Staff Picks
Country Homes in Australia
Created by the team from Australia's much-loved Country Style, led by editor-in-chief Victoria Carey, this book is a celebration of the gorgeous rural homes and incredible characters who have filled the pages of the magazine over the past 30 years. Be inspired by the heartwarming tales and amazing renovations undertaken by families throughout regional Australia. From historic cottages dating back to the 1800s to converted churches and characterful homesteads, each story is accompanied by sumptuous photography and details of the transformations that each house has undergone. Our rural renovators have also demonstrated fantastic creativity, from sourcing and restoring vintage furniture to producing their own artworks. Some have even gone on to launch businesses based on these skills. Producers share their stories of how they have coped with the drought, including moves into biodynamic and organic farming, and how others are developing sidelines such as gin-making or artist-in-residence programs. Above all, you'll hear about the wonderfully supportive communities in country areas and discover what makes living in regional Australia such a remarkable experience.
Yumi and the Nightmare Painter
From Number 1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson - creator of The Stormlight Archive, the Mistborn Saga, and countless bestselling works of science fiction and fantasy - comes this gripping story set in the Cosmere universe told by Hoid, where two people from incredibly different cultures must work together to save their worlds from certain disaster.
Yumi has spent her entire life in strict obedience, granting her the power to summon the spirits that bestow vital aid upon her society - but she longs for even a single day as a normal person. Painter patrols the dark streets dreaming of being a hero - a goal that has led to nothing but heartache and isolation, leaving him always on the outside looking in. In their own ways, both of them face the world alone.
Suddenly flung together, Yumi and Painter must strive to right the wrongs in both their lives, reconciling their past and present while maintaining the precarious balance of each of their worlds. If they cannot unravel the mystery of what brought them together before it's too late, they risk forever losing not only the bond growing between them, but the very worlds they've always struggled to protect.
Koresh - The True Story of David Koresh
No other event in the last fifty years is shrouded in myth like the 1993 siege of the Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas. Today, we remember this moment for the 76 people, including 20 children, who died in the fire; for its inspiration of the Oklahoma City bombing; and for the wave of anti-government militarism that followed. What we understand far less is what motivated the Davidians' enigmatic leader, David Koresh.
Drawing on first-time, exclusive interviews with Koresh's family and survivors of the siege, bestselling author Stephan Talty paints a psychological portrait of this infamous icon of the 1990s. Born Vernon Howell into the hyper-masculine world of central Texas in the 1960s, Koresh experienced a childhood riven with abuse and isolation. He found a new version of himself in the halls of his local church, and love in the fundamentalist sect of the Branch Davidians. Later, with a new name and professed prophetic powers, Koresh ushered in a new era for the Davidians that prized his own sexual conquest as much as his followers' faith. As one survivor has said, "What better way for a worthless child to feel worth than to become God?"
In his signature immersive storytelling, Talty reveals how Koresh's fixation on holy war, which would deliver the Davidians to their reward and confirm himself as Christ, collided with his paranoid obsession with firearms to destructive effect. Their deadly, 51-day standoff with the embattled FBI and ATF, he shows, embodied an anti-government ethic that continues to resonate today.
Now, thirty years after that unforgettable moment, Koresh presents the tragedy at Waco--and the government mistrust it inspired--in its fullest context yet.
I Had a Black Dog
Ever since Winston Churchill popularised the phrase Black Dog to describe the bouts of depression he experienced for much of his life, it has become the shorthand for the disease that millions of people suffer from, often in shame and silence.
Artist and writer Matthew Johnstone, a sufferer himself, has written and illustrated this moving and uplifting insight into what it is like to have a Black Dog as a companion. It shows that strength and support that can be found within and around us to tame it. Black Dog can be a terrible beast, but with the right steps can be brought to heel.
There are many different breeds of Black Dog affecting millions of people from all walks of life. The Black Dog is an equal opportunity mongrel.
Stunningly illustrated, totally inspiring, this book is a must-have for anyone who has ever had a Black Dog, or knows someone who has.
Some Dukes Have All The Luck
Ash Hawkins, Duke of Buckley, no more wants to marry than he wants a stick in his eye. As the owner of a gaming hell, he is all too aware the odds of a happy marriage are against him. But raising his three rebellious wards alone is proving more than he can handle. He needs to find someone who stands to benefit from a marriage of convenience as much as he does. Someone logical, clinical, and rational. And in a stroke of luck, he quite literally stumbles over just such a woman.
After years of ridicule for being more interested in bugs than boys, Bronwyn has accepted that she'll never marry for love. Her parents, however, are threatening to find her a husband. Bronwyn doesn't need any scientific research to show her Ash has secrets. But his proposal would give her the freedom to continue her entomology research and perhaps finally get published. Just as long as she can keep her mind on her work and off his piercing eyes, broad shoulders, and wicked, wicked tongue.
Trump’s Australia
What if Trump (or a Trump-like candidate) becomes US president in 2024?
Leading expert and US and Australian politics insider Bruce Wolpe reveals the many ways in which Australia was damaged by Donald Trump's presidency. Seeping into Australia from above and below, Trumpism contaminated public debate, emboldened local political and religious extremists, diminished Australia's economy and international relations—and much more.
Wolpe predicts America's democracy won't survive a second Trump term. The implications for the world and for Australia are shocking. He explains how Australia can draw on its strengths to protect its democracy, economy and society from Trumpism, and where Australia is vulnerable and needs to build guardrails. He warns Australia might also face an existential question about ties with its most important ally.
The Last Devil to Die
The fourth book in the record-breaking Thursday Murder Club series from British national treasure Richard Osman
Shocking news reaches the Thursday Murder Club.
An old friend in the antiques business has been killed, and a dangerous package he was protecting has gone missing.
As the gang springs into action they encounter art forgers, online fraudsters and drug dealers, as well as heartache close to home.
With the body count rising, the package still missing and trouble firmly on their tail, has their luck finally run out? And who will be the last devil to die?
Grave Expectations
Claire and Sophie aren't your typical murder investigators . . .
When 30-something freelance medium Claire Hendricks is invited to an old university friend's country pile to provide entertainment for a family party, her best friend Sophie tags along. In fact, Sophie rarely leaves Claire's side, because she's been haunting her ever since she was murdered at the age of seventeen.
On arrival at The Cloisters it quickly becomes clear that this family is hiding more than just the good china, as Claire learns someone has recently met an untimely end at the house.
Teaming up with the least unbearable members of the Wellington-Forge family - depressive ex-cop Basher and teenage radical Alex - Claire and Sophie determine to figure out not just whodunnit, but who they killed, why and when.
Together they must race against incompetence to find the murderer - before the murderer finds them... in this funny, modern, media-literate mystery for the My Favourite Murder generation.
Mile High
ZANDERS
Chicago hockey isn't complete without me - everyone's favourite player to hate. I know my role, and I play it well. In fact, I thoroughly enjoy spending the majority of my game time in the penalty box before leaving the arena with a new girl on my arm each night.What I don't like is the new flight attendant on our team's private plane. She works for me, not the other way around. But I'll be sure to remind her of that, and I can guarantee, by the end of the season, she'll be begging to quit her job.But every road trip blurs the lines, and I can't quite figure out if I keep pushing that flight attendant call button in order to push her buttons, or if it's more than that.
STEVIE
I've been a flight attendant for years. I thought I'd seen it all, but when my new job lands me onboard working for the most egotistical and self-righteous diva in the NHL, I start to second guess everything. Including the promise I made to myself of never hooking up with an athlete again . . . no matter how annoyingly tempting he may be.Evan Zanders is unfiltered, unapologetic, and too attractive for his own good. He loves his image, but I hate everything about it.Everything but him.
Outback
DS Lucas Walker is on leave in his hometown, Caloodie, taking care of his dying grandmother. When two young German backpackers, Berndt and Rita, vanish from the area, he finds himself unofficially on the case.
But why all the interest from the Federal Police when they have probably just ditched the heat and dust of the outback for the coast? Working in the organised crime unit has opened Walker's eyes to the growing drug trade in Australia's remote interior - and he becomes convinced there is more at play.
As the number of days since the couple's disappearance climbs, Walker is joined by Rita's older sister. A detective herself with Berlin CID, she has flown to Australia - desperate to find her sister.
Their search becomes ever more urgent as temperatures soar. Even if Walker does find the young couple, will it be too late?
