Cirrus@Austlit

'Can one tiny girl change a very big school?

'Alice-Miranda Highton-Smith-Kennington-Jones is waving goodbye to her weeping parents and starting her first day at boarding school. But something is wrong at Winchesterfield-Downsfordvale Academy for Proper Young Ladies. The headmistress, Miss Grimm, hasn't been seen for ten years. The prize-winning flowers are gone. And a mysterious stranger is camping in the greenhouse.

'Alice-Miranda must complete a series of impossible tests. Can she really beat the meanest, most spoilt girl at school in a solo sailing mission? Could she camp in the forest all on her own for five whole days and nights? Well, of course. This is Alice-Miranda, after all.' (From the publisher's website.)

'Broome is a small, sun-drenched town on the barren northwest coast of Australia. It's small enough that everyone knows everyone else's business. How, then, did someone murder two widows in similar fashion and not leave any clues? It's a case for Detective-Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte, who arrives on the scene incognito. He's barely begun his investigation when a third woman is killed. Bony realises that he is dealing with a madman, and that time is running out to stop a forth murder.'(Publication summary)

'Love is a special and growing thing. It’s a little bit like a tree – a special magical tree – that you can climb up into, nest comfortably in its big branches, and safely watch the world go by. Love can come in different shapes and sizes. Like a tree, love can grow and grow…' (Publication summary)

'After posting a drunken rant that goes horrifically viral, Bronte needs a place to lie low. Jobless, friendless, broke, she volunteers as a carer on an isolated rural property. She won’t be paid for looking after dementia sufferer Nell, but at least she’ll have a place to stay. Bronte’s host is Nell’s daughter Veda, who runs spiritual rebirthing retreats. She also claims the rights of a sovereign citizen and rejects the authority of the state, refusing even to register her car. She has acquired a small but devoted following of the like-minded.

'Are they harmless cranks, with their conspiracy theories and outrage at government overreach? Or dangerously paranoid domestic terrorists? And what is the dark secret that Nell, in her confused state, keeps harking back to? Bronte, increasingly uneasy, would be getting far away from the whole place—if she had anywhere else to go.

'In Panic, master storyteller Catherine Jinks delivers a tense, claustrophobic thriller of isolation and fear that will have you on the edge of your seat.'  (Publication summary)

'He's found the girl of his dreams, but she's just passing through. Can he turn fleeting Christmas magic into forever?

'Windmill fabricator Danny Burroughs doesn't have time to wait in line at the local saddler–no matter how pretty the girl behind the counter–he's juggling two jobs as it is. But his little sister has her heart set on a unique piece of saddlery for Christmas and he can't let her down.

'Expert saddler Beth Wells has no idea that when she comes to small town Levenham to look after her grandfather's shop she'll be swamped with customers. Overrun by day, Beth is forced to work late into the night on Christmas orders. The last thing she needs is another.

'When super-cute Danny arrives at the saddlery after midnight wearing a Santa suit, a broad grin and pleading she make his sister's present, Beth makes a deal–she will take the order in exchange for Danny's help. Except this flirty Santa's idea of helping involves more than stacking shelves, and in the confines of the saddlery their smouldering attraction soon becomes a blaze. But no matter how hopelessly drawn she is, Beth has a job interstate and a mum who needs her. Anything more than friendship is pointless.

'Will these two chance-met strangers find the courage to gamble on their love? Or will the girl Danny's been looking for all his life leave nothing behind but a sweet Christmas memory?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'From the author of Currawong Creek and Turtle Reef comes a beautiful story of family, friendship and the healing power of love.

'When Sydney botanist Kim Sullivan and her husband inherit Journey's End, a rundown farm high on the Great Eastern Escarpment, they dream of one day restoring it to its natural state. Ten years later, however, Kim is tragically widowed. Selling up is the only practical option, so she and her children head to the mountains to organise the sale. The last thing Kim expects is for Journey's End to cast its wild spell on them all.

'The family decide to stay, and Kim forges on with plans to rewild the property, propagating plants and acquiring a menagerie of native animals. But wayward wildlife, hostile farmers and her own lingering grief make the task seem hopeless. That is, until she meets the mysterious Taj, a man who has a way with animals. Kim begins to feel that she might find love again. But Taj has his own tragic past – one that could drive a wedge between them that can not be overcome . . . ' (Publication summary)

'Have you ever done a runner from the dentist? Are you petrified of clowns? Have giant headlice tried to attack and eat you? Do you ever chew on your grandfather's toenails for short story inspiration? And have you come up with a genius way to never do homework again? All of these things have happened to me. I'm Tom Weekly. My life is an exploding chicken and the book in your hands is my attempt to glue it back together again.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Australian cowgirl Bridie Willis travels to Montana to escape the pain of losing her father. Headstrong and determined, she plans to spend the summer alone photographing wild animals. Instead she finds herself saddled with a stubborn cowboy as a back-country guide.

'Ethan Morgan has been shaped by a childhood spent on the run. Cautious, steady and conservative, he is tasked with ensuring the beautiful, risk taking cowgirl doesn't ditch him or come to any harm.

But the biggest challenge Ethan must face is to accept how Bridie makes him feel. And the biggest risk Bridie must take is to trust in her heart.' (Publication summary)

'An uplifting story of healing and hope from the author of Promises, Heart of the Valley, and Rocking Horse Hill.

'For as long as she can remember, Teagan Bliss has wanted to manage her family's property. She's invested everything in the farm, knowing that when her parents retire she'll be ready to take the reins. But when a family betrayal leaves her reeling, Teagan is forced to rethink her entire future.

'Heartbroken, Teagan flees to her aunt's property in the idyllic Falls Valley. Vanessa is warm and welcoming and a favourite of the locals who drop in regularly for cocktail hour. Teagan soon catches the attention of sexy local farrier Lucas Knight, and with a new job, new friends and the prospect of a new relationship, she slowly begins to open up again.

'But the village is a hotbed of gossip and division and when Teagan gets caught up in town politics, Lucas and Vanessa become concerned. As the tension in town escalates, Teagan must decide who to trust. But when she realises those close to her have been keeping secrets, the fallout may split Teagan apart forever.' (Publication summary)

'Sometimes Mr. Wrong is Mr. Right.

'Speech therapist, Trinity Redfern, knows her perfect match is out there somewhere. And when she finds him he’ll be articulate, well-dressed and most of all he will let her call the shots.

'Reclusive rancher, Zane Nash, has heeded life’s lessons. Never trust anyone, especially a woman. But when he becomes an instant father to five-year-old Finn, he must trust the sassy speech therapist who takes over his ranch for the summer. Trinity is Finn’s last hope to learn to speak again.

'But when the summer ends has time run out not only for Finn but also for Zane? Can the reserved cowboy find the words to make strong-willed Trinity stay … forever.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Unlucky-in-love zoologist Zoe King has given up on men. Moving from Sydney to take up an exciting new role in marine science in the small sugar town of Kiawa is a welcome fresh start. Zoe is immediately charmed by the region's beauty – by its rivers and rainforests, and by its vast cane fields, sweeping from the foothills down to the rocky coral coast. And also by its people – its farmers and fishermen, unhurried and down to earth, proud of their traditions.

'Her work at the Reef Centre provides all the passion she needs and Zoe finds a friend in Bridget, the centre's director. The last thing she wants is to fall for her boss's fiancé, cane king Quinn Cooper, so she refuses to acknowledge the attraction between them – even to herself. But things aren't quite adding up at the Reef Centre and when animals on the reef begin to sicken and die, Zoe's personal and professional worlds collide. She faces a terrible choice. Will protecting the reef mean betraying the man she loves?' (Source: Publisher's blurb.)

'Cows say moo. But what sounds do other animals make?' (Publication summary)

'Ever since she was a little girl, Emily Wallace-Jones has loved Rocking Horse Hill. The beautiful family property is steeped in history. Everything important in Em's life has happened there. And even though Em's brother Digby has inherited the property, he has promised Em it will be her home for as long as she wishes.

'When Digby falls in love with sweet Felicity Townsend, a girl from the wrong side of the tracks, Em worries about the future. But she is determined not to treat Felicity with the same teenage snobbery that tore apart her relationship with her first love, Josh Sinclair. A man who has now sauntered sexily back into Em's life and given her a chance for redemption.

'But as Felicity settles in, the once tightly knitted Wallace-Jones family begins to fray. Suspicions are raised, Josh voices his distrust, and even Em's closest friends question where Felicity's motives lie. Conflicted but determined to make up for the damage caused by her past prejudices, Em sides with her brother and his fiancée until a near tragedy forces the entire family to see things in a new light.' (Publication abstract)

'For Nina Moore, the rare marshland flanking the beautiful Bunyip River is the most precious place on earth. Her dream is to buy Billabong Bend and protect it forever, but she's not the only one with designs on the land. When her childhood sweetheart Ric returns home, old feelings are rekindled, and Nina dares to dream of a future for both of them on the river. But a tragic death divides loyalties and threatens to tear apart their fledgling romance.

'This star-crossed rural romance sets Nina, a floodplains grazier, and Ric, a traditional cotton farmer, on a heart-rending collision course, amid the beauty of northern NSW.' (Publication abstract)

'A story of enduring love and friendship, and bold wild women who refuse the dictates of their times.

'London 1833: The cast-out child of an aristocratic mother, Hannah 'Birdie' Bird is a laundry maid with a hidden past and a suspicion that the wealthy family she serves is hers.

'Longing for beauty and liberation, Birdie risks everything to change her circumstances. She falls into love and crime, committing an audacious heist. When she is betrayed, she finds herself swept into a wave of female convicts, transported to the ends of her known world.

'The journey to the early Australian settlement drives the women to deepest despair. Birdie finds wonder in even this darkest hour, and forms deep bonds with her fellow prisoners. But greater than even the trials onboard is the fear of what awaits them in Sydney Cove.

'What chance does Birdie have of beating the odds? Can she fight her way to freedom?'  (Publication summary)

'From the author of the bestselling Sleepless in Stringybark Bay, this new book celebrates life, love, community and the power of forgiveness.

'When former journalist turned café owner Kate Jackson abandons her six-month-old baby and disappears without a word, the quirky offshore community of Cook's Basin quickly steps in to salvage a delicate and difficult situation.

'But even the best intentions can go horribly awry.

'Relationships are tested, loyalties divided and the future of the beloved Briny Café, the beating heart of the community, comes under threat.

'It takes a group of bossy retirees to navigate the brittle twists and turns of the grim past to point the way towards a hopeful future.

'Wrapped in the colourful culture of a boat-access community, Finding Joy in Oyster Bay, the final book in the Cook's Basin series, celebrates life, love, community and the power of forgiveness.' (Publication summary) 

'It's 1895, Melbourne is in crisis, and Pearl and Vally Cole's father has suggested the unthinkable: it might be time to close the grandest bookshop in the world.

'When a ghostly visitor offers Pearl magic that could save her home, she seizes her chance. But her new friend is not what he seems, and the unstoppable magic in the palm of her hand comes at a terrible cost.

'Vally can see just one way to save Pearl before she is lost forever. He must call upon the sinister magician who nearly destroyed the Cole family two years ago. But the Obscurosmith only performs the impossible for a price …

'Reunite with old friends, solve fiendish puzzles, and find five lost treasures from across the globe in this sweeping adventure that concludes the story of The Grandest Bookshop in the World.' (Publication summary)