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Category: Book Reviews

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BOOK REVIEW: MY FIRST FRIDA KAHLO by Isabel Sanchez Vegara & Eng Gee Fan

BOOK REVIEW: MY FIRST FRIDA KAHLO by Isabel Sanchez Vegara & Eng Gee Fan

| 8 February 2019 | Reply

BOOK REVIEW: MY FIRST FRIDA KAHLO by Isabel Sanchez Vegara & Eng Gee Fan Quarto Group UK June 2018 Hardcover, rrp $12.99 Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar Children’s, biography 90% A simple, sweet and appropriate introductory book for very young children about the life of amazing Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, with super cute illustrations by Eng […]

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COOKBOOK REVIEW: KOREAN FOOD MADE EASY by Caroline Hwang

COOKBOOK REVIEW: KOREAN FOOD MADE EASY by Caroline Hwang

| 8 February 2019 | Reply

COOKBOOK REVIEW: KOREAN FOOD MADE EASY by Caroline Hwang Murdoch Books June 2018 Paperback, rrp $39.99 Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar Cookbook 75% There is so much more to Korean food than kimchi and tabletop barbecuing, and Caroline Hwang is here to show us what. Korean Food Made Easy devotes sections to both of these delicious […]

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BOOK REVIEW: The House on the Mountain by Ella Holcombe & David Cox

BOOK REVIEW: The House on the Mountain by Ella Holcombe & David Cox

| 7 February 2019 | Reply

BOOK REVIEW: The House on the Mountain by Ella Holcombe & David Cox Allen & Unwin February 2019 Hardcover, $24.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Picture Book / Cultural Australia / Bushfire 90% The powerful story of a family who lose their home in a bushfire and their journey of recovery. REMEMBERING BLACK SATURDAY There is […]

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BOOK REVIEW: The Ship That Never Was- The Greatest Escape Story of Australian Colonial History by Adam Courtenay

BOOK REVIEW: The Ship That Never Was- The Greatest Escape Story of Australian Colonial History by Adam Courtenay

| 5 February 2019 | Reply

BOOK REVIEW: The Ship That Never Was- The Greatest Escape Story of Australian Colonial History by Adam Courtenay ABC Books May 2018 Paperback, $29.99 Reviewed by Natalie Salvo Non-Fiction / History 90% Rocking James Porter was a convict who once had two choices: a) toe the line and eventually be released or b) escape prison. […]

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BOOK REVIEW: Anatomy of a Scandal by Sarah Vaughan

BOOK REVIEW: Anatomy of a Scandal by Sarah Vaughan

| 1 February 2019 | Reply

BOOK REVIEW: Anatomy of a Scandal by Sarah Vaughan Simon & Schuster Ltd January 2018 Paperback, $29.99 Reviewed by Natalie Salvo Fiction / Modern & Contemporary Fiction 85% Rocking He’s a well-respected man around London town. Or is he? In Sarah Vaughan’s third novel she examines a rape trial involving a charming, family man who […]

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Natalie’s Top Reads of 2018

Natalie’s Top Reads of 2018

| 28 January 2019 | Reply

My 2018 in books was the year I discovered how much I love and appreciate a well-constructed and gripping thriller. This was the first year I read more from this particular genre and it’s certainly reflected in my top fiction picks for this year. It was nice to discover a new love and something I […]

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BOOK REVIEW: You’re on an Airplane – A Self-Mythologizing Memoir by Parker Posey

BOOK REVIEW: You’re on an Airplane – A Self-Mythologizing Memoir by Parker Posey

| 25 January 2019 | Reply

BOOK REVIEW: You’re on an Airplane – A Self-Mythologizing Memoir by Parker Posey Virago July 2018 Paperback, $32.99 Reviewed by Natalie Salvo Non-Fiction / Biographies & True Stories 50% Rocking Parker Posey puts the ‘me’ into memoir. In her debut book, You’re on an Airplane, the indie actress uses the conceit that she and the […]

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BOOK REVIEW: The Lost Man by Jane Harper

BOOK REVIEW: The Lost Man by Jane Harper

| 22 January 2019 | Reply

BOOK REVIEW: The Lost Man by Jane Harper Pan Macmillan Australia October 2018 Paperback, $32.99 Reviewed by Natalie Salvo Fiction / Modern & Contemporary Fiction 90% Rocking Jane Harper created a literary storm with the release of her debut thriller, The Dry. In her third novel, The Lost Man, Harper continues her masterful storytelling. You […]

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BOOK REVIEW: Pink Ink by Harry Cook

BOOK REVIEW: Pink Ink by Harry Cook

| 19 January 2019 | Reply

BOOK REVIEW: Pink Ink by Harry Cook Finch Publishing August 2018 Paperback, $29.99 Reviewed by Natalie Salvo Non-Fiction / Biographies & True Stories 80% Rocking Twenty-seven seems like it’s a bit young to write a memoir. But actor and LGBTQI activist Harry Cook has crammed quite a few things into his professional and personal life […]

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BOOK REVIEW: THANKS A LOT MR KIBBLEWHITE by Roger Daltrey

BOOK REVIEW: THANKS A LOT MR KIBBLEWHITE by Roger Daltrey

| 15 January 2019 | Reply

BOOK REVIEW: THANKS A LOT MR KIBBLEWHITE by Roger Daltrey Allen & Unwin November 2018 Paperback, rrp $24.99 Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar Autobiography 90% Legendary frontman of The Who, Roger Daltrey, delivers a hugely entertaining autobiography, named as a middle finger raised to his dismissive old school teacher, Mr Kibblewhite. Kibblewhite wasn’t the only one […]

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BOOK REVIEW: KILLER T by Robert Muchamore

BOOK REVIEW: KILLER T by Robert Muchamore

| 20 December 2018 | Reply

BOOK REVIEW: KILLER T by Robert Muchamore Bonnier August 2018 Paperback, $19.99 Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar Speculative scientific thriller 7/10   Robert Muchamore’s futuristic thriller Killer T has a love story at its heart, one that spans ten years and ample tragedy. Along the way he deftly raises serious practical and philosophical questions about genetic […]

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BOOK REVIEW: BON: The Last Highway by Jesse Fink

BOOK REVIEW: BON: The Last Highway by Jesse Fink

| 9 December 2018 | 5 Replies

BOOK REVIEW: BON: The Last Highway by Jesse Fink Ebury Australia $34.99 Paperback, biography November 2017 Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar 4/10 Jesse Fink has written about AC/DC before, with his book The Youngs: The Brothers Who Built AC/DC being published in twenty countries across ten languages, and it seems to have been successful enough for […]

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BOOK REVIEW: THE LEGO BOOK [New Edition]

BOOK REVIEW: THE LEGO BOOK [New Edition]

| 17 November 2018 | Reply

BOOK REVIEW: THE LEGO BOOK [New Edition] DK Books October 2018 Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar 9/10 Updated for the first time since 2012, The Lego Book has been re-released to coincide with the sixtieth birthday of Lego itself, and the fortieth birthday of the much-loved Lego mini-figures. Containing a wealth of fascinating information The Lego […]

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BOOK REVIEW: MICHAEL. MY BROTHER, LOST BOY OF INXS by Tina Hutchence with Jen Jewel Brown

BOOK REVIEW: MICHAEL. MY BROTHER, LOST BOY OF INXS by Tina Hutchence with Jen Jewel Brown

| 17 November 2018 | Reply

BOOK REVIEW: MICHAEL. MY BROTHER, LOST BOY OF INXS by Tina Hutchence with Jen Jewel Brown Allen & Unwin September 2018 Paperback, $32.99 Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar Biography 8 ½ /10 up to the end… 5/10 for the end As sister to Michael Hutchence, Tina Hutchence’s memoir of her brother’s life is exactly the peek […]

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BOOK REVIEW: JIMMY PAGE: THE DEFINITIVE BIOGRAPHY by Chris Salewicz

BOOK REVIEW: JIMMY PAGE: THE DEFINITIVE BIOGRAPHY by Chris Salewicz

| 17 November 2018 | Reply

BOOK REVIEW: JIMMY PAGE: THE DEFINITIVE BIOGRAPHY by Chris Salewicz Harper Collins July 2018 $32.99 Paperback, biography Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar 9/10 Veteran scribe Chris Salewicz draws from his own meetings and interviews with the enigmatic Led Zeppelin guitarist, as well as many others who circled the force of nature that was Zeppelin, to assemble […]

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BOOK REVIEW: Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss

BOOK REVIEW: Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss

| 30 October 2018 | Reply

BOOK REVIEW: Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss GrantaOctober 2018Hardcover, $27.99Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Fiction / Novella / Horror 8/10 In the north of England, far from the intrusions of cities but not far from civilization, Silvie and her family are living as if they are ancient Britons, surviving by the tools and knowledge of the […]

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COOKBOOK: BAKELAND by Marit Hovland

COOKBOOK: BAKELAND by Marit Hovland

| 20 October 2018 | Reply

COOKBOOK: BAKELAND by Marit Hovland Greystone Books July 2018 Hardcover, $44.99 Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar Cookbook 10/10 At the risk of sounding over-privileged, when one gets a lot of cookbooks come through for review, most of them tend to blur into a bland, generic mid-range where inspiration and innovation rarely visits.       So […]

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COOKBOOK: MAZI – Modern Greek Food by Christina Mouratoglou and Adrien Carré

COOKBOOK: MAZI – Modern Greek Food by Christina Mouratoglou and Adrien Carré

| 20 October 2018 | Reply

COOKBOOK: MAZI – Modern Greek Food by Christina Mouratoglou and Adrien Carré Octopus Publishing Group March 2018 Hardcover, $39.99 Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar Cookbook 7 ½ /10 When Mazi restaurant opened in London in 2012 there were precious few Greek restaurants offering any kind of innovative take on Greek cuisine, but they soon enticed a […]

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COOKBOOK: SOUK by Nadia Zerouali & Merijn Tol

COOKBOOK: SOUK by Nadia Zerouali & Merijn Tol

| 20 October 2018 | Reply

COOKBOOK: SOUK by Nadia Zerouali & Merijn Tol Simon & Schuster Australia April 2018 Hardcover, $49.99 Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar Cookbook 8/10 Reviewing cookbooks when you’re on a diet is a horrible idea – but here we are. Subtitled Feasting At The Mezze Table, Souk is a celebration of the Middle Eastern equivalent of tapas […]

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BOOK: THE CROWN: THE INSIDE HISTORY by Robert Lacey

BOOK: THE CROWN: THE INSIDE HISTORY by Robert Lacey

| 19 October 2018 | Reply

BOOK: THE CROWN: THE INSIDE HISTORY by Robert Lacey Allen & Unwin November 2017 Hardcover, $39.99 Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar Hardcover, TV tie-in, biography 10/10 In this official companion piece to the first series of Netflix original series The Crown, royal biographer Robert Lacey picks apart each episode, illuminating the real history being practically every […]

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