By Tim Winton

"The Shepherd's Hut" is a novel by Australian author Tim Winton, first published in 2018. The story is narrated by Jaxie Clackton, a teenage boy who has run away from his abusive father and finds himself alone in the harsh Western Australian wilderness.

Jaxie is a tough and resourceful character who has learned to survive on his own. He comes across an old shepherd's hut and decides to stay there for a while, hoping to avoid being caught by the authorities who are searching for him.

While he is there, Jaxie meets a strange and reclusive man named Fintan MacGillis, who has been living in the wilderness for many years. Fintan takes Jaxie under his wing and teaches him how to survive in the harsh environment.

As Jaxie and Fintan spend time together, Jaxie begins to open up about his troubled past and the abuse he suffered at the hands of his father. Fintan, in turn, shares his own painful memories and the reasons why he has chosen to live in isolation.

The novel explores themes of survival, redemption, and the healing power of human connection. It also examines the complex relationship between fathers and sons, and the ways in which family history can shape our lives.

Australia. Penguin Random House.

By Steele Rudd

"We want a man," Fahey added, "who'll go to Brisbane an' put the sufferances of the farmers plainly an'— an'—well before Parliament—a man who'll talk t' thim, an' talk straightforredly t' thim, an'—an'—tell thim what's right an'—an' what ought t' be done. An' there's no one can do it better'n yeou."

Dad stared at the floor in silence. He seemed impressed with Fahey's argument.

So began Dad's career in Politics, and although he doesn't know much about Parliamentary protocol, he is determined to have his say; his spectacular entry into the House, his subsequent brushes with the long-suffering Speaker, and portraits of the Member for Fillemupagen, the Minister for Lands, the Premier and the Treasurer, and the "Chesterfield", make this one of the wittiest criticisms of its kind. The book was written not long after Rudd had been retrenched from the Public Service, and he worked off a personal grudge by making many of his characters clearly recognizable among the State politicians of the day—small wonder that there were moves to have him called before the bar of the house and disciplined.

Steele Rudd's works are now part of the Australian image, and his chief heroes, Dad and Dave, part of the Australian myth. They have, unhappily, been out of print for a long time, and a whole generation has grown up without knowing characters who were a household word to their parents and grandparents. People who have never read Steele Rudd can now appreciate a unique part of the Australian heritage; and those who do know his characters will doubtless be glad to renew old acquaintances and memories.

Sydney. Bookstall. 1908. 304p.