Reading the list of books most commonly borrowed from libraries from April 2018 until March 2019, just after the shock results of the Australian Federal election, I have to wonder…

When I travel, I rarely read about places before I visit them; it is afterwards when I scour the travel section of newspapers for mentions of the places I have…

Set in Sydney in 1942, The Aunts’ House is the charming story of a young recently orphaned girl named Angel who is sent to live in a boarding house run…

May has been a big month for literary groupies like me, with the authors of two of my favourite books from last year appearing at Melbourne's The Wheeler Centre. Last…

Review by Sam, 8 years What is the book about? There are seven short stories that all have a completely different theme but all starring Alex Rider. Alex Rider is…

It seems wrong to dwell on the death of mothers in fiction in the lead up to Mother’s Day, but that is what has been on my mind and my…

Bridge of Clay is an intimidating book, the size of a brick and as eagerly anticipated as it was, following the success of Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief. And at…

The Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA) shortlist was announced this month, and there are some wonderful Aussie and international books in the running. I've added many of them to my…

In literary fiction, it is often the language that rises above the plot. Sometimes, little seems to happen, but the reader is carried away with the lyricism of the language.…

I’ve just joined Instagram (I know, I know, I’m late to the party), and bookstagram in particular, and have been enjoying seeing the gorgeous photos of book series. There are rows…

I recently finished reading The Rosie Result, which has been praised for helping break down misconceptions about autism. I found that reading Graeme Simsion’s books helped me not just understand…

As seen on Ten Daily The season for laughs is upon us as the Melbourne Comedy Festival begins this month, followed closely by the Sydney Comedy Festival in April. In…

What has everyone been reading and loving? Dymocks gave us the answer yesterday when they released a list of the top 101 favourite books of 2019. As premature as it seems…

There is a big, white wall in our living room that we are looking to fill with an art work. While visiting galleries and scrolling through online art sites, I…

I’ve been holding off on reviewing Toni Morrison's Beloved because how can you really critique such a book? It won the 1988 Pulitzer Prize for fiction and its author Toni Morrison won…

With the follow up just published, I finally got around to reading Dervla McTiernan’s The Ruin. Set in Galway, The Ruin spans two decades, from the time a young police…

Lately I have been hearing a lot about competitive reading, and the pressure to have read ‘the right’ book.I have written before that there is nothing more off-putting than feeling…

In a recent podcast, author and the enviably-titled Director of Books at Booktopia, John Purcell, spoke about the way books helped him see life in colour, rather than in black…

Books serve different purposes at different times. Sometimes, they offer entertainment, other times they help us feel less alone. When everything is going well in my life, I tend to…

As seen on Ten Daily For some people, the best love stories are those in which the passion is fast and furious. Two people’s eyes meet across a crowded room,…

I was standing in the bookshop (otherwise known as Target’s book section) and trying to choose a book to take on a weekend away. My choice was down to The…

Kamila Shamsie's award-winning novel Home Fire begins as a story of two families on either side of the fight against terrorism, but becomes an exploration of  love, loss, politics and…

A child goes missing in the US, only to be found decades later on the other side of the world. Who wouldn’t want to read a book about the search…

Who knew a book about death could be so uplifting? Maggie O’Farrell’s  I Am I Am I Am details 17 brushes with death, ranging from a chillingly close encounter while…

For years I have commuted for my job, and I have enjoyed using my time on the train to read or write my blog. But recently, that precious reading time…

This book came highly recommended – my mum loved it and even though she had a copy of her own, she bought another one for me. Fortunately for our family…

I had heard a lot about Australian author Emma Viskic before I had picked up any of her books. From the Wreck had recently been shortlisted for various literary awards,…

When I moved from regional Victoria to university in Melbourne, I was excited about my newfound freedom. However, there was also an underlying sense of panic. I wasn't sure if…

These are some of the books that I’ve been reading and enjoying with my kids. Some are new, while others are long-time favourites. All have found their way into the…

There have been a few books this year which have been unlike any I have read before, and this is certainly one of them. Somewhere between an essay and a…

It is hard to comprehend how Sally Rooney has managed to capture the dynamics of a relationship as well as she has in Normal People. Aged just 27, Rooney tells…

I’m not usually drawn to memoirs, but I’d heard such good reports about Magda Szubanski’s Reckoning that I happily picked it up when I saw it was available at the…

I recently wrote about my favourite books of 2018 for Ten Daily. However, this isn’t the whole story, as there are plenty of books released before this year that have…

The rules of writing historical fiction are notoriously murky. Just how factual does the story need to be if it is considered to be a work of fiction? Recently, the…

The term ‘masterpiece’ is most commonly used in the art world, describing paintings like da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, Van Gogh’s The Starry Night and Picasso’s Guernica. While these works might…

By Sam, 7 What was the book about? It was about a girl, Amelia, who went to Elfhelm to live with Father Christmas and a woman called Mary. The girl…

Young journos are famously advised to start their stories as if they are telling their best friend the most exciting thing that has happened that day. Rachel Cusk’s widely celebrated…

I was almost relieved when, partway into reading The Kite Runner, I realised this was definitely a ‘good’ book. Otherwise, I’m not sure that I could have written a review.…

It’s that tricky time of year again when everyone is searching for the perfect Christmas gift. To save you the trouble of dealing with over-eager sales assistants or giving yourself…

Sam, 7 years * Caution - there may be spoilers below The story was about: It was a story about science and a place that used science to make people’s…

This year I’ve read some extraordinary books written by Australian writers, from the perspective of a child, including Sofie Laguna’s The Choke and Mark Brandi’s Wimmera. Trent Dalton’s Boy Swallows…

If you ever want to test out your observation skills, there is a famous footage in which a gorilla walks across the screen. Did you see it? I didn’t spot…

It makes sense that fashion models, and even actresses, are beautiful. Fashion and film are visual mediums, and beauty can offer a sense of glamour, representing a lifestyle to which…

The Fish Girl seems at first glance to be a light book, easily read in a day, perhaps even one sitting. But within the Stella Prize shortlisted novella is story…

In some ways the growth of library book clubs has been a quiet success story. Each year, groups pop up around Australia, coming together for the love of reading. But…

I have read a lot about World War II, from brutality of the concentration camps in The Tattooist of Auschwitz to the ‘what ifs’ of Life After Life and the…

There is a copy of Moby Dick on my book shelf that I aim to read one day. But the size of the book means that every time I look…

Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan novels start with a mystery – that of the missing friend, Lila. From there, the reader is taken on an intimate journey through the lives of Lila…

There has been plenty of hand wringing since Australian students this year achieving their lowest writing results since NAPLAN tests began. The news isn't much better when comparing Australian students’…

There is something vaguely unsettling about seeing a photo of yourself that you didn’t realise it was being taken. There you are, seen from the perspective of another. While it…

Buying a book used to be a simple pleasure. You would visit a local book shop, browse the shelves, select a book and pay. But now, it is not quite…

I never read The Little Prince as a child, so I was looking forward to reading it with my seven-year-old son. Unfortunately, this strange and charming little story didn’t capture…

The role of writers festivals has been in the news recently, with commentators, audiences and writers questioning the prominence of Barnaby Joyce on one program and a farewell to pets…