Tag Archives: Books
Author loses the plot
I’ve never been to sea, but I enjoy naval fiction and recently discovered the work of Alexander Kent. Kent is a pseudonym for Douglas Reeman, a British author who has written dozens of books, set mostly in the Napoleonic era … Continue reading
The smart library
I borrowed a couple of books from the local library today. The checkout process involved using a new-fangled radio frequency identification device (RFID). I knew this gadget had been installed, because we ran a story about it in the paper, … Continue reading
Beyond The Pale
Thanks to regular commenter Ebony, I have just finished reading Beyond The Pale by John Hooker (1998 Allen & Unwin). It’s a tough uncompromising look at early colonial life in South West Victoria, just across the border from Mount Gambier. … Continue reading
Jessica by Bryce Courtenay
I finished Jessica by Bryce Courtenay in one day of holiday reading. It’s a powerful novel by the master storyteller set mostly in rural New South Wales from the years leading up to the First World War through to the … Continue reading
Sir Thomas Playford
Reading Stewart Cockburn’s biography of Sir Thomas Playford dispelled a couple of myths. I falsely believed that Playford created the gerrymander which helped keep him in power for a Commonwealth record 26 years, and that he was responsible for merging … Continue reading
Mr American
Mr American by George MacDonald Fraser is a pleasant wander through 585 pages. Not in the same league as the Flashman series, the story meanders, tackles social issues, skirts around social issues, entertains and frustrates, but generally leaves the reader … Continue reading
Tom Wills: charmer and scoundrel
I’ve just finished reading a great yarn by Greg de Moore on Tom Wills: His Spectacular Rise and Tragic Fall. Thomas Wentworth Wills (1835 – 1880) is described in the book’s subtitle as a “charmer, scoundrel and visionary sportsman”. He … Continue reading
