Book News & reviews with the Sydney Morning Herald

Reviews: Fly Away Home, The Wheel of Time Companion, 12 Kings in Sharakhai

Colin Steele 11:45pm Colin Steele delves into the world of fantasy with three great reviews.

Author CJ Duggan says 'new adult' genre about much more than sex

KAREN HARDY 11:45pm A friendship changed CJ Duggan forever, writes Karen Hardy.

Book review

Photographic Guide to Native Plants of the ACT review: Cosgrove hits the mark

Ian Fraser Anyone with an interest in plants in the territory will benefit from this book.

Henry and Banjo review: James Knight brings two iconic Australians to life

Robert Willson James Knight brings two iconic Australians to life.

Book review

Falling and Flying - Poems on Ageing review: Old age gives writers poetic licence

Peter Pierce The first-rate anthology offers dozens of intelligent, compassionate, carefully crafted poems.

Interview

Yann Martel's High Mountains of Portugal and the 'freak success' of Life of Pi

LINDA MORRIS Canadian author Yann Martel has returned to the grand literary themes that made Life of Pi such a huge success. 

Jacqui Newling: Books that changed me

Sydney Living Museums' resident gastronomer Jacqui Newling offers a smorgasbord of good reads.

Book news

KonMari Method: How a Japanese bestseller cleaned up

SUSAN WYNDHAM At this time of year many of us go on diets or declutter our houses in the hope of being healthier, more organised and "better" people.

The Visiting Privilege review: Hope abounds in Joy Williams' world of mischance

Ronnie Scott Joy Williams' are sensible stories, paring back the hard skin of the world to show that underneath the calluses, there's always more hard skin.

The Life and Death of Sophie Stark review: Anna North's exciting novel

Sunil Badami Anna North is a talented and accomplished writer, with an excellent grasp of plot, and evocative, precise prose, depicting all her flawed, frail and very human characters with compassion.

Charlotte Bronte review: Claire Harman's new life is engaging and readable

Debra Adelaide Claire Harman reminds us that in Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte introduced rage, suffering, vivid imagination and astonishing personal energy to the English novel.

Dictator review: Robert Harris ends his Roman trilogy with a dim view of Caesar

Ross Southernwood Robert Harris has joined several other well-known writers in using Roman history for their novels.

Short reviews of fiction

Cameron Woodhead Short reviews of fiction by Anne Holt, Ann Morgan, Louise Brown and Adriana Trigiani

Short reviews of non-fiction from Australia and overseas

Fiona Capp Short reviews of non-fiction from Nile Green, Amanda Duthie, Marzio Barbagli and John Watson.

Turning Pages: The myth of the hero and his role in archetypal stories

Jane Sullivan There's a new theory that challenges the idea that the archetypal story in books, films or television is based on a journey undertaken by a solitary hero.

Crime fiction review: The final novel by Ruth Rendell and a likely new star

Sue Turnbull The final novel from a giant of crime writing and the third novel from one of her potential successors.