Just So Stories

Random Reviews and Ramblings from Redcliffe

  • Living in the Past – Ancient History with a Twist of Fun

    I’ve had a passion for ancient history since I was a nerdy kid. I still have my Ancient Civilisations book my darling mum bought me when I was around 10 years old. I snaffled all my seven-years-older brother’s ancient history textbooks when he was done with them. I aced my project in 6th class on…

  • Newcastle: the lives and times of a city – Scott Bevan

    New South Publishing October 2025 9781742238043  RRP: $39.99 Why on earth would a Sydney girl ask to review a book about Newcastle? Growing up and all through school, I knew virtually nothing about Newcastle beyond ‘coal’ ‘dirty industry’ and of course, ‘worst of the worst convicts‘. But then, as an adult and somewhere around the…

  • Cats and Us: A Ten-Thousand-Year Fascination – Marta Pantaleo, translated by Debbie Bibo, Yvette Ghione

    New South Books Publisher: Groundwood Books 9781779460394 January 2026 AUD$29.99, NZD$34.99 They say there are two types of people – dog people and cat people. While I have happily owned both, if I can only have one it’s a cat. Whiskers aka the Demon Spawn thoroughly agrees with this stance as do thousands of others.…

  • A Light on the Rocks – Helen Edwards

    I’ve quickly come to realise that Helen’s historical novels are impeccably researched and completely engrossing, so much so that it is not just your young readers who will enjoy them, but also adults. As I have mentioned previously I, for one, didn’t know much about Adelaide’s or South Australia’s history, certainly not as a child,…

  • Change the Date

    It’s obviously disturbing to me, as the mother and grandmother of First Nations offspring, that for many the continued ‘celebration’ of 26th January as Australia Day is insensitive at best, offensive at worst. Each year the momentum for changing the date grows, although the upswell of racism we have seen of late can impact this.…

  • The History of Rugby League Clubs: 3rd edition -Ian Collis and Allan Whiticker

    New Holland Publishers August 2025 ISBN: 9781760797942 RRP: $49.99 Of course, as a life-long (since age 7) Dragons supporter, I was keen to see this one and read about my Mighty Red V, but also because this is one sport I’ve always loved. And played as a primary school girl with a couple of fellow…

  • The Peach King – Inga Simpson. Illustrated by Tannya Harricks.

    Hachette Australia September 2025 Imprint: Lothian Children’s Books 9780734418517 | RRP $24.99 This is a striking book by all standards. Whether we were personally involved with the tragic infernos of 2019/2020 Black Summer, or not, it was still a disaster that concerned us all. I was on high alert at my cousin’s place in the Blue Mountains…

  • Finding Alfie: a D-Day Story – Michael Morpurgo. Michael Foreman.

    Scholastic Australia May 2025 ISBN: 9780702325205 ISBN-10: 0702325201 RRP: $29.95 When I got this it, I decided to save it for Rembrance Day, as the timing from my point of view wasn’t right for the D-Day events. But what a superb book it is, as one would expect from these two literary legends. I have said before…

  • All Aboard! Discovering Sydney’s Central Station – Jackie French. Martina Heiduczek.

    New Frontier Publishing August 2025 ISBN : 978-1-923145-38-2 PRICE : $26.99 As a Sydney kid growing up in the late 50s and 60s Central Station, as was, felt very familiar to me. Not that we regularly went to the city every week or even every month, but we did quite often for special occasions. And certainly we…

  • Our History: A House Divided – Clare Hallifax

    Walker Books Australia August 2025 ISBN13:9781760658991 Australia RRP:$16.99 New Zealand RRP:$18.99 What a terrific book to pair with your upper primary studies on our goverment systems, not to mention your Civics and Citizenship units for secondary students. In the mid-70s I hadn’t yet experienced living in Canberra, and was yet to discover its unique character,…