Cirrus@Austlit

'Norm has lived in Norman his whole life. It's where he grew up with his dad, where he went to school and met his best friend Ella. But the town is dying - the river has dried up, and with it all the jobs.

'One night at the pub, on the anniversary of his dad's death, Norm announces a plan. He's going to build a Big Thing - like Coffs Harbour's Big Banana or Ballina's Big Prawn - to drive tourism to the town and give it a future. And to show Ella that she could have a future here too, maybe even with him.

'Ella, meanwhile, plans to leave Norman for the big smoke. She's tired of being a big fish in a small pond, especially when that pond is running out of water.

'Ella encourages Norm's big idea nonetheless. If it works, Norm will have a four-metre-high reminder of her. And if not, at least they'll have one last perfect summer together.' (Production summary)

'“I love food” Nakkiah Lui says, and in the next breath whispers “so give us back our land”. In First Eat, a confrontational, raw and highly personal exploration of food politics, power and body sovereignty, Nakkiah Lui asks how our meals would look different if First Nations people owned the land from which the food came. First Eat is about more than just food, it’s an aural feast for a rich future.' (Publication summary)

'It's a tennis story. It's a family story. It's a teamwork story. It's the story of how I got to where and who I am today.

'I'm only in my mid-twenties, and some might think that's young to write a memoir. Who does that, right? But for me and my team it's always been important to reflect on every part of the journey, especially the end. In that context, the timing is perfect to share my story, from the first time I picked up a racquet as a 5-year-old girl in Ipswich to the night I packed up my tennis bag at Melbourne Park after winning the 2022 Australian Open. This book gives me a chance to look back at every moment of the 20 years in between, and to think carefully through the highs and lows, the work and the play, the smiles and the tears.

'Telling my story also gives me an opportunity to do more than simply thank those who mean the most to me – it provides a way to honour them as an integral part of that tale, as the very secret behind my success. Some of them you might know – such as my longtime coach, Craig Tyzzer – and some of them you might not – like my first childhood coach, Jim Joyce. There are mates like Casey Dellacqua and Alicia Molik. Mentors such as tennis icon Evonne Goolagong Cawley and mindset coach Ben Crowe. My parents and sisters and my husband have sacrificed as much as I have over the years – this book is also for them.

'My Dream Time is about finding the path to being the best I could be, not just as an athlete but as a person, and to consider the way those identities overlap and compete. We all have a professional and a personal self. How do you conquer nerves and anxiety? How do you deal with defeat, or pain? What drives you to succeed – and what happens when you do? The answers tell me so much, about bitter disappointments and also dreams realised – from injuries and obscurity and self-doubt to winning Wimbledon and ranking number 1 in the world.

'My story is about the power and joy of doing that thing you love and seeing where it can take you, about the importance of purpose – and perspective – in our lives.'  (Publication summary)

'They’re wearing ball gowns, they’re debutantes... and they’re black. The debs’ ball is a controversial colonial export but can it be empowering too? Australia’s most celebrated young playwright Nakkiah Lui and actress Miranda Tapsell put on their hats and gloves to find out.

Nakkiah and Miranda are angry, young, vocal, Aboriginal and very, very funny. Join them on their journey, starting with a lesson on teatime etiquette in London where it all began, as they follow the debutante trail and discover that First Nations women across the globe have made this tradition their own. Nakkiah and Miranda ask: can beauty, poise and politeness actually empower them? Or is it better to get angry and start shouting?'

(Source : Audible)

'A Tiwi-Island girl prepares for Aunty's wedding with help from her maningawu in this vibrant picture book by the popular actor and writers of Top End Wedding and the highly acclaimed illustrator of Alfred's War.

'Everyone on the island is getting ready for Aunty's wedding.

'Maningawu puts on her best hat and I can wear a wurrijinga in my hair. Lucky!

'We all dress up, but I still don't understand. Why do people have a wedding?

'A warm family story that celebrates love and culture from actor, activist, writer and Australian sweetheart, Miranda Tapsell, and Joshua Tyler, co-writer of Top End Wedding, lushly illustrated by Samantha Fry.'  (Publication summary)

'There have been many moments in my life when I've had to take control of my own identity. I think in many ways, some more subconscious than not, I've always wanted it to be left up to me.'  (Introduction)

'Nakkiah and Miranda have conversations Australia is uncomfortable having—about sex, relationships, dating, power, and, most difficult of all, race.'

(Source : Apple Podcasts)