Playing Beatie Bow, by Ruth Park

Damaged by her parents’ divorce, introverted 14-year-old Abigail has a yen for vintage clothing and disdain for the usual preoccupations of teen girls. Observing a dark children’s game draws her into an unfamiliar Sydney and a terrifying adventure that teaches her a lot about herself and about what is truly valuable. It’s always interesting to revisit favourite books of childhood or teen years to see if the appeal holds. Time travel, first romance, teen angst – what’s not to love? But it’s the quality of Ruth Park’s writing and the attention to historical detail of 1870s Sydney that really holds interest. The story has a lovely circularity, with elements of folklore and superstition and an examination of the changing face of Sydney over a century – for better and for worse. The film version is very faithful to the story, possibly too much so - lifting whole slabs of dialogue. While it’s fun to see the young Peter Phelps and Nikki Coghill in action, generally the script, acting and cinematography are all sub par. It would be good to see a new version, or better yet a four par series, although it could be a struggle to find suitable authentic locations 40 years on – irony indeed.

On Politics and stuff, by Mark Humphries and Evan Williams

The latest in the On series of little books with big ideas sees ABC satirists Humphries and Williams take the piss out of Australian politics. A comprehensive run down, or take down, of the workings of the Senate, House of Reps and political parties dives into a bit of history but focuses mostly on this century. It possibly should have been titled On Federal Politics as the actual federation – the states – is a glaring omission from the text. A very east coast perspective sees rather too many rugby league references included, but it’s an entertaining, quick read.

Eiffel (2021), directed by Martin Bourboulon

Gustav Eiffel was a talented engineer, feted for building the Statue of Liberty and various innovative bridges and buildings worldwide. He wanted to build the Paris Metro, but France wanted him to build a monument for the 1889 World’s Fair. The result was his famous tower and the film tells the story of the various hindrances, tribulations and complications involved in building it. Not the least of these was Eiffel’s discovery that one of his main supporters and facilitators is married to his long lost love. Eiffel was not only a pioneer of engineering, but of workplace safety and his story is well worth telling. The tragic tale of love sits somewhat uneasily alongside it and is not helped by an obtrusive score and too many long, lingering shots and meaningful silences. Romain Duris does his best Daniel Day Lewis as Eiffel, while Emma Mackey is more convincing as younger Adrienne than the mature version. The timeline is fuzzy, which doesn’t help, but the evocation of fin-de-siecle Paris is beautiful and the writers do a reasonable job of explaining the complex engineering without veering into boring.

A Weekend with Oscar, by Robyn Bavati

Jamie’s dad died less than a year ago and he has been bottling up his grief to protect his mum and younger brother, Oscar. It’s a lot to deal with when you’re 16, in an accelerated learning program and Oscar has Down syndrome (DS). When Mum is called to a family emergency interstate, Jamie steps up and offers to take of Oscar. It’s only for a weekend, how hard could it be? The answer is not easy – and when Mum doesn’t return as planned Jamie doesn’t know what to do. Bavati builds well the tension of Jamie’s dilemma over seeking help and caring for his brother, at the same time trying to be a good friend and exploring his growing feelings for Zara – the new girl in town. It’s great to look at issues of disability and the pressures on carers and family, but Bavati is maybe too ambitious – trying to cover too many topics. In a slim volume she touches on racism, prejudice and discrimination, tiger parenting, artistic expression and the benefits of counselling, as well as DS and autism. It’s all very earnest and worthy, with some very unlikely dialogue, especially between teens, to ensure absolutely all the information is provided.

The Absolute Book, by Elizabeth Knox

Taryn and her sister Bea always loved books and libraries as children and then as adults. After Bea is violently killed, Taryn goes into a dissociative state for several years that is only partly alleviated by triggering a dark revenge. Several years and a divorce later, after writing a book on the history of libraries, Taryn’s public profile attracts dangerous attention. How will she discern who is friend or foe, in this world or another? Psychological crime drama meets fantasy in this unusual novel, but an initially intriguing read becomes a slog after the halfway point. Exposition and description, heavy with obscure symbolism, take over the convoluted story. Its digressions and diversions into the worlds of demons and angels, Sidhe and Norse mythology become more rambling and less interesting with every page - and there are 653 of them. No doubt there is some deep allegory intended of love and sacrifice and redemption and faith, but it gets lost in the myriad of words and bewildering actions. In the end it was apparently all about unconditional love and saving the world, as outlined in a bizarre epilogue.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021), directed by Destin Daniel Cretton

Slackers turned superheros, cute and terrifying magical creatures, family drama, martial arts as dance and a runaway bus. What a strange mash-up is the latest expedition into the world of Marvel. When his immortal father sends a gang of goons after him, San Francisco parking attendant Shaun must reveal his true self to his best friend Katy and to the world. First stop Macau and his estranged sister and then on to the magical world of his mother’s people, which is threatened by his father. The film has faint echoes of Black Panther, with its mystical hidden world and non-Western culture. A largely Asian cast and settings indicates an orientation to the large Chinese market. But despite its fun blend of action and comedy there are some interesting messages about finding your own path, female empowerment and questioning how much power will ever be enough. Canadian actor Simu Liu makes a different kind of hero and Awkwafina makes a great sidekick. Michelle Yeoh is always a class act, while Ronnie Cheng gives a fun cameo and Ben Kingsley a weird one. At 140 minutes, this is one of the shorter Marvel movies but it is still too long. It is entertaining and often amusing, but it could easily have lost 15 minutes without lacking anything.

Romancing Mr Bridgerton & To Sir Philip with Love, by Julia Quinn

Previous extended epilogues have already disclosed that Penelope Featherington is Lady Whistledown and that she marries Colin Bridgerton. So the only tension left to reveal is how she is exposed and how the couple comes together. The answer to both is not in a very interesting manner. The best aspect of the story is that there are plenty of other Bridgertons involved, in particular some trailers to the next novel, which covers Eloise’s romance. In passing it is dropped in that the third sister, Francesca is already married and widowed, but it’s not clear why the story of her marriage to a Scottish earl has been omitted from the family saga. Presumably we’ll get the tale of her second marriage after Eloise’s story, as they go strictly in birth order. The fifth book of the Bridgerton series overlaps slightly with the previous novel, rather than leaping forward several years. It also takes place over only a few weeks, meaning the journey to love for Eloise Bridgerton is (literally) unbelievably rapid. Apparently that’s ample time to overcome doubts and buried trauma, deal with damaged children and develop a committed relationship. The best part id the extra epilogue, which for once does not give spoilers but gives glimpse into the future through a secondary character. It may be time to give up on the Bridgerton books and just hope the Netflix sequels are better.