Reviewed by Wendy Lipke According to the promotional material provided, this book is the first comprehensive biography of the godfather of Australian bushranging – Frank Gardiner – leader of the Lachlan gang and mastermind of the largest gold heist in Australian history. The author, Ian W. Shaw, has published over a dozen books. He believes
Reviewed by Gail McDonald This book, The Brightest Christmas Star, is the first book by Laura Motherway and what a great story for families with children living in warmer climates during Christmas – a story that they will be able to relate to. The children will be able to see themselves on the beach, in
Reviewed by Gail McDonald Every single minute of every single day a child somewhere loses a tooth which is collected by the tooth fairy or tooth fairies – because there is more than just one. The book explains what is a tooth fairy. And what they eat and a very important question – what do
The Foundation for Australian Literary Studies (FALS) at James Cook University has announced the shortlist for the $50,000 Margaret and Colin Roderick Literary Award. The eight titles shortlisted for the 2024 award, chosen from 235 entries, are: Lola in the Mirror (Trent Dalton, Fourth Estate) Life As We Knew It: The extraordinary story of Australia’s pandemic (Aisha
The Australian Crime Writers Association has announced the 2024 Ned Kelly Awards shortlists. The shortlisted works in two of the categories are: Best crime fiction Killer Traitor Spy (Tim Ayliffe, S&S) Ripper (Shelley Burr, Hachette) Dark Corners (Megan Goldin, Michael Joseph) The Seven (Chris Hammer, A&U) The Tea Ladies (Amanda Hampson, Penguin) Darling Girls (Sally Hepworth, Macmillan) Dark Mode (Ashley Kalagian Blunt,
Creative Australia has announced the titles shortlisted for the 2024 Prime Minister’s Literary Awards. The shortlisted titles in the Fiction category are: Anam (André Dao, Hamish Hamilton) Restless Dolly Maunder (Kate Grenville, Text) Edenglassie (Melissa Lucashenko, UQP) The Carnal Fugues (Catherine McNamara, Puncher & Wattmann) Stone Yard Devotional (Charlotte Wood, A&U) The Prime Minister’s Literary Awards acknowledge the contribution of
Reviewed by Gail McDonald This is an interesting story about Plum who is a panda trying to find something that she is good at, just like her brothers. She tried tree climbing and, oh no, she fell out of the tree. She tried painting but ended up getting paint all over herself. And then one
Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve Lisa Kenway’s debut thriller is a worthy addition to the genre. She is an anaesthetist so has studied the brain, consciousness and memory as part of her qualification. Her depth of knowledge in this area gives a vivid authenticity to the behaviour of the chief character in her novel. Dr. Clare
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke This novel by Audrey Bellezza and Emily Harding is set in the Hamptons in the United States. This setting is important as it describes the changing face and expectations of people now flocking to this area especially for the holiday season. Though enjoying the benefits these new people bring, the locals
Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve Archeologists have unearthed ancient bone flutes, their exact age impossible to determine. Drums made with wood and skin, too, would have been played for millennia but their materials could not endure as have the primitive bone flutes. This is evidence that music in its many forms has been a part of
Reviewed by Norrie Sanders Any new book on how to be a leader enters a crowded space. There are reputed to be more than 50,000 books on Amazon alone, with “Leadership” in the title. In recent years, self-publishing has added substantial numbers and diversity to the topic. Former airline pilot, Chris Smith has taken
Reviewed by Rod McLary The Youngest Son tells the story of the three Leach siblings – John, Maureen and Bob [the titular youngest son] – and the lives they make for themselves. In a sprawling tale spanning fifteen years [1929 to 1944] and the Great Depression and a World War, the action takes place on
More Award News for 2024 The longlist for the 2024 Mark and Evette Moran Nib Literary Award, worth $40,000, has been announced. Included in the shortlists are – Crimes of the Cross: The Anglican paedophile network of Newcastle, its protectors and the man who fought for justice (Anne Manne, Black Inc.) Alice TM The Biggest Untold
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke Readers of books by Australian author Léonie Kelsall will already be familiar with the fictional town of Settlers Bridge and the businesses Ploughs and Pies and Tractors and Tarts. What they may not know is that her latest book, The Homestead in the Eucalypts, was in fact the first book set
Reviewed by Norrie Sanders Books about wetlands are usually the province of photographers or aquatic scientists and richly illustrated with plants, animals and landscapes that display a natural beauty. But what environmental historian Emily O’Gorman has written in her latest book demonstrates that many wetlands have been profoundly changed by people, and as a society,