The Single Ladies of the Jacaranda Retirement Village

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Joanna Nell, The Single Ladies of the Jacaranda Retirement Village, $29.99

Well, here’s something new for the New Year, a new literary ‘genre (don’t you hate that word!) It’s called Uplifting Literature or Up Lit—as if Jane Austen isn’t!  ‘Something to lift readers into a warm, fuzzy, happy place’ is how it’s described—an antidote to reading about disasters, violence, misery and Donald Trump. Apparently, Up Lit was the leading trend at recent international book fairs, so it’s probably alright to review at least one for the year.

I got sucked into buying … Read more »

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Too Much Lip

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Melissa Lucashenko,
Too Much Lip, $29.95

We should all give thanks each day for Queensland University Press, which is up there with the ABC in my list of institutions for which we owe eternal gratitude. QUP is a strong supporter of emerging (and established) Indigenous writers, none of whom are more entertaining than Melissa Lucashenko. If you haven’t already read her first novel, Mullumbimby, I highly recommend it. Too Much Lip is a terrific follow-up. … Read more »

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Boy Swallows Universe

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Trent Dalton, Boy Swallows Universe, $32.99

I admit to nearly abandoning this novel after the first 50 pages, but I persisted and am glad I did so (on the recommendation of the staff at Candelo Books – thanks again!) It is the first book of award-winning journalist Trent Dalton and has been received to wide acclaim.

Set in Brisbane in the 1980s, it is a stark reminder of the corruption, crime and racism that infected Queensland. The story is of two brothers, told through the eyes of the … Read more »

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Dancing Home

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Paul Collis,
Dancing Home.
$29.95

Thanks to the Bermagui U3A, I was introduced by one of our fantastic teachers, Debra Cushion, to the David Unaipon Award. This annual award is to acknowledge previously unpublished Indigenous writers, and is supported by the national treasure which is the University of Queensland Press.

Winner of the 2016 Award, Dancing Home is the first novel of Paul Collis, a Barkindji man from Bourke. He has worked with young offenders and in … Read more »

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New Power: How power works in our hyperconnected world – and how to make it work for you.

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Jeremy Heimans and Henry Timms,
New Power: How power works in our hyperconnected world – and how to make it work for you.
$32.99

For someone totally uninterested in technology like me, this was a difficult book, but one that I acknowledge is important as I try to understand the changing world. There was a wealth of information about the new media, emerging industries, new ways of organising for social change; I learnt of organisations of which I … Read more »

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Saga Land: The island of stories at the edge of the world

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Richard Fidler and Kari Gislason, Saga Land: The island of stories at the edge of the world, $39.99

I chose this book for the Triangle review because I presume many readers are fans of Richard Fidler’s interviews on ABC radio. I also recently read his book, Ghost Empire, relating the trip to Turkey he took with his son, and loved it. I was also interested in the book because I know virtually nothing about Iceland.

The structure of Saga Land is interesting: the two authors write … Read more »

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