Our latest reviews

The Reformed Vampire Support Group: Catherine Jinks

Reviewed by Paige Mercer, Elwood, Age 14

The Reformed Vampire Support Group is about vampires who are living in modern day society, and when Cashmire dies they must find out who killed him before that person or thing kills them all.

This book is aimed for younger…

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Sacred Hearts: Sarah Dunant

Reviewed by Judith Loriente, freelance reviewer

The convent of Santa Caterina, in sixteenth-century Ferrara, is more than a place for women with a religious vocation; it is a convenient repository for noblewomen whose families cannot afford to provide them with a dowry and a husband. When…

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The Tricking of Freya: Christina Sunley

Reviewed by Samarra Hyde, Program Manager of CAE Book Groups

Freya Morris journeys back into the dramatic events of her childhood as she unravels a family secret and tells her cousin her family’s story. Freya grows up in suburban America. Each summer she escapes to Gimli, a small village on…

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As The Earth Turns Silver: Alison Wong

Reviewed by Simon Auld, freelance reviewer

This fascinating novel follows the intertwined stories of two very different people struggling with the trials of daily life in early twentieth-century Wellington, New Zealand. Chung Yung, recently arrived from China, helps his older brother at their greengrocery in order…

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Cockroach: Rawi Hage

Reviewed by William Hueston-Hayward, Readings St Kilda

Cockroach, Rawi Hage’s second book, following on from the award-winning De Niro’s Game, is the story of an exiled immigrant. An unnamed protagonist lives in Montreal and has been ordered to seek psychiatric help after an unsuccessful suicide…

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The Ice Age: Kirsten Reed

Reviewed by Jo Case, editor of Readings Monthly

This ethereal debut has been compared to Lolita and On the Road. Certainly, the beautiful teenage narrator, zig-zagging the vast interior of the US with an enigmatic, much-older companion, seems a fantasy Lolita. She is eager for experience and…

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The River Wife: Heather Rose

Reviewed by S.W. Rafael, freelance reviewer

This book is infused with the feeling of a day spent watching the river. It is tender, unhurried and gentle. Told by the part-woman/part-fish character of the river wife, this tale finds beauty everywhere. It is a story of love…

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Killing: Jeff Sparrow

Reviewed by Jo Case, editor of Readings Monthly

It’s a confronting title – and a confronting book, too. But Jeff Sparrow’s literal and metaphorical journey into the dark heart of this subject is also completely and utterly fascinating.

Sparrow is mildly intrigued, then distractedly obsessed, with the grisly…

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The True Story of Butterfish: Nick Earls

Reviewed by Laurie Steed, Freelance Reviewer

Nick Earls seems to be the designated story teller for Australia’s forgotten men. Since the debut of 28-year-old Richard Derrington in Zigzag Street, Earls has explored the lives of urban males in various states of personal and emotional chaos.

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We Don't Live Here Anymore: Matt Nable

Reviewed by Michelle Calligaro, Readings Carlton

Charlie Hudson’s family have been taking summer holidays in Parker’s Head for as long as he can remember. But the year he turns 15, his life is changed forever. When he is beaten up by a couple of local hoods…

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