Books & Reading: Years 11 - 12 booklist

Asylum by John Hughes 'Just because you can't see the chains doesn't mean they don't exist.' In the Sanctuary, two robed men cut the hair of clients who have been called to pass through the White or Black Door. Along with their hair, the clients shed stories: of the horrors of their past, the Place they've inhabited since their escape, and what lies beyond the Doors. These stories are inscribed as Legends, but do they record a vision of Paradise or Hell? This allegory, echoing Kafka, illuminates the stark terror of the modern age, marked by a border in constant shift between gods and men, truth and deception, freedom and constraint, memory and forgetting, revealing a world whose essence is its hiddenness - a world that hides, not in darkness, but in the light. 'What I will tell you now is only guesswork. Because when a person is called they just disappear and are never seen again. We assume that their case is finally being heard, that they have moved on from here to the next stage. You seem to think of it as something dreadful, but it's why we came here after all. We came here of our own free will, you must remember that, and we are free to leave at any time.' [Subject: Fiction]

The Crossing by Ernie Rijs

The Fists of the Father by Daniel Tamone In the heart of western Sydney, three generations of men in a family of champion boxers are trapped in a cycle of violence. Ted 'Little Boy Blue' Taylor has replaced his estranged father Ron – a disgraced former heavyweight champion on the cusp of an unexpected comeback – as the darling of Australian boxing. But after two uninspiring losses, he is failing to live up to the expectations that have always weighed so heavily upon him. Ted's battles are not isolated to his sport: a painful history of alcoholism, domestic abuse and ties to the underworld of boxing has a firm hold on the Taylor family. Generational trauma and guilt are not Ted's only inheritance. Now he is silently enduring the effects of years of concussions – in the ring, and in childhood at the hands of his father – which are threatening to end his career prematurely. Ted is trained by his grandfather, a Vietnam vet seeking escape from his demons through drinking and gambling. Pop manages to find a certain peace in his love for his sport and his grandson, although he is unknowingly causing damage by trying to protect Ted from the father–son showdown that the industry is baying for. When someone from the world beyond boxing enters his life, Ted begins to see a new, more hopeful future for himself – but only if he has the courage to walk away from his family's volatile legacy. By finding the strength to choose, can he free them all?

Honeybee by Craig Silvey Late in the night, fourteen-year-old Sam Watson steps onto a quiet overpass, climbs over the rail and looks down at the road far below. At the other end of the same bridge, an old man, Vic, smokes his last cigarette. The two see each other across the void. A fateful connection is made, and an unlikely friendship blooms. Slowly, we learn what led Sam and Vic to the bridge that night. Bonded by their suffering, each privately commits to the impossible task of saving the other. Honeybee is a heart-breaking, life-affirming novel that throws us headlong into a world of petty thefts, extortion plots, botched bank robberies, daring dog rescues and one spectacular drag show. At the heart of Honeybee is Sam: a solitary, resilient young person battling to navigate the world as their true self; ensnared by a loyalty to a troubled mother, scarred by the volatility of a domineering step-father, and confounded by the kindness of new alliances. Honeybee is a tender, profoundly moving novel brimming with vivid characters and luminous words. It's about two lives forever changed by a chance encounter -- one offering hope, the other redemption. It's about when to persevere, and when to be merciful, as Sam learns when to let go, and when to hold on.

Lola in the Mirror by Trent Dalton 'Mirror, mirror, on the grass, what's my future? What's my past?' A girl and her mother are on the lam. They've been running for sixteen years, from police and the monster they left in the kitchen with the knife in his throat. They've found themselves a home inside an orange 1987 Toyota HiAce van with four flat tyres parked in a scrapyard by the edge of the Brisbane River – just two of the 100,000 Australians sleeping rough every night. The girl has no name because names are dangerous when you're on the run. But the girl has a dream. Visions in black ink and living colour. A vision of a life as a groundbreaking artist of international acclaim. A life outside the grip of the Brisbane underworld drug queen 'Lady' Flora Box. A life of love with the boy in the brown suit who's waiting for her in the middle of the bridge that stretches across a flooding and deadly river. A life far beyond the bullet that has her name on it. And now that the storm clouds are rising, there's only one person who can help make her dreams come true. That person's name 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 sometimes ever do. She must look in the mirror. A big, moving, blackly funny, violent, heartbreaking and beautiful novel of love, fate, life and death and all the things we see when we look in the mirror. All of the past, all of the present, and all of our possible futures. 'Mirror, mirror, please don't lie. Tell me who you are. Tell me, who am I?'

Wrong Answers Only by Tobias Madden Summary: Marco's always done the right thing. But now it's time for wrong answers only. Marco should be at university, studying biomedicine. Instead, he's been sent to live on a cruise ship in the Mediterranean with his estranged uncle, all because of a 'blip' everyone else is convinced was a panic attack. (Which it most definitely was not.) And even though Marco's trip is supposed to provide answers - about himself, about his family - all he finds on board the Ocean Melody are more and more questions. But then his best friend CeCe proposes a new plan- for someone who has always done the right thing, in every possible way, it's time for Marco to get a few things wrong. And hooking up with a hot dancer from the ship is only the beginning. (Publisher).

Yellowface by Rebecca F. Kuang Summary: Athena Liu is a literary darling and June Hayward is literally nobody. White lies - When Athena dies in a freak accident, June steals her unpublished manuscript and publishes it as her own under the ambiguous name Juniper Song. Dark humour - But as evidence threatens June’s stolen success, she will discover exactly how far she will go to keep what she thinks she deserves. Deadly consequences… What happens next is entirely everyone else’s fault. (Back cover).

Bright Lights, Big City by Jay McInerney With the publication of Bright Lights, Big City in 1984, Jay McInerney became a literary sensation, heralded as the voice of a generation. The novel follows a young man, living in Manhattan as if he owned it, through nightclubs, fashion shows, editorial offices, and loft parties as he attempts to outstrip mortality and the recurring approach of dawn. With nothing but goodwill, controlled substances, and wit to sustain him in this anti-quest, he runs until he reaches his reckoning point, where he is forced to acknowledge loss and, possibly, to rediscover his better instincts. This remarkable novel of youth and New York remains one of the most beloved, imitated, and iconic novels in America.

The Color Purple by Alice Walker Set in the deep American South between the wars, The Color Purple is the classic tale of Celie, a young black girl born into poverty and segregation. Raped repeatedly by the man she calls 'father', she has two children taken away from her, is separated from her beloved sister Nettie and is trapped into an ugly marriage. But then she meets the glamorous Shug Avery, singer and magic-maker - a woman who has taken charge of her own destiny. Gradually Celie discovers the power and joy of her own spirit, freeing her from her past and reuniting her with those she loves.

The Outsider by Albert Camus Meursault leads an apparently unremarkable bachelor life in Algiers until he commits an act of violence. His response to the incident challenges the fundamental values of society.

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar. Wilde 'A triumph of execution ... one of the best narratives of the "double life" of a Victorian gentleman' Peter Ackroyd Oscar Wilde's alluring novel of decadence and sin was a succès de scandale on publication. It follows Dorian Gray who, enthralled by his own exquisite portrait, exchanges his soul for eternal youth and beauty. Influenced by his friend Lord Henry Wotton, he is drawn into a corrupt double life, indulging his desires in secret while remaining a gentleman in the eyes of polite society. Only his portrait bears the traces of his depravity. This definitive edition includes a selection of contemporary reviews condemning the novel's immorality. Edited with an Introduction and notes by ROBERT MIGHALL

The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie Just before dawn one winter's morning, a hijacked aeroplane blows apart high above the English Channel and two figures tumble, clutched in an embrace, towards the sea- Gibreel Farishta, India's legendary movie star, and Saladin Chamcha, the man of a thousand voices. Washed up, alive, on an English beach, their survival is a miracle. But there is a price to pay. Gibreel and Saladin have been chosen as opponents in the eternal wrestling match between Good and Evil. But chosen by whom? And which is which? And what will be the outcome of their final confrontation?

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr WINNER OF THE 2015 PULITZER PRIZE FOR FICTION NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER WINNER OF THE CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR FICTION A beautiful, stunningly ambitious novel about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II Open your eyes and see what you can with them before they close forever.#65533;#65533;e#65533;(tm) For Marie-Laure, blind since the age of six, the world is full of mazes. The miniature of a Paris neighbourhood, made by her father to teach her the way home. The microscopic layers within the invaluable diamond that her father guards in the Museum of Natural History. The walled city by the sea, where father and daughter take refuge when the Nazis invade Paris. And a future which draws her ever closer to Werner, a German orphan, destined to labour in the mines until a broken radio fills his life with possibility and brings him to the notice of the Hitler Youth. In this magnificent, deeply moving novel, the stories of Marie-Laure and Werner illuminate the ways, against all odds, people try to be good to one another.

Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell Summary: England, 1580. A young Latin tutor falls in love with an extraordinary, eccentric young woman: a wild creature who walks her family's estate with a falcon on her shoulder and is known throughout the countryside for her unusual gifts as a healer. Agnes understands plants and potions better than she does people, but once she settles with her husband on Henley Street in Stratford she becomes a fiercely protective mother and a steadfast, centrifugal force in the life of her young husband, whose gifts as a writer are just beginning to awaken when his beloved young son succumbs to bubonic plague.

Kingsbridge SERIES by Ken Follett Set in twelfth-century England, this epic of kings and peasants juxtaposes the building of a magnificent church with the violence and treachery that often characterized the Middle Ages.

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah Viann and Isabelle have always been close despite their differences. Younger, bolder sister Isabelle lives in Paris while Viann lives a quiet and content life in the French countryside with her husband Antoine and their daughter. When World War II strikes and Antoine is sent off to fight, Viann and Isabelle's father sends Isabelle to help her older sister cope. As the war progresses, it's not only the sisters' relationship that is tested, but also their strength and their individual senses of right and wrong. With life as they know it changing in unbelievably horrific ways, Viann and Isabelle will find themselves facing frightening situations and responding in ways they never thought possible as bravery and resistance take different forms in each of their actions.

Radiant Emperor SERIES by Shelley Parker-Chan In a famine-stricken village on a dusty yellow plain, two children are given two fates. A boy, greatness. A girl, nothingness. In 1345, China lies under harsh Mongol rule. For the starving peasants of the Central Plains, greatness is something found only in stories. When the Zhu family's eighth-born son, Zhu Chongba, is given a fate of greatness, everyone is mystified as to how it will come to pass. The fate of nothingness received by the family's clever and capable second daughter, on the other hand, is only as expected. When a bandit attack orphans the two children, though, it is Zhu Chongba who succumbs to despair and dies. Desperate to escape her own fated death, the girl uses her brother's identity to enter a monastery as a young male novice. There, propelled by her burning desire to survive, Zhu learns she is capable of doing whatever it takes, no matter how callous, to stay hidden from her fate. After her sanctuary is destroyed for supporting the rebellion against Mongol rule, Zhu takes the chance to claim another future altogether: her brother's abandoned greatness.

Shogun by James Clavell The story of Pilot-Major John Blackthorne, and his life in feudal Japan. Shipwrecked on Japanese shores, Blackthorne rises from the status of reviled foreigner up to the heights of trusted advisor and eventually, Samurai.

The Tournament by Matthew Reilly The year is 1546. Suleiman the Magnificent, the powerful and feared Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, issues an invitation to every king in Europe: you are invited to send your finest player to compete in a chess tournament to determine the champion of the known world. The English delegation - led by esteemed scholar Roger Ascham - journeys to the glittering city of Constantinople. Accompanying Ascham is his pupil, Bess, who is about to bear witness to events she never thought possible. For on the first night of the tournament, a powerful guest of the Sultan is murdered, and against the backdrop of the historic event, Ascham is tasked with finding the killer. Barbaric deaths, unimaginable depravity and diplomatic treachery unfold before Bess's eyes, indelibly shaping her character and determining how she will perform her future role...as Queen Elizabeth I. Even a pawn can become a queen.

Another Australia by Winnie Dunn Summary: A suburban psychic's ominous warning. A conversation in Yuwaalaraay. A glimpse of a shameful, hidden history. A love that moves a mountain. In this follow-up to After Australia, twelve more Indigenous writers and writers of colour show us all that is and could exist in our versions of Australia.

At Midnight : 15 Beloved Fairy Tales Reimagined by Dahlia Adler A collection of retold and original fairy tales from fifteen YA writers, including Tracey Deonn and Melissa Albert.

Different Seasons by Stephen King From the Magical Pen of Stephen King, Four Mesmerizing Novellas… “Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption” An unjustly imprisoned convict seeks a strange and startling revenge…the basis for the Best Picture Academy Award nominee The Shawshank Redemption. “Apt Pupil” Todd Bowden is one of the top students in his high school class and a typical American sixteen-year-old—until he becomes obsessed about the dark and deadly past of an older man in town. The inspiration for the film Apt Pupil from Phoenix Pictures. “The Body” Four rambunctious young boys plunge through the fa#65533;ade of a small town and come face-to-face with life, death, and intimations of their own mortality. The film Stand By Me is based on this novella. “The Breathing Method” A disgraced woman is determined to triumph over death.

Marple by Agatha Christie A brand new collection of short stories featuring the Queen of Crime’s legendary detective Jane Marple, penned by twelve remarkable bestselling and acclaimed authors. This collection of twelve original short stories, all featuring Jane Marple, will introduce the character to a whole new generation. Each author reimagines Agatha Christie’s Marple through their own unique perspective while staying true to the hallmarks of a traditional mystery. Naomi Alderman Leigh Bardugo Alyssa Cole Lucy Foley Elly Griffiths Natalie Haynes Jean Kwok Val McDermid Karen M. McManus Dreda Say Mitchell Kate Mosse Ruth Ware Miss Marple was first introduced to readers in a story Christie wrote for The Royal Magazine in 1927 and made her first appearance in a full-length novel in 1930’s The Murder at the Vicarage. It has been 45 years since Agatha Christie’s last Marple novel, Sleeping Murder, was published posthumously in 1976, and this collection of ingenious new stories by twelve Christie devotees will be a timely reminder why Jane Marple remains the most famous fictional female detective of all time.

Off the Map by Scot Gardner By turns dark and light, funny and poignant, this unforgettable collection of stories takes us right to the heart of what it means to be young in today's world, from a CBCA award-winning author.

Jack Reacher SERIES by Lee Child Margrave is a quiet little town in Georgia - it's perfect. Too perfect. Drifter and ex-military policeman Jack Reacher jumps off a bus and walks fourteen miles in the rain to Margrave. An arbitrary decision, a tribute to a guitar player who died there decades before. But Margrave has just had its first homicide in thirty years. Reacher is the only stranger in town, so he is arrested. There is something very wrong in Margrave. But they have picked the wrong man to take the fall.

Jack Ryan SERIES by Tom Clancy As an American in London on vacation with his family, Jack Ryan never imagined his quick thinking would prevent an assassination attempt on Britain's royal family and earn him the gratitude of an entire nation - and the scorn of an ultra-left-wing faction of the IRA. Irish terrorist Sean Miller and his followers in the Ulster Liberation Army intend to make sure Ryan pays for his interference in blood. But he's not the only one they're after. With the lives of his pregnant wife and young daughter in mortal danger, Ryan accepts a role as a CIA analyst in order to find Miller and shut down the ULA. Going head to head with a ruthless terrorist is a fool's errand, but Jack Ryan is the kind of man who will do whatever it takes to protect his family.

Jason Bourne SERIES by Robert Ludlum He has no past. And he may not have a future...The first in the Jason Bourne series from internationally bestselling author Robert Ludlum: 'the world's most read writer' GQ He was dragged from the sea, his body riddled with bullets. There are a few clues: a frame of microfilm surgically implanted beneath the skin of his hip; evidence that plastic surgery has altered his face; strange things he says in his delirium, which could be code words. And a number on the film negative that leads to a bank account in Zurich, four million dollars and a name for the amnesiac: Jason Bourne. Now he is running for his life. A man with an unknown past and an uncertain future, the target of assassins and at the heart of a deadly puzzle. He's fighting for survival and no one can help him - except the one woman who once wanted to escape him...

The President is Missing by Bill Clinton and James Patterson The President is missing. The world is in shock. But the reason he's missing is much worse than anyone can imagine. With details only a President could know, and the kind of suspense only James Patterson can deliver.

Robert Langdon SERIES by Dan Brown Professor Robert Langdon is called upon to identify a mysterious symbol. It belongs to the Illuminati, a secret brotherhood with a vendetta against the Catholic Church. Langdon and scientist Vittoria Vetra must find the Illuminati before the Vatican is attacked.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by John Le Carré A modern classic in which John le Carré expertly creates a total vision of a secret world, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy begins George Smiley's chess match of wills and wits with Karla, his Soviet counterpart. It is now beyond a doubt that a mole, implanted decades ago by Moscow Centre, has burrowed his way into the highest echelons of British Intelligence. His treachery has already blown some of its most vital operations and its best networks. It is clear that the double agent is one of its own kind. But which one? George Smiley is assigned to identify him. And once identified, the traitor must be destroyed.

The Break by Phillip Gwynne Summary: Growing up with the famous Bali surf at his back door, sixteen-year-old Taj had an idyllic childhood -- until ten years ago when his father was arrested for smuggling drugs. He’s been on death row in Bali’s infamous Kerobokan Jail ever since, leaving Taj in an uneasy limbo. When an execution date is set, Taj is left with one course of action: bust his dad out of jail and high-tail it back to Australia. What follows is the desperate, dangerous ride of a father and son on the run. As events unravel and time runs out, Taj uncovers startling truths about his family, his girlfriend and the stranger he is rapidly falling for. (Publisher).

The Fifth Room by A.J. Rushby Summary: When a brilliant high-school student is invited to join an international secret society, she leaves everything behind in pursuit of the high-stakes rewards it offers. When Miri discovers her boyfriend is also in the society, they must pretend they don't know each other, as the students are pitted against each other to push the boundaries of medicine using illegal self-experimentation. Miri's experiment involves a new combination of specially-timed drugs that could mean never needing to sleep again. As her experiment progresses, and she spends more and more hours awake, she finds that all is not as it seems. When the group realises that there is a secret fifth student experimenting alongside them, the stakes are raised dramatically. When it becomes clearer to Miri that the secrets in this society are deeper and more dangerous than she bargained for, she starts to question the true purpose of the secret society, and who lies behind it. (Publisher)

Denizen by James McKenzie Watson A gothic thriller exploring rural Australia’s simultaneous celebration of harsh country and stoic people – a tension that forces its inhabitants to dangerous breaking points. On a remote property in western NSW, nine-year-old Parker fears that something is wrong with his brain. His desperate attempts to control this internal chaos spark a series of events that gallop from his control in deadly and devastating ways. Years later, Parker, now a father himself, returns to the bushland he grew up in for a camping trip with old friends. When this reunion descends into chaos amid revelations of unresolved fear, guilt and violence, Parker must finally address the consequences of his childhood actions.

Dirt Town by Hayley Scrivenor

The Drowning by Bryan Brown Summary: The body of a local teenage boy is found on the beach of a sleepy northern New South Wales town. David went for an evening swim and got into trouble -- at least, that's what it looks like. Three weeks before, Leila, a young backpacker, didn't turn up for her shift at the local cafe. Benny, the owner, isn't worried. It happens -- backpackers are always on the move. There'll be another one. One of the locals, Adrian, has been a help to Benny. He's found him a nice little sideline. Not exactly legal. Is that all Adrian is arranging on the coast? He once was a cop but has he gone bad? And in the backblocks outside town, a bikie gang is gearing up for a large consignment from South America. Murder, drugs, liaisons and lies are stirring up this small coastal town. (Publisher).

The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel Vincent is the beautiful bartender at the Hotel Caiette, a five-star glass-and-cedar palace on the northernmost tip of Vancouver Island. New York financier Jonathan Alkaitis owns the hotel. When he passes Vincent his card with a tip, it's the beginning of their life together. That same day, a hooded figure scrawls a note on the windowed wall of the hotel: 'Why don't you swallow broken glass.' Leon Prevant, a shipping executive for a company called Neptune-Avramidis, sees the note from the hotel bar and is shaken to his core. Thirteen years later Vincent mysteriously disappears from the deck of a Neptune-Avramidis ship. Weaving together the lives of these characters, this novel moves between the ship, the skyscrapers of Manhattan, and the wilderness of remote British Columbia, painting a picture of greed and guilt, fantasy and delusion, art and the ghosts of our pasts.

Outback by Patricia Wolf Two missing backpackers. One vast outback. DS Lucas Walker is on leave in his hometown, Caloodie, taking care of his dying grandmother. When two young German backpackers, Berndt and Rita, vanish from the area, he finds himself unofficially on the case. But why all the interest from the Federal Police when they have probably just ditched the heat and dust of the outback for the coast? Working in the organised crime unit has opened Walker's eyes to the growing drug trade in Australia's remote interior -- and he becomes convinced there is more at play. As the number of days since the couple's disappearance climbs, Walker is joined by Rita's older sister. A detective herself with Berlin CID, she has flown to Australia -- desperate to find her sister. Their search becomes ever more urgent as temperatures soar. Even if Walker does find the young couple, will it be too late?

The Rip by Mark Brandi 'It's funny how quick it happens and without you really noticing. Anton said once that it's like walking out into the sea, and you think everything's fine and the water's warm, but when you turn back you're suddenly miles from shore. I've never been much of a swimmer, but I get what he means. Like, being caught in a current or something. A rip.' A young woman, living on the street has to keep her wits about her. Or her friends. But when the drugs kick in that can be hard. Anton has been looking out for her. She was safe with him. But then Steve came along. He had something over Anton. Must have. But he had a flat they could crash in. And gear in his pocket. And she can't stop thinking about it. A good hit makes everything all right. But the flat smells weird. There's a lock on Steve's bedroom door. And the guy is intense. The problem is, sometimes you just don't know you are in too deep, until you are drowning.

That's Not My Name by Megan Lally An instant bestseller! She thought she had her life back. She was wrong. A gripping debut thriller perfect for fans of Natalie D. Richards and Vincent Ralph. It was a mistake to trust him. Shivering and bruised, a teen wakes up on the side of a dirt road with no memory of how she got there--or who she is. A passing officer takes her to the police station, and not long after, a frantic man arrives. He's been searching for her for hours. He has her school ID, her birth certificate, and even family photos. He is her father. Her name is Mary. Or so he says. When Lola slammed the car door and stormed off into the night, Drew thought they just needed some time to cool off. Except Lola disappeared, and the sheriff, his friends, and the whole town are convinced Drew murdered his girlfriend. Forget proving his innocence, he needs to find her before it's too late. The longer Lola is missing, the fewer leads there are to follow...and the more danger they both are in.

Dracula the un-dead by Dacre Stoker and Ian Holt. The story begins in 1912, 25 years after the events described in the original novel. Dr Jack Seward, now a disgraced morphine addict, hunts vampires across Europe with the help of a mysterious benefactor.

Dresden Files SERIES by Jim Butcher In the first novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling Dresden Files series, Harry Dresden's investigation of a grisly double murder pulls him into the darkest depths of magical Chicago... As a professional wizard, Harry Dresden knows firsthand that the "everyday" world is actually full of strange and magical things--and most of them don't play well with humans. And those that do enjoy playing with humans far too much. He also knows he's the best at what he does. Technically, he's the only at what he does. But even though Harry is the only game in town, business--to put it mildly--stinks. So when the Chicago P.D. bring him in to consult on a double homicide committed with black magic, Harry's seeing dollar signs. But where there's black magic, there's a black mage behind it. And now that mage knows Harry's name... "A great series--fast-paced, vividly realized and with a hero/narrator who's excellent company."--Cinescape  

The Shining SERIES by Stephen King Jack Torrance takes a job as the caretaker of the remote Overlook Hotel. As the brutal winter sets in, the hotel's dark secrets begin to unravel. "An undisputed master of suspense and terror." --The Washington Post Jack Torrance's new job at the Overlook Hotel is the perfect chance for a fresh start. As the off-season caretaker at the atmospheric old hotel, he'll have plenty of time to spend reconnecting with his family and working on his writing. But as the harsh winter weather sets in, the idyllic location feels ever more remote . . . and more sinister. And the only one to notice the strange and terrible forces gathering around the Overlook is Danny Torrance, a uniquely gifted five-year-old.

Always Will Be by Mykaela Saunders In this stunningly inventive and thought-provoking collection, Mykaela Saunders poses the question- what might country, community and culture look like in the Tweed if Gooris reasserted their sovereignty? Each of the stories in Always Will Be is set in its own future version of the Tweed. In one, a group of girls plot their escape from a home they have no memory of entering. In another, two men make a final visit to the country they love as they contemplate a new life in a faraway place. Saunders imagines different scenarios for how the local Goori community might reassert sovereignty - reclaiming country, exerting full self-determination, or incorporating non-Indigenous people into the social fabric - while practising creative, ancestrally approved ways of living with changing climates. Epic in scope, and with a diverse cast of characters, Always Will Be is the ground-breaking winner of the 2022 David Unaipon Award. This is a forward-thinking collection that refuses cynicism and despair, and instead offers entertaining stories that celebrate Goori ways of being, knowing, doing - and becoming.

Murriyang: Song of Time by Stan Grant Summary: Stan Grant is talking to his country in a new way. He offers a means of moving beyond the binaries and embracing a path to peace and forgiveness, rooted in the Wiradjuri spiritual practice of Yindyamarra - deep silence and respect. Murriyang, in part Grant's response to the Voice referendum, eschews politics for love. He zooms out to reflect on the biggest questions, ranging across the history, literature, theology, music and art that has shaped him. Setting aside anger for kindness, he reaches past the secular to the sacred and transcendent. Informed by spiritual thinkers from around the world, Murriyang is a Wiradjuri prayer in one long uninterrupted breath, challenging Western notions of linear time in favour of a time beyond time - the Dreaming. Murriyang is also very personal, each meditation interleaved with a memory of Grant's father, a Wiradjuri cultural leader. It asks how any of us can say goodbye to those we love.

Some People Want to Shoot Me by Wayne Bergmann & Madelaine Dickie Discover the remarkable story of Wayne Bergmann, a Nyikina man and Kimberley leader who has dedicated his life to his community, in this moving memoir of living between two cultures. As a Nyikina man who straddles both traditional and modern cultures, Wayne Bergmann has faced criticism and condemnation but remains unwavering in his commitment to his community and their needs. As the former head of the Kimberley Land Council, Bergmann played a crucial role in shaping the future of the region. He has worked tirelessly to promote independent Aboriginal economic development, and reclaim what has been lost due to racism and discrimination. This is the chance to hear the story of a prominent Aboriginal leader who has often paid a high price for sticking up for his people.

The White Girl by Tony Birch Odette Brown has lived her whole life on the fringes of a small country town. After her daughter disappeared and left her with her granddaughter Sissy to raise on her own, Odette has managed to stay under the radar of the welfare authorities who are removing fair-skinned Aboriginal children from their families. When a new policeman arrives in town, determined to enforce the law, Odette must risk everything to save Sissy and protect everything she loves.

The Visitors by Jane Harrison Summary: On a steamy, hot day in January 1788, seven Aboriginal men, representing nearby clans, gather at Warrane. Several newly arrived ships have been sighted in the great bay to the south, Kamay. The men meet to discuss their response to these visitors. All day, they talk, argue, debate. Where are the visitors from? What do they want? Might they just warra warra wai back to where they came from? Should they be welcomed? Or should they be made to leave? The decision of the men must be unanimous -- and will have the far-reaching implications for all. Throughout the day, the weather is strange, with mammatus clouds, unbearable heat and a pending thunderstorm... Somewhere, trouble is brewing.

The Art of Risk by Richard Harris Are free-solo climbers, underwater cave explorers and big-wave surfers crazy or cautious? How do soldiers and fighter pilots manage risk? What can we learn from how BASE jumpers and drag racers prepare that we can take into our own lives? The author -- one of the Thai Cave rescuers -- takes the reader into the lives of other 'risk-takers', to find out why they do what they do. We meet people adventuring from the highest skies to the deepest oceans -- BASE jumpers, drag racers, sinpers and surfers -- to learn when they go, when they say no, how to prepare and above all, how pushing themselves a little further. (Publisher).

The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown Summary: Cast aside by his family at an early age, abandoned and left to fend for himself in the woods of Washington State, young Joe Rantz turns to rowing as a way of escaping his past. What follows is an extraordinary journey, as Joe and eight other working-class boys exchange the sweat and dust of life in 1930s America for the promise of glory at the heart of Hitler's Berlin. Stroke by stroke, a remarkable young man strives to regain his shattered self-regard, to dare again to trust in others -- and to find his way back home.

Chernobyl Prayer : a Chronicle of the Future by Svetlana Alexievich This book offers a startling history of the Chernobyl disaster by Svetlana Alexievich, the winner of the Nobel prize in Literature 2015. On 26 April 1986, at 1.23am, a series of explosions shook the Chernobyl nuclear reactor. Flames lit up the sky and radiation escaped to contaminate the land and poison the people for years to come. While officials tried to hush up the accident, Svetlana Alexievich spent years collecting testimonies from survivors - clean-up workers, residents, firefighters, resettlers, widows, orphans - crafting their voices into a haunting oral history of fear, anger and uncertainty, but also dark humour and love. With a chronicle of the past and a warning for our nuclear future, Chernobyl Prayer shows what it is like to bear witness, and remember in a world that wants you to forget.

Eugenia: A True Story of Adversity, Tragedy, Crime and Courage by Mark Tedeschi his is the true crime account of Eugenia Falleni, a woman who in 1920 was charged with the murder of her wife. Eugenia had lived in Australia for twenty-two years as a man and during that time officially married twice. She lived a full married life with her first wife, Annie, for four years before Annie realised that her husband was a woman. Even after Annie knew, they lived together for eight months before they went on a bush picnic, when Annie mysteriously died. Her body was not identified for almost three years, and during this time Eugenia married again, this time to Lizzie. When Eugenia was finally arrested and charged with Annie's murder, the police attempted to tell Lizzie that her husband was a woman. She laughed at them - she was so convinced that her husband was a man that she thought she was pregnant to him. This is the story of one of the most extraordinary criminal trials in legal history anywhere in the world. The book traces Eugenia's history: from her early years in an Italian immigrant family in New Zealand, to her brutal treatment when she first tried living as a man. The story then follows the twenty-two years that she lived in Sydney as Harry Crawford - exploring how Harry managed to convince two wives that he was a man. The trial of Eugenia Falleni for Annie's murder is extensively analysed in a clear and easily understood way by the author, Senior Crown Prosecutor Mark Tedeschi QC, one of Australia's foremost criminal law barristers.

I Fight, You Fight by Alex Noble The inspiring story of a young man whose wisdom and strength can teach us all how to live life to the fullest, no matter what it throws at us. Sixteen-year-old Alex Noble was a high school rugby star with a promising sporting career ahead of him when an on-field injury left him fighting for his life in the ICU. Following a four-day coma and a diagnosis of C4 quadriplegia, Alex’s first words to his brother Zac were, ‘If I fight, you fight.’ These words became a war cry as Alex’s friends, family and community rallied around him, watching in awe as he fought to regain control over his body and defy his diagnosis. From learning to breathe and move again to travelling the world, starting his own business, and even going skydiving, Alex’s story is about the power of mastering your own mind, finding happiness and taking risks to achieve your goals – no matter how out of reach they may seem. Full of warmth, humour and insight, this is a book that will teach you principles to live your life by, written by a young man who has put them into practice.

Man's search for meaning : the classic tribute to hope from the Holocaust by Viktor E Frankl A prominent Viennese psychiatrist before the war, Viktor Frankl was uniquely able to observe the way that both he and others in Auschwitz coped (or didn't) with the experience. He noticed that it was the men who comforted others and who gave away their last piece of bread who survived the longest - and who offered proof that everything can be taken away from us except the ability to choose our attitude in any given set of circumstances. The sort of person the prisoner became was the result of an inner decision and not of camp influences alone. Only those who allowed their inner hold on their moral and spiritual selves to subside eventually fell victim to the camp's degenerating influence - while those who made a victory of those experiences turned them into an inner triumph. Frankl came to believe man's deepest desire is to search for meaning and purpose. This outstanding work offers us all a way to transcend suffering and find significance in the art of living.

The Resilience Project by Hugh van Cuylenburg > 1 in 4 adolescents have a mental illness > 1 in 7 primary school kids have a mental illness > 1 in 5 adults will experience mental ill-health throughout the year > 65% of adolescents do not seek help for mental illness THE POWER OF EXPERIENCE Hugh van Cuylenburg was a primary school teacher volunteering in northern India when he had a life-changing realisation- despite the underprivileged community the children were from, they were remarkably positive. By contrast, back in Australia Hugh knew that all too many people found it hard to be happy, or suffered from mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety. His own little sister had been ravaged by anorexia nervosa. A PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS How was it that young people he knew at home, who had food, shelter, friends and a loving family, struggled with their mental health, while these kids seemed so contented and resilient? He set about finding the answer and in time identified three pivotal traits - gratitude, empathy, and mindfulness - which seemed to underpin the children's resilience. SHARING WISDOM, IGNITING CHANGE In the ensuing years Hugh threw himself into studying and sharing this revelation with the world through The Resilience Project, with his playful and unorthodox presentations which both entertain and inform. Now, with the same blend of humour, poignancy and clear-eyed insight that The Resilience Project has become renowned for, Hugh explains how we can all get the tools we need to live a happier and more fulfilling life. READ THIS BOOK AND YOU WILL- > Learn the secrets of resilience through powerful and touching stories from people Hugh has met and helped during his years on the road. > Explore the neuroscience of resilience and discover how we can address and cultivate it in our daily lives. > Embrace the power of gratitude in transforming mental health and enhancing overall wellbeing. > Overcome personal barriers and obstacles that hinder personal growth and mental health. > Understand the crucial role of parents in helping raise happier children, and learn practical strategies to do so effectively. 'Hilarious, inspiring and heartbreakingly vulnerable, this book has the potential to be life-changing' MISSY HIGGINS

Television by Kate Middleton

Who Owns History by Geoffrey Robertson Geoffrey Robertson argues that justice requires the return not only of the 'Elgin' Marbles to Greece, but of many looted antiquities on display in the museums of Britain, Europe and America. He argues that the Gweagal Shield - dropped when Cook shot at Aboriginals in Botany Bay in 1770 - should be returned to Australia from the British Museum. He wants the government to acquire the hull of HMS Endeavour recently located off Rhode Island. He has located Arthur Phillip's tombstone for Yemmerrawanne, the first Australian expatriate, in a South London churchyard, and he wants to bring it back. Robertson's judgement is uncompromising: cultural heritage belongs to the people of whose history it is a part, unless its return would be attended by danger to the artwork itself. And since the movement for the restitution of cultural property is based on human rights, governments that want it back must show respect for the rights of the peoples on whose behalf they make the claim. Who Owns History? not only delves into the crucial debate over the Marbles, but examines how the past can be experienced by everyone, as well as by the people of the country of origin.

The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman The definitive edition of the graphic novel acclaimed as "the most affecting and successful narrative ever done about the Holocaust" (Wall Street Journal) and "the first masterpiece in comic book history" (The New Yorker) * PULITZER PRIZE WINNER * One of Variety's "Banned and Challenged Books Everyone Should Read" A brutally moving work of art--widely hailed as the greatest graphic novel ever written--Maus recounts the chilling experiences of the author's father during the Holocaust, with Jews drawn as wide-eyed mice and Nazis as menacing cats.  Maus is a haunting tale within a tale, weaving the author's account of his tortured relationship with his aging father into an astonishing retelling of one of history's most unspeakable tragedies. It is an unforgettable story of survival and a disarming look at the legacy of trauma.

Palestine by Joe Sacco A single volume collection of the landmark novel by Joe Sacco, author of Safe In Goradze. Palestine was his first major comic work of political and historical non-fiction, and was based on several months research and an extended visit to the West Bank and Gaza Strip in the early 1990s, where he conducted over 100 interviews with Palestinians and Jews. With a foreword by Edward Said, his work has often been favourably compared to Maus, for its ability to brilliantly navigate such socially and politically sensitive subject matter within the confines of the comic book medium.

V for Vendetta by Alan Moore The graphic novel that inspired the hit Warner Bros. motion picture from the Wachowskis, the directors of THE MATRIX films and SPEED RACER. In the near future, England has become a corrupt, totalitarian state, opposed only by V, the mystery man wearing a white porcelain mask who intends to free the masses through absurd acts of terrorism.

Watchmen by Alan Moore In an alternate world where the mere presence of American superheroes changed history, the US won the Vietnam War, Nixon is still president, and the cold war is in full effect. WATCHMEN begins as a murder-mystery, but soon unfolds into a planet-altering conspiracy. As the resolution comes to a head, the unlikely group of reunited heroes--Rorschach, Nite Owl, Silk Spectre, Dr. Manhattan and Ozymandias--have to test the limits of their convictions and ask themselves where the true line is between good and evil. In the mid-eighties, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons created WATCHMEN, changing the course of comics' history and essentially remaking how popular culture perceived the genre. Popularly cited as the point where comics came of age, WATCHMEN's sophisticated take on superheroes has been universally acclaimed for its psychological depth and realism. WATCHMEN is collected here with a new cover, sketches, extra bonus material and a new introduction by series artist Dave Gibbons.

Arc of a Scythe SERIES by Neal Shusterman Two teens must learn the "art of killing" in this Printz Honor-winning book, the first in a chilling new series from Neal Shusterman, author of the New York Times bestselling Unwind dystology. A world with no hunger, no disease, no war, no misery: humanity has conquered all those things, and has even conquered death. Now Scythes are the only ones who can end life--and they are commanded to do so, in order to keep the size of the population under control. Citra and Rowan are chosen to apprentice to a scythe--a role that neither wants. These teens must master the "art" of taking life, knowing that the consequence of failure could mean losing their own. Scythe is the first novel of a thrilling new series by National Book Award-winning author Neal Shusterman in which Citra and Rowan learn that a perfect world comes only with a heavy price.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley Far in the future, the World Controllers have created the ideal society. Through clever use of genetic engineering, brainwashing and recreational sex and drugs all its members are happy consumers. Bernard Marx seems alone harbouring an ill-defined longing to break free.

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess A vicious fifteen-year-old "droog" is the central character of this 1963 classic, whose stark terror was captured in Stanley Kubrick's magnificent film of the same title. In Anthony Burgess's nightmare vision of the future, where criminals take over after dark, the story is told by the central character, Alex, who talks in a brutal invented slang that brilliantly renders his and his friends' social pathology. A Clockwork Orange is a frightening fable about good and evil, and the meaning of human freedom. When the state undertakes to reform Alex—to "redeem" him—the novel asks, "At what cost?"

Enclave by Claire G. Coleman 'These are troubling times. The world is a dangerous place,' the voice of the Chairman said. 'I can continue to assure you of this: within the Wall you are perfectly safe.' Christine could not sleep, she could not wake, she could not think. She stared, half-blind, at the cold screen of her smartphone. She was told the Agency was keeping them safe from the dangers outside, an outside world she would never see. She never imagined questioning what she was told, what she was allowed to know, what she was permitted to think. She never even thought there were questions to ask. The enclave was the only world she knew, the world outside was not safe. Staying or leaving was not a choice she had the power to make. But then Christine dared start thinking . . . and from that moment, danger was everywhere. In our turbulent times, Claire G. Coleman's Enclave is a powerful dystopian allegory that confronts the ugly realities of racism, homophobia, surveillance, greed and privilege and the self-destructive distortions that occur when we ignore our shared humanity. 'A brilliant, engrossing, necessary read' COURIER MAIL 'Much of this novel feels frighteningly plausible ... Coleman's world shimmers on the page like a heat haze' ARTS HUB 'If you liked Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale or Charlotte Woods' The Natural Way of Things, this one is clearly for you' SYDNEY MORNING HERALD 'The book holds up a thoughtful mirror showing us to ourselves using an all too real future' KILL YOUR DARLINGS 'Enclave is a novel that inclines towards hope ... offers us an alternative: a world in which people, in meeting the demands of the present with curiosity, courage and conviction, can bring about a more just and inclusive future' NEW DAILY 'Coleman can turn a deft phrase ... She writes a mean chase sequence, ramping up the suspense when she wants, with fight scenes and great narrative propulsion' THE AGE 'Coleman offers an urgent critique of bigotry and, implicitly, of colonialism, writing with conviction about the ways technology can be misused by those in power, but also how it might be deployed for good. Indeed, despite its dystopian tenor, Enclave is ultimately a hopeful novel, and one which suggests it is far from futile to aspire to a better future' MANJIMUP-BRIDGETOWN TIMES 'If Margaret Atwood's dystopian Handmaid's Tale ignited a spark, you'll rip through Claire Coleman's new novel like a forest fire' MARIE CLAIRE 'She is toying with the canon, but also placing menacing signposts of the unsustainability of the settlement's brutal, exclusionary politics. Enclave is a clarion shout against demonising the unfamiliar, and the temptation to withdraw into a bubble' THE GUARDIAN,

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro This is the story of Klara, an Artificial Friend with outstanding observational qualities, who, from her place in the store, watches carefully the behaviour of those who come in to browse, and of those who pass in the street outside. She remains hopeful a customer will soon choose her, but when the possibility emerges that her circumstances may change for ever, Klara is warned not to invest too much in the promises of humans.

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro The top ten bestseller from the Nobel Prize-winning author of The Remains of the Day Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize In one of the most acclaimed novels of recent years, Kazuo Ishiguro imagines the lives of a group of students growing up in a darkly skewed version of contemporary England. Narrated by Kathy, now thirty-one, Never Let Me Go dramatises her attempts to come to terms with her childhood at the seemingly idyllic Hailsham School and with the fate that has always awaited her and her closest friends in the wider world. A story of love, friendship and memory, Never Let Me Go is charged throughout with a sense of the fragility of life.

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel What was lost in the collapse: almost everything, almost everyone, but there is still such beauty. One snowy night in Toronto famous actor Arthur Leander dies on stage whilst performing the role of a lifetime. That same evening a deadly virus touches down in North America. The world will never be the same again. Twenty years later Kirsten, an actress in the Travelling Symphony, performs Shakespeare in the settlements that have grown up since the collapse. But then her newly hopeful world is threatened. If civilization was lost, what would you preserve? And how far would you go to protect it?

Red Hill by Jamie McGuire

Dune by Frank Herbert Far in the future, two powerful families are locked in a bitter feud. The Duke of Atreides has been outmanoeuvred by his arch enemy, Baron Harkonnen, and must move from his home to take up the administration of the planet Arrakis, sometimes known as Dune, a vast desert where every drop of water is worth a fortune. But Dune is also a planet of fabulous wealth, for it is the only source of a drug prized throughout the Galactic Empire. The Duke expects treachery but it comes from a shocking and unexpected source.

The Foundation Saga SERIES by Isaac Asimov The ostensible task of Foundation, a group of savants established by Seldon on the remote planet Terminus, is to compile the "Encyclopedia Galactica", a complete account of human knowledge.

Neuromancer by William Gibson Summary: Henry Dorsett Case is a low-level hustler, former hack and 'console cowboy' who crashed and burned. His nerves were damaged and thus cut off from the digital matrix, he slouches through life. Until he meets Molly, an augmented 'razorgirl', who offers him a deal on behalf of a shadowy man called Armitage. His nerves repaired and matrix access restored, in exchange for a single job. But it's not so simple -- unless he completes the job, sacs of poison will explode inside him and cripple him again. And the job? That might be impossible. (Publisher).

Orbital by Samantha Harvey Summary: Six astronauts rotate in their spacecraft above the earth. They are there to collect meteorological data, conduct scientific experiments and test the limits of the human body. But mostly they observe. Together they watch their silent blue planet, circling it sixteen times, spinning past continents and cycling through seasons, taking in glaciers and deserts, the peaks of mountains and the swell of oceans. Endless shows of spectacular beauty witnessed in a single day. Yet although separated from the world they cannot escape its constant pull. News reaches them of the death of a mother, and with it comes thoughts of returning home, They look on as a typhoon gathers over an island and people they love, in awe of its magnificence and fearful of its destruction. The fragility of human life fills their conversations, their fears, their dreams. So far from earth, they have never felt more a part - or protective - of it. They begin to ask, what is life without earth? What is earth without humanity?.

The Three-Body Problem Trilogy by Cixin Liu Summary: Set against the backdrop of China's Cultural Revolution, a secret military project sends signals into space to establish contact with aliens. An alien civilization on the brink of destruction captures the signal and plans to invade Earth. Meanwhile, on Earth, different camps start forming, planning to either welcome the superior beings and help them take over a world seen as corrupt, or to fight against the invasion.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister What if your past hid a secret on which your own family's future depends? What might you do to find it? One night Jen watches helplessly as her teenage son kills a stranger. In seconds her world is torn apart. Why did this happen? Who is her son? Falling deep into her family's past, Jen seeks answers - answers she hopes can somehow save her son.

American Gods by Neil Gaiman Shadow spent three years in prison, keeping his head down, doing his time. All he wanted was to get back to the loving arms of his wife and to stay out of trouble for the rest of his life. But days before his scheduled release, he learns that his wife has been killed in an accident, and his world becomes a colder place. On the plane ride home to the funeral, Shadow meets a grizzled man who calls himself Mr. Wednesday. A self-styled grifter and rogue, Wednesday offers Shadow a job. And Shadow, a man with nothing to lose accepts. But working for the enigmatic Wednesday is not without its price, and Shadow soon learns that his role in Wednesday's schemes will be far more dangerous than he ever could have imagined.

Fairy Tale by Stephen King Charlie Reade looks like a regular high school kid, great at baseball and football, a decent student. But he carries a heavy load. His mom was killed in a hit-and-run accident when he was ten, and grief drove his dad to drink. Charlie learned how to take care of himself - and his dad. Then, when Charlie is seventeen, he meets a dog named Radar and his aging master, Howard Bowditch, a recluse in a big house at the top of a big hill, with a locked shed in the backyard. Sometimes strange sounds emerge from it. Charlie starts doing jobs for Mr. Bowditch and loses his heart to Radar. Then, when Bowditch dies, he leaves Charlie a cassette tape telling a story no one would believe. What Bowditch knows, and has kept secret all his long life, is that inside the shed is a portal to another world.

The Prison Healer SERIES by Lynette Noni Summary: Here at Zalindov, the only person you can trust is yourself. Seventeen-year-old Kiva Meridan has spent the last ten years fighting for survival in the notorious death prison, Zalindov, working as the prison healer. When the Rebel Queen is captured, Kiva is charged with keeping the terminally ill woman alive long enough for her to undergo the Trial by Ordeal: a series of elemental challenges against the torments of air, fire, water and earth, assigned to only the most dangerous of criminals. Then a coded message from Kiva's family arrives, containing a single order: Don't let her die. We are coming. Aware that the Trials will kill the sickly queen, Kiva risks her own life to volunteer in her place. If she succeeds, both she and the queen will be granted their freedom. But no one has ever survived. With an incurable plague sweeping Zalindov, a mysterious new inmate fighting for Kiva's heart, and a prison rebellion brewing, Kiva can't escape the terrible feeling that her trials have only just begun. (Publisher).

Wheel of Time SERIES by Robert Jordan The Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth returns again. But one truth remains, and what mortal men forget, the Aes Sedai do not . . . What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the shadow.

The Will of the Many by James Islington The Catenan Republic -- the Hierarchy -- may rule the world now, but they do not know everything. Vis, an orphan with many secrets, catches the eye of Ulsicor Telimus, a high ranking military senator. Telimus adopts Vis, not out of the kindness, but because he wants Vis to help him infiltrate The Catenan Academy, a school run by Religion where the highest ranking students learn to become leaders in the ruling class.

The Witcher SERIES by Andrzej Sapkowski or more than a hundred years, humans, dwarves, gnomes and elves lived together in relative peace. But times have changed, the uneasy peace is over and now the races are fighting once again - killing their own kind and each other. Into this tumultuous time is born a child of prophecy, Ciri, surviving heiress of a bloody revolution, whose strange abilities can change the world - for good, or for evil... As the threat of war hangs over the land, Geralt the Witcher must protect Ciri from those who are hunting the child for her destructive power. But this time, Geralt may have met his match.