Category Archives: Book Review

The Leaning Man by Anne Harré – 2021

Posted on August 23, 2021 by alysonebaker

Solace in the Wind is a Wellington waterfront statue, nicknamed The Leaning Man. Stella Weston loves the statue, wanting herself to be able to “lean fearlessly into the unknown, forge ahead, get things done”. But Stella is still traumatised by … Continue reading →

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The Only Living Lady Parachutist by Catherine Clarke – 2021

Posted on August 15, 2021 by alysonebaker

Lillian Hawker, Gladys Van Tassel, Gladys Freitas, Leila Adair, Lillian Rayward … are they one woman or many women? They are all aeronauts, ascending in hot air balloons, descending under parachutes – if all goes well. Through all her various … Continue reading →

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The Impossible Resurrection of Grief by Octavia Cade – 2021

Posted on August 2, 2021 by alysonebaker

“Can you watch something die and let it die?” The global mismanagement of the Covid pandemic, and consequential human deaths. The plundering of the environment, and consequential deaths of humans, non-human and ecosystems. The decades of spewing greenhouse gases into … Continue reading →

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The Convict Stain by David McGill – 2021

Posted on July 13, 2021 by alysonebaker

The latest in the Dan Delaney series and Dan is nearing 70, he has lived through a lot and is disillusioned with politics, religion, life … He is in Sydney with his family to launch their Vukovich Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc … Continue reading →

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Victory Park by Rachel Kerr – 2020

Posted on June 24, 2021 by alysonebaker

Kara and her son, Jayden, live in Victory Park – a block of flats with a bit of a playground. Money is a constant concern, and she scrapes by, by providing childcare. She and her neighbours form a sort of … Continue reading →

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Nancy Business by R.W.R. McDonald – 2021

Posted on June 9, 2021 by alysonebaker

It’s 4 months on from the last The Nancys caper, and a year since Tippy Chan’s father died, when his car mysteriously veered off the road – Tippy’s “tattooed Santa on steroids” Uncle Pike, and his partner “unmanageable” Devon, are … Continue reading →

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Quiet in Her Bones by Nalini Singh – 2021

Posted on June 6, 2021 by alysonebaker

Home to the successful and wealthy, the Cul-de-Sac sits shrouded in the Waitākere Ranges, near Auckland. It is home to Ishaan Rai, whose wife, Nina, disappeared 10 years ago – along with $250,000. After a serious car accident, Ishaan’s son, … Continue reading →

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The Beautiful Dead by Kim Hunt – 2020

Posted on May 24, 2021 by alysonebaker

Cal Nyx came to live with her Aunt Zin in rural New South Wales, after an horrendous incident at her home in Aotearoa. She is now an adult, a park ranger living on the property of a farmer friend, and … Continue reading →

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Toto Among the Murderers by Sally J Morgan – 2020

Posted on May 15, 2021 by alysonebaker

Yorkshire in the 1970s, a group of young people have graduated from art college. Most are starting to settle down into further education or jobs. But one of them, Jude Totton – Toto to a select group of friends – … Continue reading →

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Tell Me Lies by J.P. Pomare – 2020

Posted on May 2, 2021 by alysonebaker

Margot Scott is a psychologist dealing daily with troubled people, she is meticulous in her professional life, has records going back to the beginning of her practice. She is respected and on the lecture circuit. She is comfortable in her … Continue reading →

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