He is an Australian engineer living in Paris, in Italy for a round of meetings; she is a translator, normally resident in Turin. The food and wine are delicious, the spring evening wonderful, and as perhaps can only happen between perfect strangers aware that they will never meet again, the conversation becomes intimate and intense, full of thoughts and stories, risk, speculation and wonder. She has questions of a kind she can ask of no one else. He finds, as the wine flows, delicious dishes come and go, and the velvet night deepens, that he doesn’t have as many answers as he might have thought he had. As the conversation unfolds, the reader is treated to Brooks’ effortless reflections on culture, philosophy, language, history, art, desire and, most importantly, love. Not to mention his evocative and mouth-watering descriptions of Italian food!Together, Brooks’ whimsy, the romantic exotica of the Italian setting and the protagonists’ intimate stories and confessions make for a wonderfully entertaining read that effortlessly balances substance with style.‘The idea of the novel had me salivating long before I held the pages in my hand … This is a book for lovers of ideas, of good conversation, of impossible loves — and for those intellectuals who enjoy having heated arguments in cafes.’ Bookseller + Publisher

    Yet something is not quite right, and it started with a dream that smelt of luncheon meat.Peter is successful at what he does, even though he is not sure what that is anymore. When Titan Development contracts him to go to Queensland to assess a prime piece of real estate on the Pickersgill Peninsula Showgrounds he jumps at the chance. It will give him time out from having to be with the family he loves. And it will take him back to the home where he grew up; to his parents, who are members of the Show society, his twin sister Pearl, a bingo caller and foster mother, and his brother Gary, the TV weatherman.Over these few days, he will come to realize that sometimes when you go back to where you came from you find out how much you actually have, and how much you could lose.All he has to do is make his mind up, and listen to the advice that he is given by, of all people, the King of Hot Dogs.But will he?

    His life changes when he meets a stranger one fateful night and is enamoured by her.ANAMIKA is a mystery, who is searching for herself. She tells Kabir her story, but on the condition that they would never meet again. The night ends, but their story has just begun!Their paths cross again, but Anamika disappears. With no clue about where she is, Kabir is lost and disheartened.To what extent will Kabir go to find Anamika? What is Anamika hiding from him? Will they meet again?Read this electrifying tale of destiny, love and courage to know more about The Girl I Met that Night.

    Neale McShane The Birdsville police posting is one of the most remote in Australia. It can be extremely lonely and incredibly busy at the same time. Nothing might happen for weeks or months, then problems come crawling out of the woodwork.There aren't many who can handle the job for long - unless you're Senior Constable Neale McShane, who has single-handedly taken care of this beat the size of the UK for the past ten years. Recently retired from this 'hardship posting', Neale now has a stock of stories and adventures from his life and colourful times living with his family in Birdsville.In recounting these tales to his good friend and bestselling author Evan McHugh, Neale delights us with yarns that could only come from the furthest corner of our country. Here are stories of desert dangers, dead bodies, droughts and floods, drinkers and dreamers - and, of course the infamous Birdsville Races, when the town's population swells from 50 to 500.So if Birdsville has remained just a little too far off the beaten track for you, sit back and let Birdsville come to you.

    So soon Chris finds herself in the country. Where the neighbours have deep secrets, her teenage daughter is bent on world domination, the bookkeeper is bent on revenge, and the alpaca is psychotic. By flying the coop she may have put all her eggs in one basket. And they’re each about to hatch.

    Her boyfriend can’t even commit to living in the same country, her promised promotion is dead on arrival and the simultaneous loss of her brother and her dream of being a concert violinist has kept her playing life safe and predictable for six years. Things need to change. A moment of temporary insanity finds her leaving her life in Chicago to move to Sydney, Australia. There she finds herself, against many of her convictions, as a logistics planner for one of Australia’s biggest churches, and on a collision course with her boss’s son.Josh Tyler fronts a top-selling worship band and is in demand all over the world. But his past failed romantic relationships almost destroyed both his reputation and his family. He's determined to never risk it happening again. The last thing he needs is some American girl tipping his ordered life upside down. Especially one who despises everything he’s ever worked for and manages to push every button he has.When Josh and Paige are thrown together to organize his band’s next tour, the sparks fly. But can they find a way to bridge the differences that pull them apart? Or will they choose the safety and security of what they know over taking a chance on something that will require them to risk everything?

    A schoolteacher in Sydney, Anna juggles her busy life with a daughter in the throes of first love and increasingly demanding aging parents.When Anna’s husband of twenty-five years leaves her, on Christmas morning, without warning or explanation, her safe and secure world collapses. Marcus King returns to Australia from the USA, leaving behind a broken marriage and a young son. When he takes up the position of Headmaster at Anna’s school, they form a fragile friendship through their mutual hurt and loneliness. Can Anna leave the past behind and make a new life for herself, and does Marcus have a part to play in her future?

    The resonance of this image grows through each section of the book as Hahn skillfully employs theme and variation, counterpoint and mirroring techniques. The ibis first appears as part of an illusion, the disappearing object in a magician’s trick, which then evokes the greatest disappearing act of all—death—where there are no tricks to bring about a reappearance. The rich complexity multiplies as the second section focuses on a disappearing lady and a dramatic final section brings together the bird and the lady in their common plight—both caged by their mortality, their assigned time and role.  All of the illusions fall away during this brilliant denouement as the two voices share a dialogue on the power of metaphor as the very essence of poetry. bird trick iv It’s all about disappearance. About a bird in a cagewith a mirror, a simple twiston the handle at the sidethat makes it come and go at the magician’s insistence. It’s all about innocence.It’s all about acceptance.It’s all about compliance.It’s all about deference.It’s all about silence. It’s all about disappearance.

    His sociopathic tendencies coupled with his political views make him a very dangerous man indeed. Farzad wants the world to sit up and take notice of him and randomly selects six bystanders to hold hostage at a city restaurant.JACOB BROWN is a fitness fanatic who finds himself at the centre of a bizarre situation when he arrives at his favourite restaurant to pick up a takeaway for dinner.JAGRITI GOSHAL is a young unassuming Indian waitress working at Alessandro’s Cucina.REGINA TERRY is a fearless Afro-American woman in Australia on a business visa who unexpectedly finds herself embroiled in a crazy siege with a madman.LEVI HAINES and BILL WALKER are colleagues having a business dinner at the restaurant. Bill is Levi’s sleazy boss with unethical intentions and Levi is dining with him against her will.PAUL TOWNSEND is a local electrician who happens to drop off a quote at Alessandro’s Cucina at the same time Farzad descends on the restaurant to begin taking hostages.Follow the roller coaster ride of emotions as these strangers find themselves embroiled in a terrifying siege orchestrated by a madman. The authorities scramble to put together a definitive plan of action to contain the situation quickly. But not everyone will come out alive ...

    Fortunate’?Or will you keep blaming your insecurities & failures and choose to be a fiasco?"A sweet couple, Manbir & Nivia, were living with their toddler, Ruhi. They stayed farther from their respective families, cursed by both their parents for having an inter-caste marriage. Manbir was a robotics engineer and while working hard on his dream project to make India’s first AI robot, he failed in his family responsibilities, which was followed by his wife, Nivia’s demise. And when all options were lost, Manbir had to struggle to look after his daughter Ruhi, while continuing to work on his company projects.Will he ever be able to be a great father for his motherless child? Will he ever be able to make India’s first AI robot? And how will he find a way to look after his child during his office hours? To know more, read ‘FARTHER - A Fabulous Tale of a Troubled Father.’

    A one-night stand with Natasha Peters has got her pregnant. Now he has two options: give up on his dream as a comedian and get a day job or abandon his responsibility and be a total dick. Only when Tash tells the full truth does a third possibility emerge...This story recounts the all too relatable experience of a fleeting sexual encounter and the hilarious mess it can create. It details all the things you think you know about safe sex and is inspired by the true story of a comedian in crisis.'The honesty shines through this funny, poignant page-turner. Finished it in one sitting. I just had to know!' — Dave Hughes'Simon is one of the top comedy writers out there.' — Jay Leno'This book will enable you to enter the mind of a comedian, but then you may have to call someone to help you get out.' — Akmal Saleh

    These are tales of love, secrets, doubt and torment, the everyday and the extraordinary. A sleepy town is gripped by delusory grief after the movie being filmed there wraps and leaves. A lingering heartbreak is replayed on Facebook. An ordinary family walks a shaky line between hopelessness and redemption. Brilliant, shocking and profound, these tales will leave you reeling in ways that only a great short story can. Kate Grenville * Mandy Sayer * Penni Russon * Favel Parrett * Tegan Bennett Daylight * Sonya Hartnett * Isabelle Li * Gillian Essex * Brenda Walker * Gillian Mears * Fiona MacFarlane * Joan London * Karen Hitchcock * Charlotte Wood * Tara June Winch * Cate Kennedy * Alice Pung * Anna Krien * Delia Falconer * Rebekah Clarkson

    He understands his desperate plight and the ocean's unrelenting power. But what is its true colour?A beguiling young woman nurses a baby by a lake while hiding brutal scars. Uneasy descendants of a cannibal victim visit the Pacific island of their ancestor's murder. A Caribbean cruise of elderly tourists faces life with wicked optimism.Witty, clever, ever touching and always inventive, the eleven stories in The True Colour of the Sea take us to many varied coasts: whether a tense Christmas holiday apartment overlooking the Indian Ocean or the shabby glamour of a Cuban resort hotel. Relationships might be frayed, savaged, regretted or celebrated, but here there is always the life-force of the ocean - seducing, threatening, inspiring.In The True Colour of the Sea, Robert Drewe - Australia's master of the short story form - makes a gift of stories that tackle the big themes of life: love, loss, desire, family, ageing, humanity and the life of art.

    Her life once revolved around her brother who later became a memory of the past. With a dysfunctional family and grieving the loss of her brother, Malvika decides to begin a new chapter in life by stepping into the gates of college, not knowing what fate awaits her. One glance at Rahul on the first day and she feels something mysterious. The smart and confident Rahul looks at her and it appears to him like they are soulmates, waiting to have their lives entangled in unconditional love.

    A woman grapples with survivor’s guilt after a body is found in her garden bed; an ageing beauty queen contemplates her past; a world champion free-diver disappears during routine training...In moments disquieting or quietly inspiring, this collection considers the complexity of the connections we make—with our family, friends and neighbours, and with those met briefly or never at all.In her timely debut, Emily Paull voices a chorus of characters that reveal and re-evaluate the expectations of women in Australia today—after all, well-behaved women rarely make history.