Book Reviews
What’s good, what’s bad, and what’s in between in literature? Here we review the latest titles.
Forget scholars – this guide to filmmaking goes straight to the sources
Film critic and academic Adrian Martin’s new book allows filmmakers to speak for themselves in ways that open up connections between them that might never be apparent from their work.
- by Tom Ryan
This dark corporate satire will distract you from your own work woes
Sinead Stubbins takes aim at deranged wellness culture in her debut novel.
- by Eddie Hampson
Helter smelter: Was pollution a factor in a spate of US serial killings?
Caroline Fraser makes a provocative argument that the proliferation of serial killers in the US’ Pacific Northwest in the 1970s and ’80s is linked to the area’s toxic air.
- by Pat Sheil
Here are 10 new books to add to your must-read list
Need a new read? Our reviewers have done the work for you
- by Cameron Woodhead and Steven Carroll
A powerful, razor-sharp culinary and coming-of-age memoir
Besha Rodell, now The Age’s chief restaurant critic, reveals a fractured family life and a fascinating journey through the restaurant industry.
- by Michael McGirr
A gripping new thriller from the author who gives pulp fiction a good name
The latest instalment in C.J. Box’s Joe Pickett series explores the peculiarly American chaos that is also known as the state of the nation.
- by Tom Ryan
Looking for a new book? Here are 10 new titles
Our reviewers cast their eyes over new fiction and non-fiction releases.
- by Cameron Woodhead and Fiona Capp
James Frey wrote his new book in 57 days. He doesn’t want Oprah to read it
Twenty years after saying sorry to Oprah for fabricating parts of his bestselling book, the writer of A Million Little Pieces makes an unapologetic return.
- by Thomas Mitchell
A seismically moving account of living with the unimaginable
Pulitzer Prize finalist Yiyun Li’s new book examines the aftermath of the unthinkable loss of both her sons.
- by Declan Fry
Love, loss and found family among America’s lower working class
Ocean Vuong’s new novel lays bare the abjectness of conditions some face, but The Emperor of Gladness is not all grim.
- by Cameron Woodhead
Ten new books to add to your reading pile
Our reviewers cast their eyes over recent fiction and non-fiction releases.
- by Cameron Woodhead and Steven Carroll
The gripping story of how smuggled books helped end the Cold War
In an account that reads more like a spy thriller than a political history, British author Charlie English recounts the story of how the CIA smuggled books behind the Iron Curtain
- by JP O'Malley
Tech bros, incels, dating apps: is this the literary equivalent of doomscrolling?
Tony Tulathimutte’s short stories are imbued with an undercurrent of loneliness and a cast of chronically online characters wired by the same algorithms.
- by Flynn Benson
The shocking tale of a filmmaker forced to work with the Nazis
Daniel Kehlmann’s new book is a work of fiction, but is inspired by the life of Austrian filmmaker G.W Pabst
- by Peter Craven
13 new books to read this month
There are plenty of new books out if you’re planning to hunker down in this cool month.
- by Jason Steger
Review
The TV star who would make the ideal Beijing cellmate
Cheng Lei’s resilience in the face of adversity is admirable, but the tragedy of her three years in detention is that she should never have endured them.
- by Michael Ruffles
Looking for something new to read? Here are 10 of the latest books
Our reviewers cast their eyes over new fiction and non-fiction books
- by Cameron Woodhead and Steven Carroll
This hilarious, moving book confirms that women are the superior sex
Emma Pattee’s debut novel is a funny and heart-wrenching feminist survivalist tale.
- by Jessie Tu
A deep dive into Bitcoin’s enduring riddle: The identity of its inventor
A former WIRED writer details his 15-year search for the true identity of “Mr Nakamoto”, the pseudonym behind the cryptocurrency.
- by Kurt Johnson
A deep dive into romcoms, from 1930s screwball comedies to today
This guide to the genre is endearingly affectionate in its embrace of the romantic comedy in cinema.
- by Tom Ryan
Ten new fiction and non-fiction books to add to your reading list
Our reviewers cast their eyes over new fiction and non-fiction releases.
- by Cameron Woodhead and Fiona Capp
Billionaire Barry Diller - married to Diane von Fürstenberg - comes out in new memoir
The former CEO of Paramount Pictures reveals how he hid his sexuality, while also sharing his business acumen and revealing juicy Hollywood anecdotes.
- by Nathan Smith
A haunting tribute to the bonds between humans and animals
Poet Robbie Coburn’s verse novel explores the potential power of the relationship between horses and humans to transform a troubled life.
- by Candida Baker
This new cli-fi novel envisages a more hopeful apocalypse
Jennifer Mills’ science-fiction novel portrays the before and after of an ecological apocalypse.
- by Jack Cameron Stanton
Still keeping some secrets, Beyoncé’s mother opens up
Tina Knowles’ memoir is a moving meditation on black motherhood – but don’t expect any celebrity gossip.
- by Nathan Smith
This moody Australian crime thriller is utterly absorbing
Award-winning author Gail Jones’ new novel is set in Sydney and Broken Hill, both of which are vividly alive in the text.
- by Carmel Bird
Looking for a new book? Here are 10 recent releases
Our reviewers cast their eyes over new fiction and non-fiction releases.
- by Cameron Woodhead and Steven Carroll
The discarded suitcase that unearthed a mystery – and an obsession
When musician Dean Manning found an old suitcase on a Sydney nature strip, it kick-started a years-long obsession about the owner’s true identity.
- by Michael Dwyer
A terrifying tour of Silicon Valley’s deluded plans for a techno-utopia
Science journalist Adam Becker investigates the visions of the tech billionaires and their vision of an AI dominated future ... in space.
- by Pat Sheil
A dark satire of girlboss feminism and the cult of beauty
Chloe Elisabeth Wilson’s debut novel takes place inside a hipster cosmetics company in Melbourne.
- by Jessie Tu
Erica Jong is a feminist icon, but to her daughter she’s ‘an alcoholic narcissist’
Molly Jong-Fast has written a moving, but searing portrait of growing up with a “fame hungry” celebrity mother.
- by Nathan Smith
Here are 10 new books to add to your reading pile
Our reviewers cast their eyes over recent fiction and non-fiction releases.
- by Cameron Woodhead and Fiona Capp
Looking for your next crime fix? Here are four novels by local authors
As different as these books are, be assured you are in experienced hands and perhaps inspired to discover what came before.
- by Sue Turnbull
How Joe Biden’s inner circle lied about the president’s mental state
Journalists Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson have written a damning account suffused with relentless agony, writes Bruce Wolpe.
- by Bruce Wolpe
I just read Jacinda Ardern’s memoir. No wonder she didn’t last
The former New Zealand prime minister’s memoir isn’t a dry political affair; it’s full of sympathy, love and empathy.
- by Jenna Price
Estranged sisters and a curious gift: 14 new books to get stuck into this month
There are plenty of books heading our way as we head into winter. Here is a small sample.
- by Jason Steger
Australia has a rich tradition of fakers and forgers – this story offers a worthy addition
Dominic Amerena’s novel follows an unnamed, opportunistic narrator looking to make his name in the literary world.
- by Declan Fry
For 20 years this novel has reduced the most hardened critics to tears
Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go, published 20 years ago, has sold millions of copies and been translated into 50 languages.
- by Jane Sullivan
Searching for your next read? Here are 10 new books
Our reviewers cast their eyes over new fiction and non-fiction releases.
- by Cameron Woodhead and Steven Carroll
A haunting memoir of a broken girl saved by rock ‘n’ roll
Singer-songwriter Neko Case reveals a childhood of poverty and emotional cruelty in her compelling new memoir.
- by Michael Dwyer
Prepare to be discombobulated by this bonkers crime caper
Australian actor and playwright Toby Schmitz has made an outlandish excursion into the crime genre.
- by Sue Turnbull
The untold story of the Australians who helped fight Franco
The little-known story of a group of Australians whose principles and conviction led them to fight in the Spanish Civil War.
- by Kurt Johnson
This truth-telling book unsettled me, both mentally and physically
Kate Grenville’s moving book follows her pilgrimage through the places her family stories happened, to put the stories and the First Peoples back into the narrative.
- by Helen Elliott
In The Dream Hotel, even thinking about murder is enough to send you to jail
Laila Lalami imagines a world in which our dreams are monitored for clues to potential crimes.
- by Madeleine Heffernan
Looking for something to read? Here are 10 new books
Our reviewers cast their eyes over 10 new fiction and non-fiction books.
- by Cameron Woodhead and Fiona Capp
The Hollywood legend who spent her career passing as white
This biography of Merle Oberon traces her roots from a life of poverty in India to the glamour of 1930s Hollywood, where she went to great lengths to hide her true identity.
- by Brian McFarlane
An open marriage, wry humour and banned novels: 10 new books
Our reviewers cast their eyes over new fiction and non-fiction releases.
- by Cameron Woodhead and Steven Carroll
These diaries of Joan Didion should never have been published
Notes to John is a crude, even aberrant, addition to Didion’s published writings.
- by Nathan Smith
A piercing, poignant tale about love, loss and writing
Caro Llewellyn’s Love Unedited is a read for the tender of heart and the independent of spirit.
- by Vanessa Francesca
Suspense, spells and a deeply moving diary: 10 new books
Our reviewers cast their eyes over new fiction and non-fiction titles.
- by Cameron Woodhead and Fiona Capp
Original URL: https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/culture/books/book-reviews-20250526-p5m2c9.html