Boomerang Books Info Bank - Non-Fiction Book Reviews

My Reading Life by Bob Carr

Thu, 01 May 2008 06:22:45 UT

There are few things a genuine book lover enjoys more than enthusing about their favourite books and authors. In this thoughtfully phrased and inspiring volume, former New South Wales Premier and current Dymocks board member Bob Carr is allowed to do just that for over 400 pages.

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The Lucy Family Alphabet by Judith Lucy

Thu, 01 May 2008 06:19:48 UT

A great deal of Judith Lucy’s successful stand-up shtick has centred around her crazy family and in particular her parents.

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Gone for a Song by Jeff Waters

Thu, 01 May 2008 06:16:17 UT

The events that followed the death in custody of Mulrunji in Palm Island in 2004 became one of the more incendiary moments in Queensland politics of the last decade.

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Families Behind Bars by Kay Danes

Thu, 01 May 2008 05:58:40 UT

Kay Danes, an Australian who was falsely arrested and detained for gem theft in Laos, has told her horrific battle of endurance in her previous book Deliver Us from Evil.

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Caught Out! Scandals! Lies! Cover-ups! by Wendy Lewis

Thu, 01 May 2008 05:55:22 UT

Are Australians a bunch of knee-jerkers? I’m talking about people who have strong opinions on subjects they know nothing about. If you listen to talkback radio (or sit around my family dining table any evening,) then your answer would undoubtedly be yes!

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Art Life Chooks by Annette Hughes

Thu, 01 May 2008 05:53:46 UT

An absorbing read, Art Life Chooks is the story of Annette Hughes and her partner Geoffrey who move from Sydney to a farm in Noosa. Both of them seem to know fairly well what they are getting themselves into.

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The After Life: A Memoir by Kathleen Stewart

Thu, 01 May 2008 05:49:51 UT

There’s no doubt in my mind that this memoir is excellent. The prose is literary with a reflective tone, and I enjoyed the fact that this book is not structured with a blow-by-blow commentary of the author’s life.

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A Burqa and a Hard Place by Sally Cooper

Thu, 01 May 2008 05:46:15 UT

Do we really need another reporter’s memoir about Afghanistan? Well, yes—if the book in question has something original to offer. ABC Radio journalist Sally Cooper went to Afghanistan not to report on the war, but to train the people

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Stanley and Sophie by Kate Jennings

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 01:15:01 UT

A book to appeal to animal lovers, Stanley and Sophie is about one woman’s journey after the death of her husband and the two dogs that join her along the way. Australian-born Kate Jennings, the author, lives in New York and after her husband dies, she ends up giving a terrier called Stanley a home.

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Macquarie PEN Anthology of Aboriginal Literature by edited by Anita Heiss and Peter Minter

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 01:00:02 UT

This is an essential reference work for anyone interested in Australian literature and Aboriginal culture. It is an outstanding collection which is a history of Aboriginal writing in English, a cultural record and a reflection on Aboriginal contact with White Australia.

Losing the Plot in Opera by Brian Castles-Onion

Sat, 15 Mar 2008 01:00:02 UT

The title, Losing the Plot in Opera, sets a good scene for this book. Brian Castles-Onion is one of Australia’s best conductors and pianists. He regularly conducts for the Australian Opera and has also worked at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.

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The Honey Spinner by Grace Pundyk

Fri, 14 Mar 2008 01:00:02 UT

There’s not much to say about honey is there? It’s sweet. It’s sticky. Bees like it. If, like me, you thought honey was little more than something to spread on your toast in the morning then Grace Pundyk’s The Honey Spinner will make you think again.

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The Young Widow’s Book of Home Improvement: A True Story of Love and Renovation by Virginia Lloyd

Sat, 23 Feb 2008 08:20:34 UT

The Young Widow’s Book of Home Improvement: A True Story of Love and Renovation is a beautiful memoir by Virginia Lloyd about beginning a relationship with, and her marriage to, John, and her life after he dies. Lloyd is only in her mid-30s when she is widowed,

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Slow Journey South by Paula Constant

Sat, 23 Feb 2008 08:16:43 UT

Australian Paula Constant has written a lifeaffirming, positive, inspiring and informative narrative of her emotional and physical journey to give up a teaching job in London and walk for three years with her husband

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Princesses & Pornstars by Emily Maguire

Sat, 23 Feb 2008 08:13:49 UT

Modern-day feminists, if they exist at all, look very different to the crinoline wearing, bra-burning feminists of old. They come in the form of pouting, Paris Hilton wannabes and Brazilian-waxed pole dancers

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