Strange Weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami (Sensei no kaban, aka The Briefcase) is a quietly affecting novel that readers are stealthily drawn into. It won the Tanizaki prize in 2001, was shortlisted for the Man Asian Literary Prize in 2013, and…
Wolf Haas’s Brenner and God, a humorous hard-boiled translated crime novel, features one of the most engaging narrative voices I have come across. Read on for our full review. Brenner and God Synopsis Simon Brenner is an ex-detective who’s now…
The Medici Boy Synopsis: The worlds of art, politics and passion collide in John L’Heureux’s masterful new novel, The Medici Boy. With rich composition, L’Heureux ingeniously transports the reader to Donatello’s Renaissance Italy—directly into his bottega, (workshop), as witnessed through the…
Graeme Simsion’s The Rosie Project was an international publishing phenomenon, with more than a million copies sold in over forty countries around the world. Now he returns with the highly anticipated sequel, The Rosie Effect. The Rosie Effect Synopsis ‘We’ve got…
Review Summary: In The Canterville Ghost, with modern prose and themes, and characters like caricatures, Oscar Wilde lampoons traditional ghost stories. The Canterville Ghost Short Synopsis: A terrifying ghost is haunting the ancient mansion of Canterville Chase, complete with creaking floorboards, clanking…
In INFAMY Lenny Bartulin has delivered rollicking entertainment with literary authenticity – a must read ‘Australian western’ historical novel. Read on for our full review. Infamy Synopsis REWARD: Twenty gallons of Rum for the Delivery into My Custody of one Colonel George…
Lost & Found Synopsis At seven years old, Millie Bird realises that everything is dying around her. She wasn’t to know that after she had recorded twenty-seven assorted creatures in her Book of Dead Things her dad would be a Dead…
Lady Windermere’s Fan Synopsis: Oscar Wilde’s first play confronts the hypocrisy of public “morality” compared with genuine, private kindness. When it opened in 1892, Lady Windermere’s Fan was an instant success and now, more than a century later, it continues to…
Longlisted for the 2015 Folio Prize, Bald New World is a dark exploration of human vanity in a hairless world, and one of our Best Books of 2014. Bald New World Synopsis What if you woke up one morning and everyone…
Dead Stars Synopsis: An unnamed couple sits in a café, waiting for the city offices to open so they can finalize their divorce papers. The wife opens the local newspaper to a shocking photo of a classmate from her university days…
Robert Glancy’s Terms & Conditions is an ingeniously told, fast-paced, funny novel filled with colourful, audacious characters and heartfelt drama. Read my full review. Terms & Conditions Book Synopsis Frank has been in a car accident*. The doctor tells him he…
Zane Lovitt’s The Midnight Promise – A Detective’s Story in Ten Cases is an original and highly compelling twist on crime fiction. Read on for our review. The Midnight Promise Synopsis Winner, Ned Kelly Awards, Best First Fiction, 2013 A brilliant Melbourne…
The Two Hotel Francforts Synopsis: It is the summer of 1940, and Lisbon is one of the only neutral ports left in Europe – a city filled with spies, crowned heads and refugees of every nationality, tipping back absinthe to while…
The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion is a modern take on the classic screwball romance tackling tough societal issues with compassion and hilarity. Read on for why I think this is groundbreaking contemporary literature. The Rosie Project Synopsis The art of love…
Elizabeth Gilbert’s epic The Signature of All Things celebrates history’s inquiring minds and the unwavering strength, willpower and quiet sacrifice women have made in society across all vocations. The Signature of All Things Synopsis: 5th January 1800. Alma Whittaker is born into a…
Based on the true story of the first woman to set foot on Antarctica, Jesse Blackadder has captured the drama, danger and magnetic pull of exploring uncharted places.
