by Susan Barnes | 16 Mar 2026 | Book Reviews
From a young age, Robin Miller dreams of piloting a plane, but her father, Horrie Miller, laughs at the idea because it’s unheard of for a woman to fly a plane. Horrie is an aviator and co-founder of MacRobertson—Miller Airlines. Robin’s mother is the renowned...
by Susan Barnes | 19 Sep 2025 | Book Reviews
Here One Moment is the story of Cherry Lockwood’s life. Starting with a dramatic scene on a plane flight from Hobart to Sydney, where she predicts the age and cause of death of nearly all of the passengers on board. Cherry’s life is then told in a series of...
by Susan Barnes | 29 May 2025 | Book Reviews
Social psychologist, Hugh Mackay addresses a wide range of topics in his book, The Way We Are. In Mackay’s initial chapter, called The Context, he draws attention to seven trends that have given people more ways to connect but have created more loneliness. He refers...
by Susan Barnes | 6 Mar 2025 | Book Reviews
Tell me more is twelve essays, each focussed on a common word, phrase or idea. The essays are titled: It’s like this; Tell me more; I don’t know; I know; No; Yes; I was wrong; Good enough; I love you; No words at all; Onward; This is it. Author, Kelly Corrigan, writes...
by Susan Barnes | 14 Oct 2024 | Book Reviews
Small Acts by Kate Gordon and Kate Foster is the story of two autistic children, Josh and Ollie, who discover that small acts of kindness have the power to change their worlds. Josh and Ollie are in year 5 at their local primary school but have never spoken to each...
by Susan Barnes | 12 Aug 2024 | Book Reviews
The Fifth Letter by Nicola Moriarty has an engaging and interesting premise. However, towards the end, the story becomes unnecessarily dramatic. I’m not keen on loud arguments, even in books! The story concerns four women who become friends when they start high...
by Susan Barnes | 27 May 2024 | Book Reviews
The author, Annie Lawson, uses ancient wisdom from the Stoics to reflect on modern workplaces in her book, Stoic at Work : Ancient Wisdom to Make Your Job a Bit Less Annoying. Lawson quotes from Marcus Aurelius a Roman Emperor from 161 to 180 AD. He wrote what we...
by Susan Barnes | 15 Apr 2024 | Book Reviews
Meg and Beatrix have been best friends since kindergarten but Meg doesn’t always like Beatrix. She can be intolerant, bossy and selfish. She ignores Meg’s interest in science and insists she takes dance classes, even though Meg has no aptitude for it. Meg is...
