Cirrus@Austlit

'One of my favourite stories concerns two Liberal Party politicians, both of whom were later knighted. One of them was arguably Australia's most hopeless and devious prime minister, William ("Billy") McMahon. He was in office from March 1971 until December 1972, when the coalition lost office to Labor under Gough Whitlam - who had famously described McMahon as "Tiberius with a telephone". The second was James ("Jim") Killen, who liked more than an odd beer on a hot day and had served as Minister for the Navy under John Gorton. When McMahon became PM, he dropped Killen from the ministry.' (Introduction)

'The eighth book in the Grafton Everest series sees the hapless ex-President of the Republic of Australia, Dr Professor Grafton Everest, caught up in a web of international espionage and intrigue that he is hopelessly ill-equipped to handle.
'Abandoned to his own inadequate devices when his wife Janet departs on a world tour, with his home invaded by his now broke daughter and son-in-law, Grafton accepts an assignment with the United Nations to investigate electoral fraud in Russia. The reason is not only to get out of the house; an old letter from his mother, addressed to someone in the Soviet Union fifty years ago, suggests that Grafton may not be the only child that he always thought he was.
'Grafton’s mission to Moscow and his search for this mysterious sibling take him far from the Russian capital, deep into the icy wastes of Siberia and even deeper in a tangled conspiracy whose roots extend back to the Cold War and even as far back as the Russian Revolution.' (Publication summary)

'Florence Violet McKenzie (1890-1982), known as Mrs Mac, is someone who, up to now, I’d not heard of. But thanks to David Dufty, an expert in Australia’s military intelligence during World War II, I now realise how crucial she was in training our first women signallers and code breakers.' (Introduction)

 'To celebrate 40 years of sobriety, Ross Fitzgerald published "My Name Is Ross" (2010) - the story of his battle with alcoholism. Although he has now succeeded in not drinking alcohol or using drugs for 50 years, in this revised and updated edition the author still calls himself an alcoholic, and pays extended tribute to the role of Alcoholics Anonymous in keeping him on the wagon. Ross Fitzgerald has been a successful academic, writer, reviewer, and commentator in the media, and acknowledges that it remains a daily battle to remain sober.' (Publication summary)

'They say you should never forget where you came from. Maybe add this: never forget what happened there. Those of us who lived through the regime of a certain Queensland premier have those years indelibly printed not only on our memory but on our psyche.' (Introduction)

'The person who mows your lawn probably does a fine job, but is there a book in that? And who would imagine an enticing story behind the franchises of Jim’s Mowing, Jim’s Cleaning and Jim’s Fencing?'  (Introduction)

'In this 7^th book of the highly acclaimed Grafton Everest Series, our indolent hero, Professor Dr Everest, former lecturer in Lifestyles and Wellbeing at the University of Mangoland, is surprised to find himself President of the newly minted Republic of Australia. He is also concerned when he learns that, due to a drafting error, it is to be an American-style executive presidency. Luckily he manages to avoid any actual work or duties, save heading the newly created Department of Wellbeing, and leaves on a goodwill tour of the United States.

'Here, to his further surprise, he is hailed as a political guru and even a messiah by a population still reeling from the incumbency and assassination of president Ronald Thump. Adulation for his even most off-the-cuff comments leads to Grafton being courted by both Democrats and Republicans as a possible US Presidential candidate, something which seems impossible until he discovers a well-kept secret about his true citizenship. After further discoveries, including a secret society of retired spies and bionic clones, he returns to Australia to find that the Department of Wellbeing has become a ruthless dictatorship that has brought the nation to a stop. It is now up to Professor Dr Everest to save the country …'  (Publication summary)

'The legend of Gallipoli may never be eclipsed but recent celebrations have accentuated the heroes of the Western Front and the Middle East. The gallantry and sacrifice of our Diggers is legendary but we should also honour two of World War I’s most outstanding field commanders, both Australians: John Monash and Harry Chauvel.' (Introduction)

'Anna Broinowski’s revealing documentary Pauline Hanson: Please Explain! ran on SBS television a year ago. Throughout 2015 the award-winning filmmaker had unfettered access to Hanson and her Fed Up campaign, as Hanson attempted to win a Queensland Senate seat at the 2016 federal election.' (Introduction)

'The moon landing was an American-led space adventure but it also shone a spotlight on an Australian scientific success story.

'The Parkes radio telescope in rural NSW became world famous when, in July 1969, it relayed Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the moon.

'Science writer Peter Robertson is known for his 1992 book on the telescope, Beyond Southern Skies. He spent much of his working life with the CSIRO Publishing group in Melbourne. Now he has written a fine biography of one of the Western world’s leading radio astronomers, John Gatenby Bolton.' (Introduction)