AustLit

'Raised in a poverty-scarred part of Auckland, Edwina is a battler. Life revolves around the church and her mundane job unpacking vegetables. Meanwhile, a new generation has gentrified her suburb. After winning a gym membership, she loses weight, gets a new hairstyle, clothes, job - and makes a new friend, Rose. Edwina's life is brutally taken, a swift and silent killer leaving no clues. Her murder seems unsolvable until a casual comment sends Inspector Alex Cameron and his seasoned team trawling through Edwina's childhood. Can they uncover the link in time to save the next victim? Alex Cameron must unravel the shadow hanging over Edmund Street. Everyone and no one is a suspect, until ...'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Once Upon a Perfect Family follows and explores the life of the Madison family, from the second world war to contemporary times. The main protagonist and narrator, is Julia, the youngest child. The lens is often right behind Julia's eye. Aged thirty-nine when her unpredictable sister Rose tells her the truth about their family and the systematic abuse that took place in their little house in their little town, Julia has to reassess her bewildering childhood. There were those who knew about the terrible things and those who didn't. Julia gathers fragments and unlocks the past, exposing secrets covered with lies. Can the Madison women survive the damage? Once Upon a Perfect Family is creative non-fiction.' (Publication summary)

'While post-communist Moscow deals with political transition, Vassili is descending into despair at his wife Anna's chronic infertility. Following his father Sergey's footsteps, he travels to Melbourne to teach Russian at a prestigious university. Accompanying him is a wrapped parcel to be delivered to a Helen Dalrymple of Mount Evelyn; a task that proves to be anything but straightforward. Miscast and adrift in his new home, Vassili awaits Anna's arrival. Bringing with her devastating news, it is not long until old resentments surface. At an idyllic guesthouse in the Dandenong Hills, the scene is set for a reckoning that will crack the secrets of the parcel Vassili's father gave him, and blow the family apart.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'In this unpretentious, gracious and humble full-of-learning memoir Dr James Khong shares his experiences of fifty years in medicine, his life and observations — and his suggestions for maintaining good health through any stressful challenge. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F-CK levelled the playing field around happiness – this informative, positive book will help readers manage stress in a world full of anxiety and lurking disease.'

(Source: publisher's blurb)

'Sarah used to know who she was—a doctor, a wife, a mother—but as she prepares for the birth of her second child, she feels set adrift from the life she had planned. When her mother, Beryl, announces she's coming to Sydney from Perth, Sarah has to contend with more than her own. insecurities. She hasn't told Beryl she's pregnant. She isn't sure why not. Sarah's secretive betrayal could be the final blow in her already fragile relationship with her mother. On her first day of maternity leave, a mishap at the supermarket leads Sarah to experience her mother's past firsthand. Her understanding shifts. Memory ceases to be reliable, and Beryl's experiences lead Sarah into a tangled web of lost realities and grief.There are some lies to be untangled. The reader is taken on a journey spanning three generations as Sarah travels along and across the tendrils of time to get to the truth.This absorbing read will have you on the edge of your seat, turning the page, looking for the clarity Sarah craves.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'He’s in the same spot on Bourke Street every day, down the hill from Parliament House. He arrives in the early morning gloom and stays until dusk.

'Tony settles his wiry frame on an upturned milk crate or sits on folded cardboard on the footpath. He leans back on the wall where an unoccupied warehouse meets a bookshop. Bourke Street’s elegant plane trees shadow him from the morning sun and drip on his umbrella when it rains. His upturned cap rests on the footpath, but money is not his raison d’etre for being here. His positive energy and constancy have led to his nickname, ‘the mentor of Bourke Street’.

'Hundreds greet him. He shares a positive word and a smile with everyone. No one knows the true story of his life. His name is Tony Brooks.

'Everyone has a story. This is his, and it’s not what you might think.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'At forty-four, Lara Winters discovers that Brock, her husband of twenty-one years, has been cheating on her. Devastated and desperate, she flees her home in London, England and heads for the furthest place she can find from her old, blinkered life: Australia.

'On her first day in the laid-back town of Byron Bay, Lara almost runs over the red-haired, slightly raddled Ruby in a car park. Relieved to be still alive, the warm-hearted Aussie leases Lara a small cottage on her semi-rural property where Lara’s journey of self-discovery begins.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Every Parent of an adult child’s nightmare – you’ve made it. Your child is grown up. He’s got a great job, living a full and happy life overseas. You don’t have to worry about him like you did when he was young. And then a call from halfway across the world. Something terrible has happened…

'This is Jen Hutchison’s memoir of the ancient pilgrimage pathways of the Camino de Santiago, the story of finding and healing yourself after unimaginable loss. A tale of shock, loss and ultimately resilience and finding a kind of peace, one step at a time. She learned that death cannot change a mother’s love, and that she could live with her grief. She met intriguing pilgrims, shared stories and soaked up amazing intimacies and life-shaping insights. She was gifted with wisdom from unexpected quarters.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.