Books

Apple

Apple opens up to praise new book on Steve Jobs and slam an old one

Brian X. Chen, Alexandra Alter Steve Jobs prized secrecy from his executives and employees during his tenure at Apple. Now his top lieutenants are speaking out — to help shape the legacy of Steve Jobs.

Marie-Morgane Le Moel tells the truth about French women

ROSE POWELL Australia's fascination with French culture, and especially their women, bewildered Marie-Morgane Le Moel when she lived in Australia.

Book review: The Refuge by Kenneth Mackenzie

Peter Craven Kenneth Mackenzie wrote a masterpiece when he was 23 and drowned, alcoholic and troubled, in his early forties.

Fury book reveiw: A call to action on a battle that should be over

Johanna Leggatt Fury: Women Write about Sex, Power and Violence is a political document.

Book reviews

Book reviews: Touch, An English Ghost Story, Prophecy of Bees

Reviewer: Colin Steele Colin Steele delves into the world of horror with three reviews.

Geoffrey Blainey takes fresh look at Australia's early history

John Maynard Geoffrey Blainey put Aborigines back into the heart of Australian history, but he is still fixated on violence in their communities.

Jill Alexander Essbaum's Hausfrau review: Adrift in Zurich with sex as the saviour

Emma Young Jill Alexander Essbaum's first novel of an unhappy woman in Switzerland and has echoes of Madame Bovary.

Alex Skovron review: Looking back on a 30-year career

Peter Kenneally Alex Skovron's selected poems shows the consistency of his work over the past 30 years.

In Short: Non-fiction by Kim Gordon, Tom Ryan, Catharine Mayer, Andrew Lynch

Fiona Capp Short reviews of non-fiction from Australia and overseas.

In Short: Reviews of fiction by Christopher Lee, George Pelecanos, Smith Henderson and Deborah Ellis

Cameron Woodhead Short reviews of fiction from Australia and overseas

Turning Pages: How climate-change fiction is heating up

Jane Sullivan Apocalypse fiction is embracing a new cause of disaster – climate change.

Amanda Lohrey review: Her new novel is profound, empathetic and beautifully written

Morag Fraser Amanda Lohrey's new novel is broad and wise, and written on the other side of disillusionment.

Kathy Acker & McKenzie Wark review: Their emails are fascinating and ghoulish

Ashley Crawford Publishing the correspondence of former lovers Kathy Acker and McKenzie Wark faces the problem that only one of them is still alive.

Top 10 bestselling books in independent shops

The bestselling books at independent shops

Bob Shacochis review: A literary novel disguised as a thriller

Kevin Rabalais Bob Shacochis has written a weighty book of ideas and political intrigue.

Bookmarks: News and views from the book world

JASON STEGER The puzzles about literary prizes and the campaigning Raimond Gaita.

Book review

Book review: Now You Shall Know, by Jennifer Compton

Reviewer: Geoff Page This has a significant autobiographical dimension, making it almost a livre composé.

Book review

Book review: Woman of the Dead, by Bernhard Aichner

Reviewer: Anna Creer Bernhard Aichner's Woman of the Dead is a "horrifying thriller".

Books

Reviews: Two Pennies, From Gallipoli with Love, Anzac Ted, Lest We Forget, Digger: The Dog Who Went to War

Reviewer: Stephanie Owen Reeder Stephanie Owen Reeder explores picture books based on personal stories from the First World War.

World Poetry Day 2015: a chance for children to embrace the power of words

Damon Young If life is toast, then poetry is its butter.

Book review: The Story of Australia's People, by Geoffrey Blainey

Reviewer: Peter Stanley Geoffrey Blainey's new revisionist history is deemed both a joy to read and intellectually stimulating.

Litbits: March 21

RON CERABONA Our guide to literary news and views from the book world in Canberra.

Booksellers and their brave new world - vale Electric Shadows bookshop

Nigel Featherstone The closure of Electric Shadows Bookshop ends one chapter but not the whole story.

Books

Marion Halligan: Goodbye Sweetheart author talks life, death and narratives

SALLY PRYOR This pragmatic author with a penchant for pathos takes the fear out of the inevitable.

Nick Cave's new book began life on airline sick bags appealing to new audience

JASON STEGER Nick Cave started writing his extraordinary new book on sick bags as he flew from city to city on a North American tour.

Winds of Winter

Game of Thrones' George RR Martin skips Comic-Con to finish next book Winds of Winter

MICHAEL IDATO The author announced via his blog he will instead be focusing on writing the next book, Winds of Winter.

Comments 4

Robin Rinaldi's year-long sex romp ends in broken marriage and a book

NICK TOSCANO What started as an internet ad looking for lovers soon swelled into a year-long erotic odyssey for Robin Rinaldi, who had sex with 10 men, two women and had one threesome.

Publisher Penguin pulls Belle Gibson cook book The Whole Pantry

Beau Donelly and Nick Toscano Publishing giant Penguin will pull Belle Gibson's debut cook book after the author failed to defend accusations of falsely claiming to have cancer and explain her reasons for withholding charitable donations.

Wordplay: Europe and Australia compete for linguistic riches

David Astle All week I've been ping-ponging between two books, scrawling notes, circling words and generally getting lost in language and latitude. That's their mutual theme, though in many ways the books are opposites.

Top 10 romance books

John Mangan The top 10 romance fiction bestsellers in Australia.

Review: Guantanamo Diary

Owen Richardson Prisoner's memoir of life in Guantanamo reveals the shameful truths of the war against terror.

The Bookshop

Thuy On Book reviews to suit all tastes and ages.

An author moves into her grandparents' home and mysterious break-up

Ross Southernwood Miranda Richmond Mouillot tells the history of her grandparents' survival in World War II and the end of their marriage.

Books that changed me: Deborah Burrows

Deborah Burrows on the books that informed who she is today.

Vietnam immigrants: War-torn exodus to a landing of grace

Thuy On We Are Here proves cathartic in the writing for Cat Thao Nguyen.

Book reviews: Lamentation, Winter Siege, The Whispering City

Reviewer: Michael Popple Historical fiction with Michael Popple

Paula Hawkins tops the independent bookshop charts

The top 10 bestsellers in independent bookshops

Eben Venter review: Wolf Wolf offers stark view of new South Africa

Anne Susskind Eben Venter follows J M Coetzee with a brilliant picture of post-apartheid of South Africa.

Jon Ronson reveals the nightmare of public shaming on Twitter

Anson Cameron Jon Ronson's investigation into vigilantism on social media is a dispiriting study of ourselves.

Pick of the week

Fiona Capp Short reviews of non-fiction from Australia and overseas.

Reif Larsen review: Playful epic I Am Radar remains serious about its concerns

Peter Pierce Reif Larsen has written a sprawling mock epic of modern times that is both playful and earnest about its concerns.

Johann Hari: can he overcome charges of plagiarism with his account of the war on drugs?

Richard Ferguson Johann Hari plunges into the tortuous history of the war on drugs. But can we trust a journalist so discredited?

Short reviews of fiction by Samuel Kaye, Patrick Lenton, Bob Franklin, and Sally Hepworth

Kerryn Goldsworthy Short reviews of fiction from around Australia.

Wordplay: comic-strip creators of new vocabulary

David Astle Crosswords and comic strips are traditional neighbours. Most papers clump us on the same page - a chance for readers to tickle the brain, verbally and visually. Head down the back and you'll find Hagar being horrible beside homophones, or Snoopy snoozing next to spoonerisms. 

Bletchley Park and the Enigma code: The women who helped win the war

Guy Rundle The role of women at Bletchley Park, Britian's code-breaking centre during World War II, has been secret for many years. But no longer.

Turning Pages: The heroes of Adelaide Writers' Week

Jane Sullivan Literary heroes bare all and make confessions at Adelaide Writers' Week.

Top10 bestselling books in Australia

The bestselling books from around Australia.