BOOK REVIEW: The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave Picador January 2020 Paperback, $29.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Fiction / Historical Fiction 100% After a storm has killed off all the island’s men, two women in a 1600s Norwegian coastal village struggle to survive against both natural forces and the men who have been sent to […]
BOOK REVIEW: So Lucky by Dawn O’Porter HarperCollins October 2019 Paperback, $34.99 Reviewed by Natalie Salvo Fiction Books / Modern & Contemporary Fiction 75% Rocking No one thumbs their noses at the prospect of luck. In fact, some people even label certain individuals “lucky” because they seem to live a charmed life. Author and broadcaster, […]
BOOK REVIEW: Nelson – Pumpkins and Aliens by Andrew Levins, illustrated by Katie Kear Puffin Books March 2020 Paperback, $12.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Middle Grade / Humour 65% Rocking Meet Nelson . . . he’s an ordinary kid, just like you. Everyone thinks he’s shy but, really, he’s just bored. Nelson hates vegetables. […]
BOOK REVIEW: The School of Life – An Emotional Education by the School of Life Hamish Hamilton September 2019 Paperback, $32.99 Reviewed by Natalie Salvo Non-Fiction Books / Philosophy / Popular Philosophy 70% Rocking The work performed by The School of Life is important. This institution educates people on matters of emotional intelligence and equips […]
BOOK REVIEW: The Familiar Dark by Amy Engel Hodder & Stoughton March 2020 Paperback, $32.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Crime / Mystery / Fiction 95% Rocking From the bestselling author of The Roanoke Girls comes a new novel with the same incredible atmosphere, strong sense of place and dark heart. The Familiar Dark will blow […]
BOOK REVIEW: More than Enough- Claiming Space for Who You Are (No Matter What They Say) by Elaine Welteroth Ebury Press June 2019 Paperback, $35.00 Reviewed by Natalie Salvo Non-Fiction / Biographies & Memoir 100% Rocking People often like to talk about “trailblazers” but journalist and editor Elaine Welteroth really embodies this title. At 29 […]
BOOK REVIEW: Providence by Max Barry Hachette Australia March 2020 Paperback, $32.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Science-Fiction / Thriller 75% Rocking An inventive, speculative adventure and the intimate tale of four people facing their most desperate hour – alone, together, at the edge of the universe. The video changed everything. Before that, we could believe […]
BOOK REVIEW: Batman – 100 Greatest Moments by Robert Greenberger Allen & Unwin/Quatro Group December 2019 Hardcover, $39.99 Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar Comic Book anthology 78% There’s not much Robert Greenberger doesn’t know about the iconic caped crusader of Gotham City, and here he compiles his list of 100 Greatest Moments spanning the 80-year history […]
BOOK REVIEW: Who Am I, Again? By Lenny Henry Allen & Unwin November 2019 Paperback, $32.99 Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar Autobiography 69% British comedian Lenny Henry doesn’t manage to answer his own titular question in this first volume of his memoirs. Full of insecurities and self-confessional in nature – as any honest telling of our […]
BOOK REVIEW: Ho! Ho! Ho! There’s a Hippopotamus on Our Roof Eating Christmas Cake by Hazel Edwards, illustrated by Deborah Niland Penguin Books Australia October 2018 Hardcover, $19.99 Reviewed by Natalie Salvo Fiction / Kids & Childrens Books / Picture Books 85% Rocking In 1980 we learned that hippopotamuses enjoy eating cake. And hanging out […]
BOOK REVIEW: The Little Book Of Lost Words by Joe Gillard Allen & Unwin October 2019 Hardcover, $19.99 Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar Dictionary 90% Joe Gillard is on a mission to resurrect a slew of lost words with this adorable and oft-hilarious little book, and who better to do so that the founder of History […]
BOOK REVIEW: Escape from Earth: A Secret History of the Space Rocket by Fraser MacDonald Profile Books August 2019 Hardcover, $39.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Non-Fiction / Space / Science / History 60% ESCAPE FROM EARTH is the untold story of the engineers, dreamers and rebels who started the American space programme. In particular, it […]
BOOK REVIEW: Malcolm Young – The Man Who Made AC/DC by Jeff Apter Allen & Unwin August 2019 Paperback, $32.99 Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar Biography 88% You might say that Malcolm Young – who, as the rock steady rhythm guitarist with hard rock legends AC/DC, was known by many as “the best right hand in […]
BOOK REVIEW: The Time Travel Diaries by Caroline Lawrence Allen & Unwin July 2019 Paperback, $14.99 Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar Childrens/Historical fiction 79% Alex is a twelve year old kid in London who, by misadventure, is enlisted by a rogue billionaire to travel back in time to the Londinium of Roman times and find out […]
BOOK REVIEW: Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff Allen & Unwin May 2019 Paperback, $19.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Young Adult / Science Fiction 60% From the internationally bestselling authors of THE ILLUMINAE FILES comes an epic new science fiction adventure. The year is 2380, and the graduating cadets of Aurora Academy are […]
BOOK REVIEW: The Last by Hanna Jameson Penguin | Viking February 2019 Paperback, $32.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Fiction / Mystery / Dystopia 65% Rocking For fans of high-concept thrillers such as Annihilation and The Girl with All the Gifts, this breathtaking dystopian psychological thriller follows an American academic stranded at a Swiss hotel as the world descends […]
BOOK REVIEW: Emily Eternal by M.G. Wheaton Hodder & Stoughton April 2019 Paperback, $32.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Science Fiction / Artificial Intelligence / Oncoming Apocalypse 80% Rocking Meet Emily – she can solve advanced mathematical problems, unlock the mind’s deepest secrets and even fix your truck’s air con, but unfortunately, she can’t restart the […]
BOOK REVIEW: The Need by Helen Phillips Penguin | Viking July 2019 Paperback, $29.99 AUD Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Fiction / Thriller / Speculative 80% Rocking Molly is exhausted, anxious, losing her grip on reality. Her husband is away and she is running between her children and her job, where things are unravelling. She’s a […]
BOOK REVIEW: The Haunted Heart of America by Logan Corelli Llewellyn Publications April 2018 Paperback, $16.99 USD Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Non-Fiction / Hauntings / Ghosts / Paranormal Investigations 60% Rocking IN-DEPTH INVESTIGATIONS OF THE VILLISCA AX MURDER HOUSE, MYRTLES PLANTATION & OTHER FRIGHTFUL SITES Experience the Heartland’s Most Memorable and Thrilling Paranormal Cases You […]
BOOK REVIEW: A Thousand Perfect Notes by C.G. Drews Orchard June 2018 Paperback, $16.99 Reviewed by Steph O’Connell Young Adult / Contemporary 90% Rocking An emotionally charged story of music, abuse and, ultimately, hope. Beck hates his life. He hates his violent mother. He hates his home. Most of all, he hates the piano that […]
