https://bayside.spydus.com/cgi-bin/spydus.exe/ENQ/WPAC/BIBENQ?QRY=SVL(NEWAUSTFICTION)&QRYTEXT=New%20Australian%20Fiction&SETLVL=SET&CF=BIB&SORTS=DTE.DATE1.DESC&NRECS=20 Spydus Search Results en © 2022 Civica Pty Limited. All rights reserved. https://bayside.spydus.com/cgi-bin/spydus.exe/ENQ/WPAC/BIBENQ?SETLVL=&BRN=540530&CF=BIB Under the clamour of the Sydney Harbour Bridge being built nearby, Grace Fairweather is working in her father's grocery shop in The Rocks when she begins making her own confectionery. Her colourful creations of toffees, lollies and chocolates soon become crowd favourites, and Grace begins to dream of one day opening her own sweetshop. When the roguish but irresistible Londoner Alfie Sweeting comes to work for the Fairweathers, his ambition for her success thrills her -- so much so that she begins to question her engagement to Norman. Perhaps the 'safe' option in life isn't the right thing for her after all. Alfie encourages her to open not just a sweetshop, but a delightful destination for young and old -- a sugar palace! With Grace's natural business acumen and Alfie's creative sales skills, it seems like they could be the perfect pairing -- in work and in love -- but when Alfie's criminal past catches up with him, both their lives come under threat and Grace is forced to make the most difficult decision of all. Moving between the colourful world of a carnival-like confectionery store and Sydney's organised crime world of brothel madams, gambling dens and cocaine dealers, this is a thrilling romantic adventure that shows not everyone is to be trusted, and life isn't always as sweet as it seems. Under the clamour of the Sydney Harbour Bridge being built nearby, Grace Fairweather is working in her father's grocery shop in The Rocks when she begins making her own confectionery. Her colourful creations of toffees, lollies and chocolates soon become crowd favourites, and Grace begins to dream of one day opening her own sweetshop. When the roguish but irresistible Londoner Alfie Sweeting comes to work for the Fairweathers, his ambition for her success thrills her -- so much so that she begins to question her engagement to Norman. Perhaps the 'safe' option in life isn't the right thing for her after all. Alfie encourages her to open not just a sweetshop, but a delightful destination for young and old -- a sugar palace! With Grace's natural business acumen and Alfie's creative sales skills, it seems like they could be the perfect pairing -- in work and in love -- but when Alfie's criminal past catches up with him, both their lives come under threat and Grace is forced to make the most difficult decision of all. Moving between the colourful world of a carnival-like confectionery store and Sydney's organised crime world of brothel madams, gambling dens and cocaine dealers, this is a thrilling romantic adventure that shows not everyone is to be trusted, and life isn't always as sweet as it seems.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Author: </span>McIntosh, Fiona<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Published: </span>[Southbank, VIC] : Michael Joseph, an imprint of Penguin Books, 2023.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Published: </span>©2023<br />384 pages ; 24 cm<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">4 reserves</span><br /><br />Beaumaris Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - MACI - On Reserve Shelf - Awaiting collection within 10 days of this date. (Set: 01 May 2024) - 010955955<br />Beaumaris Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - MACI - Onloan - Due: 20 May 2024 - 010938606<br />Brighton Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - MACI - Onloan - Due: 21 May 2024 - 010955917<br />Brighton Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - MACI - On Reserve Shelf - Awaiting collection within 10 days of this date. (Set: 02 May 2024) - 010955900<br />Hampton Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - MACI - Onloan - Due: 06 May 2024 - 010955931<br />Sandringham Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - MACI - Onloan - Due: 24 May 2024 - 010955948<br />Sandringham Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - MACI - On Reserve Shelf - Awaiting collection within 10 days of this date. (Set: 02 May 2024) - 010955924<br /> https://bayside.spydus.com/cgi-bin/spydus.exe/ENQ/WPAC/BIBENQ?SETLVL=&BRN=541230&CF=BIB A girl and her mother have been on the run for sixteen years, from police and the monster they left in their kitchen with a knife in his throat. They've found themselves a home inside a van with four flat tyres parked in a scrapyard by the edge of the Brisbane River. The girl has no name because names are dangerous when you're on the run. But the girl has a dream. A vision of a life as an artist of international acclaim. There's only one person who can help make her dreams come true. That person is Lola and she carries all the answers. But to find Lola, the girl with no name must first do one of the hardest things we can ever do. She must look in the mirror. A girl and her mother have been on the run for sixteen years, from police and the monster they left in their kitchen with a knife in his throat. They've found themselves a home inside a van with four flat tyres parked in a scrapyard by the edge of the Brisbane River. The girl has no name because names are dangerous when you're on the run. But the girl has a dream. A vision of a life as an artist of international acclaim. There's only one person who can help make her dreams come true. That person is Lola and she carries all the answers. But to find Lola, the girl with no name must first do one of the hardest things we can ever do. She must look in the mirror.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Author: </span>Dalton, Trent<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Published: </span>[Sydney, N.S.W.] : Fourth Estate, 2023.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Published: </span>©2023<br />496 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Average rating: </span><span style="vertical-align: middle;"><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /></span> (1 review)<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">82 reserves</span><br /><br />15 copies <br /> https://bayside.spydus.com/cgi-bin/spydus.exe/ENQ/WPAC/BIBENQ?SETLVL=&BRN=542110&CF=BIB Iris doesn't remember the first time she met Nina. But she remembers the first time she paid attention to her. It was when he did. The first year of high school brought Iris into a type of privilege she'd never felt part of. But then she found her place. The magic of performing in school musicals and the freedom of the stage opened her up to a new world. Her drama teacher gave her a glimpse of the adult she wanted to be. But, just like in the theatre, when the spotlight is off you, it can be a lonely and neglected existence. For Iris, jealousy and bitterness will grow. For Nina, something more dangerous. Reckless anger and rumours will come to a head. And, years later, there is a reckoning for them all. A Light in the Dark is a compelling novel that distils the magic of theatre as the backdrop for an unforgettable examination of friendship, vulnerability, power and abuse. Iris doesn't remember the first time she met Nina. But she remembers the first time she paid attention to her. It was when he did. The first year of high school brought Iris into a type of privilege she'd never felt part of. But then she found her place. The magic of performing in school musicals and the freedom of the stage opened her up to a new world. Her drama teacher gave her a glimpse of the adult she wanted to be. But, just like in the theatre, when the spotlight is off you, it can be a lonely and neglected existence. For Iris, jealousy and bitterness will grow. For Nina, something more dangerous. Reckless anger and rumours will come to a head. And, years later, there is a reckoning for them all. A Light in the Dark is a compelling novel that distils the magic of theatre as the backdrop for an unforgettable examination of friendship, vulnerability, power and abuse.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Author: </span>Richards, Allee<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Published: </span>Gadigal Country ; Sydney, NSW : Hachette Australia, 2023.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Published: </span>©2023<br />281 pages ; 24 cm<br /><br />Beaumaris Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - RICH - Available - 010859468<br />Brighton Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - RICH - Available - 010859482<br />Brighton Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - RICH - Available - 010859451<br />Hampton Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - RICH - Available - 010859475<br /> https://bayside.spydus.com/cgi-bin/spydus.exe/ENQ/WPAC/BIBENQ?SETLVL=&BRN=542151&CF=BIB "It is February 1942. Amid the turmoil of World War II, a group of Australian Army nurses, among them Nesta James and Vivian Bullwinkel, have just arrived in Singapore. The women have fled there from Malaya, where they had been stationed to care for Allied troops - and they are reluctant to move on again. Their hope is to remain in the beleaguered British colony to continue their mission of treating the sick and wounded. Norah Chambers, an English musician, has also fled to Singapore from Malaya, where she had been living with her husband and her eight-year-old daughter, Sally. A few days earlier she had sent her child away on a ship bound for Australia, desperate to keep her safe from invading Japanese forces. As the Japanese military overruns the city, Nesta and Vivian reluctantly join a terrified cargo of people - including the heartbroken Norah - crammed aboard the merchant ship Vyner Brooke. Only two days later, they are bombarded from the air off the coast of Indonesia, and in a matter of hours, the Vyner Brooke has sunk. After 24 hours in the sea, Nesta and Norah reach the beaches of a remote island, only to be captured and held in a succession of Japanese POW camps, places of starvation and brutality, where disease runs rampant. Alongside hundreds of other women prisoners, they begin a struggle for survival that will last almost four years. But even here, joy can be found by those with the will to defy their desperate circumstances. When Norah forms a 'vocal orchestra', with the women's voices taking the place of instruments, their music has the power to bring hope into the midst of despair. Sisters in arms, Norah and Nesta fight side by side, discovering in themselves extraordinary reserves of courage, resourcefulness, humour and hope in their determination to retain their humanity by caring for others." -- Back cover. "It is February 1942. Amid the turmoil of World War II, a group of Australian Army nurses, among them Nesta James and Vivian Bullwinkel, have just arrived in Singapore. The women have fled there from Malaya, where they had been stationed to care for Allied troops - and they are reluctant to move on again. Their hope is to remain in the beleaguered British colony to continue their mission of treating the sick and wounded. Norah Chambers, an English musician, has also fled to Singapore from Malaya, where she had been living with her husband and her eight-year-old daughter, Sally. A few days earlier she had sent her child away on a ship bound for Australia, desperate to keep her safe from invading Japanese forces. As the Japanese military overruns the city, Nesta and Vivian reluctantly join a terrified cargo of people - including the heartbroken Norah - crammed aboard the merchant ship Vyner Brooke. Only two days later, they are bombarded from the air off the coast of Indonesia, and in a matter of hours, the Vyner Brooke has sunk. After 24 hours in the sea, Nesta and Norah reach the beaches of a remote island, only to be captured and held in a succession of Japanese POW camps, places of starvation and brutality, where disease runs rampant. Alongside hundreds of other women prisoners, they begin a struggle for survival that will last almost four years. But even here, joy can be found by those with the will to defy their desperate circumstances. When Norah forms a 'vocal orchestra', with the women's voices taking the place of instruments, their music has the power to bring hope into the midst of despair. Sisters in arms, Norah and Nesta fight side by side, discovering in themselves extraordinary reserves of courage, resourcefulness, humour and hope in their determination to retain their humanity by caring for others." -- Back cover.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Author: </span>Morris, Heather<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Published: </span>Sydney, NSW : Echo Publishing, 2023.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Published: </span>©2023<br />333 pages : illustrations, portraits, map ; 24 cm<br /><br />Beaumaris Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - MORR - Available - 010926672<br />Beaumaris Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - MORR - Available - 010926689<br />Brighton Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - MORR - Onloan - Due: 16 May 2024 - 010847250<br />Brighton Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - MORR - Onloan - Due: 08 May 2024 - 010847274<br />Brighton Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - MORR - Onloan - Due: 27 May 2024 - 010926665<br />Hampton Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - MORR - Onloan - Due: 24 May 2024 - 010847267<br />Hampton Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - MORR - Onloan - Due: 25 May 2024 - 010847281<br />Hampton Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - MORR - Available - 010926658<br /> https://bayside.spydus.com/cgi-bin/spydus.exe/ENQ/WPAC/BIBENQ?SETLVL=&BRN=542283&CF=BIB It could have been any summer evening, but of course it wasn't. It was the end of some things, the beginning of so many others. Nick Wheatley has finished high school, but he isn't ready for the rest of his life. His parents are getting divorced, his sister is downright weird and his best friend and neighbour, Marion, seems to have acquired a boyfriend. One hot night, Marion's father is killed in a hit-and-run. There are no suspects and no leads. But a sly tip from the local psychic sends Nick and Marion into the undertow of a strange and sinister world they hadn't known existed in the suburbs - one of inscrutable gangsters, speed-dealing bikies and unpredictable, one-eyed conspiracy theorists. It's a world they'll be lucky to survive. It could have been any summer evening, but of course it wasn't. It was the end of some things, the beginning of so many others. Nick Wheatley has finished high school, but he isn't ready for the rest of his life. His parents are getting divorced, his sister is downright weird and his best friend and neighbour, Marion, seems to have acquired a boyfriend. One hot night, Marion's father is killed in a hit-and-run. There are no suspects and no leads. But a sly tip from the local psychic sends Nick and Marion into the undertow of a strange and sinister world they hadn't known existed in the suburbs - one of inscrutable gangsters, speed-dealing bikies and unpredictable, one-eyed conspiracy theorists. It's a world they'll be lucky to survive.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Author: </span>Womersley, Chris<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Published: </span>Sydney, New South Wales : Picador, Pan Macmillan Australia, 2023.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Published: </span>©2023<br />303 pages ; 24 cm<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Average rating: </span><span style="vertical-align: middle;"><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /></span> (1 review)<br /><br />Beaumaris Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - Crime - WOME - Onloan - Due: 26 May 2024 - 010859147<br />Brighton Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - Crime - WOME - Onloan - Due: 20 May 2024 - 010859130<br />Hampton Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - Crime - WOME - Available - 010859116<br />Sandringham Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - Crime - WOME - Onloan - Due: 25 May 2024 - 010859123<br /> https://bayside.spydus.com/cgi-bin/spydus.exe/ENQ/WPAC/BIBENQ?SETLVL=&BRN=542348&CF=BIB Adella is facing the dawn of a new year and the end of her twenties - and she's in a psychiatric unit recovering from a mental breakdown. A decade earlier, her life held such promise; she had every option in her hand. How did it come to this? As we go back and walk with Adella through her twenties, she searches for her grand purpose through love, career and travel. At her side through the tumultuous highs and lows is her best friend, Jake, facing his own challenges and opportunities. They both know the future must have something better to offer - but why does it also always feel, in the bottom of their stomachs, as though something bad is going to happen? Raw and revelatory, Something Bad is Going to Happen is a heart-stopping new work from one of Australia's most exciting writers. Dealing with the weight young women bear through pressure, anxiety, rejection, this is a generation-defining novel - wise, witty, deeply compelling. Adella is facing the dawn of a new year and the end of her twenties - and she's in a psychiatric unit recovering from a mental breakdown. A decade earlier, her life held such promise; she had every option in her hand. How did it come to this? As we go back and walk with Adella through her twenties, she searches for her grand purpose through love, career and travel. At her side through the tumultuous highs and lows is her best friend, Jake, facing his own challenges and opportunities. They both know the future must have something better to offer - but why does it also always feel, in the bottom of their stomachs, as though something bad is going to happen? Raw and revelatory, Something Bad is Going to Happen is a heart-stopping new work from one of Australia's most exciting writers. Dealing with the weight young women bear through pressure, anxiety, rejection, this is a generation-defining novel - wise, witty, deeply compelling.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Author: </span>Stephens, Jessie<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Published: </span>Sydney, New South Wales : Macmillan, Pan Macmillan Australia, 2023.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Published: </span>©2023<br />328 pages ; 24 cm<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">2 reserves</span><br /><br />Beaumaris Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - STEP - Onloan - Due: 08 May 2024 - 010859314<br />Beaumaris Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - STEP - In-transit from Beaumaris Library to Hurlingham Park Lockers (reserve pick up only) (Set: 02 May 2024) - 010854302<br />Brighton Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - STEP - Onloan - Due: 23 Apr 2024 - 010854326<br />Hampton Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - STEP - On Reserve Shelf - Awaiting collection within 10 days of this date. (Set: 23 Apr 2024) - 010859321<br />Sandringham Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - STEP - Onloan - Due: 28 May 2024 - 010854319<br /> https://bayside.spydus.com/cgi-bin/spydus.exe/ENQ/WPAC/BIBENQ?SETLVL=&BRN=543040&CF=BIB A family of cat farmers gets the chance to set the felines free. A group of chickens tells it like it is. A female-crewed ship ploughs through the patriarchy. A support group finds solace in a world without men. With her trademark humour, energy, and flair, McKay offers hallucinogenic glimpses of places where dreams subsume reality, where childhood restarts, where humans embrace their animal selves and animals talk like humans. The stories in Gunflower explode and bloom in mesmerising ways, showing the world both as it is and as it could be. A family of cat farmers gets the chance to set the felines free. A group of chickens tells it like it is. A female-crewed ship ploughs through the patriarchy. A support group finds solace in a world without men. With her trademark humour, energy, and flair, McKay offers hallucinogenic glimpses of places where dreams subsume reality, where childhood restarts, where humans embrace their animal selves and animals talk like humans. The stories in Gunflower explode and bloom in mesmerising ways, showing the world both as it is and as it could be.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Author: </span>McKay, Laura Jean<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Published: </span>Brunswick, Victoria : Scribe Publications, 2023.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Published: </span>©2023<br />241 pages ; 21 cm<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Average rating: </span><span style="vertical-align: middle;"><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-blankstar.gif" alt="☆" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-blankstar.gif" alt="☆" /></span> (1 review)<br /><br />Sandringham Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - MACK - Available - 010965374<br />Sandringham Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - MACK - Available - 010965367<br /> https://bayside.spydus.com/cgi-bin/spydus.exe/ENQ/WPAC/BIBENQ?SETLVL=&BRN=543042&CF=BIB Council employee Lorrie Hope has a great partner, two adorable kids and absolutely no idea what to do with her life. This Friday, she's hoping for change: it's launch day for her big work project, and she's applied for a promotion she's not entirely sure she wants. Meanwhile, her best friend, Alex, is stuck in a mess involving Lorrie's rakish ex, Ruben--or, more accurately, his wife. Oh, and Ruben's boss happens to be the mining magnate Sebastian Glup, who is sponsoring Lorrie's project. As the day spirals from bad to worse to frankly unhinged, Lorrie and Alex must reconsider what they can expect from life, love and middle management. The Opposite of Success is a riotously funny debut novel about work, motherhood, friendship--and the meaning of failure itself. Council employee Lorrie Hope has a great partner, two adorable kids and absolutely no idea what to do with her life. This Friday, she's hoping for change: it's launch day for her big work project, and she's applied for a promotion she's not entirely sure she wants. Meanwhile, her best friend, Alex, is stuck in a mess involving Lorrie's rakish ex, Ruben--or, more accurately, his wife. Oh, and Ruben's boss happens to be the mining magnate Sebastian Glup, who is sponsoring Lorrie's project. As the day spirals from bad to worse to frankly unhinged, Lorrie and Alex must reconsider what they can expect from life, love and middle management. The Opposite of Success is a riotously funny debut novel about work, motherhood, friendship--and the meaning of failure itself.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Author: </span>Thomas, Eleanor Elliott<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Published: </span>Wurundjeri Country ; Melbourne Vic : The Text Publishing Company, 2023.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Published: </span>©2023<br />268 pages ; 24 cm<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">13 reserves</span><br /><br />Beaumaris Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - THOM - In-transit from Beaumaris Library to Hampton Library (Set: 23 Apr 2024) - 010982180<br />Brighton Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - THOM - On Reserve Shelf - Awaiting collection within 10 days of this date. (Set: 22 Apr 2024) - 010965046<br />Brighton Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - THOM - Onloan - Due: 20 May 2024 - 010965060<br />Sandringham Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - THOM - Onloan - Due: 30 May 2024 - 010965053<br /> https://bayside.spydus.com/cgi-bin/spydus.exe/ENQ/WPAC/BIBENQ?SETLVL=&BRN=543044&CF=BIB Salt River Road is a compelling coming-of-age novel about grief and healing set in a small town in the 1970s. In the aftermath of their mother's death, the Tetley siblings' lives are falling apart. Left to fend for themselves as their family farm goes to ruins, Rose sets out to escape the grief and mess of home. When she meets Noongar Elders Patsy and Herbert, she finds herself drawn into a home where she has the chance to discover the strength of community, and to heal a wound her family has carried for a generation. Salt River Road is a poignant exploration of healing and resilience, small-town racism and the power of human connection. Salt River Road is a compelling coming-of-age novel about grief and healing set in a small town in the 1970s. In the aftermath of their mother's death, the Tetley siblings' lives are falling apart. Left to fend for themselves as their family farm goes to ruins, Rose sets out to escape the grief and mess of home. When she meets Noongar Elders Patsy and Herbert, she finds herself drawn into a home where she has the chance to discover the strength of community, and to heal a wound her family has carried for a generation. Salt River Road is a poignant exploration of healing and resilience, small-town racism and the power of human connection.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Author: </span>Schmidt, Molly<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Published: </span>Fremantle, Western Australia : Fremantle Press, 2023.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Published: </span>©2023<br />279 pages ; 24 cm<br /><br />Brighton Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - SCHM - Available - 010965268<br />Sandringham Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - SCHM - Available - 010965275<br /> https://bayside.spydus.com/cgi-bin/spydus.exe/ENQ/WPAC/BIBENQ?SETLVL=&BRN=543100&CF=BIB All Hanna Fischer ever wanted to do was to study physics under the great Albert Einstein. But when, as a teenager in 1919, her life is suddenly turned upside-down, she is catapulted into a new and extraordinary life - as a secretary, a scientist, a sister and a spy. From racist gangs in Berlin to gangsters in New York City, Nazis in the 1930s and Hitler's inner circle during the Second World War, Hanna will encounter some of history's greatest minds and most terrible moments, all while desperately trying to stay alive. She is a unique secretary and she will work for many bosses - from shrewd businessmen to vile Nazis, to the greatest boss of them all, Mr Albert Einstein. Spanning 40 years, this is the thrilling tale of a young woman propelled through history's most dangerous times. But read it carefully, because all may not be as it seems. All Hanna Fischer ever wanted to do was to study physics under the great Albert Einstein. But when, as a teenager in 1919, her life is suddenly turned upside-down, she is catapulted into a new and extraordinary life - as a secretary, a scientist, a sister and a spy. From racist gangs in Berlin to gangsters in New York City, Nazis in the 1930s and Hitler's inner circle during the Second World War, Hanna will encounter some of history's greatest minds and most terrible moments, all while desperately trying to stay alive. She is a unique secretary and she will work for many bosses - from shrewd businessmen to vile Nazis, to the greatest boss of them all, Mr Albert Einstein. Spanning 40 years, this is the thrilling tale of a young woman propelled through history's most dangerous times. But read it carefully, because all may not be as it seems.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Author: </span>Reilly, Matthew, 1974-<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Published: </span>Sydney, New South Wales : Macmillan, Pan Macmillan Australia, 2023.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Published: </span>©2023<br />450 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">1 reserve</span><br /><br />Beaumaris Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - Crime - REIL - Available - 010945857<br />Beaumaris Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - Crime - REIL - Available - 010955887<br />Beaumaris Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - Crime - REIL - Available - 010955894<br />Brighton Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - Crime - REIL - Onloan - Due: 28 May 2024 - 010943747<br />Brighton Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - Crime - REIL - Available - 010916260<br />Hampton Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - Crime - REIL - Onloan - Due: 25 May 2024 - 010916253<br />Sandringham Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - Crime - REIL - Onloan - Due: 16 May 2024 - 010955870<br />Sandringham Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - Crime - REIL - On Reserve Shelf - Awaiting collection within 10 days of this date. (Set: 02 May 2024) - 010955863<br />Sandringham Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - Crime - REIL - Available - 010916277<br /> https://bayside.spydus.com/cgi-bin/spydus.exe/ENQ/WPAC/BIBENQ?SETLVL=&BRN=543103&CF=BIB For as long as they can remember, Jessica, Norah and Alicia have been told how lucky they are. Rescued from family tragedies and raised by a loving foster mother on an idyllic farming estate, they were given an elusive second chance of a happy family life. But their childhood wasn't the fairy tale everyone thinks it was. And when a body is discovered under the home they grew up in, the foster sisters find themselves thrust into the spotlight as key witnesses. Or are they prime suspects? For as long as they can remember, Jessica, Norah and Alicia have been told how lucky they are. Rescued from family tragedies and raised by a loving foster mother on an idyllic farming estate, they were given an elusive second chance of a happy family life. But their childhood wasn't the fairy tale everyone thinks it was. And when a body is discovered under the home they grew up in, the foster sisters find themselves thrust into the spotlight as key witnesses. Or are they prime suspects?<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Author: </span>Hepworth, Sally<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Published: </span>Sydney, New South Wales : Macmillan, 2023.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Published: </span>©2023<br />346 pages ; 24 cm<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">61 reserves</span><br /><br />15 copies <br /> https://bayside.spydus.com/cgi-bin/spydus.exe/ENQ/WPAC/BIBENQ?SETLVL=&BRN=543144&CF=BIB Two extraordinary Indigenous stories set five generations apart. When Mulanyin meets the beautiful Nita in Edenglassie, their saltwater people still outnumber the British. As colonial unrest peaks, Mulanyin dreams of taking his bride home to Yugambeh Country, but his plans for independence collide with white justice. Two centuries later, fiery activist Winona meets Dr Johnny. Together they care for obstinate centenarian Grannie Eddie, and sparks fly, but not always in the right direction. What nobody knows is how far the legacies of the past will reach into their modern lives. In this brilliant epic, Melissa Lucashenko torches Queensland's colonial myths, while reimagining an Australian future. Two extraordinary Indigenous stories set five generations apart. When Mulanyin meets the beautiful Nita in Edenglassie, their saltwater people still outnumber the British. As colonial unrest peaks, Mulanyin dreams of taking his bride home to Yugambeh Country, but his plans for independence collide with white justice. Two centuries later, fiery activist Winona meets Dr Johnny. Together they care for obstinate centenarian Grannie Eddie, and sparks fly, but not always in the right direction. What nobody knows is how far the legacies of the past will reach into their modern lives. In this brilliant epic, Melissa Lucashenko torches Queensland's colonial myths, while reimagining an Australian future.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Author: </span>Lucashenko, Melissa, 1967-<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Published: </span>St Lucia, Queensland : University of Queensland Press, 2023.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Published: </span>©2023<br />306 pages : maps ; 24 cm<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">17 reserves</span><br /><br />Beaumaris Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - LUCA - Onloan - Due: 18 May 2024 - 010965435<br />Beaumaris Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - LUCA - Onloan - Due: 13 May 2024 - 010965459<br />Beaumaris Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - LUCA - Onloan - Due: 17 May 2024 - 010983712<br />Brighton Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - LUCA - On Reserve Shelf - Awaiting collection within 10 days of this date. (Set: 30 Apr 2024) - 010965428<br />Brighton Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - LUCA - On Reserve Shelf - Awaiting collection within 10 days of this date. (Set: 02 May 2024) - 010984184<br />Hampton Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - LUCA - In-transit from Hampton Library to Brighton Library (Set: 02 May 2024) - 010983699<br /> https://bayside.spydus.com/cgi-bin/spydus.exe/ENQ/WPAC/BIBENQ?SETLVL=&BRN=543151&CF=BIB A woman abandons her city life and marriage to return to the place of her childhood, holing up in a small religious community hidden away on the stark plains of the Monaro. She does not believe in God, doesn't know what prayer is, and finds herself living this strange, reclusive life almost by accident. As she gradually adjusts to the rhythms of monastic life, she finds herself turning again and again to thoughts of her mother, whose early death she can't forget. Disquiet interrupts this secluded life with three visitations. First comes a terrible mouse plague, each day signalling a new battle against the rising infestation. Second is the return of the skeletal remains of a sister who left the community decades before to minister to deprived women in Thailand - then disappeared, presumed murdered. Finally, a troubling visitor to the monastery pulls the narrator further back into her past. With each of these disturbing arrivals, the woman faces some deep questions. Can a person be truly good? What is forgiveness? Is loss of hope a moral failure? And can the business of grief ever really be finished? A meditative and deeply moving novel from one of Australia's most acclaimed and best loved writers.. A woman abandons her city life and marriage to return to the place of her childhood, holing up in a small religious community hidden away on the stark plains of the Monaro. She does not believe in God, doesn't know what prayer is, and finds herself living this strange, reclusive life almost by accident. As she gradually adjusts to the rhythms of monastic life, she finds herself turning again and again to thoughts of her mother, whose early death she can't forget. Disquiet interrupts this secluded life with three visitations. First comes a terrible mouse plague, each day signalling a new battle against the rising infestation. Second is the return of the skeletal remains of a sister who left the community decades before to minister to deprived women in Thailand - then disappeared, presumed murdered. Finally, a troubling visitor to the monastery pulls the narrator further back into her past. With each of these disturbing arrivals, the woman faces some deep questions. Can a person be truly good? What is forgiveness? Is loss of hope a moral failure? And can the business of grief ever really be finished? A meditative and deeply moving novel from one of Australia's most acclaimed and best loved writers..<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Author: </span>Wood, Charlotte<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Published: </span>Cammeraygal Country ; Crows Nest, NSW : Allen & Unwin, 2023.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Published: </span>©2023<br />295 pages ; 24 cm<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Average rating: </span><span style="vertical-align: middle;"><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-blankstar.gif" alt="☆" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-blankstar.gif" alt="☆" /></span> (1 review)<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">3 reserves</span><br /><br />13 copies <br /> https://bayside.spydus.com/cgi-bin/spydus.exe/ENQ/WPAC/BIBENQ?SETLVL=&BRN=543208&CF=BIB Another rich and sumptuously told tale based on the life of artist Dorothea Graff, from award-winning and bestselling author of The Birdman's Wife and The Bee and the Orange Tree, Melissa Ashley. Set in 1700s Amsterdam and the wilds of the South American jungle, it charts the creation of one of the most famous works by a female artist of all time: The Metamorphosis of the Insects of Suriname. At the turn of the 18th century, Amsterdam is at the centre of an intellectual revolution, with artists and scientists racing to record the wonders of the natural world. Of all the brilliant naturalists in Europe, Maria Sibylla Merian is one of its brightest stars. For as long as she can remember, Dorothea Graff's life has been lived in service to her mother, Maria: from collecting insects to colouring illustrations for Maria's world-famous publications. While Dorothea longs for a life that is truly her own, she constantly finds herself drawn back into her mother's world - and shadow. When Maria becomes entranced by the plant and insect life of Suriname, she is determined to record it for herself. At just twenty years old, Dorothea decides to join her on this once-in-a-lifetime journey. All the family's savings are ploughed into the dangerous expedition, but greatness is never achieved without sacrifice. The Metamorphosis of the Insects of Suriname will be Maria's masterpiece, but ensuring its legacy - and her own survival - will become her daughter's burden. When offered a chance of happiness, will Dorothea have the courage to take it, and risk everything her mother built? rom the jungles of South America to the bustling artists' studios of Amsterdam, Melissa Ashley charts an incredible period of discovery. With stunning lyricism and immaculate research, The Naturalist of Amsterdam gives voice to the long-ignored women who shaped our understanding of the natural world - both the artists and those who made their work possible. Another rich and sumptuously told tale based on the life of artist Dorothea Graff, from award-winning and bestselling author of The Birdman's Wife and The Bee and the Orange Tree, Melissa Ashley. Set in 1700s Amsterdam and the wilds of the South American jungle, it charts the creation of one of the most famous works by a female artist of all time: The Metamorphosis of the Insects of Suriname. At the turn of the 18th century, Amsterdam is at the centre of an intellectual revolution, with artists and scientists racing to record the wonders of the natural world. Of all the brilliant naturalists in Europe, Maria Sibylla Merian is one of its brightest stars. For as long as she can remember, Dorothea Graff's life has been lived in service to her mother, Maria: from collecting insects to colouring illustrations for Maria's world-famous publications. While Dorothea longs for a life that is truly her own, she constantly finds herself drawn back into her mother's world - and shadow. When Maria becomes entranced by the plant and insect life of Suriname, she is determined to record it for herself. At just twenty years old, Dorothea decides to join her on this once-in-a-lifetime journey. All the family's savings are ploughed into the dangerous expedition, but greatness is never achieved without sacrifice. The Metamorphosis of the Insects of Suriname will be Maria's masterpiece, but ensuring its legacy - and her own survival - will become her daughter's burden. When offered a chance of happiness, will Dorothea have the courage to take it, and risk everything her mother built? rom the jungles of South America to the bustling artists' studios of Amsterdam, Melissa Ashley charts an incredible period of discovery. With stunning lyricism and immaculate research, The Naturalist of Amsterdam gives voice to the long-ignored women who shaped our understanding of the natural world - both the artists and those who made their work possible.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Author: </span>Ashley, Melissa, 1973-<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Published: </span>Boon Wurrung Country ; South Melbourne, VIC : Affirm Press, 2023.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Published: </span>©2023<br />383 pages ; 24 cm<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">2 reserves</span><br /><br />Brighton Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - ASHL - Onloan - Due: 24 May 2024 - 010959588<br />Brighton Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - ASHL - Onloan - Due: 20 May 2024 - 010959595<br />Hampton Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - ASHL - Onloan - Due: 28 May 2024 - 010919599<br />Sandringham Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - ASHL - Onloan - Due: 27 May 2024 - 010959571<br /> https://bayside.spydus.com/cgi-bin/spydus.exe/ENQ/WPAC/BIBENQ?SETLVL=&BRN=543209&CF=BIB Eighteen-year-old Aaron is charismatic, resourceful and addicted to heroin. His mum has kicked him out of home in a last-ditch move to help him get straight, and he wanders the streets of South Melbourne, living on his wits and sleeping rough, all the while chasing drugs, dreams and love. Desperate to fund his addiction, Aaron climbs into the car of The Man, a distinguished elderly gentleman willing to pay for a certain kind of relationship. This regular cash could be the lifeline Aaron needs to start again, but The Man keeps raising spectres from Aaron's past that he'd rather forget. As Aaron gathers the courage to confront the events that derailed his life, his rage grows and the consequences could be fatal. Eighteen-year-old Aaron is charismatic, resourceful and addicted to heroin. His mum has kicked him out of home in a last-ditch move to help him get straight, and he wanders the streets of South Melbourne, living on his wits and sleeping rough, all the while chasing drugs, dreams and love. Desperate to fund his addiction, Aaron climbs into the car of The Man, a distinguished elderly gentleman willing to pay for a certain kind of relationship. This regular cash could be the lifeline Aaron needs to start again, but The Man keeps raising spectres from Aaron's past that he'd rather forget. As Aaron gathers the courage to confront the events that derailed his life, his rage grows and the consequences could be fatal.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Author: </span>Cummins, Mick<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Published: </span>Boon Wurrung Country, South Melbourne, VIC : Affirm Press, 2023.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Published: </span>©2023<br />295 pages ; 24 cm<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Average rating: </span><span style="vertical-align: middle;"><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-blankstar.gif" alt="☆" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-blankstar.gif" alt="☆" /></span> (1 review)<br /><br />Beaumaris Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - CUMM - Available - 010938279<br />Brighton Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - CUMM - Available - 010938286<br />Brighton Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - CUMM - Available - 010938309<br /> https://bayside.spydus.com/cgi-bin/spydus.exe/ENQ/WPAC/BIBENQ?SETLVL=&BRN=543210&CF=BIB A witty, profound and painfully relatable debut novel exploring solitude, desire, and the allure of chasing something that promises nothing. Hera Stephen is clawing through her mid-twenties, working as an underpaid comment moderator in an overly air-conditioned newsroom by day and kicking around Sydney with her two best friends by night. Instead of money or stability, she has so far accrued one ex-girlfriend, several hundred hangovers, and a dog-eared novel collection. While everyone around her seems to have slipped effortlessly into adulthood, Hera has spent the years since school caught between feeling that she is purposefully rejecting traditional markers of success to forge a life of her own and wondering if she's actually just being left behind. Then she meets Arthur, an older, married colleague. Intoxicated by the promise of ordinary happiness he represents, Hera falls headlong into a workplace romance that everyone, including her, knows is doomed to fail. A witty, profound and painfully relatable debut novel exploring solitude, desire, and the allure of chasing something that promises nothing. Hera Stephen is clawing through her mid-twenties, working as an underpaid comment moderator in an overly air-conditioned newsroom by day and kicking around Sydney with her two best friends by night. Instead of money or stability, she has so far accrued one ex-girlfriend, several hundred hangovers, and a dog-eared novel collection. While everyone around her seems to have slipped effortlessly into adulthood, Hera has spent the years since school caught between feeling that she is purposefully rejecting traditional markers of success to forge a life of her own and wondering if she's actually just being left behind. Then she meets Arthur, an older, married colleague. Intoxicated by the promise of ordinary happiness he represents, Hera falls headlong into a workplace romance that everyone, including her, knows is doomed to fail.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Author: </span>Gray, Madeleine<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Published: </span>Cammeraygal Country ; Crows Nest, NSW : Allen & Unwin, 2023.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Published: </span>©2023<br />376 pages ; 24 cm<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">39 reserves</span><br /><br />13 copies <br /> https://bayside.spydus.com/cgi-bin/spydus.exe/ENQ/WPAC/BIBENQ?SETLVL=&BRN=543904&CF=BIB 'So, was it hard to pretend I was "dead"? Well, my motivation was abundant; it was splendiferous, endless, you might say.' An American actress, renowned for being late, is living with her two cats in a modernist clifftop apartment in Sydney in the late 1980s. The recounting of her story is prompted by the arrival of an old typewriter and a book addressed to Zelda Zonk. And by the arrival of a young man called Daniel, who is locked out while house-sitting her neighbour's apartment. Together Zelda and Daniel form an unlikely but close bond as they go walking, prepare dinner for Shabbat, traverse Sydney Harbour on a ferry and talk about their lives. Part of their bond is the discovery that they are both orphans. Daniel is also a habitué of the nearby sandstone cliffs where men have mysteriously gone missing. In Late, Michael Fitzgerald superbly captures the literary spirit and sensibility of an ageing woman and icon who has escaped celebrity. It is a haunting and lyrical novel about art, friendship, and confronting our fears. 'So, was it hard to pretend I was "dead"? Well, my motivation was abundant; it was splendiferous, endless, you might say.' An American actress, renowned for being late, is living with her two cats in a modernist clifftop apartment in Sydney in the late 1980s. The recounting of her story is prompted by the arrival of an old typewriter and a book addressed to Zelda Zonk. And by the arrival of a young man called Daniel, who is locked out while house-sitting her neighbour's apartment. Together Zelda and Daniel form an unlikely but close bond as they go walking, prepare dinner for Shabbat, traverse Sydney Harbour on a ferry and talk about their lives. Part of their bond is the discovery that they are both orphans. Daniel is also a habitué of the nearby sandstone cliffs where men have mysteriously gone missing. In Late, Michael Fitzgerald superbly captures the literary spirit and sensibility of an ageing woman and icon who has escaped celebrity. It is a haunting and lyrical novel about art, friendship, and confronting our fears.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Author: </span>Fitzgerald, Michael (Editor)<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Published: </span>Melbourne, Australia : Transit Lounge Publishing, 2023.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Published: </span>©2023<br />200 pages : illustration ; 22 cm<br /><br />Sandringham Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - FITZ - Onloan - Due: 24 May 2024 - 010965602<br /> https://bayside.spydus.com/cgi-bin/spydus.exe/ENQ/WPAC/BIBENQ?SETLVL=&BRN=543911&CF=BIB It's 2022 and Helen is starting again. Newly single, adrift in an uncaring rental market, she finds a four-bedroom house flanked by apartment blocks that stare into the yard from all sides. Despite the lack of privacy, she fills its rooms with an unlikely group of residents looking for communal harmony: a zine maker working on a punk music archive; an activist writing about Australian anti-communism; an academic launching a return of guerrilla gardening; and a part-time rugby league player who has one chance to play for his country before retirement. Each is looking to build a future, each is haunted by their recent past. If a four-bedroom share house in Sydney could ever promise salvation, it would come with a coating of black mould. Against the backdrop of pandemic and war, climate and housing crises, Paradise Estate finds its residents surrounded by generational confusion, stranded by housing scarcity and social malaise. Written with ironic wit and an eye for contemporary events, Easton's second novel sets the pessimism of its times against the optimism of the will. When isolation and atomisation are what we are given, what can be made from coming together? It's 2022 and Helen is starting again. Newly single, adrift in an uncaring rental market, she finds a four-bedroom house flanked by apartment blocks that stare into the yard from all sides. Despite the lack of privacy, she fills its rooms with an unlikely group of residents looking for communal harmony: a zine maker working on a punk music archive; an activist writing about Australian anti-communism; an academic launching a return of guerrilla gardening; and a part-time rugby league player who has one chance to play for his country before retirement. Each is looking to build a future, each is haunted by their recent past. If a four-bedroom share house in Sydney could ever promise salvation, it would come with a coating of black mould. Against the backdrop of pandemic and war, climate and housing crises, Paradise Estate finds its residents surrounded by generational confusion, stranded by housing scarcity and social malaise. Written with ironic wit and an eye for contemporary events, Easton's second novel sets the pessimism of its times against the optimism of the will. When isolation and atomisation are what we are given, what can be made from coming together?<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Author: </span>Easton, Max<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Published: </span>Artarmon, NSW : Giramondo Publishing Company, 2023.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Published: </span>©2023<br />290 pages ; 21 cm<br /><br />Brighton Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - EAST - Available - 010846703<br />Sandringham Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - EAST - Available - 010846697<br /> https://bayside.spydus.com/cgi-bin/spydus.exe/ENQ/WPAC/BIBENQ?SETLVL=&BRN=544149&CF=BIB When the ground beneath your feet is always shifting, how can you ever know where you belong? Jamilah has always believed she knows where her home is: in a house above a paint shop on the outskirts of Beirut, with her large, chaotic, loving family. But she soon learns that as Palestinian refugees, her family's life in Lebanon is precarious, and they must try to blend in even as they fight to retain their identity. When conflict comes to Beirut, Jamilah's world fractures, and the family is forced to flee to Cairo: another escape, and another slip further away from Palestine, the homeland to which they cannot return. In the end, Jamilah will have to choose between holding on to everything she knows and pursuing a life she can truly call her own. Songs for the Dead and the Living is a coming-of-age tale played out across generations and continents, from Palestine to Australia. Through stunning prose, acclaimed writer and human-rights activist Sara M Saleh offers a breathtaking portrait of the fragilities and flaws of family in the wake of war, and the love it takes to overcome great loss. When the ground beneath your feet is always shifting, how can you ever know where you belong? Jamilah has always believed she knows where her home is: in a house above a paint shop on the outskirts of Beirut, with her large, chaotic, loving family. But she soon learns that as Palestinian refugees, her family's life in Lebanon is precarious, and they must try to blend in even as they fight to retain their identity. When conflict comes to Beirut, Jamilah's world fractures, and the family is forced to flee to Cairo: another escape, and another slip further away from Palestine, the homeland to which they cannot return. In the end, Jamilah will have to choose between holding on to everything she knows and pursuing a life she can truly call her own. Songs for the Dead and the Living is a coming-of-age tale played out across generations and continents, from Palestine to Australia. Through stunning prose, acclaimed writer and human-rights activist Sara M Saleh offers a breathtaking portrait of the fragilities and flaws of family in the wake of war, and the love it takes to overcome great loss.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Author: </span>Saleh, Sara M.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Published: </span>Boon Wurrung Country ; South Melbourne, VIC : Affirm Press, 2023.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Published: </span>©2023<br />278 pages ; 24 cm<br /><br />Beaumaris Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - SALE - Available - 010855132<br />Brighton Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - SALE - Onloan - Due: 27 May 2024 - 010855125<br /> https://bayside.spydus.com/cgi-bin/spydus.exe/ENQ/WPAC/BIBENQ?SETLVL=&BRN=544222&CF=BIB Tessa is a thoroughbred. A young, brilliant barrister. She has worked her way up from a working-class background to be at the top of her game: defending, cross-examining and lighting up the shadows of doubt in any case. Her masterful line of questioning in the courtroom has netted Tessa win after win, freeing men accused of rape and sexual assault. As controversial as it is, this is her job - it's just about the facts and who can game the system. Working late one night, Tessa falls into a casual relationship with Julian, a coworker, an attorney who comes from an elite, wealthy family. A light-hearted affair, with a man she admires. She begins to wonder if perhaps there is a future for the two of them. One sickening night, though, Julian makes a choice and Tessa finds herself in a position countless women - one in three - have before her. And she's faced with a gut-wrenching, life-changing decision: will she take the stand to testify about her rape, with the full awareness that the system has not been built to protect her? Drawn from the internationally acclaimed play, Prima Facie is a propulsive, raw look at the price victims pay for speaking out and the system that sets them up to fail. With breakneck prose and a devastating emotional intensity, this is a novel for our times, by one of Australia's most important writers. Tessa is a thoroughbred. A young, brilliant barrister. She has worked her way up from a working-class background to be at the top of her game: defending, cross-examining and lighting up the shadows of doubt in any case. Her masterful line of questioning in the courtroom has netted Tessa win after win, freeing men accused of rape and sexual assault. As controversial as it is, this is her job - it's just about the facts and who can game the system. Working late one night, Tessa falls into a casual relationship with Julian, a coworker, an attorney who comes from an elite, wealthy family. A light-hearted affair, with a man she admires. She begins to wonder if perhaps there is a future for the two of them. One sickening night, though, Julian makes a choice and Tessa finds herself in a position countless women - one in three - have before her. And she's faced with a gut-wrenching, life-changing decision: will she take the stand to testify about her rape, with the full awareness that the system has not been built to protect her? Drawn from the internationally acclaimed play, Prima Facie is a propulsive, raw look at the price victims pay for speaking out and the system that sets them up to fail. With breakneck prose and a devastating emotional intensity, this is a novel for our times, by one of Australia's most important writers.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Author: </span>Miller, Suzie<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Published: </span>Sydney, New South Wales : Picador, Pan Macmillan Australia, 2023.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Published: </span>©2023<br />345 pages ; 24 cm<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Average rating: </span><span style="vertical-align: middle;"><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-blankstar.gif" alt="☆" /></span> (1 review)<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">15 reserves</span><br /><br />Beaumaris Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - MILL - Onloan - Due: 08 May 2024 - 010993124<br />Brighton Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - MILL - On Reserve Shelf - Awaiting collection within 10 days of this date. (Set: 30 Apr 2024) - 010965572<br />Brighton Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - MILL - Onloan - Due: 17 May 2024 - 010965589<br />Brighton Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - MILL - On Reserve Shelf - Awaiting collection within 10 days of this date. (Set: 29 Apr 2024) - 010925040<br />Brighton Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - MILL - On Reserve Shelf - Awaiting collection within 10 days of this date. (Set: 02 May 2024) - 010981060<br />Hampton Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - MILL - Onloan - Due: 28 May 2024 - 010965596<br />Sandringham Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - MILL - Onloan - Due: 13 May 2024 - 010943372<br />Sandringham Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - MILL - Onloan - Due: 28 May 2024 - 010981015<br />Sandringham Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - MILL - Onloan - Due: 28 May 2024 - 010993148<br /> https://bayside.spydus.com/cgi-bin/spydus.exe/ENQ/WPAC/BIBENQ?SETLVL=&BRN=544963&CF=BIB The conversion was Nick's idea. Nick: so persuasive, ever the optimist, still boyishly handsome. Always on a quest to design the perfect environment, convinced it could heal a wounded soul. The conversion was Nick's idea, but it's Zoe who's here now, in a valley of old coalmines and new vineyards, working out how to live in a deconsecrated church. What to do with all that vertical space, those oppressive stained-glass windows? Can a church become a home or, even with all its vestiges removed, will it remain forever what it was intended to be? For Zoe, alone and troubled by a ghost from the recent past, the little church seems empty of the possibilities Nick enthused about. She is stuck in purgatory, until a determined young teacher pushes her way into Zoe's life, convinced of her own peculiar mission for the building. Melanie has something of Nick's unquenchable zeal about her. And it's clear to Zoe that she won't take no for an answer. The conversion was Nick's idea. Nick: so persuasive, ever the optimist, still boyishly handsome. Always on a quest to design the perfect environment, convinced it could heal a wounded soul. The conversion was Nick's idea, but it's Zoe who's here now, in a valley of old coalmines and new vineyards, working out how to live in a deconsecrated church. What to do with all that vertical space, those oppressive stained-glass windows? Can a church become a home or, even with all its vestiges removed, will it remain forever what it was intended to be? For Zoe, alone and troubled by a ghost from the recent past, the little church seems empty of the possibilities Nick enthused about. She is stuck in purgatory, until a determined young teacher pushes her way into Zoe's life, convinced of her own peculiar mission for the building. Melanie has something of Nick's unquenchable zeal about her. And it's clear to Zoe that she won't take no for an answer.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Author: </span>Lohrey, Amanda<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Published: </span>Melbourne : The Text Publishing Company, 2023.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Published: </span>©2023<br />249 pages ; 24 cm<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">7 reserves</span><br /><br />Beaumaris Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - LOHR - On Reserve Shelf - Awaiting collection within 10 days of this date. (Set: 29 Apr 2024) - 010943099<br />Beaumaris Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - LOHR - On Reserve Shelf - Awaiting collection within 10 days of this date. (Set: 26 Apr 2024) - 010943105<br />Beaumaris Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - LOHR - Onloan - Due: 30 May 2024 - 010919896<br />Hampton Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - LOHR - On Reserve Shelf - Awaiting collection within 10 days of this date. (Set: 02 May 2024) - 010943075<br />Sandringham Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - LOHR - Onloan - Due: 03 May 2024 - 010943082<br />Sandringham Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - LOHR - On Reserve Shelf - Awaiting collection within 10 days of this date. (Set: 24 Apr 2024) - 010994770<br /> https://bayside.spydus.com/cgi-bin/spydus.exe/ENQ/WPAC/BIBENQ?SETLVL=&BRN=545911&CF=BIB When someone is taken away, what is left behind? All her life, Till has lived in the shadow of the abduction of a childhood friend and her tormented wondering about whether she could have stopped it. When Till, now twenty-three, senses danger approaching again, she flees her past and the hovering presence of her fearful parents. In Wirowie, a town on its knees, she stops and slowly begins creating a new life and home. But there is something menacing here too. Till must decide whether she can finally face down, even pursue, the darkness - or whether she'll flee once more and never stop running. When someone is taken away, what is left behind? All her life, Till has lived in the shadow of the abduction of a childhood friend and her tormented wondering about whether she could have stopped it. When Till, now twenty-three, senses danger approaching again, she flees her past and the hovering presence of her fearful parents. In Wirowie, a town on its knees, she stops and slowly begins creating a new life and home. But there is something menacing here too. Till must decide whether she can finally face down, even pursue, the darkness - or whether she'll flee once more and never stop running.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Author: </span>Treloar, Lucy<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Published: </span>Sydney, New South Wales : Picador, Pan Macmillan Australia, 2023.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Published: </span>©2023<br />321 pages ; 24 cm<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Average rating: </span><span style="vertical-align: middle;"><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-blankstar.gif" alt="☆" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-blankstar.gif" alt="☆" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-blankstar.gif" alt="☆" /></span> (1 review)<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">3 reserves</span><br /><br />Beaumaris Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - TREL - On Reserve Shelf - Awaiting collection within 10 days of this date. (Set: 26 Apr 2024) - 010925071<br />Brighton Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - TREL - Onloan - Due: 26 May 2024 - 010916208<br />Hampton Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - TREL - In-transit from Hampton Library to Brighton Library (Set: 02 May 2024) - 010936473<br />Hampton Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - TREL - On Reserve Shelf - Awaiting collection within 10 days of this date. (Set: 02 May 2024) - 010936527<br />Sandringham Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - TREL - Onloan - Due: 30 May 2024 - 010920403<br /> https://bayside.spydus.com/cgi-bin/spydus.exe/ENQ/WPAC/BIBENQ?SETLVL=&BRN=545985&CF=BIB There's nothing quite so beautiful as Paris in the Spring; and when you add in the chance to learn the French way of food, in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere, who can resist? Not Gabi Picabea or Kate Evans who have come from Australia to Sylvie Morel's Paris Cooking School. Both are at a crossroads, and learning to cook the French way in Paris, far away from all their troubles, seems like the perfect escape. Still bruised from a shocking betrayal by her ex-husband, Kate is trying to find a new place for herself in life, and emotional peace, while French-Australian artist Gabi is struggling with a crippling creative block. Meanwhile, Sylvie is facing challenges of her own - a mysterious harassment campaign against the school and a reassessment of her relationship with her commitment-shy lover, Claude. For each of the women, that extraordinary April in Paris will bring unexpected twists and transformations that will change the course of their lives. There's nothing quite so beautiful as Paris in the Spring; and when you add in the chance to learn the French way of food, in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere, who can resist? Not Gabi Picabea or Kate Evans who have come from Australia to Sylvie Morel's Paris Cooking School. Both are at a crossroads, and learning to cook the French way in Paris, far away from all their troubles, seems like the perfect escape. Still bruised from a shocking betrayal by her ex-husband, Kate is trying to find a new place for herself in life, and emotional peace, while French-Australian artist Gabi is struggling with a crippling creative block. Meanwhile, Sylvie is facing challenges of her own - a mysterious harassment campaign against the school and a reassessment of her relationship with her commitment-shy lover, Claude. For each of the women, that extraordinary April in Paris will bring unexpected twists and transformations that will change the course of their lives.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Author: </span>Beaumont, Sophie, 1959-<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Published: </span>Gadigal Country ; Ultimo, NSW : Ultimo Press, 2023.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Published: </span>©2023<br />341 pages ; 24 cm<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">8 reserves</span><br /><br />Beaumaris Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - BEAU - On Reserve Shelf - Awaiting collection within 10 days of this date. (Set: 01 May 2024) - 010925101<br />Hampton Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - BEAU - Onloan - Due: 09 May 2024 - 010934059<br />Sandringham Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - BEAU - Onloan - Due: 29 May 2024 - 010916246<br /> https://bayside.spydus.com/cgi-bin/spydus.exe/ENQ/WPAC/BIBENQ?SETLVL=&BRN=486256&CF=BIB 1930: Seventeen-year-old Iris Mitchell dreams of designing clothes, but there's little spare cash for fashion in their shanty-town home. The gift of a single purple ribbon from would-be boyfriend John Tucker, however, creates an unexpected opportunity... and when Iris's brother Jim joins the Sydney Harbour Bridge construction, the large, dirt-poor but loving Mitchell family can move to the city. Iris will be torn away from John, but he's Protestant and she's Catholic, taboo in their world, so perhaps it wasn't meant to be... 1932: By day, Iris scrubs the floors at Caron's, an upmarket department store. By night, she designs and sews in her family's tiny, crowded house. Friendship with gorgeous, livewire Natasha, one of Caron's models, allows Iris to show her skills, but will her talent be acknowledged... or exploited? When John reappears, passions are reignited, and Iris must face not only their religious divide, but the apparent impossibility of having both marriage and a career. Meanwhile, the Mitchells must navigate life in a city riven by corruption, dirty politics and gambling. Will their faith, determination and deep family bond save them when tragedy and adversity strike? In 1930s Sydney, the stakes have never been higher ... 1930: Seventeen-year-old Iris Mitchell dreams of designing clothes, but there's little spare cash for fashion in their shanty-town home. The gift of a single purple ribbon from would-be boyfriend John Tucker, however, creates an unexpected opportunity... and when Iris's brother Jim joins the Sydney Harbour Bridge construction, the large, dirt-poor but loving Mitchell family can move to the city. Iris will be torn away from John, but he's Protestant and she's Catholic, taboo in their world, so perhaps it wasn't meant to be... 1932: By day, Iris scrubs the floors at Caron's, an upmarket department store. By night, she designs and sews in her family's tiny, crowded house. Friendship with gorgeous, livewire Natasha, one of Caron's models, allows Iris to show her skills, but will her talent be acknowledged... or exploited? When John reappears, passions are reignited, and Iris must face not only their religious divide, but the apparent impossibility of having both marriage and a career. Meanwhile, the Mitchells must navigate life in a city riven by corruption, dirty politics and gambling. Will their faith, determination and deep family bond save them when tragedy and adversity strike? In 1930s Sydney, the stakes have never been higher ...<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Author: </span>O'Connor, Mary-Anne<br />First Australian paperback edition.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Published: </span>Sydney, NSW : HQ Fiction, 2021.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Published: </span>©2021<br />501 pages ; 24 cm.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Average rating: </span><span style="vertical-align: middle;"><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-star.gif" alt="★" /><img style="margin:0;" src="https://bayside.spydus.com/gifs/small-blankstar.gif" alt="☆" /></span> (1 review)<br /><br />Brighton Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - OCON - Available - 010466055<br /> https://bayside.spydus.com/cgi-bin/spydus.exe/ENQ/WPAC/BIBENQ?SETLVL=&BRN=486560&CF=BIB This daring and dazzling debut shines a light on those who are let down by the systems that are supposed to care for them, or by parents who can't love, revealing the unsung heroes of our communities. Jay's life is devoted to the care of her twin teenage sons, who view the world as differently as it views them. Frank is sweet, overweight and bullied, while Teddy is whip-sharp, despite needing an iPad to speak. With an absent husband, and embroiled in an endless battle with social services, Jay comes to depend on Keep, her lifelong half-real friend. But in the corner of her eye lurks her mother, and a childhood Jay knows she can't ever outrun. Jay believes she is managing things quite well, with a half-grip on this half-life of hers. That is, until Teddy starts to get sick, refusing to eat, while doctors refuse to listen, confounding everything Jay thought she knew about what lies ahead. The Keepers is an incredible and fiercely honest debut about the damage done by parents who can't love, the failures of a community that only claims to care, and the resilience of those whose stories mostly go untold. This daring and dazzling debut shines a light on those who are let down by the systems that are supposed to care for them, or by parents who can't love, revealing the unsung heroes of our communities. Jay's life is devoted to the care of her twin teenage sons, who view the world as differently as it views them. Frank is sweet, overweight and bullied, while Teddy is whip-sharp, despite needing an iPad to speak. With an absent husband, and embroiled in an endless battle with social services, Jay comes to depend on Keep, her lifelong half-real friend. But in the corner of her eye lurks her mother, and a childhood Jay knows she can't ever outrun. Jay believes she is managing things quite well, with a half-grip on this half-life of hers. That is, until Teddy starts to get sick, refusing to eat, while doctors refuse to listen, confounding everything Jay thought she knew about what lies ahead. The Keepers is an incredible and fiercely honest debut about the damage done by parents who can't love, the failures of a community that only claims to care, and the resilience of those whose stories mostly go untold.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Author: </span>Campbell, Al<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Published: </span>St Lucia, Queensland : University of Queensland Press, 2022.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Published: </span>©2022<br />335 pages ; 24 cm.<br /><br />Beaumaris Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - CAMP - Available - 010467502<br />Brighton Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - CAMP - Available - 010467519<br />Hampton Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - CAMP - Available - 010467526<br /> https://bayside.spydus.com/cgi-bin/spydus.exe/ENQ/WPAC/BIBENQ?SETLVL=&BRN=490800&CF=BIB 'Now that I've got cancer, I know I should be letting go and just being in the moment with my child but, seriously, what mother has got time to spend with their kids?' Vivian Walker's life is exceptionally ordinary. Average husband, check. Darling son, check. Refrigerator in a state of permanent disarray, check. Everything is thoroughly and frustratingly routine, even being terminally ill. After receiving her diagnosis, Viv's family won't let her lift a finger . . . for at least a week. But once the novelty wears off, she's lucky to get a cup of tea for her trouble. In preparation for D-day, self-professed control freak Viv has made a list of essential things to do, such as decluttering the playroom and preparing her taxes. She doesn't expect to become spiritually enlightened or have any outlandish last-minute successes. All she wants is to finish her unfinished business. As her final days unfold, Viv realises her life has become a love letter to the mundane but she still manages to keep her wicked sense of humour and cynical take on life unapologetically intact. 'Now that I've got cancer, I know I should be letting go and just being in the moment with my child but, seriously, what mother has got time to spend with their kids?' Vivian Walker's life is exceptionally ordinary. Average husband, check. Darling son, check. Refrigerator in a state of permanent disarray, check. Everything is thoroughly and frustratingly routine, even being terminally ill. After receiving her diagnosis, Viv's family won't let her lift a finger . . . for at least a week. But once the novelty wears off, she's lucky to get a cup of tea for her trouble. In preparation for D-day, self-professed control freak Viv has made a list of essential things to do, such as decluttering the playroom and preparing her taxes. She doesn't expect to become spiritually enlightened or have any outlandish last-minute successes. All she wants is to finish her unfinished business. As her final days unfold, Viv realises her life has become a love letter to the mundane but she still manages to keep her wicked sense of humour and cynical take on life unapologetically intact.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Author: </span>Albany, Megan<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Published: </span>Sydney, NSW : Hachette Australia, 2022.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Published: </span>©2022<br />xiii, 305 pages ; 24 cm.<br /><br />Beaumaris Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - ALBA - Onloan - Due: 24 May 2024 - 010483441<br />Brighton Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - ALBA - Onloan - Due: 15 May 2024 - 010483434<br />Sandringham Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - ALBA - Available - 010483458<br /> https://bayside.spydus.com/cgi-bin/spydus.exe/ENQ/WPAC/BIBENQ?SETLVL=&BRN=490801&CF=BIB Rory's life is perfectly predictable, ordered and on track - just the way she likes it. She walks her 12,000 steps a day, writes her to-do list, and each night she prepares her breakfast chia pods and lays out her clothes for the next day. She's doing everything right. So why does everything feel so wrong? Deep down, she knows her life and career - not to mention her relationship - are going nowhere, and so Rory, in a moment of desperation, takes an uncharacteristic step: letting the clues of The New York Times crossword puzzle dictate all her decisions for a week. Just for a week, she reasons. Just to shake things up a bit. What could possibly go wrong? Rory's life is perfectly predictable, ordered and on track - just the way she likes it. She walks her 12,000 steps a day, writes her to-do list, and each night she prepares her breakfast chia pods and lays out her clothes for the next day. She's doing everything right. So why does everything feel so wrong? Deep down, she knows her life and career - not to mention her relationship - are going nowhere, and so Rory, in a moment of desperation, takes an uncharacteristic step: letting the clues of The New York Times crossword puzzle dictate all her decisions for a week. Just for a week, she reasons. Just to shake things up a bit. What could possibly go wrong?<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Author: </span>Allsopp, Kimberley<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Published: </span>[Sydney, NSW] : HarperCollins Publishers, 2022.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Published: </span>©2022<br />280 pages ; 24 cm.<br /><br />Beaumaris Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - ALLS - Available - 010485537<br />Hampton Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - ALLS - Available - 010485551<br />Sandringham Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - ALLS - Onloan - Due: 27 May 2024 - 010485544<br /> https://bayside.spydus.com/cgi-bin/spydus.exe/ENQ/WPAC/BIBENQ?SETLVL=&BRN=493240&CF=BIB Frances quite honestly isn't that excited about the SpeechMakers annual national conference and public-speaking competition. What she's excited about (relatively speaking) is that this year there's a major prize. Frances has a few small problems, and forty thousand dollars would go a long way to sorting them out. Keith is Frances's probably-ex-mentor, it's hard to tell since she's not talking to him, and he disapproves of the prize money. He thinks SpeechMakers should be about self-improvement, not self-enrichment. He wants to win the competition, though. He thinks it might help the situation with his wife Linda. Neil doesn't care about the competition at all but Judy, his mother and coach, does, so. And Rebecca... Actually, what the hell is Rebecca doing here? Rebecca belongs to Frances's past, not her present. And certainly not her (hopefully) less-disastrous future Frances quite honestly isn't that excited about the SpeechMakers annual national conference and public-speaking competition. What she's excited about (relatively speaking) is that this year there's a major prize. Frances has a few small problems, and forty thousand dollars would go a long way to sorting them out. Keith is Frances's probably-ex-mentor, it's hard to tell since she's not talking to him, and he disapproves of the prize money. He thinks SpeechMakers should be about self-improvement, not self-enrichment. He wants to win the competition, though. He thinks it might help the situation with his wife Linda. Neil doesn't care about the competition at all but Judy, his mother and coach, does, so. And Rebecca... Actually, what the hell is Rebecca doing here? Rebecca belongs to Frances's past, not her present. And certainly not her (hopefully) less-disastrous future<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Author: </span>Collette, Katherine, 1981-<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Published: </span>Wurundjeri Country ; Melbourne, Victoria : The Text Publishing Company, 2022.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Published: </span>©2022<br />351 pages ; 24 cm.<br /><br />Brighton Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - COLL - Onloan - Due: 09 May 2024 - 010467434<br />Hampton Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - COLL - Available - 010467427<br /> https://bayside.spydus.com/cgi-bin/spydus.exe/ENQ/WPAC/BIBENQ?SETLVL=&BRN=493242&CF=BIB They say it takes 28 Questions to fall in love. Then what? 'Reader, imagine yielding to someone with a power so strong she has the ability to slice time. Before. Her. After.' When first-year music student Amalia stumbles into her Oxford college bar, she has no idea that everything is about to change. Seated across from her is Alex, a velvety-voiced fellow Australian with eyes the colour of her native sky. They strike up a friendship that is immediate - its intensity both thrilling and terrifying. As the days and weeks go by, they spend more and more time together: philosophising, hypothesising, questioning everything. There is nothing they cannot talk about, except the one thing that matters most. Dare they risk a romantic entanglement if it threatens this most perfect of friendships? Set across four years and five cities, and suffused with music, literature, art, dance, sex, and the exquisite pain and pleasure of first love, 28 Questions is a passionate and unforgettable first novel about love in all its guises, growing up, and figuring out who you are along the way. They say it takes 28 Questions to fall in love. Then what? 'Reader, imagine yielding to someone with a power so strong she has the ability to slice time. Before. Her. After.' When first-year music student Amalia stumbles into her Oxford college bar, she has no idea that everything is about to change. Seated across from her is Alex, a velvety-voiced fellow Australian with eyes the colour of her native sky. They strike up a friendship that is immediate - its intensity both thrilling and terrifying. As the days and weeks go by, they spend more and more time together: philosophising, hypothesising, questioning everything. There is nothing they cannot talk about, except the one thing that matters most. Dare they risk a romantic entanglement if it threatens this most perfect of friendships? Set across four years and five cities, and suffused with music, literature, art, dance, sex, and the exquisite pain and pleasure of first love, 28 Questions is a passionate and unforgettable first novel about love in all its guises, growing up, and figuring out who you are along the way.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Author: </span>Schneider, Indyana<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Published: </span>London : Scribner, 2022.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Published: </span>©2022<br />467 pages ; 24 cm.<br /><br />Brighton Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - SCHN - Available - 010485001<br />Sandringham Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - SCHN - Available - 010484998<br /> https://bayside.spydus.com/cgi-bin/spydus.exe/ENQ/WPAC/BIBENQ?SETLVL=&BRN=493255&CF=BIB Cynthia was just about to turn sixteen when the unthinkable happened. Her mother was taken away by the police, and her father left without a word three months later. After that night, Cynthia began to walk in slow circles outside the family home looking for traces of her sister Mallory - she's sure that she must be somewhere else now, wherever that is. Cynthia knows that she doesn't belong here. Her mother never belonged here either. This is the place of violence. Despair. The long dry. Desperate men. Long silences. The place where mothers go mad in locked bedrooms. As a threatening wind begins to whirl around her, seldom seen black clouds form above, roll over the golden-brown land - is that Mallory she can hear in the growling mass? In the harsh drought-stricken landscape of outback Queensland a woman can be lost in so many ways. The question is, will Cynthia be one of them? Cynthia was just about to turn sixteen when the unthinkable happened. Her mother was taken away by the police, and her father left without a word three months later. After that night, Cynthia began to walk in slow circles outside the family home looking for traces of her sister Mallory - she's sure that she must be somewhere else now, wherever that is. Cynthia knows that she doesn't belong here. Her mother never belonged here either. This is the place of violence. Despair. The long dry. Desperate men. Long silences. The place where mothers go mad in locked bedrooms. As a threatening wind begins to whirl around her, seldom seen black clouds form above, roll over the golden-brown land - is that Mallory she can hear in the growling mass? In the harsh drought-stricken landscape of outback Queensland a woman can be lost in so many ways. The question is, will Cynthia be one of them?<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Author: </span>Beaumont, Mandy<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Published: </span>Sydney, NSW : Hachette Australia, 2022.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Published: </span>©2022<br />263 pages ; 24 cm.<br /><br />Beaumaris Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - BEAU - Available - 010469605<br />Beaumaris Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - BEAU - Available - 010469612<br />Brighton Library - (Bayside Library Service) - Adult Fiction - General - BEAU - Available - 010469575<br />