Best of
Australia

2012

The People Smuggler: The True Story Of Ali Al Jenabi, The 'Oskar Schindler Of Asia'


Robin De Crespigny - 2012
    When Saddam's forces advance towards their refugee camp, Ali helps his family flee into Iran before going on in an attempt to get to Australia - a country they know nothing about but understand to be safe, free and compassionate. When Ali reaches Indonesia he is betrayed by a people smuggler - a common experience - which prompts him to establish his own business that will treat fellow refugees more fairly. This is the engrossing story of how he survived his years without a passport or a state, how the people smuggling business functions, and how Ali was treated when he and his family finally arrived in Australia. It will open a country's eyes to what refugees are fleeing from, and what makes them risk their lives and the lives of their families in seeking safety.

Behind the Sun


Deborah Challinor - 2012
    There, she meets three other girls: intelligent and opportunistic thief, Sarah Morgan, naive young Rachel Winter, and reliable and capable seamstress, Harriet Clarke.On the voyage to New South Wales their friendship becomes an unbreakable bond -- but there are others on board who will change their lives forever. Friday makes an implacable enemy of Bella Jackson, a vicious woman whose power seems undiminished by her arrest and transportation, while Harriet is taken under the wing of an idealistic doctor, James Downey. Rachel catches the eye of a sinister passenger with more than honour on his mind, whose brutal assault leaves her life hanging in the balance.When they finally arrive on the other side of the world, they are confined to the grim and overcrowded Parramatta Female Factory. But worse is to come as the threat of separation looms. In the land behind the sun, the only thing they have is each other ...(from the Harper Collins website)

Exit Wounds - One Australian's War On Terror


John Cantwell - 2012
    He was on the front line in 1991 as Coalition forces fitted bulldozer blades to tanks and buried Iraqi troops alive. He served in Baghdad in 2006 and saw what a car bomb does to a crowded marketplace. He was commander of Australian forces in Afghanistan in 2010 when ten of his soldiers were killed. He came home in 2011 to be considered for the job of chief of the Australian Army. Instead, he ended up in a psychiatric hospital.Exit Wounds is the deeply human account of one man's tour of the War on Terror, the moving story of life on a modern battlefield: from the nightmare of cheating death in a field strewn with mines, to the utter despair of looking into the face of a dead soldier before sending his body home to his mother. Cantwell hid his post-traumatic stress disorder for decades, fearing it would affect his career.Australia has been at war for the past twenty years and yet there has been no stand-out account from these conflicts - Exit Wounds is it. Raw, candid and eye-opening, no one who reads this book will be unmoved.

The Light Between Oceans


M.L. Stedman - 2012
    After four harrowing years fighting on the Western Front, Tom Sherbourne returns home to take a job as the lighthouse keeper on Janus Rock, nearly half a day's journey from the coast. To this isolated island, where the supply boat comes once a season and shore leaves are granted every other year at best, Tom brings a young, bold, and loving wife, Isabel. Years later, after two miscarriages and one stillbirth, the grieving Isabel hears a baby's cries on the wind. A boat has washed up onshore carrying a dead man and a living baby. Tom, whose records as a lighthouse keeper are meticulous and whose moral principles have withstood a horrific war, wants to report the man and infant immediately. But Isabel has taken the tiny baby to her breast. Against Tom's judgment, they claim her as their own and name her Lucy. When she is two, Tom and Isabel return to the mainland and are reminded that there are other people in the world. Their choice has devastated one of them. M. L. Stedman's mesmerizing, beautifully written debut novel seduces us into accommodating Isabel's decision to keep this "gift from God." And we are swept into a story about extraordinarily compelling characters seeking to find their North Star in a world where there is no right answer, where justice for one person is another's tragic loss.

The Road Home


Fiona Palmer - 2012
    So when her brother calls asking her to come home, she hesitates. Can she face the memories that inhabit the beloved place of her childhood? And how does she feel with the news it's to be sold? Could she be the answer to saving the family farm? Jack Morgan has memories of his own to contend with. A falling out with his family and a bitter end to a past relationship have left a big chip on his shoulder. When his best mate's beautiful sister arrives on the scene, he finds himself deeply conflicted. Lara and Jack have a powerful attraction but are constantly at odds. Will their love of the same land keep them apart, or grow into a love of a different kind?

Zoe's Muster


Barbara Hannay - 2012
    When Zoe, restless black sheep of the Porter family, discovers that her biological father is a North Queensland cattleman, Peter Fairburn, her deep desire to meet him takes her from inner-city Brisbane to a job as a stockcamp cook.

Bella's Run


Margareta Osborn - 2012
    Now they are coming to the end of a road trip which has taken them from their family farms in the rugged Victorian high country to the red dust of the Queensland Outback. For almost a year they have mustered cattle stations, cooked for weary stockmen, played hard at rodeos and danced through life like a pair of wild tumbleweeds. And with the arrival of Patty's brother Will and Bella's cousin Macca, it seems love is on the horizon too..Then a devastating tragedy strikes, and Bella's world is changed forever. So she runs from the only life she has ever known. But can she really turn her back on the man she loves? Or on the land that runs deep in her blood?

Heart of the Valley


Cathryn Hein - 2012
    More at home on horseback than in heels, her life revolves around her beloved 'boys' – showjumpers Poddy, Oddy and Sod. Then a tragic accident leaves Brooke a mess. Newcomer Lachie Cambridge is hired to manage the farm, and Brooke finds herself out of a job and out of luck. But she won't go without a fight. What she doesn't expect is Lachie himself – a handsome, gentle giant with a will to match her own. But with every day that Lachie stays, Brooke's future on the farm is more uncertain. Will she be forced to choose between her home and the man she's falling for? A vivid, moving and passionate story of love and redemption from the author of Promises. Praise for Promises'Uplifting . . . A moving emotional journey towards forgiveness and hope.' Bronwyn Parry 'Take two feuding families with a dark history, add two beautiful offspring from those families,and let the angst-ridden romance begin.' Cosmopolitan 'Not since my introduction to Nora Roberts has an author had me so completely andutterly spellbound.' Mission: Romance

Morgan's Law


Karly Lane - 2012
    And though mystified by her grandmother's dying wish for her ashes to be scattered under 'the wishing tree' on the banks of the Negallan River, she sets out to do just that.While searching for the wishing tree, Sarah stays in the small township of Negallan. It's there that she finally has some time to relax and unwind, there that she finds herself drawn to a handsome local farmer, and there that she discovers her enquiries about her grandmother are causing disquiet within the powerful local Morgan family.Will the Morgans prevent Sarah from discovering the truth about her grandmother? And should she risk her glittering career in the UK for a simpler existence in the country, and the possibility of true love?By the bestselling author of North Star, Morgan's Law takes you on a compelling journey into a young woman's hopes and dreams.

The Australian Moment


George Megalogenis - 2012
    Brilliant in a bust, we've learnt to use our brains in a boom. Despite a lingering inability to acknowledge our achievements at home, the rest of the world asks: how did we get it right?George Megalogenis, one of our most respected political and economic writers, reviews the key events since the 1970s that have forged institutional and political leadership and a canny populace. He examines how we developed from a closed economy racked by the oil shocks, toughed it out during the sometimes devastating growing pains of deregulation, and survived the Asian financial crisis, the dotcom tech wreck and the GFC to become the last developed nation standing in the 200s. As a result, whatever happens next, we're as well positioned as any to survive the ongoing rumblings of the Great Recession.Drawing on newly declassified documents, fresh interviews with former leaders and unique ability to bring the numbers to life, Megalogenis, describes how, at just the right time, the Australian people became more farsighted than our politicians. We stopped spending before the rest of the world, and at the top of a boom voted out a government that was throwing around the biggest bribes over offered.The Australian Moment is packed with original insight, challenging our often partisan selective memories and revealing how our leadership and community have underestimated each other's contribution to the nation's resilience.

Jilted


Rachael Johns - 2012
    It isn't long before the people of Hope are gossiping about the real reason for Ellie's visit and why she broke the heart of golden boy Flynn Quartermaine all those years ago.Soon Ellie and Flynn are thrown back together again, forced to deal with the unresolved emotions between them. For Ellie is not the only one with secrets. Flynn has his own demons to battle, and Matilda is hiding something from her much-loved goddaughter.When all is uncovered, can the ill-fated lovers overcome the wounds of their past? Or is Flynn destined to be jilted again?

The Weed Forager's Handbook


Adam Grubb - 2012
    

Flinders: The Man who Mapped Australia


Rob Mundle - 2012
    In 1801 he was made commander of the expedition of his life, the first close circumnavigation of Terra Australis.Famous for his meticulous charts and superb navigational skills, Flinders was a bloody good sailor. He battled treacherous conditions in a boat hardly seaworthy, faced the loss of a number of his crewmen and, following a shipwreck on a reef off the Queensland coast, navigated the ship's cutter over 1000 kilometres back to Sydney to get help.Rob Mundle brings Matthew Flinders fascinating story to life from the heroism and drama of shipwreck, imprisonment and long voyages in appalling conditions, to the heartbreak of being separated from his beloved wife for most of their married life. This is a gripping adventure biography, in the style of BLIGH: MASTER MARINER.

My Journey


Jim Stynes - 2012
    He loved a challenge. He pushed himself, and worked hard to help others realise their potential.In June 2009, Jim was diagnosed with cancer and given nine months to live. The diagnosis caught him by surprise - he was 43, healthy and fit - and he didn't have time for illness. He was a busy father, husband, brother, mentor, businessman and president of Melbourne Football Club.Knowing his odds weren't good, Jim gave his all to trying to beat the disease. He embraced life, and made his journey public. His ability to use mind over matter, to never give in, to overcome pain, to believe in himself and his will to succeed gave him two extra years on the prognosis. He defied expectations time and time again.Unflinching in its honesty, this is an extraordinary insight into a man who lived fearlessly, with a vision for how to achieve the best life possible. Jim Stynes' legacy is an inspiring story about getting the most out of every single day, whatever you do.

The Girl in Steel-Capped Boots


Loretta Hill - 2012
    This is the Pilbara. And it’s the Pilbara that makes the rules’Lena Todd is a city girl who thrives on cocktails and cappuccinos. So when her boss announces he’s sending her to the outback to join a construction team, her world is turned upside down.Lena’s new accommodation will be an aluminium box called a dongar.Her new social network: three hundred and fifty men.Her daily foot attire: steel-capped boots.Unfortunately, Lena can’t refuse. Mistakes of the past are choking her confidence. She needs to do something to right those wrongs and prove herself. Going into a remote community might just be the place to do that, if only tall, dark and obnoxious Dan didn’t seem so determined to stand in her way ...

Dead Heat


Bronwyn Parry - 2012
    He knows organised crime from the inside out and suspects that the victim in the camping ground is not an isolated murder.Jo is committed to helping the investigation but she has seen the killer’s face and now she’s at risk. Nick’s determined to protect her but as the body count starts mounting, his past and present collide, threatening the people he cares about most.Trapped in rugged country in scorching summer heat, pursued by hunters who can’t afford to fail, Nick and Jo will need to trust each other completely, and use all their skills and knowledge in order to survive.

On Warne


Gideon Haigh - 2012
    The resulting masterpiece is as much about our fascination with Warnie as it is about the player himself. Who doesn't know the name Shane Warne? Now that the Australian cricketer who dominated airwaves and headlines for twenty years has turned full-time celebrity and media event, his sporting conquests and controversies are receding steadily into the past. But what was it like to watch Warne at his long peak, the man of a thousand international wickets, the incarnation of Australian audacity and cheek? Our leading cricket writer, Gideon Haigh, lived and loved the Warne era, when the impossible was everyday, and the sensational every other day. In On Warne, he relives the era's highs, its lows, its fun and its follies. Drawing on interviews conducted with Warne over the course of a decade, and two decades of watching him play, Haigh assesses this greatest of sportsmen as cricketer, character, comrade, newsmaker and national figure – a natural in an increasingly regimented time, a simplifier in a growingly complicated world. The result is one of the finest cricket books ever written, a whole new way of looking at its subject, at sport, and at Australia. One day, you might be asked what cricket in the time of Warne was like. On Warne is the definitive account.

The House of Memories


Monica McInerney - 2012
    Following a tragic accident, Ella O'Hanlon flees to the other side of the world in an attempt to escape her grief, leaving behind the two people she blames for her loss: Aidan, the love of her life, and Jess, her spoilt half-sister. In London Ella is taken in by her beloved uncle Lucas, whose extraordinary house holds many wonderful memories for her. Along with other members of the very colourful Fox family, Lucas helps Ella to see that she is not the only one still hurting, and that forgiveness can be the greatest healer in a family and in a marriage.

Cowboy Next Door


Ann B. Harrison - 2012
    He is the one person that stands between her and the family home that has been left to her. So why then does the man stir her up to such an extent, her body pulses with the need to have him? They do nothing but clash and snap at one another, and he makes no bones about the fact she shouldn't be Quincy's Station's new owner, but back in the city where he thinks she belongs. Having had an unpleasant clash with a "city girl" once before, Nathan does not think Libby has it in her to stick it out. He refuses to give in to his urges. But when Mother Nature brings chaos to Quincy Station and threatens Libby's children, he'll either be proved right in his assumptions or find his barriers taken down by a stubborn woman and her kids.

Ruby Moonlight


Ali Cobby Eckermann - 2012
    The main character, Ruby, refugee of a massacre, shelters in the woods where she befriends an Irishman trapper.The poems convey how fear of discovery is overcome by the need for human contact which, in a tense unravelling of events, is forcibly challenged by an Aboriginal lawman. The natural world is richly observed and Ruby's courtship is measured by the turning of the seasons.

The Art of Borderlands 2


Brady Games - 2012
    This unique and dangerous world has captured the imaginations of millions of gamers, and here you can see it come to life on the page.Filled with hundreds of images, including close-ups of Pandora's environments, vehicles and one-of-a-kind weapons; you can also follow the creation of your favourite characters and creatures, from the first sketches to the finished product.

Fog a Dox


Bruce Pascoe - 2012
    A fella who cuts down trees. Fog is a fox cub raised by a dingo. He’s called a dox because people are suspicious of foxes and Albert Cutts owns the dingo and now the dox. Albert is a bushman and lives a remote life surrounded by animals and birds. All goes well until Albert has an accident ... This is a story of courage, acceptance and respect. The dialogue is finely crafted and Indigenous cultural knowledge and awareness are seamlessly integrated into the story.

Gifts of the Peramangk


Dean Mayes - 2012
    Her only solace: the violin, taught to her secretly by the kind-hearted wife of the abusive station owner. However, Virginia's prodigious musical gift cannot save her from years of hardship and racism.Decades later, her eight year old granddaughter Ruby plays the violin with the passion Virginia once possessed. Amidst poverty, domestic violence and social dysfunction, Ruby escapes her circumstance through her practice with her grandmother's frail, guiding hand. Ruby’s zeal attracts the attention of an enigmatic music professor and with his help, she embarks on an incredible journey of musical discovery that will culminate in a rare opportunity. But with two cultural worlds colliding, her gift and her ambition will be threatened by deeply ingrained distrust, family jealousies and tragic secrets that will define her very identity.

Tarcutta Wake, Stories


Josephine Rowe - 2012
    Two photographers document a nation’s guilt in pictures of its people’s hands. An underground club in Western Australia plays jazz to nostalgic patrons dreaming of America’s Deep South. A young woman struggles to define herself among the litter of objects an ex-lover has left behind. In short vignettes and longer stories, Josephine Rowe explores the idea of things that are left behind: souvenirs, scars, and prejudice. Rowe captures everyday life in restrained poetic prose, merging themes of collective memory and guilt, permanence and impermanence, and inherited beliefs. These beautifully wrought, bittersweet stories announce the arrival of an exciting new talent in Australian fiction.

Lighthouse Bay


Kimberley Freeman - 2012
    The only survivor is Isabella Winterbourne, who clutches a priceless gift meant for the Australian Parliament. This gift could be her ticket to a new life, free from the bonds of her husband and his overbearing family. But whom can she trust in Lighthouse Bay?Fast-forward to 2011: after losing her lover, Libby Slater leaves her life in Paris to return to her hometown of Lighthouse Bay, hoping to gain some perspective and grieve her recent loss. Libby also attempts to reconcile with her sister, Juliet, to whom she hasn’t spoken in twenty years. Libby did something so unforgivable, Juliet is unsure if she can ever trust her sister again.In these two adventurous love stories, both Isabella and Libby must learn that letting go of the past is the only way to move into the future. The answers they seek lie in Lighthouse Bay.

Meet Alice


Davina Bell - 2012
    . . and Alice lives with her big family by the Swan River in Perth, while on the other side of the world, World War I rages. Alice's deepest wish is to become a ballerina, and when she auditions for a famous dance teacher from London, it seems as if her dreams might come true. But then there's a terrible accident, and Alice must ask herself whether there are more important things than dancing. Meet Alice and join her adventure in the first of four stories about a gifted girl in a time of war.

Too Afraid to Cry: Memoir of a Stolen Childhood


Ali Cobby Eckermann - 2012
    Told at first through the frank eyes of a child whose life was irretrievably changed after being “adopted” into a German Lutheran family, Too Afraid to Cry braids piercingly lyrical verse with spare prose to tell an intensely personal story of abuse and trauma. After years of suffering as a dark-skinned “outsider,” Eckermann reveals her courageous efforts to reconcile with her birth family and find acceptance within their Indigenous community. Too Afraid to Cry offers a mirror to America and Canada’s own dark history of coerced adoption of Native American children, and the violence inflicted on our continent’s Indigenous peoples.

The Nightingale and the Rose


Del Kathryn Barton - 2012
    Del Barton’s exaggerated aesthetic has given a contemporary feel to a classic fairytale.The theme of ecstatic metamorphosis through song attracted Del Kathryn Barton to this story, where the life of a small bird is offered up for the ideal of love. Barton sees the Nightingale as “the true artist, she gives completely of her deepest essence”.' - Art Gallery of NSW

Love and Hunger


Charlotte Wood - 2012
    In this age of gastro-porn and the fetishisation of food, the pressure to be as expert as the chefs we've turned into celebrities can feel overwhelming.An instant antidote to such madness is this wise and practical book - an ode to good food, prepared and presented with minimum fuss and maximum love.Cooking represents 'creativity in its purest form'. It is meditation and stimulation, celebration and solace, a gift both offered and received. It can nourish the soul - and the mind - as well as the body. Love & Hunger will make you long to get into the kitchen to try the surprising tips and delicious recipes, and will leave you feeling freshly inspired to cook with joy for the people you love. Love & Hunger is a gift for all who value the solitary and shared pleasures of cooking and eating. Like a simple but glorious meal, this feast of a book is infused with warmth and generosity.Acclaimed and award-winning novelist Charlotte Wood also writes the popular cookery blog How to Shuck an Oyster and is a brilliant home cook and food enthusiast. An invitation to dinner at Charlotte's house is always cause for celebration.

Twists and Turns


Matthew Mitcham - 2012
    I always responded, 'Why would I change? Being me is the easiest person to be.' I was lying. It wasn't. At the Beijing Olympic Games, he made history with an unforgettable dive, the first to ever score perfect tens from all four judges, and won gold for Australia. Grinning with pride from front pages around the world, there was no hint of the personal demons that had led this supremely talented young dynamo to quit diving less than two years before. Joyously out and proud, Matthew was a role model for his courage both in and out of the pool. Yet the crippling self-doubt and shadow of depression that had plagued him all his life forced him into premature retirement, at one point reduced to circus diving to earn money. Even after Beijing and being ranked No 1 in the world, those closest to Matthew could not guess that beneath that cheeky, fun-loving exterior he was painfully aware of how easily it could unravel. In the lead-up to the London Olympics, when injury threatened his hopes, he will have to find the strength again to balance his striving for perfectionism with the fear of his self-doubt taking hold again. Told with the honesty and courage he is admired for, Twists and Turns is an inspiring story of a true champion, in and out of the pool.

The Lost Diggers


Ross Coulthart - 2012
    It's previously unknown, candid images of our troops just out of the line. Men with the fear and experiences of battle written on their faces.' General Peter Cosgrove A must-have for fans of Australian World War I history. Ross Coulthart of 7s 'Sunday Night' brings together never-before-seen images of Western Front diggers and the amazing stories behind them in a beautiful collection that's part thriller, part family history and part national archive. The Lost Diggers is the riveting detective story of the hunt across northern France to Vignacourt for a rumoured treasure trove of antique glass photographic plates that led investigative journalist Ross Coulthart to an ancient metal chest in a dusty attic in a small farmhouse. The nearly 4000 glass plates taken by Louis and Antoinette Thuillier that he and his team discovered are being hailed by experts as one of the most important First World War discoveries ever made. But that was just the beginning. With meticulous research and the help of descendants, Coulthart has been able to discover the stories behind many of the photos, of which more than 330 appear in the book. The book's release coincided with an exhibition of the photos at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.

The Beloved


Annah Faulkner - 2012
    Faulkner's novel is enlivened by a strong gift for metaphor and the wisdom to use it sparingly.'When Roberta 'Bertie' Lightfoot is struck down with polio, her world collapses. But Mama doesn't tolerate self-pity, and Bertie is nobody if not her mother's daughter - until she sets her heart on becoming an artist. Through drawing, the gifted and perceptive Bertie gives form and voice to the reality of the people and the world around her. While her father is happy enough to indulge Bertie's driving passion, her mother will not let art get in the way of the future she wishes for her only daughter.In 1955 the family moves to post-colonial Port Moresby, a sometimes violent frontier town, where Bertie, determined to be the master of her own life canvas, rebels against her mother's strict control. In this tropical landscape, Bertie thrives amid the lush pallette of colours and abundance, secretly learning the techniques of drawing and painting under the tutelage of her mother's arch rival.But Roberta is not the only one deceiving her family. As secrets come to light, the domestic varnish starts to crack, and jealousy and passion threaten to forever mar the relationship between mother and daughter.Tender and witty, The Beloved is a moving debut novel which paints a vivid portrait of both the beauty and the burden of unconditional love.WINNER OF THE NITA B KIBBLE LITERARY AWARD 2013SHORTLISTED FOR THE MILES FRANKLIN AWARD 2013WINNER OF THE QUEENSLAND PREMIER'S LITERARY AWARD FOR AN EMERGING QUEENSLAND AUTHOR 2011COMMENDED FOR THE FAW CHRISTINA STEAD AWARD 2012

A New Resolution (The Resolution Series. Book 3)


Rose Dee - 2012
    A chance to fulfill dreams, find her place in the world, and a new life for her and young son, Kye. But her dreams of a future are shattered when her son’s security is challenged, and the rich and privileged Texan, Nate Hollingsworth sails into the bay. Now Ani must not only fight for her son, but also a growing attraction she has to the one type of man she loathes. The Australian tropical Island, Resolution, sets the scene again for adventures, dreams, and new beginnings. A New Resolution is the final book in the Resolution trilogy, following Back to Resolution and Beyond Resolution. Originally published by Even Before Publishing in Australia, 2013. Revised and edited for international market, 2016.

The Sunlit Zone


Lisa Jacobson - 2012
    A risk-taking work of rare, imaginative power. The Sunlit Zone combines the narrative drive of the novel with the perfect pitch of true poetry. A darkly futuristic vision shot through with bolts of light. Brilliant, poignant, disconcerting. - Adrian Hyland, author of Kinglake 350 and Diamond Dove: This novel in verse, at once magical and irresistible, draws us in to a vivid future. In Lisa Jacobson's telling, the Australian fascination with salt water and sea change is made over anew. Romance holds hands with science and takes to the ocean. - Chris Wallace-Crabbe, author of The Domestic Sublime and By and Large.

Ancestral Modern: Australian Aboriginal Art


Pamela McClusky - 2012
    Instead of making art primarily for each other-whether painted or inscribed on rock walls, on the ground, on bark, or on bodies as part of ceremonies-artists began rephrasing their practices to inform outsiders about the complexities of their cultures and the remarkable lands that Aboriginal communities have managed for centuries.Many of the paintings in Ancestral Modern initially appear abstract but communicate surprisingly specific observations about places and people, flora and fauna, and Aboriginal history. In three wide-ranging essays and illuminating discussions of fifty individual works, the authors consider how deceptively simple means yield richly multilayered meanings. What appears to be a geometric maze turns into the path of ancestral beings establishing features of the landscape. Canvases resembling maps record memories of sacred ceremonies. Dazzling linear patterns conjure up leaves blown across a windswept desert, and herringbone hatching designates clan identities. Along the way, this collection offers many new visions of Australia-peering underground to see yams grow, trekking over vast salt lakes, following the trail of a blue-tongued lizard, and encountering a lightning-spitting serpent in swirling water.Two Australian and two American curators each contribute a distinct perspective on this collection of over one hundred artworks that span the Australian continent and the varying approaches to art pursued by diverse Aboriginal communities. Acrylic paintings from the desert, bark canvases from the north, and ochre-painted canvases from the west are joined by new uses of fiber, clay, and photography. Complementing the fully illustrated essays and catalogue entries are a visual glossary, which offers glimpses of the real-life creatures and landscapes that helped inspire the artworks, and a glossary of terms defining some of the essential concepts of Aboriginal culture. Ancestral Modern is dedicated to a vanguard effort by artists who are showing the world another way to experience not only their own country and worldviews but nature itself, wherever it is encountered.

Beyond Resolution (The Resolution Series. Book 2)


Rose Dee - 2012
    After being discarded and beaten by her drug dealing boyfriend, she takes one easy out after another. Her choices lead her down the road of self-destruction, into the degrading world of stripping and a life spent looking over her shoulder. Until an encounter with a stranger on a Kings Cross Street provides the catalyst for a life changing event that leads her back home. She is forced to face the mess she left behind, the disappointment of her father, and the memories of the man who broke her heart. What will she do when danger follows her to paradise? From the bright lights of Sydney to the blue waters of Resolution Island, Beyond Resolution is a story that provides a window into the joy of forgiveness, trust and peace. Originally published by Even Before Publishing in Australia, 2012. Revised and edited for international market, 2016.

Bloodstones


Amanda PillarErin Underwood - 2012
    With Bloodstones, Amanda Pillar presents stories themed around myths and legends, in a dark urban fantasy setting. The anthology comprises 17 stories by a number of notable and up and coming writers: Dirk Flinthart, Nicole Murphy, Penelope Love, Jenny Blackford, Pete Kempshall, M.D. Curelas, Joanne Anderton, Richard Harland, Christine Morgan, Thoraiya Dyer, Kat Otis, Karen Maric, Dan Rabarts, Alan Baxter, Erin Underwood, Vivian Caethe, and Stephanie Gunn. Introduction by Seanan McGuire.

Beyond Innocence


Joanna Lloyd - 2012
    Imprisoned and sentenced to seven years’ transportation, she sails towards the penal colony of New South Wales, Australia. Despite the odds, she is determined to survive, to clear her name, and return to her life of wealth and ease in England.William Radcliffe has fled the betrayals of his father and fiancée to make a new life in the colony. When a transport ship from England docks, William stumbles across much more than mere trade cargo. Haunted by the beautiful convict with wild hair and golden eyes, William decides a compliant and grateful convict wife might meet his needs without the complications of love. Electra must now decide whether a loveless marriage with a "colonial barbarian" is preferable to imprisonment.William is unprepared for the deeply suppressed passion his new wife arouses within him. Against his conviction never to love, he begins to desire Electra and the sexual tension between them sparks into a fierce physical attraction he longs to satisfy.But Electra has made enemies on the ship and a vicious act of revenge endangers her life and the lives of the people she has come to love. Can Electra and William’s love survive the perils of this land and its inhabitants, or will their pasts destroy their future?

Man in a Grey Suit: A Memoir of Surfing, Shark Attack and Survival


Glenn Orgias - 2012
    When it released him, Glenn watched his blood wash over his board, he looked to shore – 80 metres to paddle with one hand, a few minutes of strength, and a shark to avoid. He thought of his wife, Lisa. She was four months pregnant.Man in a Grey Suit is a powerful memoir about overcoming life's obstacles, large and small. It's the story of how surfing helped Glenn find some release from the anger and anxiety he felt growing up, and how something that so nearly killed him actually helped turn his life around. This is a brave, honest and moving account of how an ordinary man dealt with an extraordinary event.

A Christmas Homecoming


MaryAnn Diorio - 2012
    Since Jody’s departure, Sonia’s world has been turned upside down. Her husband has died of a broken heart, and her son, bitter over his sister’s destructive actions, has become rebellious. Her greatest desire is to have her family together at Christmas, but after what Jody has put them all through, can Sonia truly forgive her daughter? Jody Pettit O’Dair ran away to experience a life of adventure and excitement, but since her departure, her world has been turned upside down. She’s been abandoned by the man she met and married, lost her job, and is unable to care for her two children. With nowhere else to turn, this prodigal daughter begins the long journey home and prays she will be welcomed after walking away so long ago. Will Jody find forgiveness in the arms of her family as easily as she received it from God?

Hard Labour


Cameron AshleyJ.J. DeCeglie - 2012
    From the Land Down Under comes seventeen dark criminal tales, including Garry Disher’s first ever Wyatt story, unpublished for over a decade, and new fiction by Peter Corris, Leigh Redhead, David Whish-Wilson, Adrian McKinty, Angela Savage, Helen Fitzgerald and more – including Greig Johnstone, JJ DeCeglie, Deborah Sheldon, Andrew Prentice, Finbarr McCarthy, Andrez Bergen, Amanda Wrangles, Cameron Ashley, Andrew Nette and Liam José.

Tasmanian Aborigines, A History Since 1803


Lyndall Ryan - 2012
    By the time Truganini died in 1876, they were considered to be extinct—yet like so many other claims about them, this was wrong. Far from disappearing, the Tasmanian Aborigines actively resisted settler colonialism from the outset and have consistently campaigned for their rights and recognition as a distinct people through to the present. Lyndall Ryan tells the story of the Aboriginal people of Tasmania, from before the arrival of the first whites to current political agendas. Tasmania has been the cradle of race relations in Australia, and their struggle for a place in their own country offers insights into the experiences of Aboriginal people nationwide.

Good Morning, Mr Sarra: My life working for a stronger, smarter future for our children


Chris Sarra - 2012
    Slowly, Sarra's ‘Strong and Smart’ vision lifted community expectations and transformed Cherbourg into a school with below-average rates of truancy, growth in student numbers and low levels of vandalism. Under Chris' leadership the school became nationally acclaimed for its pursuit of the 'Strong and Smart' philosophy and Chris’ work there was featured on ABC’s Australian Story (2004). In November 2009 he was named Queensland’s Australian of the Year.Good Morning, Mr Sarra is the story of the ordinary, yet extraordinary, life behind this vision. From his childhood as one of ten children in a country town, to the galvanising of his educational philosophy at university, to its support at a national level. Now with his Stronger Smarter Institute, Chris Sarra is pursuing and achieving improved outcomes in literary, numeracy and attendance for Indigenous children across the country. By providing leadership and education to a new generation of Aboriginal students,he is offering them the means to determine their own futures.

The Greenfield Legacy


Meredith Resce - 2012
    When Billy was conscripted to fight in Vietnam, they made a decision that impacted their lives and their future. But so much pain resulted that Mattie never really healed. Every turn Mattie made affected her daughter and her granddaughter in ways she didn't even realise. But forty-six years later, is it time for things to be set right? Navy is a young woman who has never known her family. But what could be a wonderful opportunity is met with jealousy and apprehension from her cousin, Brooke and her aunt Connie, especially with handsome Aidan around. Each must look past their struggles and find forgiveness and trust, and perhaps even love. This absorbing family drama, set in South Australia's beautiful McLaren Vale wine region, is written by four of Australia's outstanding Christian fiction authors who have brought you best-selling and award-winning novels.

The Great Barrier Reef: A Journey Through the World's Greatest Natural Wonder


Len Zell - 2012
    Yet this book reveals how much more there is to the Reef. It is a massive, complex ecosystem, and one that has gone through enormous changes throughout the history and evolution of our planet. Produced in partnership with the BBC, this book takes readers on a journey along Australia's northeastern coastline, through the diverse range of habitats that make up this extraordinary water world. Along the way, they will discover how the Great Barrier Reef was formed, learn about life on the Reef, and meet the plants and animals that inhabit it. It also looks at the environmental challenges facing this incredibly delicate ecosystem, and what the future may hold. Illustrated in spectacular full-color photography throughout, it also features hints and tips on how to make the most out of any trip to the Reef, making it the ultimate guide to one of the most treasured natural wonders of the world.

Surrender to Summer


Nicole Alexander - 2012
    She's a natural on the land but, as a woman, it's not her birthright. And when her grandfather passes management to Anthony Carrington, Wangallon's jackeroo, Sarah flees to the city.But soon she feels the pull of the property that has been in her family for over 120 years – and, for that matter, of Anthony, the man who is becoming as much a part of Wangallon and its future as she is.Bella's Run by Margareta OsbornBella Vermaelon and her best friend Patty are two fun-loving country girls bonded in a sisterhood no blood tie could ever beat. Now they are coming to the end of a road trip which has taken them from their family farms in the rugged Victorian high country to the red dust of the Queensland outback. And with the arrival of Patty's brother Will and Bella's cousin Macca, it seems love is on the horizon too…Then a devastating tragedy strikes, and Bella's world is changed for ever.Eliza's Gift by Rachael HerronWhen Abigail Durant inherits a cottage from her friend Eliza, she sees it as her chance to start anew. Only problem is, the cottage is slap-bang in the middle of a sheep ranch owned by Cade MacArthur, Eliza's tall, dark and infuriating nephew. Cade's a man's man, a cowboy through and through, and he's none too pleased there's now a young – albeit very pretty – woman living on his property.With battlelines drawn, city girl and cowboy go head to head …

The Wild Colonial Girl


Ann Clancy - 2012
    Feisty, spirited and independent, Irish orphan Kate arrives in the colony of South Australia determined to make a new life for herself. Wanting the security that only wealth can bring, with her derringer in her pocket she cracks the whip over the bullocks and sets off on a rugged outback track for the adventure of a lifetime. What she doesn't count on is love... In the bestselling tradition of Colleen McCullough and Nancy Cato, The Wild Colonial Girl introduces a captivating and unforgettable Australian heroine.

The Yalda Crossing


Noel Beddoe - 2012
    “Young James” Beckett believes he has put his past behind him, but when the enigmatic bushman Lancaster reappears in his life, he is forced to confront the haunting truth of his early years. In 1832, Young James and his father, the Captain, arrived in New South Wales and set out with a group of convicts and a guide, Lancaster, to claim property on the Morrombidgee River in Wiradjuri country. As land opened up for further settlement, more whites arrived and the delicate balance that was in place between the Beckett family and the Wiradjuri people was shattered. What happened next was so shocking that it has tormented Young James for life, and it is only his chance encounter with Lancaster decades later that provides the final clue to those terrible events. Based on Australia’s first contact history, this is a gripping adventure about the desperate battle for land and its dreadful consequences.

Francis Birtles


Warren Brown - 2012
    This story follows his exploits across scorching Arabic deserts, through steamy Indian jungles and mountain snowstorms.In between these journeys he made a collection of documentaries and films of his encounters with the outback. He documented his exploration of Australia in his book, BATTLEFRONTS OF OUTBACK. He eventually travelled to the Northern Territory in search of gold and retired a wealthy man.

Indigenous Australia for Dummies


Larissa Behrendt - 2012
    It explores Indigenous life in Australia before 1770, the impact of white settlement, the ongoing struggle by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to secure their human rights and equal treatment under the law, and much more.Celebrating the contributions of Indigenous people to contemporary Australian culture, the book explores Indigenous art, music, dance, literature, film, sport, and spirituality. It discusses the concept of modern Indigenous identity and examines the ongoing challenges facing Indigenous communities today, from health and housing to employment and education, land rights, and self-determination.Explores significant political moments-such as Paul Keating's Redfern Speech and Kevin Rudd's apology, and moreProfiles celebrated people and organisations in a variety of fields, from Cathy Freeman to Albert Namatjira to the Bangarra Dance Theatre and the National Aboriginal Radio ServiceChallenges common stereotypes about Indigenous people and discusses current debates, such as a land rights and inequalities in health and educationThis book will enlighten readers of all backgrounds about the history, struggles and triumphs of the diverse, proud, and fascinating peoples that make up Australia's Indigenous communities. With a foreword by former PM Malcolm Fraser, "Indigenous Australia For Dummies" is a must-read account of Australia's first people.'"Indigenous Australia For Dummies" is an important contribution to the broad debate and to a better understanding of our past history. Hopefully it will influence future events.'-Former Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser

The Unexpected Life of Carnegie Lane


Virginia Higgins - 2012
    She runs away from the comfort of her trendy Sydney suburb, dragging four reluctant children with her and heads for Bundaberg. All in the hope of disappearing completely. Instead of getting lost, she finds a talent she never knew she had, a Rock Star who loves her like she never believed possible and a journey to make her dreams come true that will take your breath away. “Suddenly and unexpectedly, Carnegie Lane, mother of four and idol to inanimate objects, found herself in the most unlikely place.”"Carnegie Lane is a book about a book, and a few 100 songs!"Maree Furniss - Publisher and editor!

A Sporting Chance: Hot Down Under


Rhyll Biest - 2012
    In the outback town of Mount Tully, many a man’s had to squeeze into a frock after backing the wrong derby cane toad on Australia Day.But Mount Tully’s surliest bartender, Jane Hood, has her steel-capped boots planted firmly on the ground, so there’s no way she’d risk her independence to accept a saucy bet from the sexy but bossy pub owner, Luka Belov … is there?

What Makes a Good School?


Chris Bonnor - 2012
    Drawing on the authors' experiences and knowledge—one as a school principal and both as parents and advocates—this account compares public, Catholic, private, selective, and comprehensive schools and examines how well each responds to the recurring crises in the lives of Australian children. Offering clear-eyed advice to policymakers as well as parents, this book argues that schools must be a good fit for the students, the parents, and for the nation.

What the Dead Said


D.J. Daniels - 2012
    Ghosts are everywhere and everyone can see them. Everyone, that is, except Sckel. Co-opted into the Apparitions Group, Sckel gropes his way through his early cases. He encounters underworld figures—both living and dead—befriends an eccentric inventor and his robot creation, and becomes entangled in the ghostly push to further open the gateway between the living and the dead. Part detective story, part urban fantasy, part science fiction, but mostly mystery, What the Dead Said depicts a future Sydney in which property prices are the least of anyone’s troubles.

Scarcely Relevant: Writings from The Scrivener’s Fancy


Tony Martin - 2012
    My best blatherings from The Scrivener’s Fancy are collected in a new ebook.Scarcely Relevant tries to answer these questions …Why did it take nine people to arrest me for fare evasion?Who is the world’s most up-himself novelist?Why was I accused of embezzling money from a soap opera star?What is the best piece of music to listen to in the car wash?Can a new chocolate bar really be called a ‘game-changer’?How did I break two ribs without realising?Why is Alvin Rides Again Australia’s most disturbing movie?Is it polite to mention someone’s new voice, post sex-change?Just how many Andre Rieu DVDs are there?How many times can you be mistaken for Andrew Denton in a week?all this, plus …The Dark Knight in Run For Your WifeHope & Crosby in Cormac McCarthy’s The RoadAnna Wintour edits Picture magazineThe future of cat videosand my salutes to …Laserdiscs, The Shining, (Bud) Tingwell, 3D, Withnail and I, Bill Hunter, DVD extras, Franklyn Ajaye and Stewart Lee, gentleman heroin dealers, William Castle and swearing.

My Droving Days: Life on the long paddock


Peter Moore - 2012
    In My Droving Days we follow his progress through the 1950s as he rubs shoulders with the larger-than-life characters - and their dogs and horses - who trekked along the outback stock routes of western Queensland and New South Wales.Meet the world's worst cattle dog and the station hand, Charlie, who blows an outside toilet (and its contents) sky high; thrill to the high drama of a night stampede; catch a poddy dodger in the act; get caught by a beast's horns; take on a brown snake while collecting wild duck eggs or shoot a few roos to feed the twenty-seven dogs on the team.My Droving Days captures the real taste of the outback and the vanishing world of the overlanders, bulldust and all.

Hippies in the City


Rita Balshaw - 2012
    Use this book to capture inspiration, set goals and enchance your wellbeingDescriptionThere is a difference between a good life and a great life. Hippies in the city is a book with a primary purpose that is to positively transform the lives of others. A super exciting and informative collection of insightful nutritional advice, recipes, lifestyle tips, skincare suggestions and much more. It has fundamentals on how to create change in your physical and emotional health. Overall Hippies in the city encompasses a holistic approach to living, yet still embraces all of its audiences with the intention to relate and speak out to those from all walks of life.Hippies in the city is a book that will supply its reader with a large amount of timeless health information, leaving you feeling excited about the wonderful world of clean living and natural therapies. You will discover ways to take your health and wellbeing into your own hands and basically learn how to feel and live better.

Lion Hearts: A Family Saga of Refugees and Asylum Seekers


Henry R. Lew - 2012
     Using his father’s clear and detailed accounts of his life in pre-war Poland, the Holocaust and his colourful life in Melbourne, as well as personal meetings and memories, the author assembles portraits of extraordinary people living through extraordinary events.

Cape Arid


Philippa Nikulinsky - 2012
    Highlighting the area’s biodiversity, this account also identifies and labels each depicted species.

Code Crimson


Petra James - 2012
    + 1 treasure hunter's helperp.p.s. ++ 1 treasure hunter's helper's super-snooper dogThe biggest treasure hunt in the world is about to beginEleven-year-old Arkie Sparkle's archaeologist parents have been kidnapped. With the help of her genius cousin TJ and basset hound Cleo, she must find seven treasures across the seven continents in seven days.DAY 1: Egypt A golden queen, a famous pharaoh, greedy explorers, a pair of pyramid pantsArkie Sparkle must find the first treasure in the temple of the famous Egyptian pharaoh, Ramses II. But first she has to find the temple, buried deep in the sands of the Sahara Desert.N.B. The Teachers' Notes supplied are for Books 1-7

Mountain Wolf


Rosanne Hawke - 2012
    He works hard to support his family and although only 15, he is looking forward to marriage to the girl his parents have chosen. This is the way life should be. Then the mountain is shaken by an earthquake and his whole family is killed. Alone and in shock, he is easy prey for a man who claims he will provide him free transport to the city to find his uncle. The transport is free all right, but instead of his uncle, a life of slavery is ahead. First he is sold to a man running a tea shop, but very quickly his good looks catch the eye of another adult and he is sold on and trained in the art of massage, and ‘whatever’.

Tony Speaks! The Wisdom of The Abbott


Russell Marks - 2012
    You've seen him wearing speedos, kissing babies, diving a mining truck and chatting to his flock.But who is the real Tony Abbott?In the grand tradition of Bushisms and The Wit of Whitlam, here are the sayings of Abbott, unvarnished and rich in revelation - the very best and worst of Australia's irrepressible mad monk.

Argentinian in the Outback / Cattle Rancher, Secret Son


Margaret Way - 2012
    The dark-eyed Argentinian unsettles the usually composed Ava.Varo can see the wariness in Ava's eyes, and something in him cries out to protect her, but life on the other side of the world will soon call him back.Varo has the power to make Ava whole once more—if only she'll let him in…

Sydney's Song


Ia Uaro - 2012
    Little does she know taking a holiday job in the beehive that is the Olympics' public-transport call centre will be life altering. Shaken by her parents’ divorce, the sheltered Aussie is further plagued by abusive callers, obnoxious government agencies, constrictive office rules, and liberated friends. She is trying to negotiate these challenges as her own personal Olympics when Pete finds her. Pete, Boston's former child prodigy whose soothing voice floats across her workstation, sees through Sydney's tough outer shell. Pete knows what it takes to present a dignified front when all you want to do is howl at the moon. Treating their friendship like an art, he invests time and creative effort to pull Sydney out of her despair. Tragedy strikes when an accident leaves Pete with a major brain injury in a Boston hospital. Their families think Sydney is too young to cope with all the complications, but she doesn't agree. After all that he has done for her, Sydney refuses to leave Pete with people who view him only as an endless chore. Deferring her university studies, alone in a foreign land facing new trials, Sydney stays at his side—even when he doesn't recognise her. Set in Sydney and Boston where heartbreaks are juxtaposed humour, SYDNEY'S SONG is a young girl's courageous journey to adulthood and a love story. A work of fiction based on real events, this novel with an Australian accent also shows the world that living with disabilities does not prevent a person from attaining happiness.

Farewell, Dear People: Biographies of Australia's Lost Generation


Ross McMullin - 2012
    

In Pursuit of Giants: One Man's Global Search for the Last of the Great Fish


Matt Rigney - 2012
    "In Pursuit of Giants" is an account of the high adventure of offshore sportfishing and a clarion call to preserve the last of the world's great fish. The story follows Rigney's global pilgrimage to encounter surviving populations of giant marlin, swordfish, and bluefin tuna hundreds of miles offshore New Zealand and Nova Scotia; in the sportfishing mecca of Cabo San Lucas; off Japan, South Australia, and the Great Barrier Reef; and in the Mediterranean. Rigney goes deep into the spiritual experience of the offshore world and introduces us to swordfish harpooners, sportfish captains, marine biologists, fish- farming pioneers, and Greenpeace activists. Rigney explores the crisis in fisheries management and considers what the loss of healthy, vibrant oceans means to us-to our health, our children's future, and our ability to experience the divine in nature. "In Pursuit of Giants" combines the romance of a great sport narrative with the passionate advocacy of the best environmental writing. It recalls the spiritual power of Peter Matthiessen's "The Snow Leopard" and will win comparisons to Mark Kurlansky's "Cod."

Marionette: A Biography of Miss Marion Davies


Jessica L. Wilkinson - 2012
    

Australian Backyard Naturalist


Peter Macinnis - 2012
    Provided by the author:Written to suit ages 10-14, or for younger readers with adults on hand, or curious older people, this is about simple methods for examining the wild things that are found in every garden, park, piece of rough ground, or even in or under a flower pot.There is reliable information on the different taxonomic groups and advice on how to catch and examine them, and how to keep them.As the title implies, the focus is on Australian life and conditions, but most of the methods are immediately applicable all over the globe.

Dogs in Australian Art: a new history of antipodean creativity


Steven Miller - 2012
    Dogs in Australian Art looks at Australian art through the lens of dog painting, showcasing over 150 masterworks that illustrate the deep bond between Australians and their best friends.

47 Percent: Uncovering the Romney Video That Rocked the 2012 Election


David Corn - 2012
    In 47 Percent, Corn recounts how the 47 percent video fit into the ongoing narrative of the 2012 election and greatly changed the course of the campaign. This instant, on-the-news book also features an astute review of the first debate between President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney and assesses the strengths and weaknesses of each candidate as they head into the final stretch of this historical election.

Our Voices: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Work


Bindi Bennett - 2012
    

The Stories That Changed Australia: 50 Years of Four Corners


Sally Neighbour - 2012
    In the fifty years it's been on air, Four Corners has broken more stories, triggered more headlines, generated more controversy and aired more high quality investigative journalism than any other program in Australia. In today's world of 24-hour news cycles it is an anachronism, "a television miracle" as Kerry O'Brien puts it in his introduction to this book. But when it first went to air, no-one expected it to last. Now to mark its 50th anniversary, many of the program's most renowned journalists and producers look back on their biggest stories - from war, famines, and terrorism to indigenous rights, reproductive rights, and corruption in all corners of the globe. they take readers through the dramas and intrigue involved in bringing stories which anger people in high places to air. they tell what happened away from the cameras as well as on, share moments of humour and pathos and reflect on the vital role played by the ABC's flagship news program.

It’s Blue with Five Petals


Ann Prescott - 2012
    Find the right colour section2. Locate the flower shape3. Match the illustration to the flower features.4. Match the flower name and numberThis book is for everyone who likes wildflowers and the Australian bush.

The Nek


Peter Burness - 2012
    The charge at The Nek has been immortalised in art, literature and film and has come to epitomise both the futility and courage of the Gallipoli campaign. In this classic book, Peter Burness provides the best account ever published of the formation and training of the Light Horse regiments (including profiles of the officers involved), the battle itself and a careful consideration of how the suicidal charges were allowed to continue when any hope of success was lost. For this new edition, the author has updated the text to include new information that has come to light since the book was first published in 1996, and he has also provided new maps and photographs

Don't Go Back to Where You Came From


Tim Soutphommasane - 2012
    Arguing against European governments that declare multiculturalism a failure, it asserts that multicultural Australia has been a national success story. Creating a solid case for why multiculturalism works, it argues against those who believe a multicultural approach to integration and diversity is detrimental to society. This is a celebration of Australia’s cultural diversity.

The Land's Meaning: New selected poems


Randolph Stow - 2012
    Including previously uncollected pieces, the volume’s wide ranging introduction provides a rich context for the work of this extraordinary and important poet in the most comprehensive collection of Stow’s work to date.‘Randolph Stow’s slim body of poetry weighs more than most oeuvres many times its size. It has few equals anywhere in the world. Groundbreaking, historic and essential, it is haunting, lyrical, mythical, spiritual and anchored in place.’John Kinsella

May Gibbs: More Than a Fairy Tale


Robert Holden - 2012
    May Gibbs became one of Australia's most well-known and loved illustrators. Her gumnut babies have been adored by generations of children. For the first time her early life and artistic career are explored in detail. She traveled to England in a quest to develop as an artist and became an early supporter of the suffragettes. Her early paintings of wildflowers led her to discover the limitations of being a woman artist and she discovered that working hard to develop a sustaining commercial career in art was not going to be easy. One of the few women to become a commercial success, she did so by turning to fantasy and children's illustration. This is a fascinating illustrated biography of a talented artist, complete with beautiful reproductions of May Gibbs' work throughout.

Rawshock


Toby Fitch - 2012
    Old modes of expression - such as the mythic, the romantic, the symbolic and the surreal - are revived and reshaped in poems that mythologies love, anxiety, the self and city living, dovetailing inner and outer worlds with a healthy antipodean dose of absinthe and concrete poetry."Toby Fitch's title sequence from Rawshock opens onto hell - and onto a Eurydice who seems more knowing than she used to, whose eyes tell of gay abandon as well as the old emptying pain. These poems are a fresh, vivid working-through of the myth - a myth that keeps reminding us there's nothing new under the sun, except when poets strike indelible lines from newly minted words charged with the currents of daily usage. The tone is dark, not bitter; the language maps the landscape of an electrified underground: there is music here, but no birds sing in the trees. The artwork is as skilful as the fine handling of the lines, making poetry anew." - Robert Adamson"Apollinaire of Avalon, Lorca of the Inner West - no such comparison, close as it comes, quite does this collection justice. This is simply one of the freshest and most promising new voices we've heard in Australia in years, undiluted, intense, Orphic, daring, with surprise in almost every line, word-play reminiscent of Mallarme - and (at last!) an exciting, uninhibited use of the page. Surely one of the poetry books of the year." - David Brooks

Michael Kirby, Law, Love and Life


Daryl Dellora - 2012
    A person of strong views working in a world governed by objectivity, he has had to balance the potent, sometimes contradictory impulses of passion and duty, honesty and discretion, advocacy and neutrality. He had to hide his real self from the world for decades, while being the public voice of countless human-rights and legal issues. And his thirty-five years as a federal judge afforded him tremendous authority and power, but often demanded silence and impartiality on matters closest to his heart. This intimate biography takes us behind the bench to explore the personal, moral and spiritual convictions of one of our most beloved and brilliant citizens, a man who made the law accessible, humane and interesting, a man who was never blown along by the prevailing political winds. It draws on a wealth of previously unavailable letters and papers, as well as interviews with Kirby, his family, friends and – for the first time – Johan van Vloten, his partner of more than forty years. Michael Kirby: Law, Love & Life looks back on a controversial career of dedication and success, and a private life of great love, secrecy and, finally, openness.

Ghost Dreaming


Leanne Hanson - 2012
    Its roots are deep, its poems not beneath our notice. They speak to our common humanity. They do not die alone; instead, they blossom. GHOST DREAMING is earthy, original and beats with an Australian heart that's as white as ghost gum dreaming. Leanne Hanson's work is rooted deep in Australian bedrock. But she does not fear to use her words as rafts to move to other places and times, taking you on a beautiful journey to fresh new and original poetry with a distinctive voice.

Hoffman's Creeper and Other Disturbing Tales


Cameron Trost - 2012
    A group of unpopular teenage girls uses witchcraft to pursue their aims. A rich banking tycoon has forgotten his university days when he and his friends dared to imagine a world ruled by social justice and working class ideals. The estranged family of a deceased aristocrat bicker over their inheritance. A botanist’s love for his plants is unnaturally deep-rooted.“Hoffman’s Creeper and Other Disturbing Tales” is the first short story collection from Cameron Trost. It plunges the reader into a world of mystery, suspense, obsession and greed. From the Scottish highlands and the jagged peaks of the Pyrénées to the streets of Brisbane and the Australian countryside, Cameron Trost provokes the reader by ensnaring recognisable characters in disturbingly plausible situations. His writing seeks to entertain while exploring the absurdities and peculiarities of society and the human mind.

The Sex Lives of Australians: A History


Frank Bongiorno - 2012
    He shows how an overwhelmingly male penal colony gave rise to a rough and ready culture: the scarcity of women made for strange bedfellows, and the female minority was both powerful and vulnerable. Then came the Victorian era, in which fears of sodomy helped bring an end to the transportation of convicts. The twentieth century saw the rise of the sex expert. Tracing the story up to the present, Bongiorno shows how the quest for respectability always has another side to it, and how the contraceptive pill changed so much. Along the way he raises some intriguing questions - What did it mean to be a 'mate'? How did modern warfare affect soldiers' attitudes to sex? Why did the law ignore lesbianism for so long? - and introduces some remarkable characters, both reformers and radicals. This is a thought-provoking story of sex in Australia. With a foreword by Michael Kirby, AC CMG. 'Remarkable and highly readable' - Michael Kirby 'A great book, a compound of wit and tragedy, as you'd expect from the subject matter, plus wide learning and common sense.' - Alan Atkinson, author of The Europeans in Australia 'An engaging book...both educational and entertaining' - The Daily Telegraph 'A fascinating tale' - The Sydney Morning Herald '[A] highly readable, serious history about our most intimate yet most culturally sensitive selves' - The Canberra Times 'Engaging, open-minded and humorous' - Bookseller+Publisher Magazine

A History of Books


Gerald Murnane - 2012
    The memory of the books themselves might have faded, but the images remain in their clarity and import – scenes of discord and madness, a stern-faced man, a young woman on a swing, a glass of beer and rays of sunlight, mountain and woodland and horizon – images which together embody the anxieties and aspirations of a writing life, and its indebtedness to what has been written and read. ‘A History of Books’ is accompanied by three shorter works, ‘As It Were a Letter’, ‘The Boy’s Name was David’ and ‘Last Letter to a Niece’, in which a writer searches for an ideal world, an ideal sentence, and an ideal reader.

Reminiscences of Queensland 1862-1869


W.H. (William Henry) Corfield - 2012
    You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.

Australian Lithuanians


Luda Popenhagen - 2012
    In the 1940s, Australian officials searched war-ravaged Europe to select able-bodied, hardworking Lithuanian, Latvian, and Estonian refugees fleeing the Soviet regime to launch the Mass Migration Scheme. Examining how the Lithuanians integrated into mainstream life while leading a parallel existence in which they spoke their native language, celebrated their culture, and kept up with political developments in their homeland, this book demonstrates how they became a productive and thriving force within the greater Australian community.

Terra Australis: Dawn of a New Era


Rodney Christensen - 2012
    It is a prophecy reflecting end-time plans for a chosen nation, Australia.It will take you on an intergalactic adventure of heavenly proportions, filled with angels and supernatural beings. The novel weaves a significant tapestry of heaven’s plans and purposes for the coming days. Readers have said, ‘I think this book is totally remarkable. It is a prophetic novel that depicts what is coming to the Great Southland of the Holy Spirit and it will take your breath away!’I believe that this book will become in the days ahead, a must-read for every Australian believer.

Best Forgotten


Kathryn White - 2012
    A young woman wakes in hospital, unable to recall the past eighteen months. Once an awkward, introverted teenager battling Anorexia Nervosa, Kellie-Sue discovers that she has blossomed into a beautiful woman with a loving husband. But what secrets are lurking beneath the surface? Why is Kellie-Sue haunted with memories of the bruised and bloody of her abusive ex-boyfriend lying on the kitchen floor? Is Kellie-Sue capable of murder? Or is the truth best forgotten ...

The Censor's Library: Uncovering the Lost History of Australia's Banned Books


Nicole Moore - 2012
    Built and maintained to ensure the books it held were not read—from the Kama Sutra to Lawrence’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover and Joyce’s Ulysses—the censor’s library was kept to negate the function of libraries: 793 boxes kept safe and intact for six decades. Through courtroom dramas and internecine bureaucracy, stolen libraries and police raids, authorial scandals and moral panics, this is a provocative account on a subject that continues to attract heated debate.