Category: Book Reviews

Book Reviews

A review of Waltzing Australia by Cynthia Clampitt

By the end of the narrative, I felt I knew the author very well. Unafraid to honestly respond to her own emotions, and her surroundings, reading this book is as much about witnessing a person’s transformation through close contact with the natural world as it is about the places she visited in Australia.

A review of Little Dorrit (audio book) by Charles Dickens

For sheer entertainment alone, it would be hard to beat the relaxation and engagement of listening to such a well done adaptation. For anyone who has to spend time in a vehicle or engaged in an activity that doesn’t allow for a book in hand, this audio is one which will transform the journey into one of pure pleasure.

A review of Ambulances & Dreamers by Bel Schenk

The iconic references are frequent enough to lure in the hippest of readers, and much of the poems are humorous. A series of “available” fortunes are listed in “These Fortunes are Currently Available”, including such things as “He may be ugly but remember how desperate you are.”

A review of A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking

A Brief History of Time is far more than a science book. It’s one of the renaissance books that is so seminal to the notion of who we are, and where we might be in the next fifty years, that it should be required reading for every person from high school on. If that seems like a big ask you’ve got the wrong idea about this book.

A review of The Only True Genius in the Family by Jennie Nash

Malcolm Gladwell, in his book Outliers: The Story of Success, argues that natural genius is a myth, and that other factors, including hard work, are what distinguish the top performers at something, given equal ability. Nash addresses this myth, and makes it a vital part of her central protagonist’s journey.

A review of phobiaphobia by rob walker

Even in the 24 pages of this chapbook, however, readers will find that walker touches on the full spectrum of human frailty. This is a book that takes us through our many fears, both realistic ones, and those that poke fun at the many strange habits of the modern human. It’s a powerful little collection full of quirky introspection, original and intense imagery, and lots of pithy black humour.

A review of Zuke ‘Em: The Colle-Zukertort Revolutionised

Zuke ‘Em: The Colle-Zukertort Revolutionised is a book with many virtues: it is lucid and rigorous and interactive and authoritative and engaging. Its lucidity is most apparent in the way the author organises his material; most chapters begin with a ‘Familiarization’ section – a gentle introduction to its main themes – after which the teddy bears are taken away and we get down to brass tacks

A review of Fire to Fire by Mark Doty

In their citation for the award, the judges observed that the poems “gently invite us to share their ferocious compassion. With their praise for the world and their fierce accusation, their defiance and applause, they combine grief and glory in a music of crazy excelsis. In this generous retrospective volume a gifted young poet has become a master.”