Hazel’s Treehouse by Zanni Louise, illustrated by Judy Watson

Hazel’s Treehouse by Zanni Louise & illustrated by Judy Watson Walker Books (Australia) “‘What’s today?’ asks Odette, sitting up stretching. ‘Sunday,’ says Hazel with a yawn. Poky lies on her chest. This morning, Poky is the colour of mandarins and sunsets. It’s a warm and snuggly colour for an echidna.” (Hazel’s Treehouse) The pairing of […]

We the Sea Turtles by Michelle Kadarusman

We the Sea Turtles: A Collection of Island Stories by Michelle Kadarusman Published by Pajama Press Book review by Joy Lawn (Joy in Books) at PaperbarkWords blog “Lately, our songs are filled with more sorrow than joy. Human pollution is choking our oceans. Garbage and fishing nets are strangling us. Human activity is causing natural disasters that […]

Beam of Light: Stories by John Kinsella

Beam of Light: Stories by John Kinsella Author Interview at PaperbarkWords “Then they heard the trucks buzz and ring, and – though it was a long way off – they knew a train was coming in … not a regular but an extra for the season … a big loading day tomorrow … And they […]

Borderlands: Riding the Slipstream

Borderlands: Riding the Slipstream edited by Paul Collins Ford St Publishing Borderlands: Riding the Slipstream is the successor to Ford Street’s popular and well-regarded anthology Rich & Rare. Both are books of short stories, poems and more. They share distinctive, otherworldly covers by Shaun Tan. Australian fantasy writer Isobelle Carmody has written a fascinating foreword […]

The Pole & Other Stories by J.M. Coetzee

The Pole & Other StoriesJ M CoetzeeTextReviewed by Joy LawnReleased July 2023Trade paperbackISBN 9781922790354RRP $34.99Category: Fiction The Pole & Other Stories by J.M. Coetzee (published by Text) (This review was commissioned by Books+Publishing and is reproduced with permission) Aficionados of South African-Australian Nobel and Booker Prize-winning author J M Coetzee will be delighted with his new […]

Love Letter to Lola by Carmel Bird

Love Letter to LolaCarmel BirdSpineless WondersReviewed by Joy LawnReleased May 2023PaperbackISBN 9781925052961RRP $24.99Category: Adult Fiction Love Letter to Lola by Carmel Bird (published by Spineless Wonders) (This review was commissioned by Books+Publishing and is reproduced with permission) Carmel Bird was the recipient of the 2016 Patrick White Literary Award and is a respected author of […]

Round the Twist with Paul Jennings

Round the Twist with Paul Jennings (and my review of The Lorikeet Tree by Paul Jennings after the interview) It’s time for some nostalgia with much-loved, iconic Australian writer Paul Jennings taking us Round the Twist. Thanks for speaking with Joy in Books at PaperbarkWords, Paul. Round the Twist was originally a children’s TV series […]

If You’re Happy by Fiona Robertson

Fiona Robertson joins us at PaperbarkWords to talk about her debut short story collection, If You’re Happy (published by UQP). She has aptly titled this piece, ‘If You’re Happy to Travel‘ A few early readers of If You’re Happy have remarked on the number of countries depicted in the book. When I checked the contents […]

This Taste for Silence by Amanda O’Callaghan

Brisbane author Amanda O’Callaghan has crafted a thoughtful, darkly-hued work in This Taste for Silence (UQP). This, her debut collection of short stories seems to be set in both Australia and the UK. The cover, with its still-life arrangement of three flying porcelain ducks and a comfortable but empty (apart from a painting) chair in […]