The Convent by Maureen McCarthy (Reviewed by Shelleyrae)
Maureen McCarthy is one of the few authors whose protagonists are generally aged in their late teens or early twenties, embarking on university or finding their way in the first years after leaving...
View ArticleThe Lost Battlefield of Kokoda by Brian Freeman (Reviewed by Shelleyrae)
The Kokoda Trail is as important a part of Australia’s history as Gallipoli, and is a pilgrimage that thousands of Australians make, but few will have completed the trail as many times as Brian...
View ArticleThe House of Memories by Monica McInerney (Reviewed by Shelleyrae)
Heartfelt and poignant, The House of Memories explores the overwhelming nature of grief in the wake of tragedy. In pain and anger, Ella O’Hanlon blames her husband, Aiden and her half sister, Jess, for...
View ArticleLola’s Secret by Monica McInerney (Reviewed by Helen)
Having just picked this book up at the library, it took me a while to realise that the main character Lola was the grandmother from Monica’s previous book The Alphabet Sister’s. It was a nice surprise...
View ArticleThe Hypnotist’s Love Story by Liane Moriarty (Reviewed by Helen)
I’ve always enjoyed Liane Moriarty’s books, but I think this one is my new favourite. I don’t think it was so much the subject matter of the book, but just the entertainment value of a well told story...
View ArticleThe Tower Mill by James Moloney (Reviewed by Helen)
I won this book in the Goodreads giveaway, but it is a book I would have read anyway, given the Queensland setting and the fact it was based around some significant historical events in Brisbane. In...
View ArticleDare To Fly by Janine Shepherd (Reviewed by Trish)
Having read Janine’s first book Never Tell Me Never years and years ago, I was thrilled to come across this book in the library. I had no idea that Janine had written another book (and as I later...
View ArticleThe Beach House by Helen McKenna (Reviewed by Marie)
I thought this was a lovely book. While I really enjoyed the back story of the house and the importance of saving it from the developers, what I was really inspired by was the stories of each...
View ArticleQF32 by Richard deCrespigny (Reviewed by Leah)
I don’t read a lot of non-fiction, but I was quite captivated by this story about the Qantas pilot caught up in the drama on a flight between Singapore and Sydney back in 2010. There was a lot of...
View ArticleWhere has the year gone???
It’s hard to believe that the year is almost over – but at least when looking back we can have a bit sense of accomplishment when we tally just how many Australian books have been read and reviewed...
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Thanks For Participating
A big thank you to all those who participated in the Great Aussie Reads Reading/Reviewing Challenge in 2012. Special mentions go to Shelleyrae (http://www.bookdout.wordpress.com) who so graciously...
View ArticleWebsite Update
We do our best to keep the Great Aussie Reads website as up do date as possible and to list as many books as we can. Given that we are only a small group of amateurs, sometimes it takes us a while to...
View ArticleDancing Backwards In High Heels by Christine Darcas (Reviewed by Helen)
Maddy is 42 years old and in a rut. A newcomer to Australia, she is struggling to find her feet while her two kids and husband seem to have settled in well at work and school. Desperate for a new...
View ArticleShallow Breath by Sara Foster (Reviewed by Helen)
Growing up on the beautiful West Australian coast, all Desi ever wanted to do was work with dolphins. As a teenager that dream comes true when she gets a job at the Atlantis marine park near her home...
View ArticleStronger Now by Nicole McLean (Reviewed by Helen)
Back in 2002 Nicole MacLean was just an average twenty three year old. From a close knit family in suburban Melbourne, she had a job she loved, a wide circle of friends and enjoyed a busy social life....
View ArticleMatilda Is Missing by Caroline Overington (Reviewed by Helen)
Softie and Garry are from two different worlds. She is an accomplished career woman from a middle class background and he grew up in foster care after a horrific childhood incident and takes life very...
View ArticleAfter The Darkness by Honey Brown (Reviewed by Helen)
Trudy and Bruce Harrison seem to have it all – a happy marriage, three healthy children and a successful business. Then one afternoon as they are returning home from a trip away they make the fateful...
View ArticleWildfire by Susan Geason (Reviewed by Helen)
It is 1992 in Sydney and police psychologist Rachel Addison is the only woman on the homicide squad. Fear is at fever pitch following the brutal murder of popular young nurse Lisa Broderick (which is...
View ArticleIf I Should Lose You by Natasha Lester (Reviewed by Simone)
If I Should Lose You is a beautifully written, moving story dealing with the difficult subject of organ donation. Camille is a nurse who helps families of donors through the process, while her own...
View ArticleThrough My Eyes by Lindy Chamberlain (Reviewed by Simone)
Although I was only a child when baby Azaria Chamberlain went missing from her tent at Ayer’s Rock in 1980, I can clearly remember the media storm it created. In my child’s eyes, I presumed that what...
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