Night Watch by Jayne Phillips
BOOK REVIEW This novel won the Pulitzer prize for literature. I always find it incredibly interesting to see how readers scored the major prize winners; often there seems to be…
Book Reviews
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
BOOK REVIEW We all know about the assassination of Tsar Nicolas II and his family and the story of the fabled Duchess Anastasia who supposedly escaped and was immortalised by…
Khaki Town by Judy Nunn
Book review – As part of an initiative called Central Coast Reads, the brainchild of Words on the Waves, all the reading groups, book clubs and centres on the Peninsula…
Knife: Meditations after an Attempted Murder by Salman Rushdie
Book review – In his newly released memoir, Salman Rushdie opens up about his near-fatal assault. The novelist talks about his PTSD and coming to terms with losing an eye…
Coast novelist takes a humorous look at the world
Long-time Central Coast resident Jon Blackwell has released his latest novel, Trevor Trumpet, the Peoples Prophet. A previous CEO of the Central Coast Area Health Service, Workcover and, more recently,…
Black Duck, A Year at Yumburra by Bruce Pascoe with Lyn Harwood
Book review – Bruce Pascoe needs no introduction as he is considered to be the man behind the book that changed the nation – Dark Emu. It is now a…
Words on the Waves program launched
The Words on the Waves Writers Festival has officially launched its program for the 2024 event, to be held from May 29-June 3 at various locations on the Woy Woy…
Yellowface by R F Kuang
Yellowface is a thought-provoking exploration of identity, culture and privilege, with the author RF Kuang delving into the complexities of race and representation through contemporary storytelling. The novel challenges the…
Joy Moody is Out of Time by Kerryn Mayne
The most underrated book of 2023 was a cozy crime by Kerryn Mayne called Lenny Marks Gets Away With Murder. It sort of got lost in all the gloss and…
Blonde by Joyce Carol Oates
Joyce Carol Oates is an American writer who published her first book in 1963, and has since published 58 novels, a number of plays and novellas, and many short stories,…
Words on the Waves announces more guest authors
Words on the Waves has released the names of its second wave of guest speakers as the writers festival approaches. The festival will be held from May 29-June 3 at…
Gorokan author’s latest book
Gorokan author Mike Doyle has released his second book, following the success of his debut novel A Sinner’s Tales of the Second Oldest Profession, which sold all over the world….
Lola in the Mirror by Trent Dalton
Lola in the Mirror is a moving, blackly funny, violent, heartbreaking and beautiful novel of love, fate, life, death and all the things we see when we look in the mirror:…
Coast author’s fascinating take on Greece
Central Coast author Sally Jane Smith is set to publish her second novel in April. Repacking for Greece is a follow-up to Smith’s 2023 book, Unpacking for Greece, which followed…
Harry Potter by JK Rowling
There may be some raised eyebrows, but I want to shed some light on an author who is without doubt a genius of our time. When the first of this…
Good Girl, Bad Girl By Michael Robotham
Call it impatience, or fear of commitment but I generally can not read a series anymore with 2, 3 or 4 books revolving around the same story, there are A…
Outback by Patricia Wolf
Our customers are always looking for good quality reads by Australian authors, the most popular genre being crime. Chris Hammer, Christian White, Jane Harper, Gary Disher and my own personal…
Scattershot: Life, Music, Elton and Me
Author: Benny Taupin – I’m thrilled to share my thoughts on his memoir, which offers a fascinating and intimate look into the life of one of the greatest songwriters of…
I Am Pilgrim By Terry Hayes
This was the one book I read last year that I allowed to disturb my sleep. I was that naughty child under the covers with a torch hoping I would…
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
With Christmas approaching we have been asked what to recommend for reluctant readers and thinking back to when my own children were teenagers, there was one book that ignited that…