The Casey Gray Collection
BOOK REVIEW Award winning Casey Gray is a Central Coast resident, disability advocate, artist and author of multiple books, with overwhelming support from the disability community. She has worked in…
Book Reviews
Let Me Sing You Gentle Songs by Linda Olsson
BOOK REVIEW Many thanks to Penny and our Book Club members for telling me about this lovely novel by a Swedish-born novelist. I found this to be a beautifully written,…
The White Crow by Michael Robotham
I really narcissistically believe that I am the number one fan of this author. I can unashamedly say I love his books, this writer, his authentic self and his generosity…
Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy
BOOK REVIEW Charlotte McConaghy’s latest novel, Wild Dark Shore, is a gripping literary mystery set on a remote island near Antarctica. McConaghy’s books always show us how literature can be…
One hundred years of Betty by Debra Oswald
BOOK REIVEW Betty begins her life story on the eve of her 100th birthday party – and what a story it is. This is the tale of one ordinary extraordinary…
Intermezzo by Sally Rooney
BOOK REVIEW – Readers of Rooney’s fourth novel, Intermezzo, are at risk of developing the false impression that it is, at its heart, a romance as it is touted with…
The Wolf Tree by Laura McCluskey
BOOK REVIEW The Wolf Tree is a debut crime thriller, set on the isolated Scottish island of Eilean Eadar. Detective Inspectors Georgina Lennox and Richie Stewart are dispatched from Glasgow…
Books to look out for
It is set to be yet another huge year for new book releases; here is my list of titles to watch out for in coming months. From Autumn reads to…
Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
This is book five of The Hunger Games series – is it a genius move or unnecessary? Never be put off by someone telling you not to read something as…
Voice for the Voiceless by the Dalai Lama
BOOK REVIEW Globetrotting Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, who is turning 90 in July, will release his new book, Voice for the Voiceless: Over seven decades of struggle with…
The Branded by Jo Riccioni
BOOK REVIEW This is book one of a series called The Branded Season. Award-winning author and short story writer Jo Riccioni has managed to craft a speculative, high concept, epic…
The Home Girls by Olga Masters
BOOK REVIEW Olga Masters was born in 1919 and was a late bloomer to her literary career which began at the age of 63, although she began writing long before…
Fascinating look at Sydney Opera House history
Central Coast author Melissa-Jane Fogarty’s children’s book Tubowgule: A Sydney Opera House History will be published by Hatchett Australia on March 23. The book, illustrated by Dylan Finney, also of…
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabiel Garcia Marquez
BOOK REVIEW – I recently re-read the cult classic novel One Hundred Years of Solitude (Cien años de), written in 1967 by Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez, after seeing that…
Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty
BOOK REVIEW This is an intriguing story about free will and destiny and the uniqueness of the human spirit. The long, fascinating saga is a mind-bending mystery with mystical choices,…
Five Aussie reads coming up
With Australia Day recently celebrated, I thought I would point you to some Australian fiction and non-fiction coming up in the first half of this year. I know – you’ve…
Three great children’s books
BOOK REVIEW With school set to resume soon, Julie Chessman reviews three children’s books. On the First Day of Kindergarten by Tish Rabe and illustrated by Laura Hughes is a…
The Orbital by Samantha Harvey
BOOK REVIEW Winner of the Booker prize in 2024, Orbital by Samantha Harvey is an ever-expansive, intricate emotionally engaging novel. The book is quite thin because the main plot revolves…
Top three Summer reads
BOOK REVIEW – Julie Chessman reviews her top three Summer reads Summer reading means different things to different people. The most popular definition, and one the book industry uses is…
All the Colours of the Dark by Chris Whitaker
BOOK REVIEW Every so often you are recommended a book and the cynic in you thinks – really, is it that good? I did think that then berated myself after…