Author: Annie Mills

Black Convicts

Book Review: Black Convicts is a chronicle of Australia’s forgotten stories

Every Australian knows something of the colonisation of Australia; of the ships that were sent and the convicts that arrived. But, there are some parts that are left out of the wider narrative, unnoticed or undiscussed in conversations about Australia’s history. It’s one such element that Santilla Chingaipe delves into in her latest book Black…

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Beam of Light

Book Review: John Kinsella’s Beam of Light: Stories is an ethereal collection

It’s hard to summarise Western Australian author John Kinsella’s latest book – Beam of Light: Stories, save for describing the way it feels: a little uncanny, a little haunting. An anthology of short stories – most of which are extremely short, even for the genre – its atmosphere and thoughtfulness makes for a fascinating read,…

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Most Bizarre Crimes

Book Review: Peter Coleman’s Australia’s Most Bizarre Crimes is no ordinary true crime book

If you’ve been an Australian for more than about five minutes, you know some of the wild things we can get up to –  legal and illegal. It’s the latter that Australia’s Most Bizarre Crimes author Dr Peter Coleman takes a deep-dive into – the weirdest and wackiest crimes that Aussies have committed over the…

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Can't Spell Treason

Book Review: Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea is fun, but could’ve been steeped a little longer

Cosy fantasy is in the midst of a bit of a boom right now, and Rebecca Thorne’s new novel Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea is an intriguing entry into the genre. Originally self-published in 2022, it follows the blossoming relationship – and the struggles of – two young women living in a fantasy world filled…

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Age of Mythology: Retold is a breath of fresh air for an ancient classic

If you’re even the tiniest bit interested in strategy games, you’ve almost certainly heard of Age of Mythology, or one of its many sequels, or just the franchise it spun from, Age of Empires. Even I played it for a bit when I was a kid, and the original title and I are close to…

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Book Review: Lynda Holden’s This Is Where You Have To Go is a memoir of love and loss

This Is Where You Have To Go – that is what Dunghutti woman Lynda Holden was told when she became pregnant. Directed to stay at a Catholic home for unmarried mothers, her child was taken from her and put up for adoption without her consent. Many years later, those same words have become the title…

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Mark Muposta-Russell

Book Review: Mark Muposta-Russell’s deadly debut The Hitwoman’s Guide to Reducing Household Debt is a hit(woman)

I have to admit, I mostly picked this one up for two reasons – the title, and because I chuckled at the premise. The Hitwoman’s Guide to Reducing Household Debt, the debut novel from Mark Muposta-Russell, promised to be everything I love in a book – funny and quirky, but still full of enough heart…

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Depth of Field

Book Review: Heartbreaking and evocative, Depth of Field is Kirsty Iltner’s incredible debut

A portrait of two people, of their grief and regrets and relationships, Depth of Field is author and photographer Kirsty Iltners’ emotionally charged and deeply effective debut novel. It was the winner of the 2023 Dorothy Hewett Award, and it’s a beautiful novel well deserving of its accolades. Told through simple yet evocative prose, Depth…

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Book Review: It’s a tale of two cities in Siang Lu’s Ghost Cities

Following his well-regarded first novel The Whitewash, Siang Lu returns to long form fiction with his latest novel Ghost Cities, an unusual tale filled with imaginative twists and turns, philosophical discussions and sparks of dry humour. Ghost Cities is a novel told in two parts. The first in the modern day, follows a young man…

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Deep in the Forest

Book Review: Cults and crimes in Erina Reddan’s Deep in the Forest

Author and former journalist Erina Reddan delves into grief, cults, and power in her latest novel Deep in the Forest. The result is a thriller which, though not perfect, holds a deliciously tense and twisty layered mystery. As her hometown’s resident pariah and suspected arsonist, our protagonist Charli is a young woman who spends most…

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The Pulling

Book Review: Exploring the roots of compulsion in Adele Dumont’s The Pulling

Adele Dumont is a writer, and a critic. Her essays are well-regarded, having been published in prestigious literary journals including Meanjin, Griffith Review, Southerly and more. Her first novel, No Man is an Island, was an account of her experiences teaching English to asylum seekers in detention. But there is one thing about her that…

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Your Utopia

Book Review: Snapshots of strange worlds in Bora Chung’s Your Utopia

Filled with tales of robots and cannibals, aliens and immortals, Bora Chung’s latest book Your Utopia is a fascinating exploration of the worlds just beyond our own. Highly original, passionate and weird in the best way, it makes for an enthralling read, even if there are some hiccups along the way. Following in the tradition…

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Children of the Sun is a powerhouse in the form of a psychedelic puzzle-shooter

Children of the Sun is one of those games that struck me from the moment I saw it – crazy visuals like this will do that to you. With that distinctive, disjointed look combined (and contrasting) with some strong and precise gameplay it certainly delivers on the wild, thrilling, and violent ride its trailer promises….

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Birds of a Feather Cover

Book Review: Rhianna King’s Birds of a Feather is a delightfully sweet debut

Coming from new author Rhianna King, Birds of a Feather is an utterly charming – and very Aussie – debut novel. A little funny, a little poignant, it makes for a wonderfully relaxing read. Beth, our protagonist and the first of our two viewpoint characters, is a very practical and unsentimental young woman. This puts…

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Book Review: Learning a journalist’s secrets in Leigh Sales’ Storytellers

Seasoned journalist and well-respected ABC anchor Leigh Sales is usually found discussing politics and the latest breaking news; but in her latest book Storytellers she instead turns the discussion inwards, digging deep into the craft of journalism. Interviewing over thirty people from television news programs, websites and print newspapers, in this book she shares tips,…

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You’re All Talk

Book Review: Let’s talk talking in Rob Drummond’s refreshingly funny You’re All Talk

You’re All Talk is a book about just what it sounds like – talking, language and its ties to our identities. Sociolinguist Rob Drummond takes us through how we perceive others (and ourselves) through the way we talk, offering a fascinating dive into the world of accents, slang and code-switching. It may seem like a…

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Game Review: Wizard With a Gun spells a great time

I must admit, it was that wacky title that first drew me to this game. When it was first revealed two years ago, the amusing concept and great trailer art immediately caught my eye – who wouldn’t be excited at the idea of playing as a wizard with a gun? Now that the game is…

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Pink Slime

Book Review: Disease, loneliness and beautiful prose abound in Fernanda Trías’ Pink Slime

Exploring motherhood and care-giving in the midst of a terrifying algae-borne disease, Fernanda Trías’ latest book Pink Slime is an atmospheric and unforgettable read. The story follows an unnamed woman, living on the coast close to the danger the algae and disease presents. As the area gradually worsens and the people abandon the town, she…

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Book Review: Jennifer Ackerman’s What an Owl Knows shares the feathery love

Owls are a bird that have fascinated humans for a very long time, appearing all over the world and finding significance almost everywhere. It’s the question of why we love them so much that Jennifer Ackerman explores in her new book What an Owl Knows. Ackerman’s book serves as something of a comprehensive overview of…

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Fractal Noise

Book Review: Delve into the existential dread of sci-fi horror in Christopher Paolini’s Fractal Noise

Best known for his fantasy series The Inheritance Cycle, author Christopher Paolini first delved into science fiction with his award-winning 2020 novel To Sleep in a Sea of Stars. This new novel, Fractal Noise, serves as a prequel and shows the horrifying events behind the scenes. When a team of scientists and astronauts scouting out…

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