When Gayby Baby, a feature documentary from director Maya Newell and producer Charlotte Mars came out in 2015 it got a lot of attention. In the midst of the debates about marriage equality and the Safe Schools program the film showed the very normal lives of same-sex couples and their children – and took on the critics […]
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon Bloomsbury Publishing Taking her inspiration from stories of old, Samantha Shannon has built an intricate fantasy world that is populated by a huge array of characters (there are 15 pages of character descriptions), wyverns (wyverns are much smaller than dragons, have limited powers and only 2 […]
How We Disappeared by Jing-Jing Lee Oneworld When Wang Di was born in Singapore, she wasn’t really wanted by her family as it was a time when girls weren’t valued. In fact, her name means “to hope for a brother”. She was 16 years old when the Japanese army invaded Singapore during WW II and […]
Painting in the Shadows by Katherine Kovacic Bonnier Echo Formerly a veterinarian, Katherine Kovacic is now an art historian who works in a wide range of galleries, museums and private houses. Living in Melbourne with a Scottish Deerhound, she has created art dealer Alex Clayton who finds herself at the centre of a murder mystery […]
Perth based writer Laura N. Andrews has written six books of romantic fiction, most of her stories feature male same-sex couples. She shares with us how she got into writing and about her latest BDSM themed work. When did you first get into writing, and what made you decide to focus on romance novels? Reading […]
The 5-Minute Salad Lunchbox by Alexander Hart Smith Street Books Preparing lunch often comes last in the mental list of things to do when getting ready for a busy work day. Unfortunately the cost of buying lunch soon mounts up, as does the calories of often unhealthy selections. When you factor in a partner or […]
Lonely Planet’s The Vanlife Companion by Ed Bartlett and Becky Ohlsen Lonely Planet Vanlife originated in 1950 when Vox Wagon launched its iconic ‘Splitscreen’. Then in the 1960s and 1970s the hippies and surfers used the VW campervan to live in away from the hectic metropolis. Now the internet allows people to connect with stories […]
Man at the Window by Robert Jeffreys Echo A crack of thunder echoes across the night-time quadrangle of an exclusive boys’ school where dormitory windows are crammed with eager, noisy boys. A teacher known as Captain Edmund is also at his window while a ten-year-old boy stands in his pyjamas outside his door, barefoot and […]
Turned On: Science, Sex and Robots by Kate Devlin Bloomsbury Sigma This book that connects intimacy and technology is about being human in a world of machines, now that robots and artificial intelligence that have become integrated into many aspects of our lives. Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri and Microsoft’s Cortana (all female) can do all […]
101 Small Ways to Change the World by Aubre Andrus Lonely Planet Kids Children’s book author Aubre Andrus has come up with an easy-to-read book that has 101 ideas to make a difference to the world. She says that ideas start with one person and you don’t have to be big to make small […]
