Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve Brilliant female detectives are not exclusive to the adult world of books and television. Penelope Snoop believes she has the skills to solve any mystery. Accompanied by her dog, Carlos, and both wearing their eye-catching pink hats, they both set out to find the missing smelly sock. Penelope’s imagination takes her
Reviewed by Richard Tutin Though Death is one of the certainties of life along with taxes, it’s not often that we have an opportunity to read about its history. I originally thought that Andrew Doig was going to describe the various practices of different cultures to Death and how people respond when their loved one
Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve Most laundromats in large cities are unattended but there are some that offer a service of careful washing and ironing. One such business In Melbourne is the unglamorous setting of ‘A Solitary Walk on the Moon’. It is operated by Evelyn, the chief character, and she is dedicated to giving a
Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve In our post pandemic world, it is a challenge to find reasons to laugh or smile. Thankfully there are authors with the ability to write a novel that is a pure delight to read. Toni Jordan received international recognition for her brilliant debut novel Addition. Since then, she has published four
Reviewed by Gerard Healy A charming tale for older children and adults about greed, kindness and community by American author Kelly Barnhill. The setting is a small rural town named Stone-in-the Glen, which could be almost anywhere and which used to be a lovely town (everyone said). The townsfolk are a typical cross-section of humanity.
Reviewed by Gail McDonald This biographical novel by Antony Jeffrey centres mainly on the story of his mother who is described as a brave and sensitive woman who never stopped caring for the people she loved. It is a story of love, loss and family and is the first novel written by Antony. He previously
Reviewed by Wendy Lipke I enjoyed reading Averil Kenny’s first novel, Those Hamilton Sisters, but I think I enjoyed The Girls of Lake Evelyn even more. While her first novel was more about exclusion where the three girls were shunned by the town, her second was about how a newcomer to an area was readily
Reviewed by Gerard Healy A very interesting tale, set mainly in the 1640s, of witchcraft, murder and deceit in Norfolk, England. The first-time author, Rosie Andrews, has done a fine job of weaving together a mystery yarn with engaging characters and authentic-sounding details of life at this turbulent time in English history. The story pivots
Reviewed by Rod McLary Douglas Stuart’s first book – Shuggie Bain – burst on the literary scene in 2020 and later that year was awarded the Booker Prize and deservedly so. The novel chronicles the life of Shuggie, a teenager in 1980s Glasgow, and explores with scathing honesty themes of addiction, sexuality and love. Just
Reviewed by Ian Lipke The term ‘portrait’ is a term often used when talking about art. It can be a painting, a photograph, an ink drawing, a sculpture — or even a description in words or in a film. Portrait of a Thief is a lyrical novel inspired by the true story of Chinese art
Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve Delight and charm, quite rare in adult fiction, is often used in discussing children’s books. Remy Lai, the young Brisbane based author, has this in abundance in her series ‘Surviving the Wild’. She has a contract to write three books for the series. These are the first two, which will be
Reviewed by Rod McLary In this debut novel, Tom Watson has crafted a dystopian view of a country where government approval to be pregnant is mandated; and the penalty for childbirth without approval is exile. This is the fate of Aina and Whitney – a twelve-year exile to what appears to be an island, isolation
Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve Neuroscience is universally engaged in the study of the fascinating organ that is our brain. An eminent expert in this field, Moshe Bar, has produced a book that is claimed to be the first to deal with a particular area of brain function – Mindwandering. He has attempted to make this
Reviewed by Richard Tutin Those who survived the Holocaust of World War II have, over the years, slowly told their stories. For some, the trauma they suffered has been such that there has been a reluctance to say anything about it because of the pain they have suffered and are still suffering. Tony Bernard’s father
The Avid Reader at West End is hosting an author event with Emma Viskic. Emma is the author of the Caleb Zelic series. Three of the books have been reviewed by QRC. To read the reviews. click on the title – And Fire Came Down; Darkness for Light and Those Who Perish [her latest book]. Those Who Perish A remote