Immaculate is a captivating and unusual novel. It is also a nuanced examination of how faith grasped hungrily but imposed narrowly can segue into a slipperier sense of becoming, a wild tributary pulsing with possibility and sorrow. We first meet Frances when she is newly divorced from her pastor husband, rejected by the Christian community
I’ve got a couple of young nephews who are going to love How We Came to Be: Creatures of Camouflage and Mimicry. Despite the masses of great information it contains about all sorts of weird and wonderful species, I’m pretty sure they’ll zero in on the bird-dropping spider and bird poo frog. As the bird-dropping
The dynamic video trailer for this trailblazing book should easily get your kids (aged 6 to 9 years) motivated to fight for equal rights. But the book itself is awesome too – and my favourite line is ‘She burnt her bra to make a PROTEST. This is what you do when something is not right.’
A superb energy flows through Backyard Footy – carrying the reader into the lives and landscapes of some footy-crazed kids. The first image sets the scene beautifully. Houses are spread across the town which has a main street made of red dirt and is framed by red hills in the distance leaving us with no doubt
My best strategy for combatting overwork over the last six months has been reading poetry first thing before I migrate to my desk. Here are some of the poems that most inspired me. ‘September 8, 2017’ by Kerry Greer Like Judas to himself / He took a piece of paper, / Lit it at the
Curl up with one of these clever crime novels as the Autumn chill sets in … Mortimer amuses If you like Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club Mystery Series then grab yourself The Satsuma Complex a cosy new crime novel from renowned British comedian Bob Mortimer. Mortimer brings his quirky humour and gentle humanity to his
Craig Silvey’s first book for children aged 8+ is a delightful tale of camaraderie and derring-do. It features 11-year-old Annie and her adopted stray dog Runt. Runt is the first real friend Annie has ever had. The pair live in Upson Downs in rural Australia with Annie’s family – an eccentric but lovable lot whose
There’s hard-earned wisdom in these books to help people who are struggling. Do you mind? Minding Your Mind is based on James O’Loghlin and Professor Ian Hickie’s popular podcast and it broaches burn-out and depression, humour and community, trauma and addiction, anger and self-control, managing your body clock and more. Like a warm chat on a cold
Seven diverse short stories that plumb the depths of human experience. I love them all. ‘Why My Hair is Long’ ‘If my mother had called me and asked, “What have I done that you can’t forget?” I would have said, “I can forgive anything.” But she never called and that is what I can never forget.’
These poems offered warm lights and pools of delight in the second half of 2022. ‘At Springbrook’ by Sarah Holland-Batt I carry in heartwood for the stove. / When I swing open its glass door / a greying bee falls from the grate. / Tufted with ash, it moves ponderously / as though each of
Recent Comments