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newtownbooks.bsky.social
Newtown Review of Books
@newtownbooks.bsky.social
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Sydney's original online review of books, established March 2012 by Jean Bedford and Linda Funnell. We are a free and independent site for book reviews. Find us at https://newtownreviewofbooks.com.au/
On Gadigal land. Posts by LF.
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newtownbooks.bsky.social
Newtown Review of Books @newtownbooks.bsky.social · Nov 24
Hello BlueSky! We’re a free and independent Sydney-based book review site, regularly posting reviews of fiction, history, politics, memoir, biography and crime. Looking forward to discovering bookish friends here on BlueSky. 💙📚
newtownbooks.bsky.social
"combines an unusual industrial setting, a highly competent outsider protagonist, and a tightly controlled atmosphere of pressure and isolation."
Michael Jongen reviews @yassmin.bsky.social's first adult novel At Sea:
newtownreviewofbooks.com.au/ym-abdel-mag...
#AustralianAuthors
#BookSky 💙 📚️
Image of cover of book At Sea by YM Abdel-Magied, reviewed by Michael Jongen in the Newtown Review of Books.
October 8, 2026 at 12:14 AM
newtownbooks.bsky.social
"Woods has created a kaleidoscope of diverse Egyptian sisterhood ... A deeply, humanly intelligent and delightful read."
@kimkellyauthor.bsky.social reviews Tess Woods' fifth novel, The Cairo Bridal Shop:
newtownreviewofbooks.com.au/tess-woods-t...
#AustralianAuthors
#BookSky 💙 📚️
Image of cover of book The Cairo Bridal Shop by Tess Woods, reviewed by Kim Kelly in the Newtown Review of Books.
October 6, 2026 at 12:14 AM
newtownbooks.bsky.social
ICYMI this week's reviews:
Sandra Hogan on Kangkang Li Kovacs' debut novel Nothing to My Name
Braham Dabscheck on James Watson's Asbestos Nation: The story of the most dangerous dust in Australia.
Find them both at newtownreviewofbooks.com.au
#BookReviews
#BookSky 💙 📚️
Image of covers of books Nothing to My Name by Kangkang Li Kovacs and Asbestos Nation by James Watson.
October 3, 2026 at 1:14 AM
newtownbooks.bsky.social
"an outstanding work of scholarship. It unpacks in extensive detail ... the impact that asbestos has had on Australia."
Braham Dabscheck reviews James Watson's Asbestos Nation: The story of the most dangerous dust in Australia:
newtownreviewofbooks.com.au/james-watson...
#asbestos
#BookSky 💙 📚️
Image of cover of book Asbestos Nation by James Watson, reviewed by Braham Dabscheck in the Newtown Review of Books.
October 1, 2026 at 1:14 AM
newtownbooks.bsky.social
"In this moving debut novel, Kangkang Li Kovacs covers four explosive decades in modern Chinese history through the lives of three women."
Sandra Hogan reviews Kangkang Li Kovacs' Nothing to My Name:
newtownreviewofbooks.com.au/kangkang-li-...
@bloomsburybooksuk.bsky.social
#Fiction
#BookSky 💙 📚️
Image of cover of book Nothing to My Name by Kangkang Li Kovacs, reviewed by Sandra Hogan in the Newtown Review of Books.
September 29, 2026 at 1:14 AM
newtownbooks.bsky.social
ICYMI this week's reviews of 3 very different novels:
Paul Anderson on Max Easton's Now, Autonomy
Amelia Dudley on Reena McCarty's The Tricky Business of Faerie Bargains
Sally Nimon on Liane Moriarty's Big Little Truths
Find them at newtownreviewofbooks.com.au
#NewFiction
#BookReviews
#BookSky 💙 📚️
Image of covers of books Now, Autonomy by Max Easton, The Tricky Business of Faerie Bargains by Reena McCarty, and Big Little Truths by Liane Moriarty.
September 26, 2026 at 1:14 AM
newtownbooks.bsky.social
"[Moriarty is] unafraid to raise morally grey questions.. The ease of the writing glosses over the complexity of the world she has created."
Sally Nimon reviews Liane Moriarty's latest novel Big Little Truths:
newtownreviewofbooks.com.au/liane-moriar...
#BigLittleLies
#Sequel
#BookSky 💙 📚️
Image of cover of book Big Little Truths by Liane Moriarty, reviewed by Sally Nimon in the Newtown Review of Books.
September 24, 2026 at 1:14 AM
newtownbooks.bsky.social
"This is a world where every relationship is transactional. Which sounds exhausting, though Poppy seems to thrive on the constant negotiation."
Amelia Dudley reviews @reenamccarty.bsky.social The Tricky Business of Faerie Bargains:
newtownreviewofbooks.com.au/reena-mccart...
#Fiction
#BookSky 💙 📚️
Image of cover of book The Tricky Business of Faerie Bargains by Reena McCarty, reviewed by Amelia Dudley in the Newtown Review of Books.
September 23, 2026 at 1:14 AM
newtownbooks.bsky.social
"It’s exciting to read fiction so plugged in to our Zeitgeist .. You might start your own DIY record label after reading this .."
Paul Anderson reviews Max Easton's latest novel Now, Autonomy:
newtownreviewofbooks.com.au/max-easton-n...
@giramondobooks.bsky.social
#AustralianFiction
#BookSky 💙 📚️
Image of cover of book Now, Autonomy by Max Easton, reviewed by Paul Anderson in the Newtown Review of Books.
September 22, 2026 at 1:14 AM
newtownbooks.bsky.social
ICYMI this week's reviews:
Karen Chisholm on Dinuka McKenzie's new standalone thriller She Lied First
Braham Dabscheck on Ryan Butta's Blackbirding: A reckoning with the Australian slave trade
Find them at newtownreviewofbooks.com.au
@austcrimefiction.org
#BookReviews
#AustralianBooks
#BookSky 💙 📚️
Image of covers of books She Lied First by Dinuka McKenzie and Blackbirding by Ryan Butta.
September 19, 2026 at 1:14 AM
newtownbooks.bsky.social
"Even though Britain had abolished slavery, those with power in Queensland in the second half of the 19th century found a way to continue its practice with the use of Pacific Islanders."
Braham Dabscheck reviews Ryan Butta's Blackbirding:
newtownreviewofbooks.com.au/ryan-butta-b...
#BookSky 💙 📚️
Image of cover of book Blackbirding by Ryan Butta, reviewed by Braham Dabscheck in the Newtown Review of Books.
September 17, 2026 at 1:14 AM
newtownbooks.bsky.social
"A masterclass in psychological trauma and damage presented as a very unusually structured thriller ..."
Karen Chisholm reviews Dinuka McKenzie's new standalone thriller She Lied First:
newtownreviewofbooks.com.au/dinuka-mcken...
@austcrimefiction.org
#thrillers
#AustralianWriters
#BookSky 💙 📚️
Image of cover of book She Lied First by Dinuka McKenzie, reviewed by Karen Chisholm in the Newtown Review of Books.
September 15, 2026 at 1:14 AM
Reposted by Newtown Review of Books
anzlitlovers.bsky.social
I have been waiting, not-so-patiently, for a new novel from one of my favourite Australian authors, Amanda Curtin, and here it is: anzlitlovers.com/2026/09/12/s...
September 12, 2026 at 3:21 AM
newtownbooks.bsky.social
ICYMI this week's reviews + extract:
Ann Skea on Mirandi Riwoe's new novel A Short History of Longans
Naomi Manuell on Rachel Cusk's Life of M
An extract from Sue Woolfe's new novel The Girl Who Climbed on Rooves
Find them all at newtownreviewofbooks.com.au
#BookReviews
#BookExtract
#BookSky 💙 📚️
Image of covers of books A Short History of Longans by Mirandi Riwoe, Life of M by Rachel Cusk, and The Girl Who Climbed on Rooves by Sue Woolfe.
September 12, 2026 at 1:14 AM
newtownbooks.bsky.social
Read our special Friday extract from Sue Woolfe's new novel The Girl Who Climbed on Rooves – an intimate account of the life of Frances, a composer, and her relationship with her beautiful, dangerous mother.
newtownreviewofbooks.com.au/sue-woolfe-t...
#BookExtract
#AustralianFiction
#BookSky 💙 📚️
Image of cover of book The Girl Who Climbed on Rooves by Sue Woolfe, extracted in the Newtown Review of Books.
September 11, 2026 at 1:14 AM
newtownbooks.bsky.social
"Is the subject of this book the famous actor Natalie Portman? Probably. Does it matter? Not really... From the outset, the reader is invited to view this novel as ‘play’..."
Naomi Manuell reviews Rachel Cusk's latest novel Life of M:
newtownreviewofbooks.com.au/rachel-cusk-...
#BookSky 💙 📚️
Image of cover of book Life of M by Rachel Cusk, reviewed by Naomi Manuell in the Newtown Review of Books.
September 10, 2026 at 1:14 AM
newtownbooks.bsky.social
"Mirandi Riwoe’s novel soon draws you into [Daniel's] life and into the web of family ties that link him to Ah Yang, a notorious Chinese bushranger."
Ann Skea reviews @mirandir.bsky.social A Short HIstory of Longans:
newtownreviewofbooks.com.au/mirandi-riwo...
#AustralianAuthors
#BookSky 💙 📚️
Image of cover of book A Short History of Longans by Mirandi Riwoe, reviewed by Ann Skea in the Newtown Review of Books.
September 8, 2026 at 1:14 AM
newtownbooks.bsky.social
ICYMI this week's reviews:
Viv Ronnebeck on Nadine Browne's cosy mystery Gone Guru
Sandra Hogan on Debra Adelaide's latest novel When I Am Sixty-Four
Find them both at newtownreviewofbook.com.au
#BookReviews
#AustralianWriters
#BookSky 💙 📚️
Image of covers of books Gone Guru by Nadine Browne and When I Am Sixty-Four by Debra Adelaide.
September 5, 2026 at 1:14 AM
newtownbooks.bsky.social
"It is an expression of grief, a lament, sometimes a protest, but it is also a celebration of friendship and the things friends do: writing, reading, walking..."
Sandra Hogan reviews Debra Adelaide's new novel When I Am Sixty-Four:
newtownreviewofbooks.com.au/debra-adelai...
#BookSky 💙 📚️
Image of cover of book When I Am Sixty-Four by Debra Adelaide, reviewed by Sandra Hogan in the Newtown Review of Books.
September 3, 2026 at 1:14 AM
newtownbooks.bsky.social
"a novel with real charm and a sharp eye for its literary-world setting – but underneath the cosy mystery furniture is a genuinely thoughtful case for identity and connection..."
Viv Ronnebeck reviews Nadine Browne's debut novel Gone Guru:
newtownreviewofbooks.com.au/nadine-brown...
#BookSky 💙 📚️
Image of cover of book Gone Guru by Nadine Browne, reviewed by Viv Ronnebeck in the Newtown Review of Books.
September 1, 2026 at 1:14 AM
newtownbooks.bsky.social
ICYMI this week's reviews of new Australian fiction:
Catherine Pardey on DA Fletcher's political thriller Unspoken
@michaeljongen.bsky.social on GS Johnston's novel set in 1990s Sydney during the AIDS crisis, For A Moment More
Find them at newtownreviewofbooks.com.au
#AustralianAuthors
#BookSky 💙 📚️
Image of covers of books Unspoken by DA Fletcher and For A Moment More by GS Johnston.
August 29, 2026 at 1:14 AM
Reposted by Newtown Review of Books
jennifermills.net.au
How to Sell a Genocide restored to library shelves - great when decision makers come to their senses!

Good work State Library NSW, everyone who signed the petition and others who raised their objections.

www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
Bondi library returns book How to Sell a Genocide to shelves after State Library ‘outlines the law’
Book was removed for review earlier this month following complaint but reinstated after petition and State Library letter to Waverley council
www.theguardian.com
August 28, 2026 at 6:40 AM
newtownbooks.bsky.social
"one of the most profoundly moving novels I have read .. capture[s] the devastation of the AIDS crisis and the joy, love and solidarity that enabled us to endure it."
@michaeljongen.bsky.social reviews GS Johnston's For A Moment More:
newtownreviewofbooks.com.au/gs-johnston-...
#BookSky 💙 📚️
Image of cover of book For A Moment More by GS Johnston, reviewed by Michael Jongen in the Newtown Review of Books.
August 27, 2026 at 1:14 AM
newtownbooks.bsky.social
Readers have the right to make up their own minds about what they read. This petition defends the principle of free speech in Australia.
August 25, 2026 at 4:40 AM