Prochownik's Dream


Alex Miller - 2005
    Since the death of his father, Moniek Prochownik, four years earlier, Toni has been at a creative standstill - until Marina Golding, the wife of his former teacher and mentor, Robert Schwartz, contacts him, and everything changes. Toni finds in Marina the perfect companion of his life in art and his creative energies are re-awakened.But Toni's newfound inspiration and artistic energy come at the direct expense of his relationship with his wife and daughter. The more dependent for his art he becomes on Marina, the more potentially destructive become the tensions between himself and his wife, Teresa. Toni's dilemma is how to reconcile the transgressive nature of his imaginative life with the daily life of his family, who he loves. Robert Schwartz's dying father, Theo, warns him not to confuse art with life. But by what means is he to achieve such clear-sightedness?Immensely satisfying, Prochownik's Dream is a work of great subtlety, strength and intellect. Its examination of the artist at work is complex and completely absorbing. But at its heart, very simply, it is a book about love.

Bluebird


Malcolm Knox - 2020
    Prime real estate, yet somehow not real estate at all, The Lodge is, like those who live in it, falling apart.Gordon Grimes has become the accidental keeper of this last relic of an endangered world. He lives in The Lodge with his wife Kelly who is trying to leave him, their son Ben who will do anything to save him, his goddaughter Lou who is hiding from her own troubles, and Leonie, the family matriarch who has trapped them here for their own good.But Gordon has no money and is running out of time to conserve his homeland. His love for this way of life will drive him, and everyone around him, to increasingly desperate risks. In the end, what will it cost them to hang onto their past?Acclaimed writer Malcolm Knox has written a classic Australian novel about the myths that come to define families and communities, and the lies that uphold them. It's about a certain kind of Australia that we all recognise, and a certain kind of Australian whose currency is running out. Change is coming to Bluebird, whether they like it or not. And the secrets they've been keeping and the lies they've been telling can't save them now.Savage, funny, revelatory and brilliant, Bluebird exposes the hollowness of the stories told to glorify a dying culture and shows how those who seek to preserve these myths end up being crushed by them.

The Beautiful Words


Vanessa McCausland - 2021
    what happened at the lighthouse?The stunning, haunting new novel from the author of The Lost Summers of Driftwood.Sylvie is a lover of words and a collector of stories, only she has lost her own. She has no words for that night at the lighthouse when their lives changed forever. What happened to cleave her apart from her best friend and soulmate, Kase?Sylvie yearns to rekindle their deep connection, so when Kase invites her to the wild Tasmanian coast to celebrate her 40th birthday, she accepts - despite the ghosts she must face.As Sylvie struggles to find her feet among old friends, she bonds with local taxi boat driver Holden. But he is hiding from the world, too.Through an inscription in an old book, Sylvie and Kase discover their mothers have a history, hidden from their daughters. As they unpick what took place before they were born, they're forced to face the cracks in their own friendship, and the question of whether it's ever okay to keep a secret to protect the person you love.Vanessa McCausland's enthralling new novel is about betrayal and forgiveness, the stories we tell, and the healing power of words.

Goop Clean Beauty


The Editors of GOOP - 2016
    From nontoxic product recommendations, red carpet- (and everyday-) ready hair and makeup tutorials, to guidance on aging, acne, and antioxidants, GOOP has become the go-to resource for head-to-toe beauty.Finally, the editors of GOOP have shared their top tips and recommendations, favorite detox recipes, workout plans, and hair and makeup looks in one must-have guide. Featuring more than 100 gorgeous photos and extensive Q&As from GOOP's family of expert contributors, GOOP CLEAN BEAUTY will shed a definitive light on the importance of diet, sleep, exercise, and clean beauty products, while offering tactical advice for healthy, glowing skin and hair that starts from the inside out. The first book from the top name in clean-living, GOOP CLEAN BEAUTY is the one resource women need to feel, and look, their best every day.

Simple Decorating: 50 Ways to Inspire Your Home


Melissa Michaels - 2017
    Spark your makeover momentum with 50 no-fuss tips and discover how toget unstuck by embracing a style that is your very owntransform your spaces with simple color, window treatments, and furniture choiceslayer in personality and warmth with texture and patternsturn hard-to-love areas into favorite destinations with creative concealmentshighlight your family's story and lifestyle with accessoriesWhether you start with one tip or take these on as a challenge for the month, it's never been more fun (or possible) to create a home you can't wait to come home to. The Inspired Ideas collection is a series of books with easy tips and fun photos to inspire the areas of your life that matter most to you.

Style A to Zoe: The Art of Fashion, Beauty, & Everything Glamour


Rachel Zoe - 2007
    With an eye toward living the luxe life, even if it's on a dime, Zoe zeroes in on the must-have accessories and wardrobe staples for all occasions, when to splurge and save on handbags and heels, how to decorate, entertain, and travel in style.From award shows to advertising campaigns, Zoe is the go-to force among A-list actresses, fashion houses, beauty firms, and magazine editors. Now she offers full access to the style secrets that skyrocketed her famous clients to the top of best-dressed lists worldwide. With the help of some of fashion's biggest names-including Michael Kors, Donatella Versace, and Diane von Furstenberg-Zoe shares her invaluable insights on:*Mastering red carpet moments in your own life *Developing a style for work or play that's unstudied and glamorous *Personalizing your own modern look by referencing your favorite style icons and vintage clothes *The importance of the "wow" piece-and how to choose one right for you *Throwing a chic dinner party and creating a luxuriously cozy living space *Packing and traveling like a jet-setter *Enjoying every day, living it up in style.

Creative Walls: How to display and enjoy your treasured collections


Geraldine James - 2011
    In this inspirational guide, Geraldine James, veteran collector of all things beautiful, shows you ways to organize and display your treasured collections to celebrate their uniqueness and your creativity. Collections of quirky items can illuminate a little corner, whereas a teenager’s bedroom will transform instantly when hoarded sports memorabilia makes the leap from the floor to the wall in a bold, clever arrangement. Look for unusual spaces and items: line up a series of themed prints above a picture rail, set heaps of floral china plates in grand style above the fireplace or simply add a mirror into a display to instantly create another in its image. Chapter by chapter, discover how to arrange virtually anything from scratch, rearrange the collections you treasure to best effect and begin a journey into colour, texture and themes to create elegant displays that give a home character and charm. From a memory wall of sepia family photographs to witty collections of kitsch art, this clever guide shows how to create a look that will bring any space to life.

The Vertue Method: A stronger, fitter, healthier you – in 28 days


Shona Vertue - 2019
    Working with her made my aches and pains after playing disappear. She is the best.' - David BeckhamRevolutionise the way you approach fitness with yoga expert and celebrity trainer Shona Vertue - in just 28 days!Are you someone who has tried every fitness class out there, but nothing has ever really stuck?Or perhaps you can run a 10k but can barely touch your toes?Heard lifting weights is good, but feel lost in the gym?Keen to calm your racing mind and get the focus you need to train?Shona Vertue's 28-day reset plan will revolutionise the way you approach fitness. Her groundbreaking three-in-one method features a blend of resistance training with weights to build strength, yoga to aid flexibility and lengthen muscles, and a positive, mindful approach to exercise, combined with delicious, nourishing recipes. Get in the best shape of your life, both physically and mentally, and feel stronger, healthier and more flexible - in just 28 days.Features photos of every exercise, complete with food plan and nutritious, energising recipes.

The Mary Smokes Boys


Patrick Holland - 2010
    Grey prays that his mother will be returned to him in some form, so he might protect her from the world as his father did not. This prayer, Grey believes is answered in his sister Irene. He becomes obsessed with protecting her purity and innocence.Also with his mother gone and his father turned to drink, Grey begins running with the wild boys, horse-handlers and fox hunters and part-time timber workers - members of a small, vanishing tribe who find themselves caught between an old relationship with place and a new one that is exemplified by the highway that threatens their town. A rash gamble by Grey and Irene's broken father means he and the Mary Smokes boys must steal horses to ensure Irene's safety. The consequences seem set to fall on Greys' closest friend, Ook' Eccleston. As Grey's, Eccleston's and Irene's lives are put at stake his allegiances falter and the world of Mary Smokes slips into a heightened state of darkness and threat.With the passion of Emily Bronte in Wuthering Heights and the distilled beauty of Ondaatje Patrick Holland captures the fragility and grace of small town life and how one fateful moment can forever alter the course of our lives.

This is How We Change the Ending


Vikki Wakefield - 2019
    Worries I’ve never shared. Thoughts that circle and collide and die screaming because they never make it outside my head. Stuff like that, if you let it go—it’s a survival risk.Sixteen-year-old Nate McKee is doing his best to be invisible. He’s worried about a lot of things—how his dad treats Nance and his twin half-brothers; the hydro crop in his bedroom; his reckless friend, Merrick.Nate hangs out at the local youth centre and fills his notebooks with things he can’t say. But when some of his pages are stolen, and his words are graffitied at the centre, Nate realises he has allies. He might be able to make a difference, change his life, and claim his future. Or can he?This Is How We Change the Ending is raw and real, funny and heartbreaking—a story about what it takes to fight back when you’re not a hero.

Martha's Entertaining: A Year of Celebrations


Martha Stewart - 2011
    Whether a simple blueberry breakfast on a Sunday morning in Maine or a more lavish holiday dinner at Bedford, each of the gatherings is equally memorable, for what Martha cherishes above all is spending time and sharing delicious food with her family and friends.  “A meal of substantial finger foods with ingenious cocktails, a sit-down formal dinner, a buffet supper, or something more relaxed such as a backyard barbecue—each is a welcome and inviting way to entertain,” writes Martha. Featuring elegant and casual affairs held throughout the year and a diverse collection of enticing recipes, Martha’s Entertaining shows us—in the broadest and most lovely fashion—what it really means to entertain and host today. From an afternoon Easter egg hunt for children to a festive Halloween dinner held inside her horse stable; from a sophisticated cocktail party on a friend’s yacht in New York Harbor to a spring garden fête amid the most glorious beds of peonies, Martha’s parties offer a glimpse inside her beautiful homes. Each is unforgettable and endlessly inspiring.  All of the events feature menus and stories for dreaming and planning, as well as delicious yet approachable recipes: Tomato and Gruyère Toasts, Mini Crab Cakes with Tarragon Tartar Sauce, Tiny Tuna Burgers, Leek and Porcini Risotto, Wild-Mushroom Lasagna, Braised Short Ribs, Roast Turkey Breast with Sage Butter, Rhubarb Crumbles, Blueberry Jam Tartlets, and Chocolate Honey Ice Cream with Butterscotch Sauce, plus some of Martha’s favorite drinks, including Pomegranate Cosmopolitans and Honeydew Mojitos. Mix and match the recipes to create your own distinctive occasion.  Set among Martha’s dining rooms, kitchens, gardens, and patios, this is her most intimate book yet, a new classic for hosts and home cooks of every generation.

The New Fashion Rules


Victoria Magrath - 2018
    Here you can discover all the insider secrets from superblogger Victoria Magrath so you can get one leap ahead of the fashion world. Find inspiration from the new diversity movement which embraces all shapes and sizes, relive the moment Cara Delevingne recorded a selfie on the catwalk and discover how internet sensations like Instagram and ASOS are changing the landscape of fashion permanently.These are the new rules of fashion. Follow these rules and cultivate your own identity so that no one decides what you wear but you.

Carry a Big Stick


Tim Ferguson - 2013
    Along with Paul McDermott and Richard Fidler he was part of the edgy, provocative and very funny Doug Anthony All Stars (DAAS). In 1994 they were at the height of their powers, performing in a season at the Criterion Theatre on Piccadilly Circus. The three mates, who began busking on the streets of Canberra a decade earlier, had achieved their ambition to become the self-styled rock stars of comedy.Then, all of a sudden, he woke up one morning and his whole left side wouldn't work. He'd had a lurking suspicion that something was wrong and after more episodes he went to a doctor thinking he'd be told to change his diet and get more sleep. It wasn't so simple. An eventual diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) meant an end to the frenetic, high-energy life he was living.Carry a Big Stick is a chance for Tim to tell his story. He wants to make people laugh but also give inspiration to all the people doing it hard. A lot of people keep MS to themselves because it's invisible. In Tim's case, he has the stick. 'It's such a visible sign that something's happened; it's just easier if people know.'Carry a Big Stick meanders through Tim's life, and explains how the boy who went to nine schools in 13 years got used to saying, 'Hi, I'm the new kid'. It will detail his ambitions to become an actor and how the Doug Anthony Allstars were born and went on to become what Rolling Stone called 'The 3 amigos from hell'. Diagnosis changed a lot of things but Tim s quick wit and sense of humour weren t affected. This inspiring memoir shows us that you can laugh in the face of adversity.

The Hands-On Home: A Seasonal Guide to Cooking, Preserving & Natural Homekeeping


Erica Strauss - 2015
    A fresh take on modern homemaking, this is a practical (and sometimes sassy) guide to maximizing your time, effort, and energy in the kitchen and beyond. With a focus on less consumerism, it will teach you how to organize your kitchen and home to make the best use of your time. For those yearning to live a more ecologically minded, grounded lifestyle, this book is full of practical, no-nonsense advice, fabulous recipes, and time- and money-saving techniques.

Lunch with the Generals


Derek Hansen - 1993
    But as the Argentinian′s tale nears its startling conclusion, his audience is struck with horror at the possibility that Ramon′s clever invention is nothing more than the cunningly disguised chronicle of his own shadowy past.Is Ramon a gifted artist of the imagination or the perpetrator of a terrible act of revenge that defies all forgiveness?