Our latest reviews
The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley
Lucy Foley is back with another suspenseful read, The Midnight Feast. The story unfolds at The Manor, an extravagant estate promising a tranquil escape for only the most privileged, which is having its opening night. Owned by Francesca Woodland…
Smoke by Michael Brissenden
Journalist Michael Brissenden has covered the impact huge fires have on communities in his work for the ABC. This knowledge is apparent in his latest novel; an atmospheric dive into how a fire-ravaged town deals with the trauma of losing…
Queen of Dogs by Joe Weatherstone
Maddy comes from a busy family. A tennis champ sister, star runner brother and parents with hectic jobs; there is never time to stop and smell the roses! But Maddy isn’t interested in the hustle and bustle of a busy…
BRAT: A Ghost Story by Gabriel Smith
An astounding debut combining dark comedy, ghostly affairs and terrible heartache, Gabriel Smith’s play on autofiction presents an eerily clever story within a story within a story.
Gabriel’s father has just passed away, his mother lives in a care home…
The Wrong Shoes by Tom Percival
Will has the wrong shoes: they’re not Nike, Reebok, or even proper school shoes. They’re plastic leather, with a split that means rain will always equal a wet foot. But they’re all his dad, who was injured and has been…
The Heart in Winter by Kevin Barry
Kevin Barry’s The Heart in Winter is a dreamlike novella that delves into the complexities of human life with an unsentimental and merciless gaze. Set against the backdrop of a small town in Montana in the 1890s, Barry weaves a…
Sandwich by Catherine Newman
Catherine Newman is known for her nonfiction, and her debut novel, We All Want Impossible Things was published to acclaim in 2021. I think Sandwich is even better, and thus far, it’s my favourite book of 2024.
Rocky (Rachel)…
Sharkman and Blowfish: World Domination by David Woodland
Melbourne-based publishers Berbay are known for brilliant children’s books that are slightly out of left field, but this is a book that is completely unhinged. The book begins with the Sharkman and Blowfish origin story: a meeting at school, then…
Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors
The bond of a sibling is a difficult thing to express in words. In Blue Sisters, Coco Mellors manages to communicate the tumultuous, vicious, all-consuming love that sisterhood involves. It follows three estranged sisters: Avery, a recovering addict and…
How to Move a Zoo by Kate Simpson & Owen Swan (illus.)
Whoever would have thought an elephant would walk through the Sydney streets onto a ferry and sail on it across the waters of Port Jackson to the new Taronga Zoo? In 1916, it happened! Jessie, the last inmate of the…
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