AustLit

'"Can you believe it Sabina? Here I am in Vienna, sitting at a table in a café where Freud once sat (you would love that) – pondering and musing on the human psyche. Imagine it Sabeen – soaking in all this history."

'"About Love" is the story of two sisters trying to live their lives to the fullest. Vanessa and Sabina are searching for purpose and meaning. With the spectre of death hovering in the distance as they enter their twilight years, they are striving to leave the wounds of the past behind. Their journeys touch upon universal themes of life, love and belonging.

'Betrayed and battered, Vanessa leaves Germany and travels to Italy to revive and recapture her damaged spirit. She hopes the Land of Love will do just that. The sisters correspond and reminisce as they each struggle to find personal happiness whilst offering emotional support to each other.

'"About Love" is the journey of two women seeking answers to the meaning of life in all of the roles that women play: daughter, friend, sister, mother and lover.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'If you've ever been involved in network marketing, either as a distributor or a customer, cafe will have you nodding and laughing out loud. And if you haven't, you'll still laugh too much to risk reading cafe in a public place.

'cafe is told by Ed Sharock, a burnt-out advertising copywriter who will lose his job unless he comes up with a winning brand for an American pet-food company. Although Ed is elated when he hits the jackpot, he is dismayed to find that the miraculous products are sold only through network marketing, which he detests. But the attraction of huge incomes and the magnetism of Nat Cohen, a leading member of the network, suck Ed and his friend Sid Willis into giving it a try. Ed struggles through prospecting his warm circle until he hits the brick wall of the cold call. Does he find a way over the wall or turn and run?

'Ed lets us into his quirky and highly inventive mind as he grapples with handling rejection, sexual preferences, loyalty and, finally, the demands of his conscience.

'While cafe hilariously sends up network marketing, there are also truths for those contemplating it.

'When your friend calls to invite you to a mysterious business meeting, insist that s/he first read cafe.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Choices: what is the price of love; what is the worth of independence? How does a young woman fulfil her destiny as a woman and an artist?

'How does a young man overcome traumatic childhood experiences to thrive as an adult, to become self-confident, independent and successful?

'These are the questions Irina and David face, independently and together, as we follow their journey from a too-hasty marriage to the story's ultimate conclusion. 

'The setting, in the early 1960s, and location - much of the action takes place in far north Queensland - lend their own vibrant character to the drama.' (Publication summary)

'A top executive dies suddenly. An accident? A murder? An inside job? Hundreds of suited suspects in one city office. Detective Sergeant Brian Shaw is recalled from Yorke Peninsula. From sleepy country town to throbbing city throngs, clashing personalities, old scores to be settled, frustrated ambitions, jealousies, and something new: female tellers. A hotbed of suspicions from managing director to tea lady. And who started the rumour that one of the tellers may be involved? Why? Who? Know why and you may know who!'

Source: Trove.

'"Robert's War is an autobiographical account of a Queensland lad who lied about his age to join the army, to wear the uniform, to attract the girls and to emulate his two older brothers who were on active service 'somewhere'.
'But no sooner had he become the youngest soldier in the Australian Army than he volunteered for anti-malaria experiments being carried out by the Army, and spent considerable time in hospitals and convalescence establishments recovering from bouts of malaria and the results of over-stressing his weakened body showing off his swimming and diving prowess in competitions and in front of (mainly disinterested) girls. He spent much time at home on leave, visiting cinemas and dance halls in search of girls and in trailing an older, wilder brother and finding himself in trouble with the military police.
'At last, towards the end of the war, he was finally cleared for service. He tricked the officials into permitting him to join the unit of the other brother (who had been discharged on medical grounds) and was sent up to 'the islands' where he saw some active service, especially, while on patrol duty, as an Owen gunner and a forward scout. He lost a boxing match that he should have won and was involved in the withdrawal of the Army back to Australia. He spent quite some time on post-war duty with the Army but was finally discharged, ready for his next adventure."'  (Publication summary)

'Letters from the Front is an authentic account of World War One through the eyes of an ordinary soldier, the story of one man. It seeks to add to our national consciousness of the immeasurable value and sacrifice of all those who have served our country, and our damaged heroes who survived, without in any way glorifying war.

'Jim McConnell takes us with him to Gallipoli, Villers-Bretonneux and the Somme Canal to gain another glimpse of the events that symbolise courage, comradeship and sacrifice, and that cost Australia a generation.

'As a first-person narrative, it strives to preserve the authenticity of the time and place in which these events occurred; to simply tell the story without twenty-first century judgements, embellishments or condemnations. Much of the story comes directly from this important primary source of actual diary notes. This is a valuable contribution to our World War One literature because so little was passed on in the generations that followed.

'It also teaches us how to live well in an imperfect world. Jim McConnell saw people as people, and treated them accordingly, willing to fight and quick to forgive. He then made the most of the life he was left with in post-war Australia.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'LUKE McAlister's dad has lost his temper once too often.

'A crazy plan to sell him for $500 works, Dad is taken away in a van and Luke's troubles are over - until Mum finds out. Luke turns super sleuth to try to get Dad back and learns the frightening truth behind the mysterious disappearance of an increasing number of townsfolk and their pets.

'It's up to him to save not just Dad, but his whole family, their friends and a host of other people. He doesn't have the brawn to defeat his deadly opponent...does he have the brains? Their lives depend on it...'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'An Epic story of exploration, passion, hatred, treachery, violence, war, despair, passionate intrigue, the culling of a nation, disaster and triumph and survival of those that were to master the Wild West.' (Publication summary)

'Jie-won-won was born in a world bewitched by traditional boundaries. In early childhood, he realised, his shelter is his family, separated by a boundary from the rest of the world. He recognised boundaries between the rich and the poor, between men and women, between parents and children, between locals and foreigners, between upper and lower castes, between one country and another, between the illiterate and the educated, between the single and the married, between the young and the old and between the coward and the bold. He overcame most boundaries, till he was trapped into the boundary of marriage with Hye-jin.
'Jie-won shared his secrets with none. He found himself in a life of Pi; he needs to protect the tigress from drowning, at the same time he needs to be vigilant to protect himself and other relatives from the tigress.
'Jie-won moved to remote cities of his country, but Hye-Jin continued to remain aloof from him, either by taking leave from him for staying with parents, or by bringing her parents and/or siblings to their homes in the remote cities so that Jie-won’s home is transformed into his in-laws’ place.' (Publication summary)

'Finding Felicity is the story of a woman and her step-daughter and tells how love within their family triumphs over serious relationship problems. There are psychological insights into grief and dysfunctional marriage, development of the characters as they deal with these situations and a suspenseful escape from Bangkok to Sydney. The setting is these two cities in 2006.' (Publication summary)

'With the election of a black Pope, “The Anointed One” boldly explores a world where the Catholic Church becomes a progressive faith that adapts to the modern world in which it lives. The book gives articulate and well thought out arguments for why the Church should change and these arguments will give readers much to think about.' (Publication summary)

'"Life as it is", is what it is - My Life! My name is Rebecca Burge and I haven't always lived on a cattle property in far North Queensland. I was born and bred in Adelaide, South Australia. Growing up in the small country town of Gawler and then spending all my secondary years in Adelaide. The story only touches on my early years and is predominantly about my years on Lamonds Lagoon Station, North Queensland. I married a "cattle man" and moved from the comforts of city life to the isolation of the bush. It is about all the little stories along the way and some of the different experiences I have had to deal with. Lamonds Lagoon is four to five hours from the major towns of Charters Towers, Townsville and Cairns. I educated my five boys through Distance Education to the end of year 7. The boys all have their different personalities and this is characterised in this story. If something is to go wrong, it will. This has only made our life more interesting with many a story to tell. There have been countless snake stories, many animal stories. There have been dramas in the classroom. We have had some interesting Christmas' and a couple of bush christenings. We have experienced all the elements when it comes to disasters. The floods of 2009, Cyclone Yasi, which we are still recovering from and then the bushfires. Droughts are upon us at the moment. In summary, I moved out of my comfort zone into an unknown "world" away from family, friends and shops. I have experienced so much in these years and it has not always been easy but what stands out beyond all doubt is how important family is, and while we are all healthy and happy, then we are the lucky ones!'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'John was a forestry worker responsible for looking after protected forests. His job was to make sure people weren't cutting trees down or stealing precious plants and endangering the forest's ecosystems. But today he was on holiday getting a much deserved rest, and he knew no better place to rest than in the forest which he loved so much. Lisa also loved nature, and they both wanted their baby daughter to love nature as much as they did. On the drive to their campsite a couple days before, the little family had stopped at a local shop to look at some antiques. There were some beautiful pendant necklaces said to protect whoever wore them. In the spirit of fun, John bought one each for his wife and baby. Although the chain was much too long for one so small, John had immediately fastened one of the pendants around the baby's neck. Instead of wearing hers, Lisa had fastened her necklace to the wrist strap attached to her camera. They lived only a short drive from this forest, but they wanted to explore parts of it at their leisure-something John couldn't do with his family when he was working. Today they were going to hike to the top of the mountain near their camp. They readied their supplies and put the baby into a backpack on John's back. They put out the fire from the night before and headed off on their hike, leaving some of their gear at the campsite. They knew no one else would be in the forest at this time of year and their campsite would be safe.'

Source: Trove.

'These poems capture moments and memories for us from the everyday to the sublime, joy and pain, eternity and change.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Bridget Gallaway is an ordinary seventeen-year old teenager who is thrown into extraordinary circumstances. She is in her final year of high school and is studying hard to earn a place in a top university, to study law. She lives with her family, including her grandmother, who suffers from dementia. She is trying to live a normal life but is shackled by her childhood best friend, Jordon. After a number of insidious incidents in her personal life and a series of bizarre events at school, Bridget turns her back on her family and friends and attempts to reconstruct her life in a new environment, but things only get worse. It is a suspense that delves into identity, obsession, and the impossibility of friendships when they have been poisoned by envy. Will she succeed and forget the past!'

Source: Publisher's blurb.