Best of books: An enigmatic artist, a journey through cities and a goldfields western

Also, we get a glimpse into the psyche of an enigmatic Australian artist, Imants Tillers, while on the other side of the world, an author traces her ancestors through four ancient cities.

You can find all the books we've reviewed this week below.

And I welcome your thoughts and feedback on what we've been reading. You can reach me by email at sally.pryor@canberratimes.com.au.

The goldfields of Ballarat have always seemed like a tough and visceral landscape, perfect for a western-style narrative, very much along the lines of The Death of John Lacey, by Ben Hobson.

In this edited extract, Hobson sets the scene for this powerful story of greed, power and violence:

"The man only stared at them. As they rode by John looked into the cradle and saw no flecks of gold and saw the man's disappointment in how he gripped the side, how he lifted the sifted dirt in his bare hands and let it fall back into the ground."

To another historical novel, this one set in 1960s Australia, a time looked back on by two old school friends.

In Maggie, Catherine Johns tells the story of a young woman negotiating the stifling atmosphere, especially for women, of the 60s. She negotiates a Catholic boarding school and the later erosion of her own faith.

"Bleak though the story might be, the book is beautifully written. There are some gorgeous and evocative passages and the dialogue is compelling," writes fellow novelist Alison Booth in her review.

In Credo, a selection of essays by enigmatic Australian artist Imants Tillers,we are afforded an glimpse into his mind.

Described by reviewer and art critic Sasha Grishin as "a tough, cerebral artist, obsessively systematic", Tillers has also written, throughout his life. His works include essays, articles and more recently, his own recollections.

Grishin finds this book to be a useful addition to Tillers' output.

"He is one who has thought deeply over many years about what it means to be an artist growing up in Australia while still being intimately aware of the grand traditions of art that exist elsewhere around the world," he writes.

When will the reading masses accept that short stories really are the greatest antidote to the things that weigh us down?

The Furphy short story awards exist to encourage this notion, and correct the imbalance between the reverence for long-form fiction and the possibilities of the short story.

In The Furphy Anthology, a collection of 16 of the 2022 winners, reviewer Mark Thomas finds much to admire.

"The writers are a splendidly eclectic crew, including an over-thinker, another who works best with a cat on her lap, a beach-rambling addict, an author of Polish origin raised in Darwin, an English teacher and a writer of Maltese-Sri Lankan background," he writes.

How connected can one remain to ones ancestors when they lived so far away? Amaryllis Gacioppo sets out to determine the answer for herself, in Motherlands: In Search of Our Inherited Cities.

In her journey to Palermo, Benghazi, Rome and Turin, she is building on a solid literary and intellectual tradition.

"Her intentions are ambitious and deeply personal," writes reviewer Mark Thomas.

"Our proverbs suggest two possible ends to such a quest. One offers the comforting advice that home is where someone always has to take you in. The other, with a more venerable lineage, warns that you cannot step into the same river twice."

From travel, to reading, and a journey through pages and language.

In Papyrus, Spanish novelist Irene Vallejo takes an "undulating approach" to this history of books and reading, "moving swiftly from the contemplation of ancient writers including Herodotus and Plato to contemporary references to Orwell and the matrix movies".

"The result is a dense but rewarding narrative that, while loosely chronological, is also fragmented, exploring the odd confluences of history," writes reviewer Amy Walters.

A history of rock music is all very well, but what about the many ways, through the decades, that rock-and-roll has been depicted on the silver screen?

British historian John Scanlon takes on the task in Rock'n'roll Plays Itself: A Screen History, and navigates the worlds brought to life by Jayne Mansfield, Elvis Presley, the Beatles and Bob Dylan. You'll be surprised by how many of the movies - and songs - you'll recognise or remember.

"Also included are analyses of punk rock in film, rock-and-roll detective movies - yes there are some - and the influence of MTV and YouTube, before concluding with an analysis of rock fan culture," writes reviewer Colin Steele.