Melbourne in the 1960s, a cultural desert, a culinary wasteland, or the beginnings of a quite liveable city? These questions are addressed in a new book, Go! Melbourne edited by Seamus O'Hanlon and Tanja Luckins, which is reviewed in this week's Saturday "Age". All the major cultural events of the 1960s appear to be covered: the six o'clock swill, Jean Shrimpton's mini-skirt at the Melbourne Cup, and the Beatles' visit in 1964. A high time would appear to have been had by all - and thank god we never have to go back there again.
Simon Casterton considers Kerry Greenwood's lastest Corinna Chapman mystery, Devil's Food, the third in the continuing series. "Readers who like their crime fiction chatty and relatively free of suspense may well warm to Corinna and we can all enjoy her recipes, an appetising selection of which is included at the back of the novel."
"The Australian" concludes its publication of Stephen King's story "Sword in the Darkness", but appears to have dropped last week's instalment and not included this week's on their website.
Francis De Groot achieved infamy in Australian history by "trumping of NSW premier Jack Lang by slashing the ceremonial ribbon with his sword to 'open' the Sydney Harbour Bridge on March 19, 1932". Now, the first biography of the man Francis De Groot: Irish Fascist, Australian Legend, has been produced by Andrew Moore, and reviewed by Baron Adler.
