Our latest reviews

Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique: Jos Van Immerseel & Anima Eterna Brugge

Reviewed by Kate Rockstrom, Readings Carlton

The autobiographical symphony from Berlioz is a continuing favourite with musicians and audiences alike. Jos van Immerseel conducts this new recording from Anima Eterna Brugge with the Le Carnaval romain also featured. A detailed introduction in the liner notes shows…

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J.S. Bach: Les Six Concerts Brandebourgeois: Jordi Savall & Le Concert de Nations

Reviewed by Phil Richards, Readings Carlton

Originally released in 1991, this recording has finally been re-released on Savall’s own label. Long considered to be one of the great, if not the greatest, interpretation of the Brandenburg Concertos, I think anyone who takes the time to listen…

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The Ask: Sam Lipsyte

Reviewed by Rafael S.W., guest reviewer

In this brilliantly crafted book, Lipsyte lays bare all the failings of modern America. Although it is a strong critique of American culture, The Ask never loses its human touch. The main character, Milo, although a thoroughly flawed human being…

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Ash: Malinda Lo

Reviewed by Marie Matteson, Children's Book Specialist, Readings Port Melbourne

In Ash, Malinda Lo has taken the familiar tale of Cinderella and retold it with the weight of its original intention as a cautionary tale and the added evocation of the grief of a young girl who loses her…

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Monday: Anne Herbauts

Reviewed by Alexa Dretzke, Children's Book Specialist, Readings Hawthorn

What is Monday? Aside from the obvious, in this exquisitely produced and lyrical book, Monday is a bird who doesn’t embrace the moment he’s in, but has a whimsical yearning that makes him restless.

The delightfully depicted seasons change and…

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I'm The Best: Lucy Cousins

Reviewed by Alexa Dretzke, Children's Book Specialist, Readings Hawthorn

Well, sometimes you can get a little bit too big for your boots and Dog finds that his so-called superiority is eventually challenged and found wanting. His friends become saddened by all the things he can do better, but Mole…

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Blood On My Hands: Craig Jurisevic and Robert Hillman

Reviewed by Pip Newling, Readings Port Melbourne

‘First, do no harm’ is the Hippocratic Oath that all medical doctors swear to when they start practising. Dr Craig Jurisevic, an Australian surgeon working on the front line of Kosovo in 1999 (when Milosevic is undertaking the ethnic cleansing…

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36 Arguments for the Existence of God: Rebecca Goldstein

Reviewed by Madeleine Smith, Readings Carlton

After years of languishing in academic obscurity at Frankfurter University, Psychology Professor Cass Sletzer becomes an overnight celebrity following the publication of his book, The Varieties of Religious Illusion. Dubbed the ‘atheist with a soul’ by the adoring media…

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The Strange Case of the Composer and His Judge: Patricia Duncker

Reviewed by Kabita Dhara, guest reviewer

Dominique Carpentier – Madame le Juge – is the sect hunter. And on New Year’s Day, 16 bodies of adults and children, arranged in a half circle, are found in a forest in France, the circumstances mirroring an earlier mass…

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I Say Tomato: Katie Wall

Reviewed by Jo Case, editor of the Readings Monthly newsletter

Sunny Triggs is an Australian soap actress, newly arrived in LA and already anxious and lonely. She’s fleeing heartbreak, throwing herself headlong into the search for that elusive ‘big break’. Along the way, she encounters a cast of colourful characters…

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