MAY CONTAIN MARKUP

By Mark Brandt

In the heart of the Australian outback lies the small town of Wimmera, where everyone knows everyone and secrets run deep. In Mark Brandi's gripping novel "WIMMERA," the tranquility of this close-knit community is shattered by a devastating event that exposes a dark truth hidden for years.

As childhood friends Ben and Fab struggle to come to terms with the haunting secret they share, the tight bonds holding Wimmera together begin to unravel. Brandi's masterful storytelling unravels the layers of mystery and trauma, drawing readers into a world where loyalty and betrayal go hand in hand.

"WIMMERA" is a compelling tale of friendship, survival, and the lengths to which people will go to protect those they love. With its vivid prose and atmospheric setting, this novel delves into the complexities of human nature and the chilling consequences of buried secrets resurfacing in a town where silence speaks louder than words.

Australia. Hatchette. 2017. 269p.

USED BOOK. MAY CONTAIN MARK-UP

By Norman Lindsay

FROM THE COVER. “This is a very funny book, about a very peculiar pudding. In spite of the word 'magic' in the title,there are no fairies or spells. Only a pudding. Sometimes it was a rich odoriferous steak-and-kidney pudding, sometimes it was boiled jam roll or apple dumpling. All you had to do was whistle twice, turn the pudding round, and you could have whatever you wanted! Indeed, the pudding was such a prize that there were 'professional puddin'-owners' and,alas, 'professional puddin'-thieves'. One of the owners was Sam Sawnoff, whose feet were sitting down while his body was standing (he was a penguin), although Bill was just an ordinary small man with a large hat. The pudding had his own views, and was apt to sing in a very gruff voice… For ages eight to eighty, allowing for brief blind periods now and again in between.”

Middlesex. Penguin. 1918.

By Rosalie Ham

Sydney. Duffy and Shellgrove. 2000. 302p.

"The Dressmaker" is a novel by Australian author Rosalie Ham, first published in 2000. The book tells the story of Tilly Dunnage, a talented dressmaker who returns to her hometown in rural Australia after years of living abroad. As she settles back into her old life, Tilly must confront the demons of her past and navigate the complex social dynamics of a small town that has never fully accepted her.

The novel is a darkly comic satire that skewers the hypocrisies and prejudices of small-town life. Ham's vivid descriptions of the characters and setting bring the town to life, and her use of irony and satire add a sharp edge to the story's humor. At its heart, though, "The Dressmaker" is a story about the power of self-expression and the importance of being true to oneself, even in the face of opposition from others.

By Alex Miller

Following the sudden end of her marriage, Annabelle Beck returns from Melbourne to the sanctuary of her old family home in North Queensland. There, on an archaeological survey, she discovers that the aboriginal field officer, Bo Rennie, knows her from her childhood. Initially intrigued by his old-fashioned manners, she finds herself increasingly captivated by his modest assurance that he holds the key to her future. Eventually she sets out with him on a path of discovery that leads back to her childhood and to the uncovering of family secrets that have lain buried for a generation or more, secrets that will challenge their future together and force them to question whether their love can survive the terrible knowledge they have come to possess.

NSW. Aust. Allen and Unwin.2002. 327p.

By Markus Zusak

The Dunbar boys bring each other up in a house run by their own rules a family of ramshackled tragedy their mother is dead their father has fled they love and fight and learn to reckon with the adult world. It is Clay, the quiet one, who will build a bridge; for his family, for his past, for his sins. He builds a bridge to transcend humanness. To survive A miracle and nothing less. Markus Zusak makes his long-awaited return with a profoundly heartfelt and inventive novel about a family held together by stories, and a young life caught in the current: a hoy in search of greatness, as a cure for a painful past. “‘Brilliant and hugely ambitious...the kind of book that can be life changing.” The New York Times. “‘Unsettling, thought-provoking, life affirming, triumphant and tragic, this is a novel of breathtaking scope, masterfully told.” Guardian. ‘Zusak’s novel is a highwire act of inventiveness and emotional suppleness’ The Australian.

Australia. Picador Macmillan. 2018. 581p.

By Tim Winton

In the 1990s Tim Winton made his mark through tough spare stories about youth and promise; of early age parenthood and the challenges of loyalty. Now almost 20 years since his last collection he returns to the form with 17 overlapping stories of second thoughts and mid-life regret set in the brooding small town world of coastal WA. Brilliantly crafted and as tender as they are confronting these ellagic stories examine the darkness and frailty of ordinary people and celebrate the moments when the light shines through.

Picador. Australia. Pan Macmillan. 2004. 317p.