Book Reviews
This page will be available for everyone to post reviews of books you have read. We invite you to tell us what you think of the books we have in our collection or if there’s one you think we should purchase – Don’t forget to supply your name so we know who has suggested it!
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1. anonymous | January 25, 2012 at 2:32 pm
“Still Alice” by Lisa Genova
A wonderful novel about an academic from Harvard who at 50 is diagnosed with early onset dementia which is genetically determined. The novel follows her and her family as they live and grow with the devestation of someone who has defined herself though her mind, as step by step she loses her capacity. The author has beautifully and clearly shown the development and effects of dementia and the triumph of love and kindness.
2. Lynette Barbara | September 7, 2011 at 2:23 pm
“The reading group” by Elizabeth Noble
A group of friends, a few bottles of wine and a good book. What could be better? The women who form the Reading Group are as varied as the books they choose to read:
Designer-clad Nicole has the perfect domestic set-up – apart from a serially unfaithful husband. Her best friend Harriet’s husband is perfect; but Harriet just doesn’t love him any more.
Clare is desperate for a baby – and is wrecking her marriage in the process, while Cressida is terrified she’s pregnant.
Susan is watching her mother’s sad, slow decline, comforted by her family; Polly wants to marry again, but will Jack cope with hers?
Can they find the answers in the pages of a good book?
“A most enjoyable read. Brings back the memories of marriage and children”
3. Lynette Barbara | June 20, 2011 at 11:34 am
“The secret world of Annette Robinson” by Paulette Gittins
This book is brilliant!
“Ruddy dawn, warbling morning, thready clouds. Breeze like cool linen. Wattlebirds sip from playground puddles before cats come out to wee. Murray Strret yawns in dreams, accepting the day”
4. lynette barbara | June 16, 2011 at 3:09 pm
“The Secret Scripture” by Sebastian Barry
“Now I was all unhappiness. Whatever chemical is allied to fear – adrenalin and its sisters – was drenching my brain. My knees were literally weak and I felt the contents of my bowels turn to water. I wanted to vomit. Years ago as a boy in the slaughter house in Padstow I had seen cows going in a queue towards the gun and watched them hissing and shitting in terror. How i was just the same” p.175
This book is worth a read to at least feel the pain in your heart and the anger in your head at all things evil.
5. Aidan King | May 4, 2011 at 3:03 pm
I recently read a series of books by Scott Monk, he writes really cool drama stories and one of them is “The Crush” and there is “Raw”. These were really, really cool books, I loved every page of them. I’m still yet to read “Boyz ‘r’ us” which is meant to be a good book.
These books are for both girls and guys, so get reading!
6. Gaye | April 4, 2011 at 3:39 pm
The long table : my love affair with food
by Mary Moody
I have recently spent time browsing through this wonderful book and wish it were still sitting on my coffee table. It is a book that I could happily pick up time and again.
Mary has written a number of books concerning her love of France, love of gardening and love of food and family. This book is filled with wonderful, treasured recipes from her family kitchen together with photos and reminiscences of her life growing up in the 1950s through to raising her own family.
Mary’s philosophy is that food binds a family together and no matter how busy you are, you should always make time to sit down together at the end of the day and eat a meal.
7. Sue | April 4, 2011 at 3:38 pm
MAGAZINE REVIEW
Australian Cardmaking, Stamping & Papercraft Magazine Vol 16 No 3
The magazine has a lot of useful hints and tips for the paper crafting person.
I quite liked the simple butterfly card on page 87.
Thank you for looking
Sue
8. Cheryl Walters | March 21, 2011 at 4:13 pm
Beattie, Blake
“Bullseye! : the ultimate guide to achieving your goals”
158.1/BEA
This is an easy, no fuss, relevant read which is well set out. Setting goals is one factor, however, following through to a successful outcome is another. After fifteen years practising as a mentor, public speaker, consultant and motivator, Beattie has hit his target with this title. He has devised a simple blueprint for success that can transform our performance in all areas of our lives. He outlines the strategies we need to put our past disappointments, frustrations and ineffective habits behind us. Several iconic people are used as examples of those who have triumphed over difficult beginnings. Kathy Freeman, Billy Connolly and Billy Joel spring to mind.
It’s the style of this book that is appealing, you almost feel as though you are at one of Blake Beattie’s seminars. There are charts and diagrams as guides and summaries at appropriate intervals, along with power tips to keep you on track. Anyone who is prone to procrastination and excuses will find this read very useful. I would suggest that it would certainly be a motivator to students starting their academic year and planning for success.
Beattie will illustrate to you a dynamic way of formulating realistic goals, his experience will help you maintain momentum blast through obstacles, and maintain a clear vision for your individual way forward. My opinion is it’s a basic, logical, grass roots guide to success in all areas of our lives, business, management, work, health and relationships.
Note : http://www.blakebeattie.com is well worth checking and is accompanied by a very motivating blog.
Cheryl 16.3.11
9. Gary Ellem | March 21, 2011 at 4:12 pm
Bumper: the life & times of Frank “Bumper” Farrell by Larry Writer
796.333/WRI
Set in inner Sydney this is a biography about a legendary street cop and a tough, hard rugby league player.
Bumper was a policeman who walked the mean streets of Kings Cross and inner-city Sydney from 1938-1976. His adversaries were such infamous criminals as Abe Saffron, Lennie McPherson, Tilly Devine and Kate Leigh. Some of these characters are sure to be included in the new TV series “Underbelly: Razor”.
Bumper was a legendary Rugby League player for Newtown and Australia against. The book details Bumper Farrell in brutal, passionate and hilarious action . . . saving Ita Buttrose from a stalker; sparking a national scandal when accused of biting off a rival player’s ear; beating Lennie McPherson so severely the hard man cried; single-handedly fighting a mob of gangsters in Kings Cross and winning; terrorizing the hoons who harassed the prostitutes in the brothel lanes by driving over the top of them; commandeering the police launch to take him home to his beach home, diving overboard in full uniform and catching a wave to shore; dispensing kindness and charity to the poor. Bumper Farrell: lawman, sportsman, larrikin . . . legend.
I highly recommend this book as a good read with great historical references and descriptions of what it was like to live during these times.
Gary
10. Kate | August 27, 2010 at 2:39 pm
I recently read “The Hunger Games” and “Catching Fire” by Suzanne Collins, which are the first 2 books in the Hunger Games trilogy. These books were excellent!!
The story is set in a dystopian society where one girl and one boy from each region are selected to fight in the Hunger Games – an annually televised event. Contestants are forced to fight each other, with the last one left alive winning.
This is an amazing series with the final book released on the 24th of August this year. I recommend this series to everyone who enjoys a adventure story.