums
Reviewed by Richard Tutin Australian Football (AFL) or Australian Rules as it has often been called is not as well known in Queensland as it is in the southern states particularly Victoria. The recent Grand Final win by the Brisbane Lions men’s team has though spurred many Queenslanders to look more seriously at the game.
Reviewed by Norrie Sanders China and Russia are two countries with very different trajectories. The former is a resurgent superpower, an economic miracle in just 40 years. By contrast, the once mighty Russian empire is now labelled a “regional power” and can only dream of reclaiming its “lost” territories. As a long time China watcher,
Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeves This hardback and weighty volume is an addition to the ever-increasing mountain of books, toys, even Lego that features the staggering success of the Potter phenomenon. The eight films of the much-loved books have been an unparalleled success, and it is the production values of the movies that made this such
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke The author of Marigold’s Magic Stars is Samantha Wills who is described as a multidisciplinary creative. She is a writer, creator, educator, speaker and feminist. She says of herself, “I’ve never done things the way you’re ‘meant’ to do them. That approach saw me get really terrible grades in high school
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke The story in this bright, square, hard covered children’s book follows four bunnies as they set off on a trip around Australia. They do this using various modes of transport. They arrive in Sydney in a sea plane then take a jeep to more outback areas before boarding a hot air
Penguin Literary Prize In 2017, Penguin Random House Australia established the Penguin Literary Prize to discover, nurture and develop literary fiction writers, providing a unique platform for new and diverse voices to emerge. Offering aspiring authors the chance to become a part of the Penguin Random House (PRH) community, the winner of the Penguin Literary
Award Winners In the UK, Rachel Cusk has won the £10,000 (A$19,605) Goldsmiths Prize for Parade (Faber), a novel that ‘offers an enigmatic and thought-provoking meditation on art, gender and the complexities of selfhood’, according to the prize organisers. Chosen for the prize from a shortlist of six, Parade is the fourth of Cusk’s novels to be nominated for the Goldsmiths
Author photograph by Fabio De Paola An Interview with Minette Walters – author of The Players – by the Queensland Reviewers Collective Queensland Reviewers Collective: In the historical fiction genre, there can be a tension between a novel’s historical authenticity and the fictional narrative. How does an author resolve that tension – to remain true to
Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve A significant factor that changed our pandemic-gripped lives was, for many lonely or perhaps childless people, the owning of a pet. The most popular was the dog because it, like its owner, needed to go out for daily exercise. Therefore, the leading ‘character’ in My Name is Gucci, a large spotted
Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve A combination of factors contributes to the excellence of a crime/mystery novel. Michael Connelly’s thirty-ninth is a splendid example of this in that The Waiting has a clever plot, convincing and authentic details, and a variety of Californian characters. Together they make this book one that a reader will find impossible
Reviewed by Rod McLary In February 1685, the Catholic James II succeeded his brother Charles II as King of England. A group of dissident Protestants attempted to depose James II and in his stead place Charles’ illegitimate son James Duke of Monmouth on the throne. This ill-considered rebellion ended with the defeat of the Duke
Reviewed by Norrie Sanders Nicole Arthur of the Washington Post once wrote that there are two types of people. “Those who have never heard of the Wiggles and those who know all the words to “Fruit Salad”. There’s a word for those in the latter group: parents” [p151]. For those of us who have reared
WINNER OF THE RICHEST INDIVIDUAL LITERARY PRIZE IN AUSTRALASIA ANNOUNCED The Historical Novel Society Australasia (HNSA) announced the winners of the ARA Historical Novel Prize 2024 at a celebratory event at NSW Parliament House on Wednesday, 23 October. Offering the richest individual literary prize in Australasia, with a prize pool of $150,000, the awards recognise