Cirrus@Austlit

'Wrongly convicted, Daniel Quinn arrived in Van Diemen's Land after being transported for life and is imprisoned at Port Arthur. Through good conduct, Daniel eventually is released to work for a wealthy landowner. Here he meets the landowner's beautiful daughter, Rachael, and they fall in love. Is it their Fortune to make a life together?' (Publication summary)

'Rebecca Webster and the dashing Doctor Joshua O'Reilly were destined for each other, but can Joshua forgive the Webster family for their cruelty in Scotland? Would Rebecca leave Australia to make a life in Scotland with Joshua? The ill-fated Eureka Stockade at the gold fields of Ballarat is the exciting backdrop to this fascinating love story.'  (Publication summary)

'The building of the Kuranda Railway near Cairns was an engineering marvel, and during its construction, many workers were killed. Connor Murphy, a surveyor on the project, meets Maria Cardolini, whose father, mother and brother were all killed on the railway. Maria is afraid to love a man who works on the railway.'   (Publication summary)

'While studying Australian Indigenous literature, Noela McNamara became interested in the interface between cultures in Australia. In her poems and short stories, the author blends history with personal experience and imagination to provide poignant insights into life in multicultural Australia. She aims to bring a message of hope to a world that all too easily turns a blind eye to the pain and suffering of others. Tangled Roots is a reminder that our past is part of our present and will become part of our future, encoded not only in the bodies, cultures and lands of its people, but also in the memories, stories, hearts and souls of future generations.' (Publication summary)

'Robin Swift’s great uncle, Randall Smith, settled in Kenya in 1904, blazing a trail for Robin’s father and uncle who followed in the 1930s. This book tells of Robin’s childhood in the 1950s and his experience working as a young coffee estate manager in the early 1960s before going on to agricultural college in England. After college, Robin returned to Kenya and coffee farming. Soon he embarked on a career change, moving to Zambia and later Rhodesia, working in the agricultural machinery business. After he was married in Rhodesia, Robin and his wife started on a new stage in their lives, with a life-changing posting to Botswana for Robin to work at the Caterpillar dealership in Gaborone. The family returned to Harare in Zimbabwe in the early 1990s, shortly before the Mugabee government forcibly evicted thousands of farmers from their land. In 2004, the family decided to migrate to Australia. This led to a whole new way of life, dealing with the challenges of finding employment and a new home.' (Publication summary)

'Beautiful artwork by Brenda Pearson illustrates her original stories about Cunpta and her travels to the bushland, Dreaming stories, the colourful plants and wildlife of tropical North Queensland, and the interesting and unique sea wildlife of the Great Barrier Reef.' (Publication summary)

'A group of young women from very different backgrounds appear ordinary enough, but they share a secret life, one that revolves around break-ins, brazen heists and bank robberies. When one of their well-planned jobs is “gate-crashed”, a new and sinister dynamic is created.' (Source: Publisher's website)

'The book tells the story of the author’s uncle, Don Mitchell, who served in the Militia in New Guinea during World War II. This engaging family history gives fascinating insights into Australian life during the war, as it includes stories about Don’s family and how they coped with the war.' (Source: Publisher's website)

'This Homeland of Mine is a collection of poems about Australia, Australians and Australiana. "Australian Icons" tells stories in rhyme about all things Australian. There is a swaggie, the Zig Zag Railway, the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme and many more to tweak the memories of readers of all ages. "Nostalgia" reflects on the early days from the middle of the 20th century. In this bygone era, Bonfire Night was much anticipated, a day at the beach was a wonderful family experience, and children were much more adventurous and energetic than they are today. "Australian at Heart" leaves no doubt about the poet's pride in his nationality and his great love for his homeland, as shown in his travels throughout this wonderful country and in his poems close to the heart. "Australian Soldiers" draws on the poet's history as a soldier, with poems about service in wars from World War II up until Viet Nam. Poems that have a modern focus provide encouragement to younger soldiers returning from Afghanistan, Iraq and East Timor. Noel Humphreys' poems are meaningful, emotional, historical and comical. Australians of all ages will enjoy them, allowing readers to reminisce about their own lives, or to appreciate the poems from the perspective of younger generations.' (Publication summary)

'In this delightful book of poems, Jennifer Coffison writes of love, relationships, family, loss, healing and growth. Based on her own life experiences, Jennifer’s poems speak to the heart, revealing much about the human situation. Strongly recommended for poetry lovers everywhere.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'If, as he left his native Kenya to study forestry at Oxford, you had told Rob Ryan that five years later he would be settling in Alice Springs as the Australian Government's minerals geologist, he would not have believed it. He had not even heard of Geology! But that is what happened, and this is the story of how it happened.It is also the story of his lifelong supporter - his Kenyan high school girlfriend and wife, Judy - and their families, and of the vicissitudes of a geologist's life in outback Australia: the characters, the challenges, and the long separations that a geologist's family may have to endure.It is also a story of the unrelenting search for minerals to replace those that the human race consumes at a huge rate in order to survive and without which the planet could not sustain the population that it does. This search has taken the author from the rain forests of Borneo to the deserts of Egypt; and from the luxury home of a Minister in the government of the Shah of Iran in Teheran to a ceremonial welcome in Fiji.' (Publication summary)

'A collection of vibrant and varied poems, rich and uplifting throughout, with the love of life, people and the spirit of place permeating the lines.' (Source: Publisher's website)

'A collection of short stories teeming with life, amazing characters and humour. Stories are varied: credible, somewhat strange, close to crime, beyond any square and even bizarre.' (Source: Publisher's website)

'This collection of poems tells the story of the McNamara family, offering a rare glimpse into the lives of two people who married during World War II and raised a family of seven children through what were often hard times. Their story is a testament to love and family values.' (Source: Publishers website)

'This heart-warming book tells the story of Helena Webb who grew up on Kanahooka Road, on the shores of Lake Illawarra in New South Wales. The family was greatly affected by the Depression and World War II. This fascinating glimpse of an earlier era, seen through the eyes of a young girl, is brought to life for others to share.' (Source: Publisher's website)