Reviews

Independent reviews of recently released fiction, non-fiction and kids’ books.

Magazine Issue Date

How To Love by Alex Norris

How To Love by Alex Norris

Oh my goodness, this book is so clever and readable and, well, cute! Written in a graphic-style type of ...
Dirrarn by Carl Merrison & Hakea Hustler

Dirrarn by Carl Merrison & Hakea Hustler

We first met Mia in the authors’ award-winning book Black Cockatoo as she struggled with family relationships. ...
Water by John Boyne

Water by John Boyne

Willow Hale has arrived on the island. She has rented a cottage. She’s not sure for how long. Her name is not ...
The Bannerman Shortlist by Colin Batrouney

The Bannerman Shortlist by Colin Batrouney

Gideon Bannerman’s father established The Bannerman Prize for Literature in 1956. His father planned on becoming a ...
Spies In The Sky by Beverley McWilliams

Spies In The Sky by Beverley McWilliams

Spies in the Sky is set in England during World War II. The main character is a pigeon called Royal Blue, a ...
A Therapeutic Journey by Alain de Botton

A Therapeutic Journey by Alain de Botton

De Botton’s experience with his educational venture, The School of Life, is far-reaching in the topics that matter ...
Held by Anne Michaels

Held by Anne Michaels

Held, the new novel by Anne Michaels, is a haunting meditation on our need to find meaning, to rediscover hope ...
Sword Catcher by Cassandra Clare

Sword Catcher by Cassandra Clare

Cassandra Clare’s name is already YA fantasy royalty thanks to her incredible ‘Shadowhunters’ series. But Clare is ...
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

This book has been likened to a giant hug. While it may seem simple in its quiet and reassuring way, there is so ...
Beeswax and Tall Tales by Jane Crowley

Beeswax and Tall Tales by Jane Crowley

Crowley starts this memoir of her father’s life as an antiques dealer by describing how, as a child, she would ...
The Raging Storm by Ann Cleeves

The Raging Storm by Ann Cleeves

I must confess to loving a police procedural series where you can get to know the main characters. Ann Cleeves’ ...
The Puppets of Spelhorst by Kate DiCamillo

The Puppets of Spelhorst by Kate DiCamillo

Once upon a time there was an old sea captain. He lived alone in a small room above a shop. He had no family. He ...
The Freedom of Emma Herwegh by Dirk Kurbjuweit

The Freedom of Emma Herwegh by Dirk Kurbjuweit

This is an interesting novel, based on the life of Emma Herwegh, a German woman who held court over a glittering ...
Bhutan To Blacktown by Om Dhungel with James Button

Bhutan To Blacktown by Om Dhungel with James Button

While the story of how this former senior public servant from Bhutan fled his native country is fascinating, it is ...
Oh Miriam! by Miriam Margolyes

Oh Miriam! by Miriam Margolyes

In This Much is True, published in 2021, anecdotes about Miriam Margolyes’ full and sometimes bizarre life ...
The Beasts of Paris by Stef Penney

The Beasts of Paris by Stef Penney

A set of diverse characters, each with a connection to the animals of the Pairs menagerie move through life ...
Hunter On Holiday by Jessica & Stephen Parry-Valentine

Hunter On Holiday by Jessica & Stephen Parry-Valentine

Our authors are travel fanatics, having been to 80 countries. Their popular first book was Our Home on Wheels ...
Question 7 by Richard Flanagan

Question 7 by Richard Flanagan

Flanagan approaches this extraordinary mix of memoir and history with honesty and integrity, admitting to not ...
Good Night, Good Beach by Joy Cowley

Good Night, Good Beach by Joy Cowley

This story is in the form of a poem by the very talented Joy Cowley. We start as five kids arise from their ...
Right Story, Wrong Story by Tyson Yunkaporta

Right Story, Wrong Story by Tyson Yunkaporta

Take a deep breath before starting to read this innovative author’s most recent book and be prepared to sit around ...
Would That Be Funny? Growing Up With John Clarke by Lorin Clarke

Would That Be Funny? Growing Up With John Clarke by Lorin Clarke

For thousands of people in Australia, New Zealand and around the world, it was a black day in 2017 when John ...

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