by NRB | 23 Feb 2021 | Non-fiction |
Stuart Clark ranges across myths, archaeology and astronomy to chart the history of our obsession with the stars. On a mountain in ‘Australia’s Warrumbungles range’, English astronomer Stuart Clark stood under the clear night sky and experienced the sublime: There was...
by NRB | 11 Feb 2021 | Non-fiction |
These stories range widely across different experiences of disability, and question why disabled people must always be the ones to adapt to the world. In her introduction to this remarkable collection of personal essays, Carly Findlay writes that she didn’t identify...
by NRB | 9 Feb 2021 | Non-fiction |
Craig Munro examines the author-editor relationship through the lives of four Australian editors. Like most editors, sometimes I wish that I had a whip that I could use with authors. However, as Craig Munro demonstrates in his engaging tour through Australian letters,...
by NRB | 2 Feb 2021 | Non-fiction |
Subtitled ‘A lifelong love affair with the most subtle and sophisticated game known to humankind’ Ramachandra Guha’s memoir explores one man’s multiple connections with cricket, from boyhood fandom to clear-eyed assessments of the state of the game. Timing matters,...
by NRB | 17 Dec 2020 | Fiction, Non-fiction |
We’ve crunched the numbers and come up with the ten most popular reviews we’ve run this year, based on reader views. Is your favourite book among them? Here’s a chance to catch up on some you may have missed, or to revisit books that have resonated with...
by NRB | 8 Dec 2020 | Non-fiction |
Lesley Blume recounts how world learned the human cost of the Hiroshima bombing, to the dismay of the US government. On 31 August 1946, the New Yorker magazine devoted its entire issue to a 30,000-word essay by John Hersey entitled ‘Hiroshima’. It told the story of...
by NRB | 10 Nov 2020 | Non-fiction |
Kate Summerscale recounts the surprising story of Alma Fielding, ghost magnet. ‘GHOST’ WRECKS HOME … FAMILY TERRIFIED – Sunday Pictorial 20 Feb. 1938 Alma Fielding was 34 years old and living with her family in a modest house in the London suburb of Thornton Heath...
by NRB | 3 Nov 2020 | Non-fiction |
Respected economist Ross Garnaut shows how addressing climate change provides a golden opportunity for Australia. Lockdown has had me researching books about climate change in Australia. Delving into the canon is a rollercoaster – readers can expect to experience...
by NRB | 29 Oct 2020 | Non-fiction |
The Golden Maze offers a broad sweep of Prague’s history and a clear warning against totalitarianism. Richard Fidler is a broadcaster and host of Conversations on ABC Radio. In an earlier life he was part of the comedy trio the Doug Anthony All Stars. In late...
by NRB | 27 Oct 2020 | Non-fiction |
Richard Ovenden, head of Oxford’s Bodleian Library, makes the case for libraries and the preservation of knowledge. Libraries, those repositories of human knowledge, have become a popular subject for writers. Collections built, sacked and resurrected feature in...
by NRB | 22 Oct 2020 | Non-fiction |
In telling their personal stories, Catrine Clay brings to life the Germans who resisted Nazism, reminding us that the Fuhrer’s cheering crowds did not represent everyone. Catrine Clay is an award-winning BBC documentary-maker and author of three previous works...
by NRB | 15 Oct 2020 | Non-fiction |
In The Time of Our Lives Robert Dessaix ponders approaches to ageing, and does so with ‘unending playful curiosity’. Robert Dessaix is 76 years old. Not quite spry enough to join the middle-aged hotel guests dancing to boom-box music by the lotus pool of...
CHER The Memoir Part 1. Reviewed by Naomi Manuell16 January 2025Cher is a genuine superstar who has had an extraordinary career across music, [ … ]
PETER GODWIN Exit Wounds. Reviewed by Ann Skea15 January 2025Peter Godwin’s memoir charts a life of exile, ranging from the horror of civil [ … ]
MARK SMITH Three Boys Gone. Reviewed by Michael Jongen14 January 2025Mark Smith’s first novel for adults is both a psychological thriller and an [ … ]
NRB readers’ favourite reviews of 202419 December 2024Welcome to our most popular reviews of the year. Is your favourite among them? [ … ]