Girl, Forgotten by Karin Slaughter Harper Collins Warning: This review contains mentions of sexual violence On 17 April 1982, Emily Vaughn escapes from her house, ignoring her drunken and violent father’s demands that she go to her room. Sneaking out without her shoes, she walks towards her school where the prom is underway, even though […]
The Guncle by Steven Rowley Simon & Schuster Guncle (gay uncle) Steven Rowley, who resides in Palm Springs with his husband, has dedicated his latest book to his five nieces and nephews, who have no doubt been inspirations for his third novel. At the centre of the tale is Patrick O’Hara, an out of work […]
A Place Near Eden by Nell Pierce Allen & Unwin Matilda (Tilly) was eleven when her parents fostered thirteen year old Sem. There were heated arguments between her parents as Tilly’s father was against the addition to the house. “Dad had a special voice that he used when he talked about Sem. It was a […]
Abracadabra by Robert Dessaix Brio Books Currently living in Hobart with Peter Timms, his partner of 40 years who is also a writer, Robert Dessaix is in demand as a guest speaker but sometimes the audiences for his words of wisdom are quite small. While podcasts can attract huge audiences around the globe, Dessaix’s talks […]
Scrubbed By Nikki Stamp Allen & Unwin Nikki Stamp remembers being inspired by heart surgeon Dr Victor when she was young, and now she is only one of 11 female heart surgeons in Australia. In Scrubbed, she reflects on the journey – from the brilliant times to the darkest times. Stamp dispels any notion that […]
In post pandemic world where most of the population has been wiped out by a Super-flu, two teenagers confront each other, unsure of each other at first they slowly strike up a friendship that sees them banding together to seek out a new future. Erik J Brown’s new young adult queer romance All That’s Left in […]
Outback Teacher by Sally Gare Allen & Unwin If you went to teachers’ college in the 1950’s, you were expected to serve time in a country school. The government paid your fees and gave you a pitiful living allowance and if you didn’t spend your first two years teaching at a country posting and accepting […]
Speaking in Tongues by Tom Tilley ABC Books Tom Tilley has shared other people’s stories on national radio for more than a decade, and now he shares his coming of age story. As the host of triple j’s nightly news and currents affairs program Hack, Tom spoke to half a million national radio listeners each […]
Libby Lawrence is Good at Pretending By Jodi McAlister Wakefield Press Nineteen year old Libby Lawrence has finally scored a major role in the university amateur theatre group after treading the boards in the chorus. Apart from studying drama and law, working at the local bookshop and throwing herself into her first lead role, Libby […]
The Improbable Life of Ricky Bird by Diane Connell Simon & Schuster Twelve year old Ricky (formally known as Vicki) believed that there were two types of disaster. There were catastrophes like landslides and tidal waves and there was the type of disaster that “crept up and slithered in”. Ricky’s disaster arrived with stealth and […]
