Ben Fountain’s BILLY LYNN’S LONG HALFTIME WALK
This is totally engrossing and full of both bitterness and empathy. It is what a great war novel should be: angry, absurd, compassionate and bewildering. It will make you question the how and the why of war, as it should, and is sure to cause a lot of debate.
Continue Reading February 19, 2012 at 10:21 pm Leave a comment
Jim Lynch’s TRUTH LIKE THE SUN
This is a brilliant book than jumps between the idealism and nostalgia of the 60s and the cynical and cutthroat world of the early 2000s.
BOOK BITES: THE COLD, COLD GROUND by Adrian McKinty
My video review
Continue Reading February 10, 2012 at 8:46 am Leave a comment
BOOK BITES: WHAT IT WAS by George Pelecanos
My video review of WHAT IT WAS by George Pelecanos
Tony Cavanaugh’s PROMISE
This is not for the faint of heart. It is brutal. It is shocking. And it is completely addictive.
Continue Reading January 31, 2012 at 10:08 pm Leave a comment
Crikey, eBook Prices! … Beware Predators
What is at stake is a competitive market which ultimately is good for authors, publishers, retailers and most importantly readers.
Sadie Jones’ THE UNINVITED GUESTS
I was bitterly disappointed with this book. OUTCAST and SMALL WARS are brilliant books and Sadie Jones is a talented writer. This just didn’t work for me. Not in the slightest
William Boyd’s WAITING FOR SUNRISE
WAITING FOR SUNRISE is William Boyd at the top of his game. If you loved RESTLESS or ANY HUMAN HEART you are in for a treat.
Hilary Mantel’s WOLF HALL
The Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn story is so familiar but Mantel ensures she doesn’t tread on any sodden ground. Enthralling, entertaining, enlightening and deserving of all the accolades heaped upon it.
Continue Reading January 17, 2012 at 9:59 pm Leave a comment
Books on Evenings with Dominic Knight ABC Local Radio NSW – January 17
Here are the books I discussed with Dominic Knight on ABC Local Radio NSW on Tuesday January 17
Continue Reading January 17, 2012 at 8:47 pm Leave a comment
Adrian McKinty’s THE COLD, COLD GROUND
No exaggeration, this is one of the best crime novels I have ever read
Jamie’s GREAT BRITAIN
I was a little unsure of what to expect with Jamie’s Great Britain. However once the accompanying TV series started I realized there might be a bit more worth exploring.
George R. R. Martin’s A FEAST FOR CROWS
I am so glad I didn’t have to wait 5 years between A STORM OF SWORDS and this book because I think it would have driven me mad.
The Australian Women Writers 2012 Reading and Reviewing Challenge
I am going to take the Franklin-fantastic Challenge and read 10 books in 2012 by a female author with at least 4 of them by Australian writer and I will review all 10 of them.
George Pelecanos’s WHAT IT WAS
The new novel from George Pelecanos is the perfect embodiment of why he is such a brilliant writer: tightly plotted packed with fascinating characters, rich in atmosphere that you’ll find hard not to finish in one sitting.
Cressida Cowell’s HOW TO STEAL A DRAGONS SWORD
like Asterix goes to Hogwarts
How I Fell Out of Love with Dexter
Sometimes a TV show has to know when it is done and not drag us all along until the bitter end.
Michael Crichton’s MICRO
Sometimes I think that unfinished novel or plot outline found in a bottom draw should just stay there…
Judging a Book
I was very honoured (and a little bit daunted) about being asked to help judge the CAL Scribe Fiction Prize for 2012
Some thoughts on The Bu$iness of Digital Rights
There is a false perception that illegal downloading is all about getting the content for free. I dispute this. Ask any illegal downloader how much they spend on their internet service and you will quickly learn that they certainly are prepared to pay for their content!
My Top 5 Reads for 2011
The best books I’ve read this year
Elmore Leonard’s RAYLAN
Elmore Leonard lives up to his reputation as a grand master of crime writing. He is everything he is cracked up to be. Bloody brilliant dialogue and crazy crooks.
Colin Meloy’s WILDWOOD
Meloy has created a totally believable world and I was fascinated by the politics and hierarchies he created within it
John Harvey’s GOOD BAIT
John Harvey is the British Peter Temple.
