Cirrus@Austlit

'There are people involved. That's the first mistake. Scientists were never meant to be part of history. Anything in the past is better studied from the present. It's safer. When a team of Australian scientists and a lone historian travel back to St-Guilhem-le-Desert in 1305 they discover being impartial, distant and objective just doesn't work when you're surrounded by the smells, dust and heat of a foreign land.They're only human after all. But by the time Artemisia is able to convince others that it's time to worry, it's already too late.' (Publication summary)

'Nineteen stories of triumph in the past, present, future, and other worlds.

'“She was warned. She was given an explanation. Nevertheless, she persisted.”

'Those were the words of Mitch McConnell after he banned Senator Elizabeth Warren from speaking on the floor of the United States Senate.

'In reaction to the bitter partisanship in Trump’s United States of America, nineteen Book View Café authors celebrate women who persist through tales of triumph–in the past, present, future, and other worlds.

'From the halls of Ancient Greece to the vast space between stars, each story illustrates tenacity as women overcome challenges–from society, from beloved family and friends, and even from their own fears. These strong heroines explore the humor and tragedy of persistence in stories that range from romance to historical fiction, from fantasy to science fiction.

'From tale to tale, every woman stands firm: a light against the darkness.'

Source: publisher's blurb

'Who wants superpowers?

'Not Rhonda. Rhonda wants to live an ordinary life.

'“My life is a soap opera with magic,” thinks Judith, as she reviews her year.

'Before it all begins, she just wants to lose her past and keep her children safe.

'Belinda, her sister, wants recipes.

'Their lives are simple.

'All three women get a lot more than they bargained for in 2002 and 2003. Bushfires. A possessed lemon tree. Prophecy. Magic. Romance. Violence. Politics. Family.

'Secret Jewish women’s stuff ought to be carried out in more exotic places than suburban Australia.

'Except that sometimes, suburban Australia is chancy and troubling.

'Even without those mystery boxes from the great-grandmother no-one talks about.

'Even without the Angel of Death and Zoë’s pink tutu.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.