banner ad
banner ad

Category: Book Reviews

banner ad
BOOK REVIEW: The Twelve Dancing Princesses, pictures by Anna Walker

BOOK REVIEW: The Twelve Dancing Princesses, pictures by Anna Walker

| 1 November 2016 | Reply

BOOK REVIEW: The Twelve Dancing Princesses, pictures by Anna Walker Little Hare April 2015 Hardcover, $12.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Picture Book 6/10   Anna Walker, world-renowned illustrator known for All Through the Year, What Do You Wish For, and Mr. Huff, just to name a few, has turned her hand to the classic Grimm Brother’s […]

Read More

BOOK REVIEW: The White Fox by Jackie Morris

BOOK REVIEW: The White Fox by Jackie Morris

| 31 October 2016 | Reply

BOOK REVIEW: The White Fox by Jackie Morris Conkers October 2016 Hardback, $21.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Middle Grade 7.5/10 “I don’t remember her,” Sol said. He didn’t need to say who – his dad knew. “And then sometimes I feel guilty because I don’t remember her. Not her face, her voice, her smell. Nothing.” […]

Read More

BOOK REVIEW: Marge in Charge by Isla Fisher

BOOK REVIEW: Marge in Charge by Isla Fisher

| 31 October 2016 | Reply

BOOK REVIEW: Marge in Charge by Isla Fisher Allen & Unwin July 2016 Paperback, $14.99 Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar Middle Grade 8/10 Australian actress Isla Fisher may be more famous for her roles in Home & Away and movies such as The Wedding Crashers, and marriage to Sacha Baron Cohen, but she proves herself adept at […]

Read More

BOOK REVIEW: ABC-3PO by Calliope Glass & Caitlin Kennedy, Illustrated by Katie Cook

BOOK REVIEW: ABC-3PO by Calliope Glass & Caitlin Kennedy, Illustrated by Katie Cook

| 31 October 2016 | Reply

BOOK REVIEW: ABC-3PO by Calliope Glass & Caitlin Kennedy, Illustrated by Katie Cook Hardie Grant Egmont September 2016 Paperback, $12.99 Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar Picture Book 9/10 A wonderful early reader for the 4-6 age group, this heart warmingly illustrated book takes us on an alphabetical journey through the Star Wars universe, ensuring a whole new […]

Read More

BOOK REVIEW: Star Wars – Adventures in Wild Space, The Escape by Cavan Scott

BOOK REVIEW: Star Wars – Adventures in Wild Space, The Escape by Cavan Scott

| 31 October 2016 | Reply

BOOK REVIEW: Star Wars – Adventures in Wild Space, The Escape by Cavan Scott Hardie Grant Egmont February 2016 Paperback,  $5.00 Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar 7 ½ /10 Thankfully this slim novel is a World Book Day 2016 title, and as such is priced very affordably, as it is a similarly slim tale. Milo & Luna’s […]

Read More

BOOK REVIEW: Artie and the Grime Wave by Richard Roxburgh

BOOK REVIEW: Artie and the Grime Wave by Richard Roxburgh

| 31 October 2016 | Reply

BOOK REVIEW: Artie and the Grime Wave by Richard Roxburgh Allen & Unwin October 2016 Paperback, $16.99 Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar Middle Grade 8 ½ /10 There’s more than a bit of Richard Roxburgh’s devilishly indulgent lawyer Cleaver Green from the TV show Rake in Artie & The Grime Wave – a book sure to […]

Read More

BOOK REVIEW: There May Be a Castle by Piers Torday

BOOK REVIEW: There May Be a Castle by Piers Torday

| 29 October 2016 | 1 Reply

BOOK REVIEW: There May Be a Castle by Piers Torday Quercus Children’s Books October 2016 Hardback, $26.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Middle Grade/Adventure 8/10 Mouse doesn’t exactly fit in… at school or at home. He’s always been rather short for his age, would prefer to play with his toys than other kids his own age, […]

Read More

BOOK REVIEW: THE PALOMAR COOKBOOK

BOOK REVIEW: THE PALOMAR COOKBOOK

| 28 October 2016 | Reply

BOOK REVIEW: THE PALOMAR COOKBOOK Hachette Australia  August 2016 Hardcover, $39.99 Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar Cooking 8/10 The Palomar Restaurant opened its doors in London’s Soho in 2014, and its modern take on food from Jerusalem, influenced by Spanish, North African and The Levant cuisines, was an immediate hit. From cured lemons to tapenade and […]

Read More

BOOK REVIEW: ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND by Lewis Carroll, Illustrated by Anthony Browne

BOOK REVIEW: ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND by Lewis Carroll, Illustrated by Anthony Browne

| 28 October 2016 | Reply

BOOK REVIEW: ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND by Lewis Carroll, Illustrated by Anthony Browne Walker Books September 2016 Paperback, $17.99 Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar Children’s Fiction 10/10 Anthony Browne re-imagined Lewis Carroll’s wonderful classic Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland in 1988, and Walker books put out this delightful 150th anniversary edition in the U.K. in 2015. It’s […]

Read More

BOOK REVIEW: SWEET PIZZA by G R Gemin

BOOK REVIEW: SWEET PIZZA by G R Gemin

| 28 October 2016 | Reply

BOOK REVIEW: SWEET PIZZA by G R Gemin Nosy Crow October 2016 Paperback, $14.99 Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar Children’s Fiction 7/10 G R Gemin constructs a warm family saga of Italian migrants living in a small Welsh town in Sweet Pizza, only falling down in describing the realities of running a working restaurant – not that […]

Read More

BOOK REVIEW: BOSS – The Illustrated History by Gillian G Gaar

BOOK REVIEW: BOSS – The Illustrated History by Gillian G Gaar

| 28 October 2016 | Reply

BOOK REVIEW: BOSS – The Illustrated History by Gillian G Gaar Voyageur Press August 2016 Hardcover, $45.00 Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar Biography 7/10 Oddly, for an Illustrated History, this hard cover coffee table styled book focuses more on the words of Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band’s story, than on the pictures – to […]

Read More

BOOK REVIEW: In Love With These Times by Roger Shepherd

BOOK REVIEW: In Love With These Times by Roger Shepherd

| 24 October 2016 | Reply

BOOK REVIEW: In Love With These Times by Roger Shepherd Harper Collins Australia  May 2016 Paperback, $29.99 Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar Autobiography / Music 7 ½ /10 Roger Shepherd was just an ordinary guy who like going to see bands, graduated to working in a record store, and realised that the only way more people were […]

Read More

BOOK REVIEW: LABYRINTH – The Ultimate Visual History by Paula M Block & Terry J Erdmann

BOOK REVIEW: LABYRINTH – The Ultimate Visual History by Paula M Block & Terry J Erdmann

| 24 October 2016 | Reply

BOOK REVIEW: LABYRINTH – The Ultimate Visual History by Paula M Block & Terry J Erdmann Insight Editions  October 2016 Hardcover, $59.99 Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar Entertainment 10/10 Jim Henson, hot from The Muppets, Fraggle Rock and the movie Dark Crystal, embarked upon the long journey to making Labyrinth in the back seat of a […]

Read More

BOOK REVIEW: Feedback by Mira Grant

BOOK REVIEW: Feedback by Mira Grant

| 24 October 2016 | Reply

BOOK REVIEW: Feedback by Mira Grant Orbit October 2016 Paperback, $22.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Horror/Zombies 7/10 ** Feedback is technically book 4 in the Newsflesh series. While this review does not contain spoilers for either Feedback, or the original trilogy in Feed, Deadline, and Blackout, it is recommended you pick Feed up before this one, or you will spoil […]

Read More

BOOK REVIEW: Barefoot on the Wind by Zoë Marriott

BOOK REVIEW: Barefoot on the Wind by Zoë Marriott

| 23 October 2016 | 2 Replies

BOOK REVIEW: Barefoot on the Wind by Zoë Marriott Walker Books November 2016 Paperback, $16.99 Reviewed by Natalie Salvo Young Adult Fiction 6.5/10 Many of us are familiar with Disney’s version of Beauty & the Beast. The film shows the cursed Beast who captures the beautiful Belle, and it is only after Belle sees the […]

Read More

BOOK REVIEW: A Sticky Note Guide to Life by Chaz Hutton

BOOK REVIEW: A Sticky Note Guide to Life by Chaz Hutton

| 23 October 2016 | Reply

BOOK REVIEW: A Sticky Note Guide to Life by Chaz Hutton Harper Collins October 2016 Hardback, $18.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Lifestyle / Humour 8/10 The quote on the cover of this book is right; this book can see into your soul. Against all rational explanation, the distance between now and Friday actually increases the closer […]

Read More

BOOK REVIEW: The Creeper Man by Dawn Kurtagich

BOOK REVIEW: The Creeper Man by Dawn Kurtagich

| 20 October 2016 | Reply

BOOK REVIEW: The Creeper Man by Dawn Kurtagich Indigo September 2016 Paperback, $16.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Young Adult / Horror 6/10 ‘I want to tell you a story about those woods out there. A true story.’ I glanced up from my sleepy haze. ‘You must never, never go into Python Wood,’ she whispered, making sure […]

Read More

BOOK REVIEW: CHOCOLATE by Kirsten Tibballs

BOOK REVIEW: CHOCOLATE by Kirsten Tibballs

| 19 October 2016 | Reply

BOOK REVIEW: CHOCOLATE by Kirsten Tibballs Murdoch Books  July 2016 Hardcover, $49.99 Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar Cooking 9/10 Kirsten Tibballs’ reputation precedes her: she opened Savour Chocolate & Patisserie School in 2002; represented Australia at the World Pastry Championships in Las Vegas; won gold at the Pastry Olympics in Germany; judged the World Chocolate Masters in […]

Read More

BOOK REVIEW: THE AGE OF BOWIE by Paul Morley

BOOK REVIEW: THE AGE OF BOWIE by Paul Morley

| 19 October 2016 | Reply

BOOK REVIEW: THE AGE OF BOWIE by Paul Morley Simon & Schuster Australia August 2016 Hardcover, $45.00 Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar Biography / Entertainment 8/10 Respected music writer Paul Morley, when contacted for comment on the passing of pop icon David Bowie in January of this year, turned off his phone and rapidly decided that he […]

Read More

BOOK REVIEW: EXILE ON FRONT STREET by George Christie

BOOK REVIEW: EXILE ON FRONT STREET by George Christie

| 19 October 2016 | Reply

BOOK REVIEW: EXILE ON FRONT STREET by George Christie Pan Macmillan Australia August 2016 Paperback, $32.99 Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar Autobiography: Motorcycle Clubs 7/10 George Christie tells his story well, even though it’s obvious some crucial pieces of the information may have been excluded due to the statute of limitations pertaining to certain crimes (which may […]

Read More


banner ad
banner ad