Book Review

Kimberly Grabham. Linda Goldspink Lord is a name many would know and remember. Linda and her family used to live in Hay, and left the town when Linda was a teenager ... She wrote a book, Crawling Through the Darkness. 

This is a cracker of a book. I literally could not put it down and read it at a sitting. From the very first page we are plunged into the mind of the main character—we can hardly call him a ‘hero’, though he has performed heroic deeds. A former army officer, badly wounded and literally scarred by his time in the second ‘Boer War’ (1899-1902), Gus Hawkins is by 1911 a policeman, a mounted trooper, stationed in the far west of NSW on the Darling River between Bourke and Wilcannia.

It’s easy to see why Molly Schmidt’s debut novel, Salt River Road, won the City of Fremantle’s Hungerford Award and I feel there will be many awards to follow. Salt River Road is set in the late 1970s in southern WA and while it’s a work of fiction it resonates with truth about loss, grief and navigating teenage-hood after the death of a parent.

I’ve read a number of books that delve into issues surrounding Australian food production and it’s fair to say that I found Jill Griffiths’ book What’s For Dinner? the easiest one to digest (pun intended). Jill is a biologist and journalist who’s been writing about the environment and agriculture for more than three decades and her book is a blend of science, history and lived experience.

I don’t really consider myself a horsey-person so I wasn't sure what to expect from the cover of Second Chance by Diana Thurgood. It turns out this heart-warming true story is actually a ripper read.  Second Chance is Diana Thurgood's first book and it’s a story the author justifiably felt compelled to write about one of her long-time friends, Tiffany Williams.

This is the very personal life-story of a charismatic Welsh seaman who moved to Australia for love and once there became a captain of industry. The work is ‘as told to’ by Paul Simons to the writer Terry Larder and contains many anecdotes that illuminate aspects of life in wartime Britain and in postwar Australia ... Most of the book is concerned with Paul's life and career, enlivened with some quite racy anecdotes and more serious reflections on the way of the world. Paul has a sense of humour but also a strong moral sense.

Southern Downs Poet, Marco Gliori admits that standing behind a microphone, encouraging people to smile, steering proceedings, and sharing his community's stories has become a huge part of his life. Some of the yarns he tells are inspired by local experiences, others by distant landscapes and characters he has met, whilst taking the road less travelled.

Mr Smith to you by Kerry Taylor is described as a novel based on the true story of Australian jockey Bill Smith – a life lived in secret and that’s pretty right, but there’s so much more to it. Bill Smith was a well-known jockey in the bush area of Queensland for many years in the 1940s and ‘50s. Although nicknamed “Girlie”, he was always thought to be a man until an admission to hospital when aged in his late seventies revealed the truth: Bill Smith was a woman.

The Map of William is the first book by West Australian writer Michael Thomas and it’s certainly a darn good read. It is also not the book that Michael set out to write but I’m sure glad he did ... Set in 1909, The Map of William is a gripping and fast-paced tale of 15-year-old William Watson, his father and a band of colourful companions as they undertake an expedition through WA’s north-west to map water sources.

Vuu deftly handles multiple time shifts throughout the novel until it all comes crashing together at the end. The final chapters contain twists enough to keep any reader happy, and the emotional punch of the climax is powerful. This is one the most intriguing crime novels I have read and the story stayed with me long after I closed the book for the final time. I look forward to reading her second novel.

This new book is a travel narrative that recounts Renee’s 2016 return trip to the Indian Ocean Territories ... and it’s hard not to fall in love with the paradise she describes in such exquisite detail ... It’s fair to say that when this book starts it’s easy to be lulled into a sense of calm, wonder and delight but as the chapters progress there’s a shift from the beauty that surrounds Renee to the real reason for her trip and the story she needed to tell.

Myf Warhurst is a familiar face to many Australians after her long running stint as one of the permanent team captains on music quiz show Spick n Specks ... As she says in the introduction to her memoir Time of My Life, “My love of music would help define my career.” This career has taken her from Melbourne to London, to Sydney, Mildura, New York, Israel, Portugal … but it all began in country Victoria.

Everyone enjoys a bit of romance - especially if it involves scenes and settings that are highly relatable to rural readers. One of Karly Lane’s recent releases, Wish You Were Here, delivers all that and more.

When I sat down to read this book I thought I’d just cast my eye over a couple of pages while waiting for the kettle to boil. Trouble was I never got to make that cup of tea because I simply couldn’t pull myself away from the mystery that was unfolding on the pages.

At the heart of "Our Dangerous Friend" is author David Jefford Ward’s belief that traditional Noongar knowledge should be a respected source of bushfire philosophy, ecology and management in south west Australia. In fact Ward, who started as a workman in the then Forests Department, places more value on Noongar bushfire knowledge than some refereed scientific papers.

I haven't enjoyed a book more for ages. I am deep into Wild Ride, The story of the Australian Stock Saddle by Fiona Carruthers and have no hesitation in recommending that horse lovers or anyone interested in Australian history should go out and buy a copy today. Calling it magnificent doesn’t even come close.

Obviously every good mystery novel has a few twists and turns but even as a regular reader of this genre I didn’t see this story’s twist coming. The fact that this book has lingered in my mind long after I finished reading it is testament to this author’s talent at her craft. I’ll certainly be getting my hands on another of Holly Throsby’s books.

I was ready to lose myself in a fictional world, and this was the perfect escapist genre read. Linnell writes authentically of small town rural Australia, with the characters, landscape and community events immediately recognisable to anyone who has lived in the country ... I learned plenty about flower farming and the sweat and beauty and hope involved. I learned a bit about the path junior cricketers take as they strive to move into senior professional careers. I salivated over Diana’s baking and wished for recipes at the back of the book ...

... what I also loved about this book was how it painted a picture of life at the time when these various criminals were active. Jim adds information about the laws of the day, government, and social norms to give context to the dastardly deeds of his cast of criminals. There’s no doubt this book will delight fans of true crime. True stories of true criminals from Australia’s past have definitely resulted in a book that’s one heck of a darn good read.

“Rachel” is the culmination of a forty year journey for author Jeff McGill ... Jeff first “met” Rachel Kennedy in 1982 as a teenager, when his grandfather Arnold handed him her newspaper obituary from 1930 ... She was born into and lived most of her life in a world that no longer exists – a world that Jeff’s meticulous research brings to life here.

Wandering with Intent is a collection of non-fiction essays that explores Kim’s thoughts, experiences and observations about what happens at the point of intersection between non-Indigenous Australia and strong traditional Aboriginal culture ... With Kim’s finely-tuned observations and rich descriptions of people, places and topics you really do feel as if you’re accompanying her on a journey. 

Whether you are an avid bird watcher or simply a casual admirer I highly recommend adding this to your bookshelf for ready reference. Trust me, you’ll need it - as some people may not believe you when you tell them about some of the avian oddities described.