Our latest reviews

The Sons of Clovis by David Brooks

Reviewed by Ed Moreno, Readings Carlton

[[DavidBrooksphoto]] The Sons of Clovis starts off at a good clip – David Brooks addresses the reader cheekily straight off and promises a whole lot of rollicking adventure – and keeps it up throughout. Enamoured of his subject (the real

Read more ›

Bite Your Tongue by Francesca Rendle-Short

Reviewed by Chris Gordon, Readings Events Coordinator

[[FRS]] I’m always interested in reading generational books about mothers and daughters. What stories from my daughter’s childhood will last the distance into adulthood? By all accounts nothing I do is going to have the long-term effects that Francesca Rendle-Short’s…

Read more ›

If It Is Sweet by Mridula Koshy

Reviewed by Pip Newling, Readings Hawthorn

[[mridula]] If It Is Sweet by Mridula Koshy is the 2011 release from the young imprint Brass Monkey Books, which focuses on new and distinctive writing from the Indian sub-continent, publishing work that has not previously been available outside of…

Read more ›

Gods Without Men by Hari Kunzru

Reviewed by Kabita Dhara

[[hari]] It is 2008. In a mysterious Californian desert a four-year-old autistic boy goes missing and his parents find themselves at the centre of a media witch-hunt. Ageing rockstar Nicky Capaldi, hiding out at the same motel as the family…

Read more ›

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

Reviewed by William Heyward, Readings St Kilda

[[Vanessa]] The first thing that must be said about The Language of Flowers is that it is, above all, an enjoyable, well-crafted and imaginative story that will move and engross many readers. It is the first novel by Vanessa Diffenbaugh…

Read more ›

Zero Degrees of Empathy: A New Theory of Human Cruelty by Simon Baron-Cohen

Reviewed by Mark Rubbo, Managing Director of Readings

We have probably all had experiences where we become so self-absorbed that we fail to notice others or the impact that our actions have. Potentially, we can become cruel and insensitive. We have probably also met people who instantly make…

Read more ›

Journeys on the Silk Road by Joyce Morgan and Conrad Walters

Reviewed by Kara Nicholson, Readings Carlton

With the future of the book such a hot topic, it is welcome relief to take a step back in time to the discovery of the world’s oldest printed book. This is the story of Aurel Stein, a Hungarian-born archeologist…

Read more ›

Two Steps Forward by Irma Gold

Reviewed by Annie Condon

The subjects of Irma Gold’s debut collection of stories are in uncomfortable situations – there is no doubt about that – and whether they are taking proverbial steps forward is a matter for the reader’s perception. The strength of these…

Read more ›

The Monsoon Bride by Michelle Aung Thin

Reviewed by Pip Newling, Readings Hawthorn

The Monsoon Bride is Michelle Aung Thin’s first novel – and what a novel it is. We first meet Winsome and her new husband Desmond on the train rushing towards Rangoon in 1930. ‘Rangoon, Rangoon, soon, soon,’ Winsome is quietly…

Read more ›

Trapped by Michael Northrop

Reviewed by Kate Rockstrom, Readings Carlton

Scotty is your standard teenage boy, with friends, family and the usual set of problems. What he didn’t expect to have as a problem, though, was being stuck in school, with no help, no heat, no food, no water for…

Read more ›