Our latest reviews
A Lifetime on Clouds by Gerald Murnane
Gerald Murnane had me hooked from page one of what is his second novel, A Lifetime on Clouds. Murnane’s wonderful imagination (and perhaps parallels with his own Catholic schoolboy upbringing) is exhibited through the hilarious and sincere tale of…
White Beech by Germaine Greer
It’s not uncommon to see an elderly lady’s garden blossom; under her retired hand she waters the agapanthus and whispers to her watsonias, verbenas or honeysuckles. Instead, at 74, Germaine Greer is on all fours ripping them to shreds.
Banana Girl by Michele Lee
In the build-up to her departure for Laos – the homeland of her Hmong parents – Michele Lee wanders through Melbourne’s bars and streets, and the history of her life and relationships. She talks to her dubious teenage self, defending…
The Electric Lady by Janelle Monáe
I’m crushing so hard on this album at the moment. Janelle Monáe’s music is fun and inventive and even though I know it’s too early to say this - I have a sneaking suspicion The Electric Lady is going to…
Open by The Necks
Occupying a unique space in contemporary music, The Necks have quietly birthed a genuinely original sound, carved from strata of seemingly disparate materials. Emerging from a nebulous background in the late 1980s, drummer Tony Buck, bassist Lloyd Swanton and pianist…
Fall To Rise by Love Over Gold
US singer–songwriter Pieta Brown and Australian Lucie Thorne have teamed up to form the international duo, Love Over Gold. Thorne has created a series of great, independently released albums, making it all the way to the final nine of the…
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
It’s been 11 years between books and Donna Tartt is back in form. Like her prodigious debut The Secret History, The Goldfinch has the look, feel and weight of a classic novel, one worthy of Tartt’s – and the…
Lillypilly Hill by Eleanor Spence
Eleanor Spence was one of my favourite authors when I was a young so I was excited when I heard Text were reissuing Lillipilly Hill. The spirited Harriet has moved with her family from England to Australia at the…
Alex, the Dog and the Unopenable Door by Ross Montgomery
In the tradition of Roald Dahl’s child-led adventures that feature a range of stupid and/or horrible adults comes this story about a very likeable boy and how he battles through a range of wacky adversities.
Alex J. Jennings is a…
50 People Who Stuffed Up Australia by Guy Rundle and Dexter Rightwad
Hardie Grant have dressed 50 People Who Stuffed Up Australia as if it was a joke book, and Rundle himself says that it’s a ‘stocking filler.’ But the book is better than that.
It is funny. Andrew Bolt as ‘minger’…
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