Dark and brooding, Bereft by Chris Womersley was my introduction to a writer I met briefly in the Green Room at the Perth Festival Writers Week wrap up. Aptly dubbed ‘Australian gothic’, this tale of a boy who flees his home town after being accused of murdering his sister, returning years later without really knowing…
I’ve been a Jenn J. McLeod fan since her first book came out back in 2013 and later this year I’ll have the pleasure of meeting her in person at the Serenity Press retreat I’m co-hosting (and I’ll be interviewing her on stage at Stories on Stage). A Place to Remember is her fifth book…
The Rules of Backyard Croquet by Sunni Overend captivated me with its fresh and sassy take on a familiar theme – a woman shaking off past baggage to shine bright. And shine bright Apple March did, as she emerges from a self-imposed cocoon to find new friendships, love, and her zest for what she’s best…
I can’t go past a good domestic thriller and when The Wife by Alafair Burke turned up in my mailbox, I read every chance I had over the next two days. It’s like the married version of a whodunit with an underlying back beat of “Stand By Your Man” and I lapped it up from start to finish. It’s…
I first came across Lauren Chater through her cookie-themed book reviews at The Well Read Cookie and started following her writing journey. I was mildly envious when she went on a research trip to Estonia, excited when I heard that her historical novel The Lace Weaver was accepted for publication, and thrilled when I received a copy for review….
Rear Window meets The Girl on the Train in thriller The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn. A chilling psychological thriller about an agoraphobic woman convinced she’s seen a crime take place, the twisty-turny story brims with red herrings and doubts as it draws readers to a disturbing conclusion. Here’s the blurb: What did she see? It’s been ten…
Between Us is Clare Atkins’ second young adult novel. Like her first novel, Nona and Me, Between Us uses personal stories to explore cultural politics in Australia. Three distinct voices tell the story of Between Us— Ana, Kenny and Jono. Ana, is a teenage asylum seeker from Iran. She lives with her pregnant mother and…
I’ve been waiting to read the final copy of The Sisters’ Song by Louise Allan for a long time. I first read this book as a beta reader for Louise about two years ago – and I still remember the day she phoned me, full of excitement, to say she had an agent. Finding my name in…
On John Marsden, by Alice Pung is the second book in Black Inc.’s Writers on Writers series, published in association with La Trobe University Press. In the series, prominent writers share their intimate reflections on the work of Australian authors who have inspired them. In doing so, they begin new conversations about writing and culture,…
Into the World by Stephanie Parkyn is historical fiction that’s both rich in fiction and character, delivering a memorable story of a woman named Marie-Louise, who dresses as a man and finds herself on a dangerous expedition around the world. This is the blurb: 1791. In the midst of the French Revolution, unwed mother Marie-Louise Girardin…
