PETER J CONRADI A Dictionary of Interesting and Important Dogs. Reviewed by Ann Skea
Not just for dog-lovers, this miscellany contains canine tales from literature and history. First, a confession. I am not particularly fond of dogs. So, when this book was sent to me for review I was unenthusiastic and expected it to be just another collection...
JESSE HOGAN, ANDREW FAULKNER AND SIMON AUTERI For Cap and Country. Reviewed by Bernard Whimpress
This collection of 22 interviews with Australian cricketers is framed around the symbolism of the baggy green cap and, more importantly, around the actuality of representing their country. Conceived by player agent Simon Auteri, 18 of the interviews in For Cap and...
ANDREW NETTE and IAIN MCINTYRE (Eds) Sticking it to the Man: Revolution and counterculture in pulp and popular fiction 1950 to 1980. Reviewed by Michael Jongen
Sticking it to the Man brings together a wide-ranging collection of essays that examine how the counterculture and radical politics have been reflected in popular fiction. In this new book, Nette and McIntyre have produced a companion volume to Girl Gangs, Biker Boys,...
MASHA GESSEN The Brothers: The road to an American tragedy. Reviewed by Kurt Johnson
Masha Gessen explores the world of the Tsarnaev brothers, responsible for the Boston Marathon bombings, and the multitude of theories attempting to explain how this tragedy occurred. It’s not often that the world demands a journalist write a book. Masha Gessen’s...
JULIAN BARNES The Man in the Red Coat. Reviewed by Carmel Bird
In The Man in the Red Coat Julian Barnes has created both a biography and a portrait of the Belle Epoque. The man of the title is Samuel Pozzi, a fashionable, innovative and brilliant Parisian surgeon and gynecologist, a lover, a collector of beautiful objects – and...
DARRYL JONES Feeding the Birds at Your Table: A guide for Australia. Reviewed by Tracy Sorensen
Many Australians enjoy feeding our native birds. In this guide Darryl Jones suggests better ways to do it. ‘Just Say No’ campaigns against pre-marital sex in the United States tend to fail miserably. That doesn’t stop conservative governments attempting to re-install...
MICHAEL SEXTON Border’s Battlers: The furnace of Madras, the tied Test, a defining moment for Australian cricket. Reviewed by Bernard Whimpress
This 1986 Test match in India was a turning point on the path to reviving Australia’s cricketing fortunes. A single match has been the subject of a number of remarkable sporting books with a historical focus. Mark Frost’s The Greatest Game Ever...
LAWRENCE WESCHLER And How Are You, Dr Sacks? A biographical memoir of Oliver Sacks. Reviewed by Ann Skea
Oliver Sacks – neurologist, philosopher, writer … Lawrence Weschler reveals the ‘conflicted brilliance’ of the famous doctor in this biographical memoir. In the early 1980s, 29-year-old Lawrence Weschler had just become a staff writer at the...
HELEN LEWIS The Dead Still Cry Out: The story of a combat cameraman. Reviewed by Kim Kelly
Winner of the 2018 Nib Literary Award and longlisted for the 2019 Colin Roderick Award. Helen Lewis traces her father’s experiences in World War II and how he witnessed the devastating results of the Holocaust. Part memoir, part war history, The Dead Still...
TOBY FABER Faber & Faber: The untold story. Reviewed by Ann Skea
Toby Faber delivers a slice of publishing history replete with (now) famous authors. Toby Faber is the grandson of Geoffrey Faber who, in 1929, established the publishing firm Faber & Faber. He tells the story of Faber & Faber mostly through original...
BENJAMIN LAW (ed.) Growing Up Queer in Australia. Reviewed by Michael Jongen
These personal essays in Growing Up Queer in Australia are full of insight and self-reflection. The queer community can take great pride in the quality of the stories and the voices that represent it. This is a very polished collection of stories, perhaps not...
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