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…
Book Reviews
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…
The Women by Kristin Hannah
BOOK REVIEW I highly recommend keeping some napkins, handkerchiefs or tissues close by, as you will need them while reading this book. Another word of caution; do not plan anything…
Pride and Justice by Timothy Bowden
BOOK REVIEW Timothy Bowden’s Pride and Justice reimagines Jane Austen’s beloved classic Pride and Prejudice in a world where there is no organised police force and nothing to stand in…
The Great Hippopotamus Hotel by Alexander McCall Smith
BOOK REVIEW – I was absolutely amazed to hear that Alexander McCall Smith is coming to the Central Coast for an event hosted by Words on the Waves at the…
Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach
BOOK REVIEW: How many times have you looked at your bookshelves and drifted past well-read books covered in dust without much hope of being reread? It was by chance that…
This Time Next Year, A Life of Positive Thinking by David Jason
BOOK REVIEW Anyone would be delighted to find this biography in their Christmas stocking and although it is a Brit classic, the comedy of David Jason transcends all cultures and…
The Life Impossible by Matt Haig
BOOK REVIEW With my husband’s permission, I have really started a new love affair with my new author Matt Haig – and it’s been for the past couple of years…
Harrowing yet inspirational tale about kindness
Wen Gibson Koolewong writer Wen Gibson will launch her memoir on Saturday, November 9 – a book recounting her journey from extreme childhood trauma to a life of kindness, giving…
Blood Test by Charles Baxter
Book review – It is a challenging time for social satire; the world sometimes seems as divided by what it finds funny as it is by politics. Blood Test is…
New book on history of tourism
Former schoolteacher Peter Fisher is about to launch his second book about the Central Coast following his earlier book Tales from the Rainforest. The new book, Wish You Were Here:…
The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley
Hold onto your linen sundresses! Lucy Foley is back with another fast-paced unique murder mystery that will have you cancelling your fancy hotel bookings faster than you can say complimentary…
We Solve Murders by Richard Osman
BOOK REVIEW Richard Osman’s We Solve Murders introduces readers to a new cast and series headlined by a dynamic crime-solving duo; a mystery that claims to stand with this year’s…
Sky Full of Elephants by Cebo Campbell
BOOK REVIEW Could this title be any cooler? This is such a cleverly orchestrated novel, there are so many underlying themes but if you strip everything away it is the…