Reviews

Book Review: Jessica Townsend throws open the doors to the Wundrous Society in Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow

After escaping Jackalfax for good, and discovering her powers as a Wundersmith, twelve-year-old Morrigan Crow is excited to finally be starting her training at the elite Wundrous Society. But, others within the Society are convinced Morrigan is dangerous, and with Wunsoc members going missing, her patron Jupiter North doesn’t have time to help her navigate…

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Book Review: In Melissa Fagan’s What Will Be Worn: A McWhirters Story family history meets a Fortitude Valley icon

McWhirters, a heritage listed building sitting on the corner of Brunswick and Wickham, is a Brisbane landmark, these days operating as a shopping centre, an apartment block, and a very obvious map marker for those lost in the depths of the Valley. But, in What Will Be Worn: A McWhirters Story, the name emblazoned on…

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Book Review: David Cohen’s The Hunter and Other Stories of Men is an offbeat look into the minds of men

Brisbane author David Cohen has put together a much anticipated collection of short stories in the form of his new book The Hunter and Other Stories of Men. The collection contains eighteen stories, most around the ten page mark, whilst some of which were published in various publications between 2004 and 2017. With some of the stories…

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Book Review: In Sarah Perry’s hauntingly beautiful Melmoth, thought provoking contemporary fiction meets Gothic horror

Twenty years ago, Helen Franklin did a terrible thing. Unable to forgive herself, she lives a life of self-imposed penance, scraping together a living as a translator in Prague and denying herself the simplest of pleasures. But when her friend Karel hands her a strange manuscript, detailing sightings of a tall woman in black haunting…

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Book Review: Eric Idle’s Always Look on the Bright Side of Life is a surprisingly moving memoir from one of comedy’s best known stars

Best known as one sixth of legendary comedy troupe Monty Python, Eric Idle never rested on his laurels – though he was quite happy to make a bit of cash from them when the opportunity arose. Covering it all, from his working class childhood and the rise of the Pythons, to the creation of the…

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Book Review: Bobby Duffy’s The Perils of Perception is a fascinating study into general ignorance

We are wrong about most things. That may be a bitter pill to swallow but as The Perils of Perception proves, it’s true. This non-fiction book is an intriguing study into just how ignorant our society is. It draws on 100,000 interviews from forty countries. The take home message? We should be afraid. Very afraid….

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Book Review: Explore the dark wynds of Victorian Edinburgh in Ambrose Parry’s medical mystery The Way of All Flesh

Edinburgh 1847. Evie, a prostitute visited by apprentice doctor Will Raven, is dead. Raven is shaken by the discovery of her twisted corpse, and, as other victims began to appear across the city’s Old Town, he sets out to get to the bottom of the gruesome deaths. Teaming up with the fiercely determined Sarah Fisher,…

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Book Review: Nell Stevens’ Mrs Gaskell and Me is a meditation on longing and a balm for the soul

I don’t normally read non-fiction or memoir, but something about the premise of Nell Stevens’ second book, Mrs Gaskell and Me (also known as The Victorian and the Romantic) appealed to me when I first started hearing about it on social media a few months back. On the surface, it has a simple premise; it is a literary memoir…

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Book Review: Clementine Ford’s Boys Will Be Boys is a blazing exploration of the frightening damage the patriarchy does to us all

Clementine Ford is back with her trademark brand of no holds barred feminism, brandishing an outstandingly fierce follow-up to 2016’s Fight Like A Girl as her weapon of choice. Boys Will Be Boys sees the Aussie writer take on toxic masculinity, patriarchal power, and the harrowing effects they have on us and our society, regardless…

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Book Review: Parker Posey’s You’re On An Airplane is a (mostly) enchanting memoir, written from the fringes of Hollywood greatness

Imagine actress Parker Posey is occupying the seat beside you on a plane, her beloved pooch Gracie on her lap. Imagine she’s feeling rather conversational. Parker Posey, that is, not Gracie. That’s the basic premise of You’re On An Airplane, the first memoir from the versatile performer and star of Dazed and Confused, the recent…

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Book Review: Mira Robertson’s The Unexpected Education of Emily Dean adds something new to well-trodden ground

In Mira Robertson’s debut novel, her eponymous heroine, Emily Dean, is sent to stay with her grandmother and great uncle on their property while her mother recovers from what I can only presume is a nervous breakdown of sorts.  It’s most definitely not a farm, as Emily is told by her family, though to the…

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Book Review: Harry Cook’s Pink Ink is a queer-positive memoir that doesn’t sugarcoat things

When actor and activist Harry Cook migrated to Australia at the age of ten homosexuality had only been recently decriminalised. A few years later he would struggle with coming-out to his parents. He says acceptance was hard, because there weren’t many queer-positive stories around at the time (in fact, homophobic propaganda was rife during the AIDs…

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Book Review: Stuart Coupe’s Roadies hands the mic back to Australia’s road crew

There’s no question that Australia’s roadies know their way around a microphone. A concert set-up doesn’t magically appear out of nowhere. It take tireless crew members toiling away to unpack, set-up, test and re-pack the staging and equipment; and repeating this process as they travel to different towns and venues. For too long, roadies may…

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Book Review: Helen Pitt’s The House is an exhilarating look at the Opera House’s colourful & dramatic history

“Our house is a very, very, very fine house.” Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young might have been singing about the suburbs, but the same can be said about the Sydney Opera House. A building beloved by Sydneysiders and tourists alike, many people may not realise the project was a doomed one. It was almost thwarted…

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Book Review: Ruby J. Murray’s The Biographer’s Lover is an elegant examination of the validity of memory

In the early 90’s, a struggling writer is given what turns out to be a life changing opportunity. The daughter of Edna Cramner, a long forgotten war artist, wants to catalogue and share her mother’s work. Convinced there’s a real story there, the biographer ignores her agent’s concerns that it’s a go-nowhere vanity job and…

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Book Review: Reign of Mist is a thrilling new addition to Helen Scheuerer’s Oremere Chronicles

On the run from power mad King Arden and his armies, the unlikely companions of Heart of Mist find themselves scattered across the realms. Bleak has sailed through the mist in search of the mysterious land of Oremere; Henri has fled to the wintry landscape of Havennesse, hoping to secure allies; Swinton and Fi have…

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Book Review: I’m With the Band is like going to bed with your favourite rock star

Did you know Pamela Des Barres inspired the Penny Lane character in Almost Famous? Rock’s original groupie, Des Barres released her first-kiss-and-tell memoir I’m With the Band back in 1987. Earlier this year the book was re-released with additional chapters, and a new introduction by music journalist Roisin O’Connor. The result is one warm and rollicking read,…

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Book Review: Adam Hills’ Best Foot Forward proves that he is an elder statesman of comedy

Adam Hills is the nicest guy in comedy. Thanks to his memoir, Best Foot Forward, he can also claim to be a “top bloke” in the world of publishing. In this book he reflects on both his personal life and his career, offering up lots of funny anecdotes and inspirational stories. As with his stand-up,…

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Book Review: Bridie Jabour’s The Way Things Should Be is not the romantic comedy you were expecting

When Claudia Carter returns home to the small town of Winston for her wedding, she is expecting chaos. She is expecting that her estranged parents won’t get along, that her sister Poppy will be a brat, and that her Aunt Mary will be a pain in the arse. But she’s put all of that aside…

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Book Review: Zoya Patel’s No Country Woman is a poignant examination of migration, privilege, and what it means to never truly belong

Drawing together musings on feminism, race, and religion, Canberra writer Zoya Patel’s debut No Country Woman explores her experiences as a Fijian-Indian migrant. From the stereotypes that followed her family, to her attempts to rebel against her heritage, and to the months she spent in Scotland examining things from afar. No Country Woman is a well…

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Book Review: Michael Atherton’s A Coveted Possession is a love letter to the piano in Australia

A Coveted Possession documents the popularity of the piano in Australia. Once a treasured member of the household, the piano fell out of favour once people became switched on to the likes of radio and television. Michael Atherton’s highly readable and intriguing book explores the rich cultural history behind this, at times, beloved instrument. Atherton, a professor,…

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Book Review: The True Colour of the Sea is a remarkable new collection from Australia’s master of the short form

Fans of Robert Drewe are in for a treat, with his newest collection, The True Colour of the Sea, published late last month by Hamish Hamilton. The eleven stories, all themed around coastal living, the ocean and the Australian fascination with it are all written in Drewe’s signature style. Each one showcases that Robert Drewe…

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Book Review: Jessie Cole’s Staying is a raw and honest portrait of overcoming trauma

Author Jessie Cole had a relaxed childhood in Northern NSW, there were no words like “must” or “should” spoken by her parents. Instead, Cole and her brother learnt freedom, and were given free range to explore the trees and shadows around their rainforest home, unafraid of the spiders, bugs or the unknown. It all seems…

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Book Review: Caitlin Moran’s How To Be Famous is a satisfying middle finger to Britpop boys clubs & the concept of “selling out”

Johanna Morrigan is back and she’s living the good life. Writing as Dolly Wilde, she has a column in music magazine The Face, and her best friend (and unrequited love) John Kite has hit the big time. But when John begins to spiral out of control, and comedian, creep, and all-round dickhead Jerry Sharp takes…

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Book Review: Tuscan folk tales meet migrant memories in Moreno Giovanonni’s The Fireflies of Autumn

In San Ginese, life and death live side by side, as do prosperity and poverty, opportunity and desperation, friends and enemies. But filled as it is with bawdy gossip, tall tales, and plenty of manure, The Fireflies of Autumn, and Other Tales of San Ginese is not just a story of hardship and hope, but…

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Book Review: Sally Piper’s The Geography of Friendship proves some journeys require walking the same path again

The Geography of Friendship, the second novel from author Sally Piper, tells of the journey of three young girls, Samantha, Lisa and Nicole, who set out on an adventurous five-day hike as teenagers. Three young girls who found and befriended each other at school, because no one else had, or would. Their frightening adventure starts…

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Book Review: Mandy Len Catron’s How To Fall In Love With Anyone is a thought-provoking set of essays about modern love

In 2015 writer and academic, Mandy Len Catron went viral when an article she wrote was published in The New York Times. It was called, “To Fall in Love With Anyone, Do This” where she described her recent date with a new acquaintance. They had answered 36 questions together from a research study designed to…

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Book Review: Mulga’s Magical Musical Creatures by Mulga is a charming and delightful visual feast

Mulga’s Magical Musical Creatures is the latest release from the Sydney-based artist, illustrator and poet Mulga (Joel Moore). Formerly a financial advisor, Mulga’s artwork can be found all over Australia, from cafes to shop fronts, from t-shirts to drink bottles and now once again on your bookshelves – or in this case your children’s bookshelves…

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Photographer Simon Griffiths celebrates the humble vessel in his new book "Boat" (Australia, 2015)

There are few who seem to understand the concept of the coffee table book as well as photographer Simon Griffiths, who today releases Boat – a “celebration of the humble vessel that symbolises escape, trade and travel” – as the press release aptly puts it. The beautifully designed book is one you can judge by…

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Book Review: Nicci French "Friday on My Mind" (2015)

Friday on my Mind is a murder mystery set in contemporary London, penned by Nicci French. The story begins as a man is pulled from the Thames, his throat cut. He is wearing a hospital wristband marked F. Klein, which seems to make identification simple. Only Freida Klein is still very much alive and is…

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