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A thought-provoking and heart-warming story of how one man (and his working dogs) is giving rural kids, on their last chance, a second chance.
A Congolese refugee getting by in the Australian suburbs, Isa has a background that seems unimaginable in his new country - a childhood as a boy soldier. Now, Isa's a brilliant boxer, but his most difficult opponent isn't in the ring - it's the terrors of his past. The powerful debut novel from acclaimed playwright Future D. Fidel.
This is the fascinating story of Mary Maguire, a 1930s Australian ingenue who sailed for Hollywood and a fabulous life, only to have her career cut short by scandal and tragedy. Packed with celebrity, history and gossip, AUSTRALIA'S SWEETHEART is perfect for readers of SHEILA and THE RIVIERA SET.
All you need to know about looking and feeling great by following a LOW CARB HEALTHY FAT diet from The Natural Nutritionist.
This is the story of Tom Phelps and the 'other Kokoda Track'. Seventy-five years later, Tom's grandson, award-winning actor and writer Peter Phelps, is sharing this inspiring tale of resilience and survival.March 1942: The world is at war. Too old to fight and with jobs scarce at home, Tom Phelps found work as a carpenter in the goldfields of the New Guinea Highlands. No one expected the Japanese to attack in the Pacific. But they did.Tom and his mates weren't going to hang around and wait to be killed. With escape routes bombed by the Japanese, their only option was to try to reach safety by foot, through some of the most rugged terrain on Earth - the Bulldog Track.Back home in Sydney, Rose Phelps, their son, George, and three daughters, Joy, Shirley and Ann, waited for news of Tom's fate. George watched the horrors of war unfold on newsreels knowing his dad was 'over there'.Travelling by foot, raft, canoe, schooner, train, luck and courage, Tom Phelps, half-starved and suffering malaria, would eventually make it home. His stories of New Guinea would lead his son and grandson to their own experiences with the country. The Bulldog Track is a grandson's story of an ordinary man's war. It is an incredible tale of survival and the indomitable Aussie spirit.
What happens when one of the country's most popular identities goes from reading the news to being the news? Olivia Law had always been the good girl. Great grades, perfect career, husband, house and hairdo. She'd learnt image was everything so she refused to look below the surface of her life. When not at work her minutes were filled with causes, chairing boards and dining at fabulous restaurants with her equally fabulous husband, David. She kept up the Botox, blow-dries and worked hard. It wasn't enough, but whenever doubt crept in she'd head to a pilates class or plan a renovation on her trophy house. Then she turned 45. Olivia wasn't prepared for David to leave. The fact that they hadn't had sex for two years should have triggered warning bells ... it didn't.In an attempt to fix her broken marriage Olivia exposed herself like never before. But when her confession goes viral, the husband, house and job disappear. The woman who once offered glamorous reassurance and a steady gaze is labelled a princess of perversion. Humiliated, defeated, facing fifty shades of failure, she's left wondering who the hell she really is? Stripped bare, she abandons perfection ... and something remarkable happens. Olivia Law just might get her sass back (and this time, it's the real thing). The brilliant new novel from J.D. Barrett about break ups, breakdowns and break throughs. Batteries not included.
Australia's best surf writer brings to life the wild, bold, brave story of Australian surfing from 1915 to the present through the stories of Surfing Australia's Hall of Fame surfers and contemporary surfing legends.
There's more to being queer than coming out and getting married. This exciting and contemporary collection contains stories that are as diverse as the LGBTQIA+ community from which they're drawn.
The bestselling author of THE DEATH OF HOLDEN turns his attention to another important Australian business: mining. BOOM AND BUST is a dirt-under-the-nails look at the people who lived through the best of the mining boom, and how they are dealing with the evaporation of jobs and wealth.
The fifth addictive standalone novel in C.J. Duggan's sassy and sexy HEART OF THE CITY series from the internationally bestselling author of New York Nights, Paris Lights and London Bound. Hollywood isn't all sunglasses and autographs. Aussie girl Abby Taylor is heading for the hills - the Hollywood Hills. All she has to do first is exorcise some old demons, namely Cassie Carmichael, the character she's been playing on Australia's number one television drama for the past three years. Abby is in desperate need of a change. With a new city, new friends and a sweet new condo in West Hollywood, it's time to take her career to the next level. But with disastrous auditions and countless rejections, Abby is going to need to numb the pain in the hope that her next big break comes along soon, and it does. She just never dreamed that her big break would be in the form of waiting tables at one of the hottest nightspots on the strip. Action-packed late nights and VIP parties are a sure distraction, but nothing distracts her quite like her brooding new boss, the infuriating Jay Davis. Suddenly living the dream takes on a whole new meaning, but when something in Jay's past is revealed, Abby has to question, who is the greatest actor of them all? In the land of broken dreams, all Abby can do is hope that hers is not going to be one of them. A fun, sexy and light-hearted romance from the addictive HEART OF THE CITY SERIES that will have you falling in love with the hilarious Abby, the handsome Jay and Hollywood itself! PRAISE FOR THE HEART OF THE CITY SERIES: 'Fun and sexy ... Cheeky leading lady, dashing love interest, family complications and a fun setting - this book does have it all.' - Fictional Thoughts on London Bound 'I'm really glad that I've discovered C.J. Duggan's novels - her writing is sassy and witty with strong female characters who are willing to take on anything.' - Sam Still Reading on New York Nights 'A refreshing blend of sassy, sexy characters with an emotional backstory' - Scandalicious Book Reviewson New York Nights 'Great plot, interesting characters, secrets and romance, I didn't want it to end.'- Gems Book Nook on New York Nights 'Delightful read that I could not put down because of the banter between these two that made for really strong chemistry' - Book Magic on London Bound 'Laughs and tears, and a whole lot of sexual tension, Jack and Kate are just adorable and sweet and sexy' - BJ's Book Blog on London Bound
Bestselling author and acclaimed actor William McInnes returns with a book about a subject close to his own heart: Fatherhood.
From his early life as an up-and coming AFL player to his tours of duty in Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan and his final battle in the dusty Ghawcha village in the Uruzgan Province, Afghanistan - the powerful biography of Cameron Baird, VC, MG, one of Australia's most decorated modern soldiers.
The true story of Deng Adut - Sudanese child soldier, refugee, man of hopeDeng Adut's family were farmers in South Sudan when a brutal civil war altered his life forever. At six years old, his mother was told she had to give him up to fight. At the age most Australian children are starting school , Deng was conscripted into the Sudan People's Liberation Army. He began a harsh, relentless military training that saw this young boy trained to use an AK-47 and sent into battle. He lost the right to be a child. He lost the right to learn.The things Deng saw over those years will stay with him forever. He suffered from cholera, malaria and numerous other debilitating illnesses but still he had to fight. A child soldier is expected to kill or be killed and Deng almost died a number of times. He survived being shot in the back. The desperation and loneliness was overwhelming. He thought he was all alone. But Deng was rescued from war by his brother John. Hidden in the back of a truck, he was smuggled out of Sudan and into Kenya. Here he lived in refugee camps until he was befriended by an Australian couple. With their help and the support of the UN, Deng Adut came to Australia as a refugee. Despite physical injuries and mental trauma he grabbed the chance to make a new life. He worked in a local service station and learnt English watching The Wiggles. He taught himself to read and started studying at TAFE. In 2005 he enrolled in a Bachelor of Law at Western Sydney University. He became the first person in his family to graduate from university. This is an inspiring story of a man who has overcome deadly adversity to become a lawyer and committed worker for the disenfranchised, helping refugees in Western Sydney. It is an important reminder of the power of compassion and the benefit to us all when we open our doors and our hearts to fleeing war, persecution and trauma.
Friendship is a million little moments, but can it survive this one? Three friends embark on a luxury cruise to celebrate their ten-year reunion in this heartfelt story of how long-held secrets can catch up with even the best of friends.
The complete and authoritative account of the sinking of the HMAS Sydney, and the recent finding of her wreck.On 19 November 1941, the pride of the Australian Navy, the light cruiser Sydney, fought a close-quarters battle with the German armed raider HSK Kormoran off Carnarvon on the West Australian coast. Both ships sank and not one of the 645 men on board the Sydney survived. Was Sydney s captain guilty of negligence by allowing his ship to manoeuvre within range of Kormoran s guns? Did the Germans feign surrender before firing a torpedo at the Sydney as she prepared to despatch a boarding party? This updated edition covers the recent discovery of the wreck with the light this sheds on the events of that day 67 years ago, and the closure it has brought to so many grieving families. Tom Frame has produced the most comprehensive and compelling account of the loss of HMAS Sydney to date. His judgements are fair and his conclusions reasoned. If you only read one book on this tragic event in Australian naval history, and want all the facts and theories presented in a balanced way, Tom Frame s book is for you - Vice Admiral Russ Shalders AO CSC RANR Chief of Navy, 2005-08.
FINALIST FOR THE MILES FRANKLIN LITERARY AWARDS 2019WINNER OF THE NSW PREMIERS LITERARY AWARDS MULTICULTURAL NSW AWARD 2019'Bani Adam thinks he's better than us!' they say over and over until finally I shout back, 'Shut up, I have something to say!'They all go quiet and wait for me to explain myself, redeem myself, pull my shirt out, rejoin the pack. I hold their anticipation for three seconds, and then, while they're all ablaze, I say out loud, 'I do think I'm better.'As far as Bani Adam is concerned Punchbowl Boys is the arse end of the earth. Though he's a Leb and they control the school, Bani feels at odds with the other students, who just don't seem to care. He is a romantic in a sea of hypermasculinity. Bani must come to terms with his place in this hostile, hopeless world, while dreaming of so much more.Praise for The Lebs:'an open-eyed and highly charismatic novel broiling with fight, tenderness and ambition.' - Big Issue'The Lebs is a strong and resonant novel that deserves to be widely read.' - Weekend Australian'The author never lets his superb command of idiom or his eye for the absurd overwhelm a deeply felt exploration of the hurt and damage that can come from encounters with the Australian Other. No one who reads The Lebs deserves to come out unscathed.' - The Saturday Paper 'Ahmad's piercing storytelling cuts away at the lace and trimmings of race relations in Australia today.' - The Lifted Brow
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2018 NED KELLY AWARD, DANGER PRIZE AND WAVERLEY LIBRARY NIBTrue history that is both shocking and too real, this unforgettable tale moves at the pace of a great crime novel.In the early hours of Saturday morning, 17 November 1923, a suitcase was found washed up on the shore of a small beach in the Sydney suburb of Mosman. What it contained - and why - would prove to be explosive.The murdered baby in the suitcase was one of many dead infants who were turning up in the harbour, on trains and elsewhere. These innocent victims were a devastating symptom of the clash between public morality, private passion and unrelenting poverty in a fast-growing metropolis.Police tracked down Sarah Boyd, the mother of the suitcase baby, and the complex story and subsequent murder trial of Sarah and her friend Jean Olliver became a media sensation. Sociologist Tanya Bretherton masterfully tells the engrossing and moving story of the crime that put Sarah and her baby at the centre of a social tragedy that still resonates through the decades.**Includes an extract from Tanya's next fascinating and chilling true crime story, The Suicide Bride**
How to be organised in business and in life, by one of Australia's leading entrepreneurs and founder of The Remarkables Group. Be so good they can't ignore you.
The fourth standalone novel in C.J. Duggan's sassy and sexy HEART OF THE CITY series from the internationally bestselling author of the SUMMER and PARADISE series. Rome wasn't built in a day . . . but it's only going to take one for Sammi's world to crumble. How did a self-orchestrated gap year turn into a less-than-enthralling lifestyle as a couch potato at her parents' house? Determined to get motivated and join life again, Sammi Shorten books a budget Bellissimo Tour to Rome, the Eternal City. What she hadn't signed up for was being stuck with an eclectic group of binge-drinking foreigners in a bed-bug-infested hostel from hell. Things in Rome really couldn't get much worse . . . could they? When plans go completely awry Sammi's left with only one option, and it's the one place she really doesn't want to turn - to the man who might very well get her into the worst trouble of all: the gorgeous local tour guide, Marcello Bambozzi. PRAISE FOR C.J. DUGGAN'S HEART OF THE CITY SERIES: 'Fun and sexy ... Cheeky leading lady, dashing love interest, family complications and a fun setting - this book does have it all.' - Fictional Thoughts on London Bound 'I'm really glad that I've discovered C.J. Duggan's novels - her writing is sassy and witty with strong female characters who are willing to take on anything, no holds barred.' - Sam Still Reading on New York Nights 'CJ continuously provides us with books that are easy to read and addictive, with exciting plots and characters you just can't help but love.' - Sweet Reading on Paris Lights 'A refreshing blend of sassy, sexy characters with an emotional backstory' - Scandalicious Book Reviews on New York Nights 'Great plot, interesting characters, secrets and romance, I didn't want it to end.'- Gems Book Nook on New York Nights 'Delightful read that I could not put down because of the banter between these two that made for really strong chemistry' - Book Magic on London Bound 'Laughs and tears, and a whole lot of sexual tension, Jack and Kate are just adorable and sweet and sexy' - BJ's Book Blog on London Bound 'With a C.J. Duggan book, you know what you are getting - romance, adventure and that good fuzzy feeling at the end of it all.' - Hannah Plus Books
Clive 'Killer' Caldwell was a natural and brilliant pilot, a superb shot, and a born leader. He saw action against the Germans, Italians and Japanese, and remains Australia's greatest ever fighter pilot - this is his definitive biography. Now part of the HACHETTE MILITARY COLLECTION.
The extraordinary revelations in Traitors detail the ugly side of war and power and the many betrayals of our ANZACs.
Holden is one of the few brands that has an emotional grip on Australia (Qantas being another). The closure of the Holden factory in Adelaide is not just the end of a business - it's the end of an era, of a story, and of a great Australian dream.When Holden signalled that it would close its Adelaide factory, it struck at the very heart of Australian identity. Holden is our car made on our shores. It's the choice of patriotic rev heads and suburban drivers alike. How could a car that was so beloved - and so popular - be so unprofitable to make?The story of the collapse of Holden is about the people who make and drive the cars; it's about sustaining industry in Australia; it's about communities of workers and what happens when the work dries up. And if it's not quite about the death of an icon - because Holdens will remain on Australian roads for a long time to come - then it's about what happens when an icon falls to knees in front of a whole nation.'Brilliant and powerful' Nick Xenophon
From coastal Australia to Santorini and Ireland, a slice of warm, character-driven fiction in the tradition of Maeve Binchy and Monica McInerney
'Brilliantly researched and sympathetically told, 44 DAYS is more than just a fitting tribute to brave but overlooked heroes. It's also a top read.' DAILY TELEGRAPHIn March and April 1942, RAAF 75 Squadron bravely defended Port Moresby for 44 days when Australia truly stood alone against the Japanese. This group of raw young recruits scrambled ceaselessly in their Kittyhawk fighters to an extraordinary and heroic battle, the story of which has been left largely untold.The recruits had almost nothing going for them against the Japanese war machine, except for one extraordinary leader named John Jackson, a balding, tubby Queenslander - at 35 possibly the oldest fighter pilot in the world - who said little, led from the front, and who had absolutely no sense of physical fear.Time and time again this brave group were hurled into battle, against all odds and logic, and succeeded in mauling a far superior enemy - whilst also fighting against the air force hierarchy. After relentless attack, the squadron was almost wiped out by the time relief came, having succeeded in their mission - but also paying a terrible price.Michael Veitch, actor, presenter and critically acclaimed author, brings to life the incredible exploits and tragic sacrifices of this courageous squadron of Australian heroes.
A startlingly honest account of experiencing war and terrorism from the frontline by Peter Stefanovic, one of Australia's leading journalists and foreign correspondents.'Flak jackets are dreadful things. Sure, they have a purpose, and if one ever stopped a bullet or piece of shrapnel from spearing into my vital organs, I would kiss it, hang it up, and frame it. But that hasn't happened, yet.'For almost ten years Peter Stefanovic was Channel Nine's foreign correspondent in Europe, the US, Africa and the Middle East. During that time he witnessed more than his fair share of death and destruction, and carried the burden of those images - all while putting his own personal safety very much in the firing line.From flak jackets to tuxedos. From the funerals of world leaders and icons, to war zones and natural disasters. This is a thrilling account of a life lived on camera, delivering the news wherever it happens, whatever the risk.
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