(Ken Callander, Macmillan, $32.95 pb, ISBN 9781405038386, November) ***

Interestingly for someone reviewing a book about a ‘racing tragic’, I know almost nothing about racing, and generally choose my horse in the Melbourne Cup by picking the best looking jockey, or the prettiest silks. However, I found Good Luck and Good Punting a reasonably entertaining read. There are plenty of names dropped and as I wasn’t expecting to recognise any of them, I found myself pleasantly surprised occasionally. It particularly refers to the Sydney racing scene and it seemed that the vast majority of people mentioned were based in Sydney, so it may have limited appeal outside of New South Wales. As Callander has been in the racing industry since he worked as a cadet on the turf pages, he has seen a lot of changes and is willing to talk about them all. The racing stories are interwoven with his life story and it seems as though Callander can remember every race he ever saw. The detail is amazing. A great book for similar ‘racing tragic’ dads who would enjoy the characters, the detail, the gambling and the joie de vivre present on every page.

Jessica Broadbent is a former bookseller

This review from Australian Bookseller & Publisher magazine is reproduced by kind permission of Thorpe-Bowker, a division of R R Bowker LLC. © Copyright 2007, Thorpe-Bowker