By Captain W. E. Johns

The classic boys’ books trumpeting the attraction and excitement of war, especially World War 2.

FROM CHAPTER 1: ““Air-Commodore Raymond, Chief of the Air Section of Scotland Yard, greeted his operational staff from behind a paper-littered desk, as, in obedience to his invitation, they filed into his office.

" Pull up some chairs," he requested. "This is only in the nature of a conference, and, strangely enough, for once there's nothing urgent about it. Help yourselves to cigarettes-we may be some time." He pushed the box forward.

London. Holder and Stoughton. 1954. 162p. USED BOOK

By Charles Dickens

From the Preface: “The late Mr Waterton having, some time ago, expressed his opinion that ravens are gradually becoming extinct in England, I offered the few following words about my experience of these birds. The raven in this story is a compound of two great originals, of whom I was, at different times, the proud possessor. The first was in the bloom of his youth, when he was discovered in a modest retirement in London, by a friend of mine, and given to me. He had from the first, as Sir Hugh Evans says of Anne Page, ‘good gifts’, which he improved by study and attention in a most exemplary manner. He slept in a stable—generally on horseback —and so terrified a Newfoundland dog by his preternatural sagacity, that he has been known, by the mere superiority of his genius, to walk off unmolested with the dog’s dinner, from before his face…”

London Chapmwn Hall. 1870. 770p

By Nevil Shute

"On the Beach" is a post-apocalyptic novel written by Nevil Shute, a British-Australian author. It was first published in 1957 and is set in the aftermath of a global nuclear war that has destroyed most of the northern hemisphere.

The story takes place in Melbourne, Australia, which has been spared from the immediate effects of the war due to its southern location. However, as the radiation from the northern hemisphere begins to spread southward, the people of Melbourne realize that their time is running out.

The novel follows a group of characters, including an American submarine captain, a young Australian woman, and a scientist, as they confront their mortality and the inevitability of their impending deaths. The story explores themes of hope, despair, and the futility of war.

London Heinemann. 1957. 310p.

By John Updike

"Terrorist" is a novel by John Updike, published in 2006. The book tells the story of a young Muslim-American named Ahmad Ashmawy Mulloy, who becomes radicalized and plots a terrorist attack in the United States.

The novel explores themes of religion, identity, and extremism, and provides a nuanced portrayal of the motivations and beliefs that drive individuals to engage in acts of terrorism.

"Terrorist" received mixed reviews upon its release, with some critics praising Updike's exploration of complex themes and his ability to create nuanced and sympathetic characters, while others criticized the book for being overly didactic and preachy.

NY. Alfred A. Knopf. 2006. 318p.

By Katharine Susannah Prichard

From the jacket: No writer has painted a more vivid picture of the tragic meeting of primi­tive and civilized humanity than Katharine Susannah Prichard in Coonardoo. First published in 1929, this remarkable novel has become an Australian classic, as moving in its deli­cate portraiture of an aboriginal girl as it is revealing in its authentic know­ledge of the outback scene in north­western Australia. The little black girl Coonardoo and the boy Hugh are childhood play­mates, and the relationship that gradually develops from their early bond is compelling and disastrous. Coonardoo has her tribal partner; Hugh, the station-owner, must marry. This drama is played out in the deserts and cattle country of the north­west, a cruel story redeemed by the poetic quality-of Coonardoo and her devotion to the man whose race dealt so harshly with hers.

Melbourne. Angus and Robertson. 1929.

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.