Book Review: Reasonable Doubt by Dr Xanthe Mallett

Reasonable Doubt

by

Dr Xanthe Mallett

Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia

Publication date: 28th July 2020

Genre: Non Fiction / Crime

Pages: 272

RRP: $32.99AUD

Format read: Trade paperback

Source: Courtesy of the publisher

About the book

We all put our faith in the criminal justice system. We trust the professionals: the police, the lawyers, the judges, the expert witnesses. But what happens when the process lets us down and the wrong person ends up in jail?

Henry Keogh spent almost twenty years locked away for a murder that never even happened. Khalid Baker was imprisoned for the death of a man his best friend has openly admitted to causing. And the exposure of 'Lawyer X' Nicola Gobbo's double-dealing could lead to some of Australia's most notorious convictions being overturned.

Forensic scientist Xanthé Mallett is used to dealing with the darker side of humanity. Now she's turning her skills and insight to miscarriages of justice and cases of Australians who have been wrongfully convicted.

Exposing false confessions, polices biases, misplaced evidence and dodgy science, Reasonable Doubt is an expert's account of the murky underbelly of our justice system - and the way it affects us all.

My Review

I don't read a lot of non-fiction but crime fiction is one of my favourite reads so I was very interested in Dr Xanthe Mallett's book Reasonable Doubt.

Dr Xanthe Mallett has delivered a story that is both informative and interesting. One of the catch phrases on the cover is: exposing Australia's worst wrongful convictions. I am sure everyone can think of at least one case where the justice system got it all wrong. Lindy Chamberlain's conviction of the murder of her daughter comes to mind, but I was surprised how many times they get it wrong. Mallett covers five cases and also the case of lawyer X (Nicola Gobbo).

"When evidence focuses on guilt testing, to the exclusion of innocence testing, miscarriages of justice occur."

Reasonable  Doubt is a fascinating read. We put our faith in the justice system to protect the innocent but sometimes it goes terribly wrong - coerced confessions, lab errors, prejudice, unreliable evidence, incompetence and corruption are all discussed in the cases covered.

I would rather see the odd criminal go free than to see an innocent person in prison.

The CSI element is engrossing. Dr Mallett explains the introduction of DNA testing which helps to prove both guilt and innocence but even this can sometimes go wrong when human error is included in the mix.

Dr Mallett backs up her case studies with notes from experts in different fields of forensic science; Blood spatter, DNA profiling, forensic linguistics, false confessions, rules of disclosure, allowable evidence.

I read this book with astonishment and a whole lot of unease at how easily even the experts get it wrong sometimes. However, Dr Mallett leaves us with some final words of optimism.

"Don't be depressed, though. These cases are awful and the stories sad. But, generally, our justice system works, and those who have committed crimes are sent to prison, and the innocent are exonerated."

If you are a reader of crime fiction this book will fascinate you as fact is always stranger and much more compelling than fiction.

My Rating 4/ 5     ⭐⭐⭐⭐

About the author

Photo credit Macmillan Aus

Dr Xanthé Mallett is a forensic anthropologist and criminologist, author and television presenter. She has written two previous books: Mothers who Murder(2014) and Cold Case Investigations (2019).

Xanthé is also a forensic practitioner, and works with police forces across Australia assisting with the identification of persons of interest in criminal cases, as well as providing advanced DNA technologies that assist with the identification of long-term deceased victims and suspects.

In addition to her academic and professional work, Xanthé contributes to various true-crime television series, and is a regular contributor to crime news stories for television, radio and print media.

This review is part of the Book Lover Book Review Aussie author challenge

  the Australian Women Writers challenge  and the Non Fiction reader challenge

Book Review: War Doctor: Surgery on the Front Line by David Nott

War Doctor

by

David Nott

Surgery on the Front line

Publisher: Pan Macmillan 
Imprint: Picador
Publication date: 26th February 2019
Genre: Memoir / Non Fiction
Pages: 320
RRP:  $29.99AUD
Format read: Trade paperback
Source: Courtesy of the publisher

For more than twenty-five years, David Nott has taken unpaid leave from his job as a general and vascular surgeon with the NHS to volunteer in some of the world's most dangerous war zones. From Sarajevo under siege in 1993, to clandestine hospitals in rebel-held eastern Aleppo, he has carried out life-saving operations and field surgery in the most challenging conditions, and with none of the resources of a major London teaching hospital.

The conflicts he has worked in form a chronology of twenty-first-century combat: Afghanistan, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Darfur, Congo, Iraq, Yemen, Libya, Gaza and Syria. But he has also volunteered in areas blighted by natural disasters, such as the earthquakes in Haiti and Nepal.

Driven both by compassion and passion, the desire to help others and the thrill of extreme personal danger, he is now widely acknowledged to be the most experienced trauma surgeon in the world. But as time has gone on, David Nott began to realize that flying into to a catastrophe - whether war or natural disaster - was not enough. Doctors on the ground needed to learn how to treat the appalling injuries that war inflicts upon its victims. Since 2015, the Foundation he set up with his wife, Elly, has disseminated the knowledge he has gained, training other doctors in the art of saving lives threatened by bombs and bullets.

David Nott has written a compassionate story of his years as a volunteer surgeon working in hospitals around the world in war torn areas in Afghanistan, Sarajevo, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Sudan, Darfur, Yemen and Gaza. Operating in poorly equipped hospitals with the most basic of instruments.

Nott didn’t come from a privileged background. He describes his sometimes harsh and lonely upbringing. He has achieved his accomplishments through hard work and perseverance. There were wins and failures along the way.

It’s hard for a book like this, with David in the centre of some quite political wars, to not be political however he steers clear of taking sides giving the reader facts and eye witness accounts.

David Nott comes across as humble and sensitive. The inhumanity he witnesses has a profound effect on him and he finds it hard to fit back into normal life. Nott explains his need to help people and the pull to be amidst the trouble and constant danger of a war zone, operating while missiles are reigning down and during sudden blackouts. Survival sometimes was just pure luck.

War Doctor is a fascinating and humbling account of a doctor’s life in a war zone. Written with real compassion for all humankind. David Nott is a true humanitarian.

An emotional afterword by David’s wife Eleanor is filled with love and pride.

  My rating 4.5/5           ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

Photo credit Goodreads

David Nott is a Welsh consultant surgeon, specializing in general and vascular surgery. He works mainly in London hospitals, but for more than twenty-five years he has also volunteered to work in disaster and war zones. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2012 Birthday Honours and in 2016 he received the Robert Burns Humanitarian Award and the Pride of Britain Award. He lives in London with his wife and two daughters. 

 

Book Review: An Alice Girl by Tanya Heaslip

An Alice Girl

by

Tanya Heaslip

Publisher:  Allen & Unwin
Publication date: 19th May 2020
Genre: Non Fiction / Memoir
Pages: 344
RRP: $32.99 AUD
Format read: Paperback
Source: Courtesy of the publisher

An extraordinary story of growing up in the late 1960s and early 70s on an outback cattle property

Whether working the mobs of cattle with the stockmen, playing cattleduffing on horseback or singing and doing lessons at their School of the Air desks, Tanya Heaslip and her siblings led a childhood unimaginable to many Australians. Growing up on a vast and isolated cattle property just north of Alice Springs, Tanya tells of wild rides, of making far-flung friends over the Air, of the dangers, the fun and the back-breaking work. As the eldest child, her added responsibility was to look after the littler ones, so she was by their sides dealing with snakes, the threat of bushfires and broken bones.

Tanya's parents, Janice and Grant 'the Boss' Heaslip, were pioneers. They developed Bond Springs Station where water was scarce, where power was dependent on generators and where a trip to town for supplies meant a full day's journey. Grant was determined to teach his children how to survive in this severe
environment and his lessons were often harsh. In a childhood that most would consider very tough, Tanya tells of this precious time with raw honesty, humour, love and kindness. This is the story of an Alice girl.

 

An Alice Girl is the memoir of Tanya Heaslip’s life growing up on a remote cattle station just north of Alice Springs. The story includes her parents early life. Tanya’s memoir is a candid warts and all tale of growing up in this harsh land. Their triumphs and struggles.

Life was hard and filled with responsibility not only for the adults, the children were expected to work as well. Tanya tells of long days helping her father with the stock and the deep connection to the land that develops when it is your life blood, your whole existence. I was actually a bit shocked at how hard the children had to work.

“the land would soon shape the way I felt and thought and lived. It was like an anchor deep inside, holding me fast to the rocks and earth and hills around me.”

Governesses, school of the air, illness, snakes, redbacks, accidents, lack of water, fire; life lessons were hard in such an isolated place.

“We knew that death was ever present in our world. Many things could kill us in the bush.”

Tanya’s life although remote was also filled with friendship and community get togethers and I could just picture the family squashed together in the Heaslip’s little plane, hot and excited, off to visit friends and family.

Even though the Heaslip children’s lives were busy they still did many things me and my siblings did as children of the 70’s. Much the same games and activities, although I must admit we had a lot more free time. Tanya’s most memorable present of a typewriter when she was 10 brought back my own memories of receiving a typewriter for Christmas when I was 11 and like Tanya it was my most precious present ever.

The 24 pages of colour plate photographs of the Heaslip family makes you feel like you are a treasured friend sharing in their life.

Tanya’s memoir ends at the age of 12 as she leaves to attend boarding school. A heart-wrenching scene. But we all know Tanya goes on to great adventures in Alice in Prague. However her love for the land never leaves her.

An Alice Girl is an awe inspiring story of hardship, endurance, determination and ultimately triumph over the elements to make a living in the harshest of conditions.

My rating 4/5          ⭐⭐⭐⭐

 
Tanya Heaslip was born on a cattle station in outback Australia at the height of the Cold War. She grew up to study and then practice Law. In 1989 she travelled to Europe for the first time and in 1994 she moved to the Czech Republic where she taught English for two and a half years. Tanya's first memoir, Alice to Prague, was published to acclaim in 2019.

Tanya now lives in the Northern Territory with her husband. 

This review is part of the Book Lover Book Review Aussie author challenge

  the Australian Women Writers challenge  and the Non Fiction reader challenge

 

 

 

 

 

Book Review: Just Desserts by Charlotte Ree

Just Desserts

by

Charlotte Ree

Publisher: Pan Macmillan 
Imprint: Plum
Publication date: 29th October 2019
Genre: Cooking / Non Fiction / Lifestyle
Pages: 144
RRP: $29.99AUD
Format read: Hardcover
Source: Courtesy of the publisher 

 Instagram sensation Charlotte Ree is famous for her simple and delicious sweets ... and her love of puns. Her easy, user-friendly creations are designed to taste amazing, rather than just look pretty (though pretty they most certainly are!).

Just Desserts showcases 30 of Charlotte's most popular and delicious cake, biscuit, slice and dessert recipes in one outrageously gorgeous little package. Featuring essentials, such as chocolate brownies, shortbread caramel slice and chocolate-chip cookies through to show stoppers, such as layered berry pavlova and chocolate ganache & blackberry bundt, Just Desserts is the ideal gift for the baker and sweet-lover in your life - even if that's YOU!

I have a weakness for dessert books. Well, not only the books, I love cooking desserts! Cakes, slices, biscuits, tarts. I have a particular penchant for gorgeous covers and Just Desserts certainly falls into that category.

Charlotte’s book is split into two sections; biscuits, slices, sweets and cakes, bundts, tarts. Thirty of her favourite, no-fuss recipes. Desserts her Grandma made. Many taking less than 30 minutes so you can enjoy sharing your bakes with friends.

Ree includes a simple introduction with tips for cooking and a guide to the basic equipment and baking tins required. The book also includes a handy conversion chart in the back.

There are no fancy over-priced ingredients with most of them already in any well stocked pantry. I had a quick look through all the ingredients and there was only a very small list of items I would need to specially purchase for some of the recipes.

The beautiful and colourful illustrations of wattle, bottlebrush, banksia, waratah and gum leaves throughout the book give it a true Australian flavour. I would like to give a special shout out to Alice Oehr for these gorgeous illustrations. Go check out her website! http://www.aliceoehr.com/

I was already familiar with some recipes in the book and wanted to try something different. The honey madeleines looked easy and delicious. I had all the ingredients at home however I did need to buy a madeleine tin. They proved to be quick and easy. The perfect thing to make when friends drop in.

Charlotte suggests serving them with a dollop of cream but I thought if I left off the cream I could eat more. They certainly were irresistible!

My next bake will be Charlotte’s Chocolate Ganache & Blackberry Bundt Cake.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Photo credit: Pan macmillan

 

Charlotte Ree is an avid baker and recipe developer with an impressive online following. Based in Sydney, Australia, she develops recipes and content for brands such as Marimekko, Kenwood and Williams-Sonoma. When she isn't baking, Charlotte is usually travelling as part of her day job as media and communications manager for a book publisher. Charlotte believes strongly in scratch baking, going back to basics with the classic flavours and techniques that our grandparents perfected. Just Desserts is her first book.

 

 

This review is part of the Book Lover Book Review Aussie author challenge

and Australian Women Writers challenge 

 

 

Book Review: The Edible Garden Cookbook and Growing Guide.by Paul West

The Edible Garden Cookbook and Growing Guide

by

Paul West

Publisher: Pan Macmillan 
Imprint: Plum
Publication date: 24th September 2019
Genre: Lifestyle / Gardening
Pages: 304
RRP: $39.99AUD
Format read: Paperback
Source: Courtesy of the publisher

For Paul West, a meaningful life is one built around food and community. In The Edible Garden Cookbook & Growing Guide , Paul shows you how easy it is to grow and cook some of your own food, no matter how much space you have.

The Edible Garden Cookbook & Growing Guide is a celebration of real food and vibrant community. It will inspire you to grow, cook and eat with those you love - and find real meaning along the way.  

Did you find yourself, a few months ago, standing in an empty supermarket wondering how you were going to feed your family? Me too!

Why do we leave ourselves at the mercy of panic buyers when it is so easy to grow your own vegetables?

The Edible Garden by Paul West, host of River Cottage Australia, is a guide to growing your own edible garden. This 304 page book is filled with glorious colour photos and over 50 easy to follow and healthy recipes with pictures of the finished product. I always like that finished product photo, it gives me a good idea of what my meal is supposed to look like.

Paul gives us gardens for the space poor, gardens for the time poor, micro gardens and community gardens. With chapters on worm farms, composting, keeping chooks and keeping bees, what to plant where and when. Paul has a big focus on food and community in chapters on hosting a pickle party, brewing your own beer and building a wood fire barbecue.

With bookmark flaps on the front and back cover this is one coffee table book you will find yourself turning to again and again for recipes to feed your family wholesome, easy to cook meals.

My husband and I both grew up in families where there was always a large supply of vegetables and eggs in our own backyards. We had tried gardens over the years but the possums usually beat us to the produce.

This time we decided to put the garden close to the house and used raised planters which could be filled with good quality soil.

Our garden is going well and we have had more hits than misses. It’s very much trial and error at the moment but we have started to enjoy some of the produce we have grown.

The Edible Garden Cookbook and Growing Guide has gone a long way in increasing our confidence in choosing products for the local temperature and time of year.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Paul West is a trained chef, a passionate gardener, farmer and popular media personality. Paul hosted four seasons of River Cottage Australia (Foxtel and SBS), is the author of The River Cottage Australia Cookbook and has a regular slot on ABC radio and ABC television's Gardening Australia. After hosting River Cottage Australia in beautiful Central Tilba, Paul and his family swapped their 20-acre NSW South Coast property for a city life in Thornbury, in Melbourne's inner north turning a suburban backyard plot into a productive patch.  

 This review is part of the Book Lover Book Review Aussie author challenge

 

Blog Tour Book Review: The Checklist Book by Alexandra Franzen

The Checklist Book

by

Alexandra Franzen

Set Realistic Goals, Celebrate Tiny Wins, Reduce Stress and Overwhelm, and Feel Calmer Every Day

Publisher: Mango Publishing Group
Publication date: 14th January 2020
Genre: Non-Fiction / Self Help
Pages: 160
Format read: eBook
Source: Courtesy of the publisher

Simplicity at its best: The checklist is one of the world’s oldest―and most effective―productivity systems. If anything, author and entrepreneur Alexandra Franzen shares, it is just as valuable now as it was during the days of the Roman Empire. Writing out a simple checklist allows us to tangibly plan our day and set in stone what we want to accomplish.

In the life-changing Checklist Book, learn:

The history of the checklist and why it remains to be relevant and effective today
The science behind the success of checklists, such as the instant satisfaction we feel when we put a check next to a finished task
How to create a basic daily checklist―and checklists for specific situations, like moving to a new city or navigating a divorce

I’ve always been a maker of lists. There is something satisfying about making a list and checking things off, and basking in the glow of accomplishment.

My lists have never gone further than a daily list of things I want to, or must, get done. However The Checklist Book is more than an organisational help book. It’s about making realistic goals and breaking them down to daily, weekly and long term goals. It’s about making the life you wish to live into the life you are actually living.

Alexandra explains the idea of checklists in a fun and informative way. Her checklist concept is broken down step by step so it is easy to start with the basics and build on this to achieve the goals you set for yourself.

This book goes beyond the daily “must do” checklist to things to do simply for well being. Think about what matters most to you each day, simple things, and live them.

Something that was a great help for me was the inclusion of Alexandra’s example checklists that you can tweak to suit your lifestyle and what you love.

There is no hard and fast set of rules. Alexandra understands that not everyone is the same so her personal list may not suit someone else. There is great flexibility throughout the book.

        "It’s not just writing down a bunch of stuff I need to do."

Through The Checklist book I discovered so much more to list making and a way to reduce stress and feel calmer every day.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

This review is part of the Non-Fiction reader challenge   #2020ReadNonFic

 

ALEXANDRA FRANZEN is the author of several books, including SO THIS IS THE END: A LOVE STORY (2018), YOU'RE GOING TO SURVIVE (2017) and 50 WAYS TO SAY "YOU'RE AWESOME" (2013).

She has written articles for dozens of sites, including Time, Forbes, Newsweek, HuffPost, The Muse, and Lifehacker. She's been mentioned/quoted in The New York Times Small Business Blog, The Atlantic, USA Today, BuzzFeed, Brit+Co, and Inc.

Alexandra is best-known for writing about creativity, productivity, the power of setting tiny goals, how to develop more confidence in your writing skills, and how to stay motivated, keep working towards your personal and professional dreams, and never give up.

She also works as a copywriter, ghostwriter, writing teacher, and consultant. She helps her clients to develop podcasts, videos, websites, speeches, books, and other creative projects.

The Checklist Book is available to purchase online at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, or your favourite book retailer.

Please check the other posts on the WOW! Women on Writing blog tour 

10 Books to help you stay optimistic and motivated

STAY IN PLACE

 

The wonderful and well read people at Pan Macmillan Australia have compiled a list of books to help us Stay at Home and stay optimistic and motivated in this time of uncertainty. 

Below, is a list of works by some of Pan Macmillan’s most brilliant minds to help you navigate the coming months. 

Whether you’re looking to learn a new skill, seeking guidance around mental health, or simply looking for a distraction, there is a book for you. 

  

STAY...WELL FED FOR LESS

 

SIMPLICIOUS FLOW
Sarah Wilson  In Simplicious Flow, Sarah blends the kitchen wisdom of generations past with her own stunningly fresh vision of how to be a conductor of good health and zero waste for every single meal you make.

 

STAY...CREATIVE IN THE KITCHEN 

 OSTRO

Julia Busuttil Nishimura 

Simple, delicious, generous food for every day, from salads and roasts to handmade pasta and pizza to simple bakes and show-stopping desserts all from the creator of inspirational website and Instagram feed, Ostro.

STAY...ECO

  A FAMILY GUIDE TO WASTE-FREE LIVING
Lauren and Oberon Carter

A Family Guide to Waste-free Living makes it simple and sustainable for families to eliminate waste in the home, at work and out in the world. This is a practical and inspiring resource for anyone wanting to live more sustainably.

STAY...AN ACTIVIST 

2040: A HANDBOOK FOR THE REGENERATION
Damon Gameau
Based on Damon Gameau's 2019 documentary, 2040: A Handbook for the Regeneration is a practical manual that provides you and your family with the tools and inspiration to live a more sustainable life - NOW. 

 STAY...HEALTHY 

HEAL
Pete Evans
So many of us are looking for practical changes we can make to nourish our body, be more active and find meaningful connection - ways to be stronger, happier and healthier, in a fast-paced world.  

STAY...SELF SUFFICIENT 

 THIS CHICKEN LIFE

Fiona Scott-Norman & Ilana Rose
A heart-warming celebration of chickens and the Australians who love them, featuring striking photography and stories that will move, delight and inspire you.

 

STAY...STRESS FREE

STRESSLESS
Matthew Johnson & Michael Player Fully illustrated, easy to follow and based on the latest medical science, StressLess is your go-to guide to identify and reduce your own stress and help others do the same.

 

STAY...PHILOSOPHICAL 

THE SUBTLE ART OF NOT GIVING A F*CK
Mark Manson In this generation-defining self-help guide, a superstar blogger cuts through the crap to show us how to stop trying to be "positive" all the time so that we can truly become better, happier people.

  

STAY...SANE

FIRST, WE MAKE THE BEAST BEAUTIFUL
Sarah Wilson Practical and poetic, wise and funny, this is a small book with a big heart. It will encourage the myriad sufferers of the world's most common mental illness to feel not just better about their condition, but delighted by the possibilities it offers for a richer, fuller life.

 

STAY...CONNECTED

 FAMILY, FOOD & FEELINGS
Kate Berry
Family, Food and Feelings charts the ebb and flow of family life around the four school terms, with recipes, activities and stories to keep you inspired throughout the year.

 Thank you to Pan Macmillan Australia for the above recommendations.