The Shelly Bay Ladies Swimming Circle

Author: Sophie Green
Publisher: Hachette Australia
ISBN: 0733641172
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 432

Book Description
It's 1982 in Australia. THE MAN FROM SNOWY RIVER is a box office hit and Paul Hogan is on the TV. In a seaside suburb, housewife Theresa takes up swimming. She wants to get fit; she also wants a few precious minutes to herself. So at sunrise each day she strikes out past the waves. From the same beach, the widowed Marie swims. With her husband gone, bathing is the one constant in her new life. After finding herself in a desperate situation, 25-year-old Leanne only has herself to rely on. She became a nurse to help others, even as she resists help herself. Elaine has recently moved from England. Far from home and without her adult sons, her closest friend is a gin bottle. In the waters of Shelly Bay, these four women find each other. They will survive bluebottle stings and heartbreak; they will laugh so hard they swallow water, and they will plunge their tears into the ocean's salt. They will find solace and companionship, and learn that love takes many forms. Most of all, they will cherish their friendship, each and every day. 'A tender, heartwarming read' New Idea 'An upbeat story about suburban life and female solidarity' Spectrum 'A delightful novel about the power of female friendship' Sunday Age 'Reading this book was like snuggling beneath a warm beach towel after a bracing dip in the ocean.' - JOANNA NELL Praise for Sophie Green's THE INAUGURAL MEETING OF THE FAIRVALE LADIES BOOK CLUB 'Tender, intimate, heartwarming, fulfilling and Australian as a lamb roast and full-bodied shiraz' The Australian Women's Weekly **Includes BONUS extract from Sophie Green's new novel, Thursdays at Orange Blossom House**

Thursdays at Orange Blossom House

Author: Sophie Green
Publisher: Hachette Australia
ISBN: 073364614X
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 403

Book Description
From the author of beloved Top Ten bestsellers The Inaugural Meeting of the Fairvale Ladies Book Club and The Shelly Bay Ladies Swimming Circle comes a delightful new novel about friendship, love and finding yourself. Far North Queensland, 1993: At 74, former cane farmer Grace Maud is feeling her age, and her isolation, and thinks the best of life may be behind her. Elsewhere in town, high school teacher Patricia has given up on her dreams of travel and adventure and has moved back home to look after her ageing parents, while cafe owner Dorothy is struggling to accept that she may never have the baby she and her husband so desperately want. Each woman has an unspoken need: reconnection. And that's how they find themselves at Orange Blossom House, surrounded by perfumed rainforest, being cajoled and encouraged by their yoga teacher, the lively Sandrine. Together, they will find courage and strength - and discover that life has much more to offer than they ever expected. Set amid the lush beauty of tropical Queensland, Thursdays at Orange Blossom House is a heartwarming story of friendship and family, of chances missed and taken, and the eternal power of love. Praise for Sophie Green: 'Sophie Green has established herself as a leading writer of warm-hearted tales about female friendship and second chances' Canberra Weekly 'A tender, heartwarming read' New Idea 'An upbeat story about suburban life and female solidarity' Spectrum 'Reading this book was like snuggling beneath a warm beach towel after a bracing dip in the ocean' JOANNA NELL 'Heartwarming, fulfilling and Australian as a lamb roast and full-bodied shiraz' The Australian Women's Weekly

The Inaugural Meeting of the Fairvale Ladies Book Club

Author: Sophie Green
Publisher: Hachette UK
ISBN: 0751570397
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 418

Book Description
'This gorgeous book completely carried me away' Jenny Ashcroft, author of Island in the East 'The perfect novel to curl up with on a cosy night in' Hello 'An absolute gem of a novel' Better Reading Australia You are warmly invited to join the Fairvale Ladies book club . . . 1978. Life in Australia's vast Northern Territory isn't always easy. Telephones are not yet common, and the treacherous seasons make even travelling to the next town a struggle. But Sybil Baxter is finding a way to connect . . . Bringing together her daughter-in-law Kate, who is finding it hard to adjust to married life, and her old friend Rita, often far away working hard for the Flying Doctors, Sybil starts a book club. Joined by Sallyanne, a mother of three with a trouble marriage, and Della, who moved to the country looking for adventure, they come together to bond over their favourite stories. But as life throws up challenges to each of its members, the club might just provide these five women with what they need more than anything: a friendship capable of overcoming any distance and weathering all seasons. _________________ Join other readers in discovering the joy of the Fairvale Ladies . . . 'A book showing more kindness between its pages than any I have read before' NetGalley Reviewer 'A warm hearted, generous book . . . it was a pleasure and a comfort to come back to the characters each night' Virginia McGregor, author of Before I Was Yours 'I didn't want this story to end and would happily spend time in this world each day' Amazon Reviewer 'The story is timeless, the characters realistic and descriptions of the landscape breathtaking' Amazon Reviewer 'Heartwarming and fulfilling' Australian Women's Weekly 'Wonderfully atmospheric' Sunday Mirror __________________ Perfect for readers of The Chilbury Ladies' Choir, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society, The Sunday Lunch Club and The Lido.

The Other Side of Beautiful

Author: Kim Lock
Publisher: HarperCollins Australia
ISBN: 1867214911
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 267

Book Description
What happens when fate says 'go'? Lost & Found meets The Rosie Project in a stunning break-out novel where a vulnerable misfit is forced to re-engage with the world, despite her best efforts. Meet Mercy Blain, whose house has just burnt down. Unfortunately for Mercy, this goes beyond the disaster it would be for most people: she hasn't been outside that house for two years. Flung out into the world she's been studiously ignoring, Mercy goes to the only place she can: her not-quite-ex-husband Eugene's house. But it turns out she can't stay there either. And so begins Mercy's unwilling journey. After the chance purchase of a cult classic campervan (read tiny, old and smelly), with the company of her sausage dog, Wasabi, and a mysterious box of cremated remains, Mercy heads north from Adelaide to Darwin. On the road, through badly timed breakdowns, gregarious troupes of grey nomads, and run-ins with a rogue adversary, Mercy's carefully constructed walls start crumbling. But what was Mercy hiding from in her house? And why is Eugene desperate to have her back in the city? They say you can't run forever... Exquisite, tender and wry, this is a break-out novel about facing anxiety and embracing life from an extraordinary new talent. PRAISE: 'Tender, funny and quietly profound, The Other Side of Beautiful is a breath of fresh air.' - The Sunday Times 'A colourful, engaging story of escape and road-trip adventure ... also compellingly cinematic and features an endearing narrator-heroine with plenty of meaty real-world troubles.' - Sydney Morning Herald 'An engaging story about second chances and a life changing road trip ... a heart-warming story.' - Canberra Weekly magazine 'Mercy Blain is a character you find yourself cheering on. Kim Lock mixes the transformative journey of Alice Hart with the quirkiness of Eleanor Oliphant in this story about embracing life, even when it threatens to overwhelm you' - Tricia Stringer, bestselling author of The Family Inheritance 'Mercy Blain is an unforgettable character who will capture your heart from the first pages and hold it through until the end. Her madcap journey towards forgiveness - of herself and others - is moving and funny and all other good things that will make you want to keep reading and make you sad when your time with Mercy comes to an end.' - Sophie Green, bestselling author of The Shelly Bay Ladies Swimming Circle

Home and Away

Author: Sophie Green
Publisher: Hachette Australia
ISBN: 0733635636
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 256

Book Description
WORLD PREMIERE. The Braxton family face their biggest challenge yet in this thrilling story featuring never-before-seen material inspired by the one-off Presto special episode Home and Away: An Eye for An Eye. Contains Exclusive Scenes Not Shown on TV. Ricky is left devastated after her beautiful baby boy, Casey, is abducted in a calculated act of revenge by Brax?s foe, Gunno. In a race against time, Heath, Ash and Kyle frantically search for Casey while Bianca, Ricky and Phoebe frantically try to save ransom money. But as the clock ticks, a shocking revelation about Brax threatens to turn upside down the life that Ricky has built for herself. What does this mean for her rekindled romance with the gorgeous, reliable Nate? Incredibly moving and dramatic, Home and Away: An Eye for An Eye takes you into the hearts and minds of the Braxton family and your favourite characters in the tight-knit community of Summer Bay. It will leave you on the edge of your seat.

Mindful Money

Author: Canna Campbell
Publisher: Penguin Group Australia
ISBN: 0143794337
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 256

Book Description
We’re always promising ourselves that we are going to get on top of our finances – finally pay down debt, start that investment portfolio, pay attention to our superannuation. But then life gets in the way. As we juggle the commitments and responsibilities in our busy lives, good money habits can quickly fade away. Canna Campbell is an experienced financial planner, and also a mother, partner and entrepreneur. She understands the challenge of trying to maintain balance and motivation when you’re time-poor, and she’s used this experience to develop an inspirational and effective approach to personal finance management. She shows you how to look at your finances with holistic and powerful mindfulness, easily incorporating her step-by-step advice into your daily habits and routines. From new banking rituals and money mindsets to growing passive income through shares and property, she will help you shed the excess and embrace what you really love, value, use and appreciate – including your necessary luxuries. Canna leads by example, sharing her personal tips and tricks for building, managing and protecting your money. No matter what you earn or what level of knowledge you have, Mindful Money will help you to see that financial independence is achievable. ‘Canna Campbell offers a glamorous vision of a life of minimalism and saving ... Not spending feels more like a creative challenge connected to a sense of purpose, rather than deprivation.’ New York Times

Your Inner Fish

Author: Neil Shubin
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 0307377164
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 258

Book Description
The paleontologist and professor of anatomy who co-discovered Tiktaalik, the “fish with hands,” tells a “compelling scientific adventure story that will change forever how you understand what it means to be human” (Oliver Sacks). By examining fossils and DNA, he shows us that our hands actually resemble fish fins, our heads are organized like long-extinct jawless fish, and major parts of our genomes look and function like those of worms and bacteria. Your Inner Fish makes us look at ourselves and our world in an illuminating new light. This is science writing at its finest—enlightening, accessible and told with irresistible enthusiasm.

While You Were Reading

Author: Ali Berg
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1925750574
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 321

Book Description
Words are messy. Love is messier. A hilarious, insightful new novel from the creators of Books on the Rail Meet Beatrix Babbage – 29-year-old dog-earer of books and accidental destroyer of weddings. After ruining her best friend's nuptials, Bea relocates to the other side of the country in search of a fresh start, including meeting new people, living life to the fullest and finally pulling off balayage. But after a few months, life is more stagnant than ever. Bea’s job is dead-end. Her romantic life? Non-existent. And her only friends are her books, her barista and her cleaning lady. ?Then Bea stumbles across a second-hand novel, inscribed with notes. Besotted with the poetic inscriptions, Bea is determined to find the author ... and along the way, she finds herself entangled in one hell of a love quadrangle. Funny, poignant and insightful, While You Were Reading reveals that there’s no such thing as perfection, the value of true friendship and, most importantly, the power of not living in fiction, but still reading it … Often. A love story for book lovers that celebrates much more than romance.

The Book of Dreams

Author: Nina George
Publisher: Ballantine Books
ISBN: 0525572554
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 417

Book Description
Warm, wise, and magical—the latest novel by the bestselling author of THE LITTLE PARIS BOOKSHOP and THE LITTLE FRENCH BISTRO is an astonishing exploration of the thresholds between life and death Henri Skinner is a hardened ex-war reporter on the run from his past. On his way to see his son, Sam, for the first time in years, Henri steps into the road without looking and collides with oncoming traffic. He is rushed to a nearby hospital where he floats, comatose, between dreams, reliving the fairytales of his childhood and the secrets that made him run away in the first place. After the accident, Sam—a thirteen-year old synesthete with an IQ of 144 and an appetite for science fiction—waits by his father’s bedside every day. There he meets Eddie Tomlin, a woman forced to confront her love for Henri after all these years, and twelve-year old Madelyn Zeidler, a coma patient like Henri and the sole survivor of a traffic accident that killed her family. As these four very different individuals fight—for hope, for patience, for life—they are bound together inextricably, facing the ravages of loss and first love side by side. A revelatory, urgently human story that examines what we consider serious and painful alongside light and whimsy, THE BOOK OF DREAMS is a tender meditation on memory, liminality, and empathy, asking with grace and gravitas what we will truly find meaningful in our lives once we are gone.

Major Thomas

Author: Greg Growden
Publisher: Affirm Press
ISBN: 192597233X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 296

Book Description
Opinion is still sharply divided on whether Breaker Morant and his Australian co-defendants were criminals who got what they deserved, or scapegoats used by the British Empire. Major Thomas, the bush lawyer drafted in at the last minute to defend them, is invariably depicted as either a hero or an incompetent fool. Now, for the first time, Greg Growden attempts to unravel the truth about the lawyer and soldier who returned from South Africa a broken man. Before the Boer War, Major Thomas had been a pillar of his community. He was a published poet, newspaper proprietor, lawyer and decorated soldier, but defending Breaker Morant became the defining episode of his life. The former 'King of Tenterfield' endured a stunning fall from grace, slipping into bankruptcy and imprisonment. Thomas ended his days as an eccentric recluse, his life ruined by the ignominy and frustration of finding himself on the wrong side of history. For more than a century he has been a footnote in diverging historical arguments. A proper hearing for Major Thomas is long overdue.