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,
Qld Literary Awards 2024 The shortlists for the 2024 Queensland Literary Awards have been announced. Two of the shortlists appear below. Queensland Premier’s Award for a Work of State Significance ($30,000) Borderland (Graham Akhurst, UWA Publishing) Fat Girl Dancing (Kris Kneen, Text) Edenglassie (Melissa Lucashenko, UQP) Poof (J M Tolcher, James Tolcher) Personal Score: Sport, culture, identity (Ellen van
Reviewed by Rod McLary I have read and reviewed each of J. P. Pomare’s six previous novels beginning with his debut Call Me Evie in 2018; and now his seventh novel has been published. A number of the author’s books has won awards including the Ngaio Marsh Award for Best First Novel for Call Me
Reviewed by Rod McLary This book has an interesting history. It began its life as an audiobook published in 2022 and was a #1 best seller; it is now published in print for the first time. The author – Gabriel Bergmoser – has established a reputation for tense and tight thrillers as he demonstrated successfully
Reviewed by Rod McLary Kathy Reichs has now written twenty-three novels featuring forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan. Aficionados of the Brennan novels would be very familiar with Temperance, her daughter Katy and her long-standing lover Andrew Ryan Lieutentant-détective, Section de Crimes contra la Personne, Súreté du Québec. Retraité [or retired]. It is a pleasure to again
Reviewed by Richard Tutin It has been said that the mystique of flying disappeared years ago yet there is still the thought, as we take our seats for a flight to somewhere, that vestiges of it still exist. Captain Jeremy Burfoot, a pilot of more than thirty-five years’ experience, lays bare some of that ongoing
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke When reading this latest book by Fiona McArthur, I was reminded of segments from Macca’s Sunday programs and his book, Why I Live Where I Live: Australia All Over by Ian McNamara. Back to Birdsville certainly shows how this isolated location in outback Queensland, where the state abuts both the Northern
Reviewed by Rod McLary Serial killers are not common in Australia with the exception of two infamous examples who won’t be named here. So when crimes of this nature occur, perhaps more attention is given to them than would be in [say] the United States. The heinous crimes affect many people – the friends and
Shortlists for the 2024 Davitt Awards Sisters in Crime has announced the shortlists for the 2024 Davitt Awards for the best crime books by Australian women. The shortlisted titles in each category are: Adult novels The Chasm (Bronwyn Hall, HQ Fiction) The Tea Ladies (Amanda Hampson, Penguin) The Half Brother (Christine Keighery, Ultimo) Prima Facie (Suzie Miller, Picador) Exquisite Corpse (Marija Peričić, Ultimo) The Fall
Reviewed by Richard Tutin When Australian radio was in its “Golden Age” during the 1940s and 50s, one of the mainstays of programming were drama plays and serials. People gathered around the sets of the day to listen to their favourite shows. They were keen to find out more about the fortunes of their favourite
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke As the title of the book suggests, this story is about Giacomo Puccini, the Italian composer known primarily for his operas. Broadly based on actual people and events, it imagines the composer’s life around the time of his creating the opera Madama Butterfly early in the 20th Century. However, the first