You've landed where I share my book reviews. I believe in being honest in a book review - although also, hopefully, tactful. I also believe that most books do have an audience somewhere. So if I dislike a book, I'll tell you so, but I'll also try to tell you why in such a way … Continue reading Where are you?
The Mother of All Calamities
By: Lisa Moule ISBN: 9781761472343 Allen & Unwin (2026) Reading this, I found myself appreciating some real strengths, but also wincing at some overt weaknesses. This is a novel with something to say, and unfortunately some of it is said rather clumsily. Even so, this is a novel which many mothers of small children are … Continue reading The Mother of All Calamities
Based on a True Story
By: Sarah Vaughan ISBN: 9781398502093 Simon & Schuster Australia (2026) This is a tense and twisty domestic thriller which blends unexpected moments with a few you see coming, which in turn nicely distract you from some of what’s going on. I found it absorbing and more thought provoking than your average thriller. Famed writer Dame … Continue reading Based on a True Story
Group Chat
By: Zoe Foster-Blake ISBN: 9781922928122 Allen & Unwin (2026) This is a familiar story, told with warmth and appealing characters. Although it doesn’t break any new ground, it will entertain and satisfy readers. When Farah’s husband has an affair, the girlfriends in her group chat come together to support her. Before long, this turns into … Continue reading Group Chat
What the Bones Know
By: Kirstyn McDermott ISBN: 978 1038922762 HQ Fiction (2026) This genre crossing novel opens like a crime novel, but then veers into something closer to a ghost story. I found it more moving than most ghost stories, absorbing, and somewhat unexpected despite familiar tropes. Jude Mees is struggling. Divorced, she can’t shed her controlling ex-husband … Continue reading What the Bones Know
The Burn
By: Jessica Mansour-Nahra ISBN: 9780733653001 Hachette Australia (2026) This is a compelling thriller with a SF edge. There’s a dreadful anticipation building through the novel, and readers will find themselves completely invested in whether characters they care about will survive whatever is to come. In 2030 bushfires fuelled by climate crisis have forced Australians into … Continue reading The Burn
Kill To Love
By: Penny Sunday ISBN: 9780733655043 Hachette Australia (2026) This unhinged novel – and I do mean that in a good way – will not appeal to every reader, but there’s definitely an audience which will love it. It will catch readers up in the headlong rush of action, and the surprisingly affecting relationship between the … Continue reading Kill To Love
The Nocturnals
By: Frances Whiting ISBN: 9781460763926 HarperCollins (2026) My first thought on closing this was “what a beautiful book”, which is not exactly what I had expected from the first few pages. This is a lovely book, which explores love and friendship, grief and despair, and ultimately lands in a hopeful, optimistic place. I loved it. … Continue reading The Nocturnals
A Little More Love
By: Matthew Hild ISBN: 9798216368021 Bloomsbury Academic (2026) How much you enjoy this biography of Olivia Newton-John is probably going to depend on whether you are most interested in her career or her personal life. If it’s her career, then this is an excellent biography with a great deal of detail. If you’re more interested … Continue reading A Little More Love
Massif
By: Garth Nix ISBN: 9781761472114 Allen & Unwin (2026) This is a great novel, readable and highly enjoyable. However, Nix’s legion of existing fans should note that this is something of a departure for him – it’s very different from his work to date. However, this adult science fiction novel should bring him new fans. … Continue reading Massif
She Lied First
By: Dinuka McKenzie ISBN: 9781460769423 HarperCollins Australia (2026) This thriller will have you spinning; the second half is loaded with so many twists that you won’t know where you’re facing. Despite this, most readers won’t have any problems following as the plot unfolds, and will find it a tense and absorbing read. Kal and Devi … Continue reading She Lied First
