Paris on a Plate by Stephen Downes *
1 November, 2006
Stephen Downes’ first trip to France, in the 1970s, was by a peculiarly English mode of transport: the hovercraft.

Luca Antara by Martin Edmond **
1 November, 2006
Martin Edmond is a self-confessed ‘quest junky’; his literary research has lead him, among others, to the voyage of the Batavia and the tragic consequences of the ship’s destruction; the religious implications of the Fatima revelations for ordinary Catholics and the Vatican, and an investigation into one of the earliest voyages to Australia by a Portuguese traveller.

Bali by Emma Tom **
1 November, 2006
Bali: Paradise Lost is based on the recent relationship between Australia and its neighboring ‘holiday paradise’, Bali, and attempts to bridge the gap between travel story and cultural-political commentary.

Acting on Conscience by Frank Brennan **
1 November, 2006
In Acting on Conscience, Jesuit priest and professor of law Frank Brennan draws upon his decades of study and work in areas of law, religion, politics and social justice.

An Irresistible Temptation by Carol Baxter
1 November, 2006
An Irresistible Temptation is the true story of Jane New: colonial temptress and habitual shoplifter.

Tales from the front
5 October, 2006
Personal accounts, biographies, histories and even guide books—Australia’s military history is the subject of a whole army of books hitting the shelves this month.

Waves by Tim Baker **
1 September, 2006
I’d love to find this book in my Christmas stocking! Here’s the perfect gift for your favourite Gidget or Moondoggy.

The Perfect Glass of Wine by Ben Canaider **
1 September, 2006
It sounds like a good life to me-being paid to travel the world, drink wine and write about it in a witty and iconoclastic way.

Asbestos House by Gideon Haigh *
1 September, 2006
Asbestos House, a monumental history of James Hardie Industries and its 107-year relationship with a most useful and deadly substance, treads a fine line between exposing problems and attaching blame.

The Wreck of the Batavia and Prosper by Simon Leys **
1 September, 2006
The story of the wreck of the Batavia has been the inspiration for many works of fiction, nonfiction and film. Leys’ essay on the wreck begins with a curious introduction.

Non-Fiction Book Reviews - August 2006
26 August, 2006
This short book by Dennis Altman, professor of Politics at Latrobe University, examines the long-standing and often controversial relationship between Australia and the United States. The warm reception given to John Howard at the White House recently might have made many Australians proud, but also more than a few cringe. The fear that Australia is becoming a lackey of the United States is not, as Dennis Altman admits, a recent phenomenon. American ideas have long had an impact on Australian society—from the politics of the American New Left in the 1960s to the aggressively militant stance taken toward international terrorism by the Bush administration.

The Prince of Australia by Kevin Childs
28 May, 2006
Kevin Childs is a former Age journalist and it shows. The 10 stories that make up this welcoming book reflect the hallmarks of good journalism: clarity, simplicity and thorough research. Moreover, Childs writes in a style that is fluent and almost conversational. We can readily imagine him telling these stories to us personally. The book is celebratory of the Australian character and more specifically, quirky and often little-known moments from the past.

Object Lessons: Archaeology and Heritage in Australia edited by Jane Lyndon & Tracey Ireland
28 May, 2006
Recent events covered by Australia’s media have highlighted the complexity of social identity in this country. Object Lessons, far from being simply a book about what constitutes heritage in our relatively new nation, is a timely assessment of how ‘places and objects’ contribute to our sense of belonging and community.

Many Lifetimes: A Memoir by Audrey Evans
28 May, 2006
Audrey Evans is a truly inspirational Australian woman who overcame tremendous obstacles and hardships to inspire and change lives. This is Audrey’s life story—a life that involved growing up through abuse, pregnancy at 17, battling through depression and countless visits to mental institutions, rape, prostitution, alcoholism, abusive relationships and poverty. This memoir is far more than just the story of an inspirational aboriginal woman, it is the life of an extraordinary person who triumphed to qualify as a teacher in the same year she qualified for the old-age pension.

The Champions: Conversations with Great Players and Coaches of Australian Football by Ben Collins
28 May, 2006
This new football book from GSP interviews 24 AFL/VFL players about their Australian Rules football experiences. From Ron Barassi and Bob Davis to current footy stars such as James Hird and Robert Harvey, this book gleans information from the players about their football careers and where their lives have led to after football. This book will appeal to readers who are 40 or older—younger readers may find the format a little dry and regimented.

Please just F*** Off: It’s Our Turn Now by Ryan Heath
28 May, 2006
Shame about the title. No doubt it got a good laugh at the publishing meeting where this book was pitched, but it’s combative, negative, and will alienate some readers immediately. Pity, because this isn’t a half-bad book. Its strength is that it conveys in no uncertain terms, often using first-person quotes, the frustration many young people feel about the stagnation that currently afflicts Australia.

The Big Oyster by Mark Kurlansky
15 May, 2006
"Up until the nineteenth century the oyster was thought to be a simple primitive creature". So begins one early chapter of this book by Mark Kurlansky. And, if you enjoy oysters as a culinary delicacy, you would do well to stop reading right there and skip to the next chapter, because what follows is a detailed description of a complex, sensitive creature which we keep alive so that, complete with "a working brain, a stomach, intestines, liver and a still beating heart", we can swallow it whole. And some of them can grow to a foot long, which, as William Makepeace Thackeray once complained was "like eating a baby"

Black Founders: The Unknown Story of Australia's First Black Settlers by Cassandra Pybus
23 April, 2006
Black Founders is well-written historical text, full of details that make most fiction look like lolly water. There is a very powerful thesis in this text, an attempt to reappraise the inherent white/black dichotomy of Australian history.

Drink Me by Skye Rogers
23 April, 2006
The sub-genre of substance-abuse autobiography­think Running with Scissors, A Million Little Pieces et al-has taken up an increasing portion of the shelves in recent years. Rogers, author of nonfiction titles like Thirtysomething, varies the format with Drink Me as she delves into the story of her ex-partner Dan's alcoholism and how it eventually destroyed an intense and very loving relationship.

Australia Locked up by John Nicholson
23 April, 2006
John Nicholson's information-rich, nonfiction picture books have been highly commended for years. Following his award-winning format, Australia Locked Up combines detailed illustrations with Australian nonfiction and is aimed at upper-primary­age children.

Asbestos House: The Unauthorised Story of James Hardie Industries by Gideon Haigh
12 March, 2006
Asbestos House, a monumental history of James Hardie Industries and its 107 -year relationship with a most useful and deadly substance, treads a fine line between exposing problems and attaching blame. Although reports from as early as 1930 suggested a link between asbestos and lung diseases, a succession of Hardie staff persisted in the belief that the problem could be overcome, or ignored until a later time.

Bernard Shaw: A Life by A.M. Gibbs
12 March, 2006
George Bernard Shaw was born in Dublin in 1856, the only son of an alcoholic corn merchant and a leading amateur soprano. He died at the age of 94 in 1950, and was, as A M Gibbs states, a 'herald and creator of cultural and social change.' Despite showing promise in his early years as a novelist, Shaw began a successful career as a playwright in his 30s, and became a major influence on the theatre of his time and after.

Tucker Track by Warren Fahey
19 December, 2005
Warren Fahey’s Tucker Track draws together some of the lore, songs and recipes that he has gathered in his many years of roaming this country as one of Australia’s premier folklorists. It’s a ragtag collection of bits and bobs, organised thematically into chapters and then in varying-length sections, listed in alphabetical order. I found myself wondering exactly what its purpose was.

South by Northwest by Granville Allen Mawer
19 December, 2005
G A Mawer is the author of numerous books about exploration and seafaring adventures, his most recent being The Life and Legend of Jack Doolan, the Wild Colonial Boy. Now he turns his attention to the last continent, Antarctica, a continent that became the last Holy Grail for so many.

Spain by the Horns by Tim Elliott
19 December, 2005
An encounter with a bullfighter in Sydney leads Tim Elliott to Spain, hot on the trail of Jesulin, a young, charismatic and talented bullfighter dubbed ‘the Beckham of bullfighting.’ Elliott already has a passion for Spain and the Spanish and, through Jesulin, he hopes to uncover even more about this flamboyant country and perhaps even get to the heart of its colourful people.