Reviewed by Clare Brook When it comes to extreme sports there are those who dare, and willing to die daring, such is their addiction to adrenalin, and those of us who are mesmerised by such audacious deeds. Of all the extreme sports there is none more spectacular than big-wave surfing. Witnessing someone ride down an
Reviewed by Rod McLary Trent Dalton is one of Australia’s favourite authors. His first novel Boy Swallows Universe was a huge success; and was followed by All Our Shimmering Skies. Both novels contain more than a touch of magic realism but are grounded by aggression and violence both implicit and explicit. No reader could easily
Reviewed by Rod McLary Chris Hammer is one of Australia’s finest crime writers. His first novel Scrublands won the prestigious UK Crime Writers Association John Creasy Award for a debut novel in 2019; and was shortlisted for other awards in Australia and the United States. This book The Seven is the third in a series
Reviewed by Norrie Sanders Any country whose first colonists were predominantly criminals should be an excellent breeding place for crime stories. Graham Seal’s latest compilation in his “Great” series is proof positive that Australia has sired generations of inventive felons for whom nothing is sacrosanct. The book commences with a chapter on crimes of the
Reviewed by Norrie Sanders Barbara Baird has published extensively on the history of abortion, and this book came about because: “..while I knew a lot about the law, the politics and how we think about the issue, I knew very little about the provision of abortion services” [p1]. She seems to be posing a question
Reviewed by Rod McLary This new novel by Aboriginal writer and academic from the Kokomini of northern Queensland Graham Akhurst is a genre-bending tour-de-force which is certain to fully engage the demographic [older teenagers] for whom it is written and many others as well. The central protagonist is Jonathan Lane [usually called Jono] who is
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke Nora Robert’s fans, especially those who follow her In Death series under the name of J. D. Robb will enjoy her latest story, Payback in Death. In this story, the well-known characters play their usual role in bringing the perpetrator to account. However, the characters who maintain the focus in this
Reviewed by Clare Brook Miss Kim Knows, a collection of eight short stories by Cho Nam-Joo, could be likened to a literary jig-saw. Each story offers a different perspective of female lived experience in South Korea, so in its entirety readers are given an impression of South Korean cultural life, at least for one gender.
Reviewed by Antonella Townsend The cover of Robert Skinner’s memoir depicts a Siamang Gibbon with a face more human than ape and giving the impression he had recently evolved from a Praying Mantis. This might account for the somewhat bemused expression – there was probably an identity crisis in progress. Together with the title, I’d
Reviewed by Richard Tutin Have you ever wondered, as you do your current DIY project, about how nails were made? The same question could be asked about screws and string that we often use but don’t think about how they came to be part of our arsenal to make things or do running repairs. Award
Reviewed by Richard Tutin Rugby League legend, the late Jack Gibson, possessed a large overcoat made of kangaroo fur. He wore it to many a football match and then it mysteriously disappeared, its whereabouts unknown. For the purposes of this book Glen Humphries has used the legend of the missing coat as a starter to
The shortlist for the 2023 Booker Prize has been announced. The six books shortlisted for the £50,000 (A$95,756) prize are: Study for Obedience (Sarah Bernstein, Granta) If I Survive You (Jonathan Escoffery, Fourth Estate) This Other Eden (Paul Harding, Hutchinson Heinemann) Prophet Song (Paul Lynch, Oneworld) Western Lane (Chetna Maroo, Picador) The Bee Sting (Paul Murray, Hamish Hamilton). The shortlist features
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke Deborah FitzGerald, senior journalist, editor and writer who had worked across major media organisations was asked by the Mackellar family to undertake the project of providing the first definitive biography of Australian poet and writer Dorothea Mackellar. This undertaking led to the author’s Doctor of Arts thesis and then this book.
Award Winners for 2023. Sisters in Crime Australia has announced the winners of the 2023 Davitt Awards for best crime books by Australian women. The winning title in the debut book category is Dirt Town (Hayley Scrivenor, Macmillan) * The Australian Crime Writers Association (ACWA) has announced the winners of the 2023 Ned Kelly Awards.
Reviewed by Rod McLary Set in West Java in 1941, Sunbirds is a tale of love and duty elegantly told by an author who was the winner of the 2020 Queensland Literary Prize and the ARA Historical Novel Prize for her first book Stone Sky Gold Mountain. The van Hoorn family – Dutch colonials –