Non-Fiction

Cars We Used to Drive by Don Loffler

Reviewed by Richard Tutin Picking up this book was like receiving an invitation to relive the past. Don Loffler’s pictorial assembly of cars owned and driven between 1946 and 1966 brought back many memories. The vehicles that are highlighted were on the go during my childhood and teenage years. I found myself looking to see

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Children

Ouch: Tales of Gravity by Kate Simpson

Reviewed by Clare Brook Learning made easy and fun sums up Ouch: Tales of Gravity. Illustrated beautifully by Andy Hardiman, Kate Simpson’s Ouch: Tales of Gravity, is an excellent example of science being presented via charming, colourful, and amusing illustrations.  The illustrations are a mixture of full-page colour, or individual pictures surrounded by white space,

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Crime/Mystery

Something to Hide by Elizabeth George

Reviewed by Ian Lipke I received a present this week, an unexpected delight, a treasure – the latest book by Elizabeth George, the undisputed queen of crime fiction. The volume I received was Something to Hide, an Inspector Peter Lynley / Sergeant Barbara Havers story that is labelled No 21 in this sequence. Similar to

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General Fiction

The Cane by Maryrose Cuskelly

Reviewed by Rod McLary On 21 March 1972 in Mackay, fourteen-year-old Marilyn Wallman rode her bike to the school bus stop.  Ten minutes after she left home, her two brothers found her abandoned bike and schoolbag by the side of the road.  Marilyn was never seen again and her killer has never been identified. This

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General Fiction

The Furies by Mandy Beaumont

Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve Deeply unsettling in its powerful themes, with opening pages that relate brutish male behaviour and allude to unspeakable trauma, The Furies is not an easy read. Cynthia, a sixteen-year-old girl, is living alone when not long ago, she had a father and mother and a little sister, Mallory, forming her family

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Literature

The Furphy Anthology 2021

Reviewed by Richard Tutin Writing a short story is an exacting art. Words cannot be wasted but the story needs to begin, progress and come to some form of conclusion. From time to time the thought arises that this form of literature is dying and before too long will be consigned to the heavens. However,

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Non-Fiction

The Mutant Project: Inside the Global Race to Genetically Modify Humans by Eben Kirksey

Reviewed by E.B. Heath It is clear the race to genetically modify humans is relentless as an incoming tide.  Anthropologists, ethicists, and activists, at pains to slow the surge, are having as much success as King Canute’s futile attempts to control the sea.  Furthermore, genetic experiments are not just happening in well-regulated laboratories! In The

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General Fiction

The Prodigal Sister by Darry Fraser

Reviewed by Ian Lipke Darry Fraser is an author new to me although she seems to be a prolific writer. Her publications include Daughter of the Murray, The Widow of Ballarat, Elsa Goody, Bushranger and several others. Now appears The Prodigal Sister. Fraser seems to be one of the sisterhood who feel that women writers

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Memoir/Biography

The Boys by Ron Howard and Clint Howard

Reviewed by Gerard Healy A very interesting look inside the world of 1960s and 70s TV shows and later Hollywood movies, by brothers Ron Howard and Clint Howard. Ron is the better known of the two with his childhood appearances in The Andy Griffith Show and Happy Days and his later successful directing career. He

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Historical Fiction

The Last Checkmate by Gabriella Saab

Reviewed by Ian Lipke The Last Checkmate is an inspirational book. On the surface it is a standard anti-Nazi work in which the heroine leads the way in defeating evil. However, Gabriella Saab has written undercurrents in this book of greater moment than a simple tale of opposing evil. Maria Florkowska, the lead character, and

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Memoir/Biography

Twelve Summers by Adam Zwar

Reviewed by Richard Tutin Sport has a special place in the hearts and minds of many Australians. While some just enjoy watching their favourite sports heroes in action, others, like Adam Zwar, take it to a different level. Zwar recounts memorable moments from his life while tying them to the cricket season that played out

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Historical Fiction

The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan

Reviewed by Patricia Simms-Reeve Innumerable titles devoted to World War Two have been published; many scholarly histories as well as inspirational accounts of the awe-inspiring ordeals, bravery and incredible endurance of those who lived during those years. As the title suggests, The Kitchen Front is not in the above category. It is a story of

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2022 Indie Book Awards – Shortlist

Australian independent booksellers are thrilled to announce their Shortlist for the Indie Book Awards 2022, their favourite Australian books published in 2021! Established in 2008, the Indie Book Awards recognize and celebrate this country’s incredible literary talent and who better to nominate and judge the best-of-the-best than indie booksellers – the ultimate champions of great

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sociology

The Storm is Upon Us by Mike Rothschild

Reviewed by E.B. Heath Like so many aspects of QAnon, what once was a bridge too far is now a collapsing structure that we’re all stuck on.  (p.219)  Many readers might believe that investing time to comprehend the logic of QAnon would be as productive as chasing a feather in a raging nor’easter.  Surely, the leaders

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