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New ‘Books+Publishing’ reviews out now

Books+Publishing’s latest Reviews newsletter contains 14 reviews of books publishing in August, September and October.

Four books received 4.5 stars, including Jeremy Chambers’ ‘nostalgic 1980s coming-of-age story’ Suburbia (Text, October). ‘Chambers’ writing feels fresh and his descriptive language renders [the suburb] Glenella in sombre beauty,’ writes reviewer Brad Jefferies.

Call of the Reed Warbler (UQP, September), Charles Massy’s vision of a new approach to agriculture and the environment, ‘persuades the reader with a beautifully integrated mix of research, farmer interviews, personal story and a passionate reading of natural history literature,’ writes Saliba, who describes it as a potential ‘Australian classic’.

Reviewer Lindy Jones awarded Mirror Sydney (Vanessa Berry, Giramondo, October) 4.5 stars for its ‘beautifully written’ exploration of the city’s hidden histories. Jones recommends the book to Sydneysiders for ‘the recognition of place’ as well as for anyone ‘who wants to see the details rather than the distractions’.

Emily Laidlaw was similarly enthusiastic in her review of the first two book in Black Inc’s ‘Writers on Writers’ series: On John Marsden by Alice Pung and On Kate Jennings by Erik Jensen (October). The books’ mix of literary criticism, biography and interview are ‘so well crafted that you don’t need to be a fan of either subject to enjoy them,’ writes Laidlaw.

Also reviewed are:

Fiction:

Bird Country (Claire Aman, Text, September); Drawing Sybylla (Odette Kelada, UWA Publishing, October); Force of Nature (Jane Harper, Macmillan, October); The Life to Come (Michelle de Kretser, A&U, October); A New England Affair (Steven Carroll, HarperCollins, September); Soon (Lois Murphy, Transit Lounge, October); and Two Steps Forward (Graeme Simsion & Anne Buist, Text, October).

Nonfiction:

Baby Lost: A Story of Grief and Hope (Hannah Robert, MUP, August); The Book of Thistles (Noëlle Janaczewska, UWA Publishing, October); and The Trauma Cleaner (Sarah Krasnostein, Text, October).
This issue also features interviews with ‘Writers on Writers’ series editor Chris Feik, Mirror Sydney author Vanessa Berry and touring British author Reni Eddo-Lodge.

To read the full newsletter, click here.

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Category: Recently published by B+P