Cirrus@Austlit

'A Tale of Action and Bravery

'Flynn and Jack have a secret. They have visited Wingdom, a magical land where everyone can fly.

'When they hear the spiders of Webdom have attacked peaceful Wingdom, Flynn and Jack know they must return to the flying world to help their friends.

'But how can they return when Jethro, the local bully, keeps snooping around them? And will they be strong enough to defeat the hairy spiders with their sticky poisonous threads?

'Farting fireballs, flying dogs and surprise friendships form to show that sometimes the bravest thing we can do is to trust each other.' (Publication summary)

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'George now a columnist on the Bellarine Courier discovers through the police the scattered bones of an old murder victim, Nearby they find grainy black & white photographs and a Flanders’ Badge- a flower of remembrance for those who suffered or died.

'The Courier which gets immersed in this cold case. It quickly develops into a race against time to put names to the photos as the Poppy Day killers tentacles creep into the present day.

'A twisting tale of passion, secrets and vengeance on the Bellarine Peninsula reaching back to the dark.' (Publication summary)

'What really happened to the ex-servicemen in Australia when they returned to civil life?
The truth of their stories in peacetime is as shocking as the war they faced. In fact, the line separating the living from the dead was, at times, not clear at all.
Many soldiers returned to celebrations, such as the great march in Melbourne on St Patrick’s Day 1920, but celebrations were followed by a period of long silence. ‘Disappointment crowded in on disappointment’ especially concerning First Nations Diggers. Mistakes were made as well as achievements attained.

'While much has been written about Australians in the Great War battles which resonates in the national consciousness, less has been published about Anzacs in civilian life. The truth of their stories in peacetime is neglected. There are silences. Memories have been lost that cry out. Author John Ramsland, draws on his extensive and detailed research to bring to life stories exposing the struggles and successes.' (Publication summary)

'Disillusioned crime reporter George ‘Jogger’ Jensen has quit his job at a major newspaper in Melbourne and sought refuge in his childhood seaside home town of Portarlington on the Bellarine Peninsula to contemplate his future.

'Within a week he comes face-to-face with the last thing he thought he’d see in the sleepy seaside town: the body of a young unidentified woman being fished out of the sea.' (Publication summary) 

'Jimmy, Jack and Jane have something in common – they all have a secret.

'The secret? … They all think they are different from everyone else around them. Jimmy can’t sit still, Jack can’t read, and as for Jane, she is so nervous about everything that she’s too scared to try anything!

'The 3 become friends as they explore a new hobby, Taekwondo, and through the breathing and movement exercises that their Sensei teaches them they each realise that EVERYONE is DIFFERENT and that’s what makes us all the SAME.

'A heart-warming tale of struggle and finding friends and ultimately, finding oneself.' (Publication summary)

'Two ghosts. A Roman Legionnaire. The last of The Others. Cori’s family. Her world.
They’re all she cares about. All she needs. And they’re all in danger if they take this chance to escape. The Roman’s endless planning and waiting has come to this moment. Under the abandoned fortress is a gateway out of the island’s purgatory. Where it leads, they have no idea.

'To have to be hidden and protected so profoundly, it must be vital. It is.
What they find astounds them, and what’s been happening there for countless millennia – appalling. All of it, everything, just to sustain and entertain a twisted few. Her group will do all they can to stop it.

'It will cost them.'  (Publication summary)

'Drummers in bands are often overlooked whereas the singers and lead guitarists get all the attention. But who is it that they turn to and ask: ‘Count me in?’

'Tom Stehlik picked up the sticks at 14 and has never dropped the beat since. With over 50 years behind a drum kit, he provides a unique perspective ‘from the drum stool’ on the contemporary music scene with vivid recollections of gigs, people, places, sounds and sights.

'From meeting Paul Kelly at university in Adelaide in the 1970s and playing in his first band; to touring Australia with Redgum in the 1980s; playing avante-garde music with quirky Adelaide bands such as Systems Go and Speedboat; gigging, touring and recording blues, rockabilly, jazz, country and psychedelic pop; playing at gigs ranging from audiences of three people and a dog to performing in front of thousands and through it all, Tom has never lost his passion for drumming.

'This book is in celebration of drummers, Tom Stehlik and his love of the beat, and each time he was asked to join a band his response: ‘Count me in!’'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'The white family history touches on colonisation, convicts and tough times, as well as both world wars. He manages to link that history to his experience working with first nations people and ultimately to the privileged country we have become.

'Clive chronicles a world trip in the 1970s and has a gift for bringing to life the characters and events he experienced in a world very different from today’s technological age. In 1977 his father died when he was travelling and he didn’t hear the news for four weeks. Today it would be minutes.

'Clive has great faith and belief in humankind, and the love and respect he demonstrates to the women in his life reflects this.

'There is fun and love and sadness in the book, as there is in most lives, but for Clive, “good luck” is the barometer of his existence, despite the grim reality of serious lung cancer.

'This story is a positive experience with some genuine laughs and important insights about a life well lived.'  (Publication summary)

'Set in northern Australia’s Victoria River region, the narrative interweaves three eras.
In 1839 British explorer, Stokes, finds oily sludge in water wells on the banks of the river.

'In 1942 Nackeroo corporal, Ash, believes a German-born missionary is collaborating with Japanese invasion plans. Aided by Aboriginal tracker, Gabriel, Ash stalks, determined to find out the truth…

'In 1987 after a drilling rig accident geologist, Brad, meets hospital nurse, Karen, the missionary’s granddaughter and Karen introduces Brad to Ash, now their guardian. In a turn of events, Brad also meets Gabriel, now a land rights activist. A drilling program is suspended in the wake of the world stock market crash. Brad, guided by Ash, takes Karen to look for Stokes’ water wells and the mission ruins. Brad and Karen are unaware Ash has their own plan… Gabriel also knows more than Brad and Karen could anticipate…'  (Publication summary)

'From car bombings, to meeting Yasser Arafat, from Afghanistan to Melbourne and the top of Everest, to Athens, to Palestine and back to Timor Leste, Mark Squirrel has experienced more than many can dream about.

'When he headed to the East Timor Crisis in 1999 he was setting out on the adventure of a lifetime. It was a journey that would see him navigate some of the globes most brutal war zones to deliver emergency aid and conquer the worlds tallest mountain.

'Awarded the coveted “Green Beret” in his role as a commando with the Australian Special Forces, Squiz burned with a passion to put his skills to good use. His enthusiastic innocence was lost as the harsh reality of life in the emergency zone hit home. His aid work took him to countries such as Sudan, Palestine and Afghanistan where he met child soldiers, negotiated with rebels and narrowly escaped imprisonment.

'To raise awareness he ran the Athens marathon dressed in an Afghan burkha and put together an adventure team, comprising an Israeli and Palestinian. To top it off, Squiz battled thin air, freezing temperatures and malfunctioning equipment to raise the United Nations World Food Progamme flag on top of the world.

'Whether you enjoy vicariously riding the rapids of someone’s hazardous voyage through life, or whether you want to be inspired by the determination of a man who dared to dream, From Arafat to Everest is a page-turning, thought-provoking thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end.' (Publication summary)

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'Australia’s favourite newsman Mal Walden is back again continuing his theme of uniquely Australian stories with Aussie Myths, Mysteries and Memories.

Mythical monsters born in our billabongs, strange sightings of UFOs, baffling disappearances in our own Bermuda Triangle together with a host of unsolved mysteries and unexplained paranormal. Unlike other books on these subjects this forms a unique blend of Aussie Myths and Mysteries as seen through the eyes of a newsman.' (Publication summary)

'Underneath, the tale explores the shambolic Italian political landscape as well as the escalating tensions and arrangements between the southern Italian and Nigerian mafia clans. The Trouble with Serpents is set predominantly in Italy, as well as outback NSW, Fiji, Afghanistan, Russia and Poland.

'Hiding in plain sight behind the hype of Carnevale in Venice, five mafia families meet to elect a new leader of their combined clans, the Capo di Tutti Capi. Nicholas Delarno has the right to lead, but until recently, everyone thought he was dead.

'The Commission members are curious and nervous. In a show of leadership Nicholas claims the coveted role, bringing with him a return to the old ways, values and traditions that have stood the family well for decades. Something most of the clan members are keen to embrace after the chaotic leadership of former boss Don Carlo Seta. And they are willing to sacrifice their misgivings over the new Capo’s missing years to satisfy their self serving needs for secrecy, stability and economic power.'  (Publication summary)