Cirrus@Austlit

'Lily works as a cleaner. She moves through houses in inner-city Melbourne, unseen, scrubbing away the daily residue of other people s privilege. Her partner Janks works the line in a local food factory. With every pay check they inch further away from their former world of poverty and addiction.

'Lily and Janks are determined that their daughter Jewelee will have a different life. She ll have a career, not a dead-end job. She ll have savings, not debt. But precarious lives are easily upended. One wrong move throws the family into a situation in which the lines between right and wrong, hope and disappointment, are blurred.

'Other Houses is a masterful and tender story about people who live from payday to payday. Acutely observed and lyrical, Paddy O Reilly's novel paints a haunting picture of class, aspiration and the boundaries we will cross for love.' (Publication summary)

'A desperate man borrows money from a bikie gang, with terrifying consequences. The bikies force him to make 'one' delivery for them — but will he every really be free?

'The Delivery by Paddy O'Reilly with Mark Coles Smith'.

Source: Radio National Fictions.

'It Happened off the Leash is a collection of embarrassing, heart-warming, life-changing and most of all funny stories of dog owners from all walks of life who are bound by their love of dogs and misbehaving mutts. From runaways to food thieves, and dangerous stunts to hilarious escapades, the stories in this book will make you laugh and appreciate your dog even more.' (Publication summary)

'The Holden rolled into our lives in 1948 and has been firmly rooted in the Australian psyche ever since. The FJ, the EH, the Torana, the Kingswood, the panel van, the Monaro, the ute – each car is like a tuning fork for eras of Australian family, city and bush life. Almost every Australian has a Holden story, and this book is packed with tales from all walks of Australian life. They are funny, brave, warm, sad and sometimes ridiculous.

Bruce Beresford • Jamie Whincup • Cate Kennedy • Father Bob Maguire • Kerry Greenwood • Shane Jacobson • Bev Brock • John Romeril • Anna Krien • Anson Cameron • Christine Nixon • Frankie J Holden • Tara June Winch • Peter Corris • Yassmin Abdel-Magied • Gary Poole • And many more.' (Publication summary)

'Fishing – we do it in ponds, creeks, great rivers, the deep sea. Some fall under the spell of the chase, some spend a lifetime trying to tie the perfect fly, some just like sitting on the pier for hours. These are tales of the fishing adventures and misadventures of amateurs and pros, one-time anglers, families and friends, in the stunning landscape of Australia.

'Stories, pictures and hilarious anecdotes from folk across the country, including fishing royalty Vicki Lear, Philip Weigall, Steve Starling and Greg French, writers Hilary McPhee, Krissy Kneen, Vicki Hastrich and Angela Pippos, and many more amateur enthusiasts.' (Publication summary)

'So the text message came at lunchtime and I went to the hole in the wall and got out cash. You don't know it's happening until the day. A text message arrives on your phone, giving you the location and the hour. They don't take credit cards yet but they're so organised I wouldn't be surprised to see one of them whip out a machine sometime soon. Thirty bucks to get in, minimum bet is twenty. There are blokes who lose a thousand a night. I take along a hundred bucks or so. I win, I lose, it's no big deal...'  (Introduction)

'A teenager on the tram meets an old man claiming to be Jesus Christ. Six young women band together on a night prowl. A Filipino immigrant clashes with his eldest sister, who has brought him to Australia for a better life. And in a future where dogs have risen up against their owners, a mother is alarmed by her adolescent daughter's behaviour.

'Through such diverse characters, Paddy O'Reilly takes us into the fringes of human nature – our hidden thoughts, our darker impulses and our unspoken tragedies. By turns elegiac and acerbic, but always acutely observed, Peripheral Vision confirms O'Reilly as one of our most inventive and insightful writers.' (Publication summary)

'The article offers information on the winners for the Story Wine Prize of the journal "Overland." Among the short story that won the prize include "That inward eye," by Leah Swann, as the first place, runner-ups "I thought maybe I could be a lounge singer," by Lauren Aimee Curtis, and "6 p.m. Saturday night," by Sally Breen.' (Publication summary)

'What sets them apart is the radical, experimental and sometimes faulty medical treatments they've all undergone. Leon has a hole punched through his chest and a small mechanical heart visible to all; Kathryn has been cured of a rare genetic disorder but the treatment left her covered in curly black wool; and performance artist Christos has metal wings implanted into his back.

'When 'The Wonders' are brought together by a canny entrepreneur, their glamorous, genre-defying, twenty first-century freak show becomes a global sensation. But what makes them objects of fascination also places them in danger. A wonderfully inventive novel that challenges our ideas about celebrity, disability and the value of life from one of Australia's finest authors at the peak of her powers.' (Publication summary)