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?
Famous Once
By: Jane Green ISBN: 9781662537707 Amazon Original Stories This short story has a novel’s worth of set up; unfortunately it then doesn’t have the space to fully explore it all. The result is a story that feels a little shallow, even as it entertains and diverts you. In the 1970s Astrid Lane was a famous … Continue reading Famous Once
Remember Where You’ve Buried the Bodies
By: Julie Lancaster ISBN: 9780008600532 One More Chapter – HarperCollins UK (2025) This novel has a great, original premise. I don’t think the book quite lived up to that premise, but it’s still a good read. Gilbert is living in an aged care home, slowly slipping into dementia. Which is not unexpected for an elderly … Continue reading Remember Where You’ve Buried the Bodies
Very Impressive For Your Age
By: Eleanor Kirk ISBN: 9781761472558 Allen & Unwin (2025) This is one of those books that just didn’t connect with me, even though I could see that it would appeal to plenty of others. I found the main character too passive, and as a result struggled to form an emotional connection with the novel. Still, … Continue reading Very Impressive For Your Age
Haze
By: Katharine Kerr ISBN: 9781647101510 ARC Manor (2025) This is a science fiction novel with a lot of humanity, even though the majority of characters are not human as we’d understand it. I thoroughly enjoyed it; strong, empathetic characters drew me in and then a strong plot kept me hooked. The basic plot here is … Continue reading Haze
Bird Deity
By: John Morrissey ISBN: 978 1922790781 Text Publishing (2026) Bird Deity is a science fiction novel that brings to mind classics such as Heart of Darkness; it’s a short novel in which the mystical gradually takes over from the concrete. It’s a novel which demands a slow and thoughtful reading. David is a scout, which … Continue reading Bird Deity
The Hiding Place
By: Kate Mildenhall ISBN: 9781761429057 Simon & Schuster (2025) This is a really absorbing story that straddles the divide between family drama and crime novel with adroitness. The plot isn’t so much a puzzle as a waiting game – when is it all going to come toppling down? – and the characterisations are sharp and … Continue reading The Hiding Place
Of Flame and Fury
By: Mikayla Bridge ISBN: 978-1-76156-380-5 Pan Macmillan Australia (2025) “Of Flame and Fury” is a stand alone young adult novel in which Mikayla Bridge creates a vivid new world and tells a strong story. Phoenix racing is highly profitable, exciting, and potentially deadly. It produces strong rivalries between the crews of different phoenixes. Kel Varra … Continue reading Of Flame and Fury
The Road Trip
By: Tricia Stringer ISBN: 9781867247760 Harlequin Australia (2025) Tricia Stringer reliably produces novels which are both entertaining and thoughtful. I immensely enjoyed this. To my surprise, I found myself well and truly on one character’s side. Stringer is usually even handed with her characters, showing us both their best and worst sides, evoking sympathy for … Continue reading The Road Trip
Black River
By: Ruby Jean Cottle ISBN: 9781761631603 Simon & Schuster (2025) I found this a disappointing story; a strong idea petered out with very little sense of resolution or completion. There is no indication that this is part of a series, but even if it was, I’d have found the ending very unsatisfactory. One day 17 … Continue reading Black River
Stillwater
By: Tanya Scott ISBN: 978 1 76147 139 1 Allen & Unwin (2025) This is a really engaging crime novel from a debut author. It’s assured and the plot is well constructed, but the major strength of the novel is the engaging and involving main character. Luke Harris is your average university student: a little … Continue reading Stillwater
Other Dreams, Other Lives 