Our latest reviews

The Brass Verdict: Michael Connelly

Reviewed by Judith Loriente, Readings Hawthorn

LA lawyer Mickey Haller barely has time to take in the news that his former colleague, Jerry Vincent, has been murdered before he receives an unexpected bequest: Vincent has nominated him the beneficiary of his practice. Most prominent on his…

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One Morning Like A Bird: Andrew Miller

Reviewed by Michael Awasoga-Samuel, Readings Carlton

Andrew Miller’s latest book is set in Japan around 1940, when Japan was at war with China, but not yet an enemy of the Allied Forces in World War II. The story centres on Yuji Takano, a young Japanese man…

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Goldengrove: Francine Prose

Reviewed by Jo Case, editor of Readings Monthly

Francine Prose is one of those writers who are well known and respected in the US, but little known here. A fantastically prolific and inventive novelist, she has recently attracted local attention for her excellent ‘how to write’ guide, Reading

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Taking Off: Matt Howard

Reviewed by Julia Jackson, Readings Carlton

Meet Ash Lynch, a twenty-something with a dysfunctional family background and a monotonous job as a magazine distribution and sales rep that does little else than pay the bills. A chance meeting with a dream girl, Zoe, brings a new…

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Oink: Eric Yoshiaki Dando

Reviewed by Laurie Clancy is a freelance reviewer

Squirly Fern (SF) grows up in a Tokyo fish cannery, his visions of the West gleaned from his mother’s favourite Elvis movies. As a teenager, he receives a letter and plane ticket from his estranged father in Melbourne, urging him…

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Without Warning: John Birmingham

Reviewed by Sean Gleeson, freelance reviewer.

The great Australian doyen of stoners and share-house dwellers once again demonstrates his literary versatility, in this unlikely marriage of speculative fiction and airport novel. On the eve of America’s invasion of Iraq, a mysterious wave of energy ‘disappears’ the…

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The Two Kinds Of Decay: Sarah Manguso

Reviewed by Annie Condon, freelance reviewer

Sarah Manguso was a 21- year-old college student when a rare blood disease – Chronic idiopathic demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP) – first affected her. The disease caused symptoms such as fatigue, paralysis and balance problems.

Manguso initially thought she had a…

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Oh (Ohio): Lambchop

Reviewed by Dave Clarke, Readings Carlton

Oh (Ohio) continues the Lambchop tradition, where each successive record represents a new stage in the evolution of their distinctive sound. It’s a natural process which has seen them progress from their shambolic early recordings to the off-kilter pop experimentation…

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Only By The Night: Kings Of Leon

Reviewed by Declan Murphy, Readings St Kilda

In which the Followill boys continue their rather prolific output and drop record number four. Their particular brand of bearded, Baptist, boogie-infused rock may not be to everyone’s taste, but for my money KOL are one of the slickest acts…

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Dilettantes: You Am I

Reviewed by James Power, Readings St Kilda

You can always rely on three things: 1.The Tigers will finish ninth. 2. The Espy will be packed on a Sunday arvo 3. You Am I will deliver a great album.

If the raw rock of their previous eff ort…

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