Author: Jodie Sloan

she/her Brisbane/Meanjin I like fancy cocktails, pro wrestling, and spooky shit.

Terrify your TBR with the Book Team’s favourite spooky reads!

The AU Review film buffs have had their say, now it’s time for the Books Team to have theirs! If you’re considering spending Halloween buried in a book with the lights firmly on (no judgement here!), allow us to recommend a few spooky season reads! From the Corner of His Eye by Dean Koontz On…

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“What’s your favourite scary movie?” The AU Team share their top cinema scares just in time for Halloween!

Spooky season is well and truly upon us, and the team here at The AU Review are firing up the popcorn maker and getting ready to enjoy our favourite scary movies. If you’re looking for some ideas for that horror marathon you’re planning this weekend, here’s a few films had us checking under our beds…

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Track of the Week: Zhuli, “IKEA” (2021)

Searching for that perfect pop song to blow away those Hump Day woes? Well, “IKEA” from Sydney’s Zhuli is exactly what you’re looking for! It’s a little bit cheeky, a little bit empowering, and a lot of fun, making it a natural choice for this week’s Track of the Week. Taking cues from the likes…

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Track of the Week: Dancing On Tables, “OH” (2021)

Scotland’s Dancing On Tables have just released the new music video for single “OH“. With EP Play Play Play due out later this month, and the band recently signing to Enci Records/LV Music, now’s the perfect time to get into the rising alt-rockers. Fresh off a recent supporting stint on Catfish and The Bottlemen’s arena tour, and…

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Love Your Bookshop Day returns on October 9th

Love Your Bookshop Day (LYBD) is back again! Taking place on October 9th, this year’s major events will be entirely virtual, so that everyone – locked down or not – can join in the celebration. Long before we were confined to our couches, the local bookstore was the place to go for all your literary…

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Book Review: Dark family history collides with gothic fantasy in A.G. Slatter’s All The Murmuring Bones

Long ago, the O’Malleys prospered, striking a deal with the mer to secure their ships as they made their fortune. But the O’Malleys have failed to live up to their end of the bargain, and Mirin’s grandmother, Aoife, must find a new way to save the family. Sacrificing a child of each generation to the…

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The Stars Beyond The Stone

Book Review: Bonnie Wynne’s stellar The Price of Magic continues with The Stars Beyond the Stone

Life seems to have finally slowed for Gwyn. After the battle with Molech Suun, the Clockwork City is in ruins and Gwyn, reluctantly, is one of the figureheads of the movement to rebuild it. But she can’t shake the feeling that her old master Faolan is still alive. And with Scions to destroy and a dangerous…

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Track of the Week: Foster feat. Chelsea Collins, “run away” (2021)

If you like your lazy summer vibes with a side of sharp lyrics and personal growth, you can’t go past the latest from Foster. “run away“, featuring Chelsea Collins, is our Track of the Week, and we think you’re going to love it! Hailing from a musical family and growing up in Nashville, it makes…

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OzAsia Festival announces new writing and ideas program, In Other Words

More than 40 Asian and Australian writers will come together for In Other Words, a new writing and ideas program from the OzAsia Festival team. Curated by Laura Kroetsch, Benjamin Law, and Roanna Gonsalves, the program will run from November 5th to 7th, with guests able to attend either in person at the Dunstan Playhouse…

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Lakesedge

Book Review: Lyndall Clipstone sets the bar high in moody YA fantasy Lakesedge

Leta has heard the rumours about Rowan Sylvanan, the monster who drowned his entire family as a boy. But the dangerous young lord of Lakesedge might be the only one who can help her brother Arien, afflicted by a dark and violent magic that threatens to overtake him. But upon entering the grounds of Lakesedge,…

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Track of the Week: FANGZ “I Don’t Like Me” (2021)

Keen for some solid skate-punk to get you through Wednesday? We got you! “I Don’t Like Me” is the latest from Sydney’s FANGZ, and we can’t get enough of it! It’s loud, catchy, and exactly what we needed to hear today. Frontman Joshua Cottreau said: “‘I Don’t Like Me’ is about the version of ourselves…

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Track of the Week: Gabriella Cohen “Frangelico Dreams” (2021)

Spring has sprung, and Gabriella Cohen‘s latest is the perfect track to welcome in the new season. “Frangelico Dreams” offers hazy vintage rock and roll vibes with a contemporary indie twist – just what we need as the sun gets warmer and the days get longer! Fresh from recording in country Queensland while she has…

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The Liquid Land

Book Review: Raphaela Edelbaur’s The Liquid Land is uncanny and thought-provoking contemporary fiction

After her parents die in a car accident, physicist Ruth Schwarz sets off for their hometown of Greater Einland to begin preparations for their funeral. But Greater Einland is a stubborn sort of place, determined to remain hidden from outsiders, with even Austrian officials denying all knowledge of the place. But Ruth is stubborn too…

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Splendour rescheduled for fourth time, with new dates set for July 2022

With the NSW lockdown still ongoing, Splendour in the Grass organisers have made the call to postpone the festival for the fourth time. The 20th anniversary celebration, originally due to be held last year and then later scheduled for November 2021, is now set for July 2022. Splendour in the Grass co-founders Jessica Ducrou and…

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Sistersong

Book Review: Lucy Holland’s Sistersong is a compelling folkoric fantasy, perfect for fans of Circe

The Romans have left Britain, abandoning it to warring tribes and the invading Saxons. Already set to inherit a land torn asunder, the children of King Cador and Queen Enica watch as their parents bend increasingly to the will of Gildas, an influential and dangerous Christian leader. Under his often cruel guidance, the people of…

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Track of the Week: Varley, “One Two Three” (2021)

For this week’s Track of the Week, we’re celebrating “One Two Three“, an atmospheric slice of indie-pop from trio Varley. Based in Berlin, Varley consists of Dublin-born singer Claire-Ann and German bandmates Joschka Bender and Matthias Heising. With influences including Bon Iver, Fleetwood Mac, and Phoebe Bridgers, the Varley vibe is at once vulnerable and…

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Booker Prize announces 2021 longlist

The Booker Prize, one of the industry’s most prestigious awards, has today announced it’s 13 strong longlist. To be considered for the Booker, nominated fiction works must be written in English, and published/slated to be published in the UK and Ireland between October 2020 and September 2021. Taking on the daunting task of narrowing the…

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Antidote announces 2021 line-up, including a brand new emerging writers mentorship

Livestreaming from the Sydney Opera House on September 5th, Antidote 2021 promises an exciting and inspiring line-up of speakers for its fifth celebration of ideas, action, and change. Speakers including Elizabeth Kolbert, Benjamin Law, Ronnie Gorrie, Bri Lee, Rick Morton, Cathy Park Hong, and Scott Ludlam will cover a wide range of topics, from climate…

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A Lair of Bones

Book Review: Helen Scheuerer kicks off a dark new fantasy series with A Lair of Bones

Roh is a cyren, living in the lowest levels of Saddoriel, the cavernous, labyrinthine fortress home of her people. The daughter of an infamous criminal, she works as a lowly bone-cleaner, out of sight and out of mind, far away from the upper class cyrens who remember her mother’s crimes all too well. One day,…

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9 acts you won’t want to miss at Brisbane Comedy Festival

Kicking off just as mask restrictions (hopefully!) ease in Brisbane next week, the Brisbane Comedy Festival has got a stellar line-up planned for its 2021 iteration. With so much to choose from, including legends such as Ross Noble, Akmal, Cal Wilson, and Jimeoin, as well as internet sensations Nat’s What I Reckon and Christian Hull,…

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Book Review: Trek the Pennine Way with Anita Sethi in new memoir I Belong Here

After being subjected to a racist attack on a TransPennine Express train, Anita Sethi decided enough was enough. With no one on the train willing to step in and stop her abuser on his vicious tirade, she reached out to train staff and police herself, choosing to speak up for herself in a way she…

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Anita Heiss

Book Review: Bila Yarrudhanggalangdhuray is an exquisite piece of historical fiction from Anita Heiss

When the Murrumbidgee River bursts its banks and sweeps into the fledgling town of Gundgai, it is Wagadhaany’s father, Yarri, and other Wiradjuri men who come to the rescue of the trapped townsfolk. Now an indentured servant to the Bradleys – a family who, years ago, ignored her father’s pleading not to build on the…

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Track of the Week: Book Klub “Life of Me” (2021)

This week’s Track of the Week comes courtesy of Scottish post-punks Book Klub! With influences ranging from shoegaze to noise-pop and a whole heap in between, Book Klub have been building quite the following, performing in some of Edinburgh and Glasgow’s most iconic small venues. Consisting of Reece Robertson (guitar and vocals), Jack Martin (drums…

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Yarra Valley Writers Festival returns with a blended online and in-person program

The Yarra Valley Writers Festival will once again welcome readers, thinkers, and wine-lovers to Warburton, Victoria in mid-July. Boasting a fantastic line-up, including Kate Holden, Helen Garner, Tony Birch, Kate Mildenhall, Nardi Simpson, Stuart Coupe, Rick Morton, Jessie Tu, Louise Milligan, and more, the festival’s program will be accessible both in-person and online. Rather than…

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Author Interview: Helen Scheuerer on A Lair of Bones, second series jitters, and building her very own fantasy universe

It’s been a little over a year since Helen Scheuerer officially closed out The Oremere Chronicles with short story collection Dawn of Mist. Now, the indie author is prepping for the launch of an all new dark fantasy series, Curse of the Cyren Queen. It all kicks off on July 15th with A Lair of…

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Infinite Country

Book Review: Patricia Engel’s Infinite Country is a timely read that justifies the hype

Talia is on the run. The mastermind behind a plan to escape from a home for juvenile delinquents, her end goal is simple. Reunite with her father and make it to Bogotá Airport in time for her flight to the US. And waiting for her on the other side? Her estranged mother and siblings, and…

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Track of the Week: Tennis System feat. Chadwick Johnson, “Autophobia” (2021)

LA’s Tennis System have teamed with Hundreth‘s Chadwick Johnson for latest single, “Autophobia“. With a new LP (also titled Autophobia) on the way later this year, this glimpse of what’s to come has been dubbed this week’s Track of the Week! The dictionary definition of autophobia is a fear of being alone, and with people…

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The Beauty of Living Twice

Book Review: Sharon Stone’s The Beauty of Living Twice is a unique and compelling Hollywood memoir

Not the typical Hollywood star, it stands to reason that Sharon Stone‘s The Beauty of Living Twice isn’t the typical Hollywood memoir either. For starters, it’s beautifully written. Candid and conversational, it is at times lyrical and evocative, at others harrowing and heartbreaking. Revelations of childhood abuse, Hollywood toxicity, and the agony of recovery sit…

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Furphy Anthology

Book Review: Enjoy some distinctly Australian yarns in the 2020 Furphy Anthology

Established back in 1992 to support Shepparton writers, The Furphy Literary Award decided to expand its reach in 2020, opening its doors to unpublished short stories from writers across Australia. Inspired by Joseph Furphy, author of Australian classic Such Is Life, and the yarns told around his brother’s foundry, writers are encouraged to offer up…

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Interview: The Local Lesbians talk us through upcoming MELT Festival cabaret Lesbian Love Stories

MELT Festival is returning to Brisbane later this month, bringing with it all the queer arts and culture we could possibly want – and then even more besides! Gearing up for a huge night at Brisbane Powerhouse are Ruby Clarke, Chloe-Rose Taylor, and Natasha Veselinovic – otherwise known as The Local Lesbians. Teaming up with…

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