Biography and memoir
A Season of Death: A Memoir by Mark Raphael Baker
There is no need for this review to talk about the contribution Mark Raphael Baker made to Melbourne with his continual quest for understanding the role of faith and Judaism, here in Australia and across the world. He was simply…
Didion & Babitz by Lili Anolik
Didion & Babitz is a compelling exploration of the artistic views and contrasts between Joan Didion and Eve Babitz, each author famous for chronicling a gritty and glamorous era of Hollywood in their own distinctive style.
Didion, always a writer…
Australian Gospel: A Family Saga by Lech Blaine
Buckle in, because Lech Blaine’s story about his family will blow your mind. It reads like a crime novel, but it took Blaine 11 years to write this tale because he wanted to be accurate. He interviewed hundreds of people…
Three Wild Dogs and the Truth by Markus Zusak
There are plenty of writers out there who have made their living from detailing stories of the connection between dogs and their owners, but few – if any – possess the same prowess in portraying complexity, tenderness, and beauty as…
John Berger and Me by Nikos Papastergiadis
The late John Berger will be known to many readers as the pillar of cultural criticism whose 1972 BBC series Ways of Seeing, and book of the same title, are still among the most significant contributions to art theory…
Running with Pirates: On Freedom, Adventure, and Fathers and Sons by Kári Gíslason
When he was 18, Kári Gíslason decided to head off overseas from his home in Brisbane, in part to reconnect with his father in Iceland. His father had an affair with his mother when she was living in Iceland. Married…
Rural Hours: The Country Lives of Virginia Woolf, Sylvia Townsend Warner and Rosamond Lehmann by Harriet Baker
I have a special place in my heart for group biographies, especially of women writers and artists working in the first half of the 20th century. Wonderful then to be asked to review Rural Hours, the debut book from…
Hazzard and Harrower: The Letters by Brigitta Olubas & Susan Wyndham (eds)
Those who read the extract from Hazzard and Harrower in the April Readings Monthly will not be surprised to see it recommended here in the month of its release. While that small sample could hardly convey the astonishing scope of…
Did I Ever Tell You? by Genevieve Kingston
Did I Ever Tell You? emerges as a testament to resilience and love, touching on topics of grief, love and family. Genevieve (Gwen) Kingston’s mother faced a terminal cancer diagnosis when Gwen was just three years old. Despite this, her…
Love, Death & Other Scenes by Nova Weetman
After playwright Aidan Fennessy dies during the 2020 covid lockdowns, it is 15 months before his family can hold his memorial. Loss is always unfair, but it feels especially so to happen when everybody had to look after each other…
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