AustLit

'You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone

'Birdie McBride seems to have it all: a fulfilling and lucrative job, five healthy daughters and a doting husband, Ned, at home keeping the family machine running smoothly.

'But then Ned dies. He leaves behind a document for Birdie—‘Things I Need You to Know’—full of guidance on everything from household maintenance to the intimate details of each daughter’s emotional landscape. Composed in his dying days, it’s his last act of fatherly devotion. Reading Ned’s manual, Birdie falls for her husband in a way she never did when he was alive. Yet the presence of his best friend, Marcello, complicates things. As well as having been Ned’s doctor, Marcello is Birdie’s ex-lover—though not as ‘ex’ as most people would think. And his feelings for Birdie are as strong as ever.

'When more calamities rock her family, Birdie starts to wonder: how much trust can you put in feelings? And in old friends? Can the legacy of ‘Things I Need You to Know’ save her family from the catastrophic end barrelling towards them?' (Publication summary)

'In 1961, on the day that Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human to rocket into outer space, Edith Devine moves into her brand-new suburban home—and meets her new neighbour, Frankie Heyman. Frankie is a glamorous, sophisticated foil to the quiet, clever Edith, and the two housewives become firm friends.

'Then, when Frankie’s domineering husband Ralph refuses to let her get a job, Edith hatches a plan to keep her friend’s household running while Frankie secretly goes out to work—and so Edith becomes Frankie’s secret wife. As Frankie builds a business empire, Edith runs both their homes: dusting, cleaning and cooking her way through the sexual revolution, the summer of love and the second wave of feminism. Throughout the 1960s, the world’s great events seem to be mirrored in the lives of two women—until the day in 1969 when the first humans step out onto the surface of the moon, and Frankie and Edith face a calamitous reckoning.

'The Secret Wife is an irresistible story of fierce love, unconditional sacrifice and the transcendent power of pulling together.' (Publication summary)

'Huberta likes to surprise everyone! But when a truck that is supposed to take her to a new zoo breaks down, Huberta decides to make her own way there. It will be the best surprise yet! Inspired by the true story of Huberta the hippopotamus who set off on a three-year journey, visiting cities, farms, beaches and even a country club!'

Source: publisher's blurb

'A comedy about four Vietnam veterans famous for escaping out of a POW camp, who find themselves in a new hell: The Hogan Hills Retirement Home for Returned Veterans. Each of them have an unrealised dream they want to achieve, so they band together to escape again.'

Source: Screen Australia.

'This is the place where passions are aroused, senses inflamed, and lovers fall into each other's arms. It all appears to unfold like magic - but I will tell you what really happens. Rome - glorious, eternal, intoxicating. Could there be a better place on earth to fall in love?'

'Young artist Alice has come to Rome for adventure before settling down with her safe boyfriend. But when fate intervenes to show her there really is such a thing as love at first sight, will she find the courage to follow her heart?'

'Meg and Alec fell in love in Rome many years before and have returned to rekindle their amore, but have they left it too late?'

'Connie and Lizzie are in Rome to scatter the ashes of Connie's beloved husband Henry, who's also Lizzie's brother. But Lizzie doesn't know the real story of how Connie and Henry met there decades before, nor what long-hidden secrets lie waiting to be unearthed.'

'And what of Rome itself? It turns out that the Eternal City has secrets only lovers can glimpse. The magic of Rome is also the magic of the human heart.'

'The Lovers' Guide to Rome is a witty, sophisticated and bewitching novel about the greatest mystery of all.' (Source: Allen & Unwin Book Publishers website)

'This gorgeous romantic novel set around the beautiful sights of Rome tells the story of three couples and their adventures with love in the eternal city.

'Young artist Alice has come to Rome for adventure and inspiration before settling down with her safe boyfriend, Daniel. Is there such a thing as love at first sight and how will she know if it's happening to her? Middle-aged Meg and Alec have come to Rome to rekindle their love affair, which has faded over the years as they've become busy parents and successful businesspeople. Constance and Lizzie are here to scatter the ashes of Constance's beloved husband Henry, who's also Lizzie's brother. But Lizzie doesn't know the real story of how Constance and Henry met decades ago in Rome, and what secrets their trip back there will uncover.

'The narrator of this romantic novel is actually Rome itself, who tells the story of the city and why it is has become a blessed place for lovers. It turns out that Rome will play a part in the lives of these characters and make sure they find the happiness they deserve.

'The Lovers' Guide to Rome will appeal to readers of David Nicholls and fans of films such as Midnight in Paris and Love, Actually. It is a beautifully written, warm, funny and compelling novel full of heart and pure romantic delight.' (Publication summary)

'Frankie is worried about moving house. Finn the fish is worried about the mysterious five-headed monster reaching into his pond. When these two meet, they make each other's lives a whole lot brighter.

'A story about discovering that different doesn't always mean scary - sometimes you just have to take a closer look.' (Publication summary)

'Michael O’Dell is hit by a car. When he doesn’t die, he is surprised and pleased. But he can’t seem to move from the crash position. He can’t concentrate, or control his anger and grief, or work out what to do about anything much. His wife Wendy is heroically supportive but his teenage children don’t help his post-accident angst: daughter Rosie punches out a vindictive schoolmate and all hell breaks loose; son Declan is found with a stash of illicit drugs. A strange policeman starts harassing the family and ordinary mishaps take on a sinister desperation. To top it all off, Michael’s professional life starts to crumble.

'With this funny, compelling novel about love, family and the precarious business of being a man, Mark Lamprell’s extraordinary debut examines the terrible truth: sometimes you can’t pull yourself together until you’ve completely fallen apart.' (Publisher's blurb)

'SLIDE is an exciting integrated multiplatform drama experience and tracks five teens as they smash their way into adulthood. When you’re 17, life can turn in 24 hours and for Bryan, Tammy, Luke, [Scarlett] and Eva this will be the transformative time of their lives. They’ve got 10 weeks, each other and a lift home from mum when they need it. SLIDE: survive your teenage years with a smile.'

Source: Screen Australia

In this sequel to 1995's Babe, the sheep-pig Babe returns to Farmer Hoggett's farm after his victory in the sheep-dog trials. Farmer Hoggett resists any attempt to profit from Babe, but when the farmer is injured and unable to work, it is up to Mrs Hoggett and Babe to brave the big city in an attempt to save the farm.

Unlike its predecessor, this film is not based on a Dick King-Smith novel.