20 Years From The Waist Up
by Richard Morecroft, (HarperCollins $29.95)
Away from TV and out of suit and tie, the recently retired newsreader is a modern day superman who turns into a rock climber, abseiler, motorbike rider, scuba diver and canoeist, among other things. But the focus of this gentle, entertaining read, is Morecroft’s adventures in the media including topics such as obsessed fans, on-air bloopers and changing a flying fox’s nappy on the office desk. Light and easy reading with giggles.
Distant Music
by Charlotte Bingham (Bantam $18.95)
Great reading for commuters or for leisurely, recovery weekends. Elsie aims for stardom in the post war world of England, encouraged by her grandmother, a theatrical landlady. On the same path is Oliver Plunkett whose family butler has given him directions. Fame and fortune calls and away they go. A fascinating look at the theatre and early television world that the clever Bingham, who was a writer on Upstairs Downstairs and Nanny, knows so well and recreates so charmingly.
On Murder 2
Edited by Kerry Greenwood ( Black Inc. $21.95) True Crime Writing in Australia
Crime buffs and lovers of morbid mysteries will find this anthology, compiled by Kerry Greenwood, Melbourne solicitor and author of the terrific Phryne Fisher mysteries, fascinating. Penned by journalists, a forensic pathologist, a barrister and writers who revisit true life crimes, many in gritty detail. Not for the faint-hearted, but interesting with some of the stories exposing the shortfalls of our legal system and raising moral questions that give you something to think about long after you’ve put the book down. “We can ask a soldier about war, we can ask a rock climber how it feels to fall of a cliff, we can ask a battered wife how it feels to be beaten up every day. But we can’t ask a murder victim how it feels to be murdered. Murder is a puzzle which always has the most important piece missing.” (from the introduction to On Murder 2 by Kerry Greenwood)
Saturday Afternoon Fever
by Matthew Hardy (HarperCollins $16.95)
Fans hanging out for the AFL football season to start will love this charming, coming of age tale about a boy growing up in Melbourne in the late 1970s. Cop Shop is the hottest show in town. Malcolm Fraser is in The Lodge. Skyhooks are big, along with Skippy, drive-ins and dinner dances. The author, a young boy, discovers Australian Rules and the star footballer who will shape his destiny, St Kilda’s Trevor Barker. A delightful read.
The Devil’s Triangle
by Frances M. Boyle (Crawford House Publishing $29.95 Tel: 08 83401411)
An intriguing, true life account of cattle rustling, dark deeds and one family’s nightmarish struggle for survival on a remote cattle station. Written by the woman who experienced it all at her husband’s side, it’s like a classic western, with the forces of good and evil battling it out in the red dust. There’s also cronyism and corruption and the beautiful outback. What makes it all the more astonishing is that this all happened in the 1980’s in far north Queensland, not in another century as you might think.
Miss Australia
(Crawford House Publishing $49.95 Tel: 08 83401411)
This large, glossy book is a trip down memory lane with its great photos and engagingly written, well researched account of Miss Australia, the famous pageant that disappeared forever in the year 2000. Full of fascinating personal stories, this book attempts to uncover the truth of what it was like to have the crown, gown and sceptre and be an Australian icon for a year. There was glamour, heartache, controversy and lots of blisters as thousands of young Australian women sold raffle tickets, baked cakes and washed cars to raise money for Spastic Centres. A delicious and highly entertaining slice of Australian social history.
Hope Happens
by Catherine DeVrye (Everest Press $14.95)
Words of encouragement for tough times… A book of favourite quotes about overcoming adversity, collected by the author who was named Australian Executive Woman of the Year. De Vrye has known plenty of her own tough times, overcome setbacks such as a time spent in an orphanage, the premature death of her adoptive parents and her own recovery from cancer. Available nationally in bookshops and in Cancer Council stores in NSW. (If purchased from the Cancer Council, all proceeds go towards cancer research, education and prevention programs and support services for cancer patients and their carers. Anyone can call the Cancer Council’s mail order line on 02 9334 1953 and for $5 have it sent anywhere in Australia)
Call Waiting by Dianne Blacklock (Pan Macmillan $20)
This new author has come up with a plot that will ring bells with many people: Two 30-something friends are reassessing their lives. Ally, a teacher in a relationship with an unsatisfactory yuppie, returns to her old home to confront the past. Meg, a career woman with a fond husband and small baby wonders if finding what is missing from her life will harm her family. An absorbing, accomplished story with a cast of strong characters. Children’s Book:
Olga the Brolga by Rod Clement (HarperCollins $24.95)
This is one of those children’s books you secretly desire to keep for yourself. Written by award winning author and illustrator, Rod Clement, who grew up in New Guinea and the north coast of NSW, it has fantastic, vividly coloured illustrations, a charming story about a loveable bird who just wants to dance and a great sub-text about the powers of persuasion.
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