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 Truth About Her
By Jacqueline Maley ISBN: 978 1460759165 4th Estate (2021) “The Truth About Her” surprised me – the blurb had somehow made me expect a chick lit type novel, but this is a denser and more serious novel than you usually find in that genre. It’s excellent, thoughtful and observational, without ever being stuffy. Suzy Hamilton … Continue reading The Truth About Her
A Home Like Ours
By Fiona Lowe ISBN: 978-1-4892-9867-6 HQ (2021) A slow start quickly turned into an absorbing novel that was hard to put down. Believable characters, a vivid setting, and challenging situations combine to create a story that will be hard to forget. In Boolanga there are a lot of people who are very satisfied with the … Continue reading A Home Like Ours
One Last Dance
By: Emma Jane Holmes ISBN: 978-1-4892-5102-2 HQ non-fiction (2021) “One Last Dance” is the memoir of Emma Jane Holmes, who simultaneously worked in the funeral and adult entertainment industries in Sydney. Both industries fascinate people, lend themselves to misconceptions, and cause people to eye those who work there uneasily. This memoir addresses all these issues. … Continue reading One Last Dance
The Emporium of Imagination
By Tabitha Bird ISBN: 978-1-76089-591-4 Penguin Random House (2021) “The Emporium of Imagination” is a truly lovely book, although one that is also powerfully sad. It’s the perfect mixture of grief, love, hope, pain, and optimism. It isn’t always easy to read, but it’s likely to be hard to forget. Earlatidge Hubert Umbray, custodian of … Continue reading The Emporium of Imagination
The Covered Wife
By Lisa Emanuel ISBN: 978-0-6487952-3-0 Pantera Press (2021) “The Covered Wife” is a novel that goes in unconventional directions, challenging readers in ways they might not expect. I found it both moving and frightening, and at the last, deeply sad. Sarah is a moderately successful lawyer in Sydney. She has friends, but doesn’t feel deeply … Continue reading The Covered Wife
The Chase
By Candice Fox ISBN: 978 1 76089 679 9 Bantam (2021) I was twenty pages into “The Chase” when I realised that I was going to have to hunt down Fox’s entire back catalog. The novel is that good; it’ll turn you into an instant fan. The basic premise is simple, and in various iterations, … Continue reading The Chase
The Reality Slap
By Dr Russ Harris ISBN: 978-1-925820-91-1 Exisle Publishing (2021) “The Reality Slap” is non-fiction, a book that sits on the line between self help books and popular psychology. It’s a book that failed to resonate with me, although I’m square in its’ target group, but I can see that it may help others. A reality … Continue reading The Reality Slap
Defending the Galaxy
Volume III of the Sentinels of the Galaxy series By Maria V Snyder ISBN: 978-1-4892-5278-4 Young Adult HQ (2021) “Defending the Galaxy” is a fabulous finale to one of the best science fiction trilogies I’ve read in some time. Nominally young adult, it stands alongside the best of “adult” science fiction. This novel opens pretty … Continue reading Defending the Galaxy
Chasing the Shadows
VII of the Sentinels of the Galaxy series By Maria V Snyder ISBN: 978-4892-5276-0 Young Adult HQ (2020) “Chasing the Shadows” is the second in a trilogy. The first, “Navigating the Stars”, is an excellent piece of science fiction. This volume doesn’t disappoint, advancing the story and characters and leaving me eager to read the … Continue reading Chasing the Shadows
The Bushranger’s Wife
By Cheryl Adnams ISBN: 978-1-8672-0812-9 Mira (2021) “The Bushranger’s Wife” is a lively historical romance, focused on providing an energetic romp through Australia in 1861. Prudence Stanforth and her repressive grandmother have just moved to Australia from England. Before they even reach their destination – Uncle Robert’s property – they are robbed at gunpoint by … Continue reading The Bushranger’s Wife
