Cirrus@Austlit

'This book was first written for the author's grandchildren. Kate watched Australian noisy miner birds build a nest in her garden and began taking photographs of the nest being built, the baby birds in the nest, how other birds from the flock protected the nestlings, the birds leaving the nest and the fledglings leaving her garden.'  (Publication summary)

'From a deprived childhood within a family history of mental illness, suicide and addictions, Greg Wilson has attained unexpected heights as an ultramarathoner.

'Joining the Australian Army at seventeen was the catalyst for an athletics career. Within a few months, he was among the most accomplished distance runners in the Australian Defence Force.

'This enthralling account documents Greg's inclusion in the winning team at the Olympic Marathon trials, competing in the ADF Orienteering team beyond the Arctic Circle, and completing the ?big lap' in three months as a member of the XXXX Australian Army Around Australia Relay Team.

'He has raced in the company of the likes of the world's greatest ultra runner, Yiannis Kouros, and smashed the records set by septuagenarian legend Cliff Young.
His most recent event was to represent Australia in a World Age Group Marathon Championship in Chicago, in a field of 49,000. This is an inspiring account of overcoming adversity and being true to your talent.'  (Publication summary)

'The Kenyan bush is breathtakingly beautiful but potentially deadly without the honed skills of a highly trained marksman and experienced "white hunter". Gavin has all the skills needed to run his highly regarded safari tours, but does he have the skills to deal with the additional challenges thrown at him while on safari with Sir William and his beautiful wife? The unexpected keeps happening, including the unscheduled arrival of a fashion model and some unsavoury criminals.'  (Publication summary)

'Gloria hates her life. Her mother doesn't want her, her teachers don't want her and she is always being picked on by bullies. Her clothes are ragged and mis-matched. She decides to run away after not being invited to the class party. Tripping over a tree root, she has a baby galah fall on her. She can't put it back in the nest so she takes it home. She is needed. She has a purpose. Her mother wants to kill it.

'Gloria takes it to a friend's house to ask her brother how to look after it. With much negative advice, she looks after it. She asks her local doctor to help and have Bobbee declared a care bird so she can take Bobbee to school. A social worker becomes involved and the school reluctantly says Bobbee can attend

'The teachers resent it. The bullying gets worse. As Bobbee starts to talk, sing and dance, his fame spreads. A TV station uses Bobbee for commercials.

'Gloria's life became that of a happy child, all thanks to Bobbee. Bobbee's life was saved, thanks to Gloria. This is a story of life improvement of Gloria and Bobbee. It is a story about being needed and loved.'  (Publication summary)

'Sergeant Peter Jackson is commanding a troop in Iraq.

'Little does he know but he is about to embark on his strangest adventure yet.

'In the midst of crossfire, he sees a young woman appear out of nowhere in a strange contraption. Sandra's father and grandfather had invented a time machine which she has constructed. She and Peter escape inside her machine. Unbeknownst to them, it sends them back thirty-five thousand years.

'Their attempts to return to the present day are assisted by a cave tribe. In return, Peter and Sandra teach the tribe how to ride, hunt on horseback and fish. They face aggressive animal and human predators and save the lives of four cave women. Peter is alarmed when he realises that, according to tribal custom, they are now his wives.
And when they finally arrive in the present, danger still stalks them.' (Publication summary)

'"Marilla looked quickly away, not wanting her sibling to see the same look of concern and doubt on her face. This grand adventure that she had planned to live and explore the world beyond the confines of the coven was proving to be more difficult and dangerous than she had first thought. Her dreams of emulating the skills and mastery of magic in a real world was fast becoming a nightmare instead..."

'A tale of deception and greed and the evolutionary enlightenment of two traditional witches into a contemporary world.' (Publication summary)

'Paul Arnold, CSIRO scientist, pays $1000 for sex with Rachel Doyle, prostitute from Northern Ireland who has a technique no other prostitute can match. Rachel escapes from Derry to Brisbane after a client threatens an acid attack.

'Here she meets up with Fergus Burrows who is living in Brisbane.

'At a barbecue hosted by Fergus, Rachel meets Matthew, who after paying $500 for sex, offers Rachel $20,000 to relaunch her career in Australia. The offer has serious strings attached.

'Paul has divorced his wife Louise, who returned to Cowra to live with her parents and two sons. Paul switches his research from physics to biology to follow a path to reduce the need for abortions. When Paul sees Rachel, her bodyguard Steve, recognises Paul and pursues him.' (Publication summary)

'Butcher's boy Jimmy D'Aubin went willingly to war when duty called in 1916. Excited, thrilled to be part of a big adventure and determined to play his part in fighting the enemy.

'Like so many of those fortunate to return, this son of a loving Melbourne family soon found his life had changed forever. The bright-eyed lad had vanished somewhere amid the mud and trenches of the battlefields of France and Flanders. Replaced by a man physically and mentally broken.

'A stranger to all who once knew and loved him. Even his parents.

'His battle now is with alcohol. And with the thieving needed to sustain his addiction.

'There are minor victories among his defeats. He marries, fathers four children but is incapable of supporting them.

'Divorce follows. He lives on the streets, often sleeping where he falls. He welcomes his frequent spells in prison as they provide a bed and a meal.

'Help is offered but war has damaged him mentally as well as physically. He finds Billy, his battlefield mate, has fared no better.

'Jimmy's story mirrors the life and times of the author's grandfather. It paints a vivid picture of mid-twentieth century Melbourne.

'A period endured by many who went willingly to war and returned to find a bigger battle awaited them.' (Publication summary)

'In a world where there are things even the human eyes cannot comprehend, things or mythical creations are hiding in the unknown. There is a world full of suspense and secrecy waiting to be discovered.

'Whoever reads this book, must always have been intrigued by fables of the past, bedtime stories or tales that no one dares to believe. This book sheds light on the lives of mythical creatures, many of which you may know such as vampires, gargoyles and demons. Or some of which you may have never even heard of.
Creatures such as the Dullahan, a beast that has no head, rides a horse and causes trouble at night with whoever is unfortunate enough to cross paths with him.
Then there're crazy, delusional or simply evil outlaws, like Rumplestiltskin who ruins the lives of others for fun. There are many places or realms where magical monsters lurk/hide, like the Hidden Empire, which is safe from the world outside, from humans to be exact. There are places called safe havens and the perfect example is Hallow Valley.

'This book contains a collection of intertwined stories and delves deep into the world of beings.

'Beings like FOG (Frances Owen Gregory) who goes on a journey around the world, trying to get more information about fantastical creatures, the Grim Reaper who founds his own organisation, Aya the Kitsune who must train for the Samurai Guild to protect the honour of her family. There is Cleopatra, the last ruler of Egypt who started the dynasty of Cat People and Freya the Viking Vampire, daughter of the legendary Bjorn Ironside.

'This book will definitely not give you a scare. This story is very different to others in that it doesn't contain chapters which you have to read in chronological order, you can choose where to start to read and stop. This is a tale with a difference. A unique story like no other. Open the book and immerse yourself in the hidden world within our own. A hidden world of mythical beings. Like the title suggests Seeing Beings is the path to Believing.' (Publication summary)

'What happens when Sandgroper meets his penfriend Squirrel from the British Isles? From that moment, everything goes wrong when Squirrel and Sandgroper start their adventures along the beaches of the Indian Ocean.

'Follow Sandgroper and Squirrel as they make their way on a most unexpected journey. It's a chaos of misunderstandings and adventures - not to mention meeting some unforgettable animals of the Outback. 

'It's a story that comes to us from the imagination of James Voûte, writer and accomplished illustrator. ' (Publication summary)

'Early one morning a baby zebra was born.

The baby lay close to its mother. Mama Zebra looked down at her baby and was surprised to see that something was different. As we all know, zebras have black and white stripes, but Baby Zebra's stripes were all the colours of the rainbow!'(Publication summary)

'Felix Schmidt is backpacking on the Camino de Santiago when he meets the love of his life, the beautiful French Pascaline. He brings her back to Australia where he joins a new firm of management consultants. Deeply engrossed in the company's growth, he neglects Pascaline. She believes his addiction has reduced him as a person, wearies of his obsessive workaholism and returns to France. Felix pines for his lost love, but as the company expands, he advances into management and is totally immersed. Disillusioned that ambition has seduced him to climb a ladder that leads to nowhere, that forces him to inflict pain and make decisions he abhors, he loathes the character he has become. Eventually, he quits his work. Once free of responsibility, he aims to win back Pascaline, but first he must work on himself to restore the former person before succumbing to distortion. With trepidation he returns to France, anxious about the person he will find in Pascaline.' (Publication summary)

'Professor Arif Ahmed steps warily into a seedy massage parlour in suburban Melbourne, uncertain what he will find beyond the beaded curtain.

'This is unknown territory for the inquisitive academic. A personal voyage of discovery with few preconceived notions.

'Reluctantly he succumbs to the urgings of Amelia, the baffled young woman assigned to service him. He accepts a gentle shoulder massage but nothing more.

'A conversation develops. He discovers Amelia is far more than her massage parlour job suggests. A migrant like himself, but one struggling to survive. A student with a degree in disciplines similar to his own but lacking the resources to progress and achieve her ambitions.

'True to his belief that human life can consist of more than one existence simultaneously he follows his heart and endangers his family life and professional career to help Amelia reach her academic goals.

'Could this bring relief from the scars and insecurities he still bears from his own adolescence? As he fosters Amelia's rapid success at university his mind transports him back to his own student days of uncertainty, deceits and deception.'(Publication summary) 

'The tramp steamers went anywhere and everywhere. As the workhorses of the sea, they were cheaper than other cargo boats, so conditions were also cheap, dangerous and unpleasant.
The events and people in this publication are drawn from real life. The stories are about real people, real ships, real shipping companies and real situations. It is meant to be an amusing set of sea stories, offering a small glimpse into the constant hardships for seamen on the old tramp steamers as they ploughed the oceans of the world for so many years.

'Henry, now in his nineties told many of his stories to his son whilst he was a youngster. This work is putting some of these stories of the life at sea into permanent memory. Henry was at sea for 5 years a total of 1,827 days so what is contained herein is just a small insight, but a completely different view from the many other books that romanticise the life at sea.' (Publication summary)

'A contract killing on a remote coastal track. 

'A deadly boat explosion occurs in nearby waters soon afterwards.

'Are the two connected?

'Meanwhile, Angelina makes an audacious escape with the assistance of her underworld connections and continues her ruthless agenda. 

'To follow is a chain of events that, when unravelled, shocks Nic Drakos to the core and links him inextricably to Elena Perez, imprisoned by Angelina on the other side of the world. But can he believe a word she says, or is this another one of Angelina's ploys to lure him out of hiding and into a trap? 

'As Nic uncovers the truth, it becomes a race against time to save Elena's life. But will he be too late?' (Publication summary)

'True to her word, Angelina Lorenzo sets out to exact her revenge on those next on her list. But police are closing in, and she is running out of places to hide.

'Killing has been easy up until the failed attempt on her sister's life. This time, there will be no mistakes. She hires an assassin, who unwittingly finds himself caught in Angelina's treacherous web.

'Can he bring himself to do the unthinkable 

'just to keep Angelina in his life?'(Publication summary)

'Echidna in a Suitcase is a memoir of a woman's journey of initial hardships and her rugged road to resurrection after being placed into Catholic institutional life as an infant. Through it all she continued to look up through moth eaten blankets to see the stars. Allowing her malleable mind to dream, her spirit remained unbreakable. She had inherited a tangled ancestral twine, a twine that leads her to the man she has been searching for all her life. A remarkable journey of self-discovery and great fortune.' (Publication summary)

'Dumper is faced with changing times. Moved aside for newer and younger boats Dumper is given one last challenge and one last opportunity. With a new crew and wild surf, can Dumper bring his best one for the last time?' (Publication summary)