Download or read book The Unusual Abduction of Avery Conifer written by Ilsa Evans and published by HarperCollins Australia. This book was released on 2021-09-01 with total page 480 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Two women abduct and hide out with their four-year-old granddaughter Avery, who they suspect is being harmed. They both love Avery ... shame they can't stand each other. A wise and witty novel for readers of Sophie Green and Brooke Davis. What would you do to protect a child? Beth's daughter Cleo and Shirley's son Daniel used to be married. Now Cleo is in gaol for supposedly contravening a family violence order, and Daniel has full-time care of their four-year-old daughter, Avery. When Shirley suspects that Daniel is harming Avery, she enlists Beth to abduct their own granddaughter, even though the two women can't stand each other. They are joined on the run across country Victoria by Winnie, Shirley's own 89-year-old tech-savvy mother, and Harthacnut, Beth's miniature schnauzer. The abduction gives rise to crises both personal and social, as Shirley's large and interfering family - including her toxic son - struggle to come to terms with her actions, amid a whirl of police investigation and media excitement. This heartfelt, wise, witty and wholly original novel explores the lengths we may go to for those we love, and the unintended damage folded into daily life. 'fantastic, fresh and unexpected' - Cassie Hamer, author of After the Party 'combines controversy and compassion' - Olivia Wearne, author of The Grand Tour 'I loved this story of women's lives - many different ages and kinds of women - and its deep, compassionate understanding of ordinary life forced to become extraordinary. I laughed over and over as Evans' sharp wit brought her characters to vivid life ' - Pamela Hart, author of Digging Up Dirt

Download or read book Sugar Town Queens written by Malla Nunn and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2021-08-03 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From Los Angeles Times Book Prize Award winner and Edgar Award nominee Malla Nunn comes a stunning portrait of a family divided and a powerful story of how friendship saves and heals. When Amandla wakes up on her fifteenth birthday, she knows it's going to be one of her mother's difficult days. Her mother has had another vision. This one involves Amandla wearing a bedsheet loosely stitched as a dress. An outfit, her mother says, is certain to bring Amandla's father back home, as if he were the prince and this was the fairytale ending their family was destined for. But in truth, Amandla's father has long been gone--since before Amandla was born--and even her mother's memory of him is hazy. In fact, many of her mother's memories from before Amandla was born are hazy. It's just one of the many reasons people in Sugar Town give them strange looks--that and the fact her mother is white and Amandla is Black. When Amandla finds a mysterious address in the bottom of her mother's handbag along with a large amount of cash, she decides it's finally time to get answers about her mother's life. What she discovers will change the shape and size of her family forever. But with her best friends at her side, Amandla is ready to take on family secrets and the devil himself. These Sugar Town queens are ready to take over the world to expose the hard truths of their lives.

Download or read book Avery written by Charlotte McConaghy and published by Random House Australia. This book was released on 2015-02-02 with total page 386 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Avery is a sweeping, romantic fantasy novel about finding the courage to love against all odds. The people of Kaya die in pairs. When one lover dies, the other does, too. So it has been for thousands of years--until Ava. For although her bondmate, Avery, has been murdered and Ava's soul has been torn in two, she is the only one who has ever been strong enough to cling to life. Vowing revenge upon the barbarian queen of Pirenti, Ava's plan is interrupted when she is captured by the deadly prince of her enemies. Prince Ambrose has been brought up to kill and hate. But when he takes charge of a strangely captivating Kayan prisoner and is forced to survive with her on a dangerous island, he must reconsider all he holds true. In a violent country like Pirenti, where emotion is scorned as a weakness, can he find the strength to fight for the person he loves, even when she's his vengeful enemy?

Download or read book Nature and Society written by Philippe Descola and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2003-12-16 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The contributors to this book focus on the relationship between nature and society from a variety of theoretical and ethnographic perspectives. Their work draws upon recent developments in social theory, biology, ethnobiology, epistemology, sociology of science, and a wide array of ethnographic case studies -- from Amazonia, the Solomon Islands, Malaysia, the Mollucan Islands, rural comunities from Japan and north-west Europe, urban Greece, and laboratories of molecular biology and high-energy physics. The discussion is divided into three parts, emphasising the problems posed by the nature-culture dualism, some misguided attempts to respond to these problems, and potential avenues out of the current dilemmas of ecological discourse.

Download or read book Cracked it written by Bernard Garrette and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-06-08 with total page 295 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Solving complex problems and selling their solutions is critical for personal and organizational success. For most of us, however, it doesn’t come naturally and we haven’t been taught how to do it well. Research shows a host of pitfalls trips us up when we try: We’re quick to believe we understand a situation and jump to a flawed solution. We seek to confirm our hypotheses and ignore conflicting evidence. We view challenges incompletely through the frameworks we know instead of with a fresh pair of eyes. And when we communicate our recommendations, we forget our reasoning isn’t obvious to our audience. How can we do it better? In Cracked It!, seasoned strategy professors and consultants Bernard Garrette, Corey Phelps and Olivier Sibony present a rigorous and practical four-step approach to overcome these pitfalls. Building on tried-and-tested (but rarely revealed) methods of top strategy consultants, research in cognitive psychology, and the latest advances in design thinking, they provide a step-by-step process and toolkit that will help readers tackle any challenging business problem. Using compelling stories and detailed case examples, the authors guide readers through each step in the process: from how to state, structure and then solve problems to how to sell the solutions. Written in an engaging style by a trio of experts with decades of experience researching, teaching and consulting on complex business problems, this book will be an indispensable manual for anyone interested in creating value by helping their organizations crack the problems that matter most.

Download or read book Cooper Not Out written by Justin Smith and published by Penguin Group Australia. This book was released on 2022-01-18 with total page 263 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'I’m calling it...this is THE book of summer.' GOOD READS In the Australian summer of 1984, in the small country town of Penguin Hill, Sergeant Roy Cooper is making a name for himself. He’s been batting for his local cricket club for decades — and he’s a statistical miracle. He’s overweight, he makes very few runs, he’s not pretty to watch, but he’s never been dismissed. When local schoolgirl Cassie Midwinter discovers this feat, she decides to take the matter further. The remarkable story finds its way into the hands of Donna Garrett, a female sports columnist who’s forced to write under a male pseudonym to be taken seriously. That summer, the West Indies are thrashing Australia, and the Australian people’s love of cricket has never been lower. But Donna’s columns on Roy Cooper capture the imagination of a nation, and soon there’s pressure to select him for the national team. This would see him playing at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, carrying the spirit of every small country town in Australia along with him. Could such a miracle actually happen? This is sport, after all, and who doesn’t love a good story? COOPER NOT OUT is a funny, heart-warming novel set within real events. It is a moving and highly original tale about friendship and belief, and the joy of discovering your greatest potential. 'Cooper Not Out is the story Australia needs right now. This beautifully written book highlights life's simple pleasures, like a game of country cricket, but its emotional complexity is what makes it really sing. Justin Smith deftly handles issues of class, pride, gender, machismo, and social norms around sexuality. Frankly, it's a ripping read that will make your heart swell. Roy Cooper is a hero for our times.' Tracey Spicer 'An uplifting, inspiring, fun story, to make our hearts sing.' Canberra Times ‘I am gobsmacked. I love cricket. I love stories. I love books so I have just won the trifecta! Think The Castle, think Phar Lap, think Rocky all rolled into one. I laughed, I cried, I couldn’t put it down. This beautifully written tale has everything – it’s funny, heartwarming, nostalgic and most importantly manages to brilliantly create an atmosphere of anticipation that keeps you coming back for more. I’d give it 6 stars if I could!’ Better Reading

Download or read book Explorations written by Beth Alison Schultz Shook and published by . This book was released on 2023 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Threadneedle Threadneedle written by Cari Thomas and published by HarperCollins UK. This book was released on 2021-05-27 with total page 576 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Sunday Times No.4 bestseller Within the boroughs of London, nestled among its streets, hides another city, filled with magic.

Download or read book Biomechanics of Feeding in Vertebrates written by V.L. Bels and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 372 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Although feeding is not yet been thoroughly studied in many vertebrates taxa, and different conceptual and methodological approaches of the concerned scientists make a synthesis difficult, the aim of the editors is to provide a comprehensive overview of the feeding design in aquatic and terrestrial vertebrates with a detailed description of its functional properties. The book emphasizes the constant interaction between function and form, behaviour and morphology in the course of evolution of the feeding apparatus and way of feeding both complementary and basically related to survival interspecific competition, adaptation to environmental changes and adaptive radiations. Special stress is drawn onquantification of the observational and experimental data on the morphology and biomechanics of the feeding design and its element jaws, teeth, hyoidean apparatus, tongue, in order to allow present and further comparisons in an evolutionary perspective.

Download or read book After the Party written by Cassie Hamer and published by HarperCollins Australia. This book was released on 2019-03-01 with total page 279 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'After The Party forces the reader to confront uncomfortable questions like, How far would you go to protect a child? How clear is the line between right and wrong? And, what does it truly mean to be a good mother?' - Mamamia Be careful what you wish for... Lisa Wheeldon has a lovely life. Wife to a gorgeous husband, Scott, and a devoted mother to two small daughters, the former accountant has everything she wants - except a third child. But the universe has a strange way of providing. On the surface, Ava's fifth birthday party seems the ideal opportunity for Lisa to meet her daughter's new kindergarten friends - all 32 of them! But from beginning to end, the day is a complete nightmare, capped off by the discovery of a little girl hiding in the Wheeldon's backyard. At first, Lisa reasons that Ellie's mum is running late. But when they open a gift from the mysterious little girl, it becomes clear her mother has no intention of returning at all... What sort of mother abandons her child? And why has she chosen the Wheeldons? Together, Lisa and her sister Jamie launch their own efforts to find the missing mum, a journey that will force Lisa to face her past, Jamie to confront her future and see both embroiled with angry exes, pragmatic fortune-tellers, Russian mobsters and a hyena pack of yummy mummies. A journey that will force Lisa to rethink all she knows about being a good mother. Liane Moriarty meets Marian Keyes with a touch of Christos Tsiolkas's The Slap in this hilarious, touching and clever novel that asks what wouldn't you do to save a child? PRAISE FOR AFTER THE PARTY 'Everything I love in a novel - jam-packed with intrigue and humour - After the Party will keep you turning the pages into the early hours.' - Bestselling Australian author Rachael Johns 'a light-hearted and heart-warming story about parenting, marriage and family...I can see it being passed from sister to sister, or from girlfriend to girlfriend, with a knowing look, an exasperated sigh and a genuine giggle.' - Cass Moriarty, bestselling author of The Promise Seed and Parting Words

Download or read book The Merlin Prophecy Book Two Death of an Empire written by M. K. Hume and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2013-01-01 with total page 491 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: DEATH OF AN EMPIRE— THE LEGEND OF MERLIN CONTINUES Merlin is the product of a brutal rape. Determined to uncover his father’s identity, he sets sail from Celtic Britain with his band of loyal companions. Their journey through war-ravaged France, Rome, and Ravenna to Constantinople will push their strength to the limit and shape Merlin’s reputation as a great healer. The Roman Empire is under attack. Bound by an oath to relieve suffering the talented apothecary saves thousands of warriors from total destruction. A bloodier conflict between opposing powers arises, and Merlin must use all his resolve if he wishes to survive the death of an empire. M. K. Hume has won the praise of readers and critics alike with her original take on the beloved and enduring Merlin legend. Her background in Arthurian literature lends historical accuracy to a trilogy wrought with passion, heart, and adventure.

Download or read book A Natural History of the Senses written by Diane Ackerman and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2011-12-07 with total page 354 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Diane Ackerman's lusciously written grand tour of the realm of the senses includes conversations with an iceberg in Antarctica and a professional nose in New York, along with dissertations on kisses and tattoos, sadistic cuisine and the music played by the planet Earth. “Delightful . . . gives the reader the richest possible feeling of the worlds the senses take in.” —The New York Times

Download or read book Broken written by Ilsa Evans and published by Pan Australia. This book was released on 2008 with total page 370 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: She'd worn white to her wedding. Huge clouds of frosted white that billowed around her in the wind like fairytale snow. But now the fairytale has ended and Mattie Hampton's marriage is over, or so she thinks. In this extraordinary novel, Ilsa Evans expertly draws the reader into a searing, realistic portrayal of the complexities of relationships, and shows us why some things can never be fixed, once they are broken.

Download or read book Digging Up Dirt written by Pamela Hart and published by HarperCollins Australia. This book was released on 2021-06-01 with total page 219 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Renovations are hell. And that's before you find the body beneath the floorboards. An intriguing mystery from a stylish new voice in crime fiction, for readers of Kerry Greenwood and Holly Throsby. When your builder finds bones under the floor of your heritage home, what do you do? For TV researcher Poppy McGowan, the first step is to find out if the bones are human (which means calling in the cops and delaying her renovations) or animal (which doesn't). Unfortunately, 'help' comes in the form of Dr Julieanne Weaver, archaeologist, political hopeful, and Poppy's old enemy. She declares the bones evidence of a rare breed of fat-tailed sheep, and slaps a heritage order on the site. The resultant archaeological dig introduces Poppy to Tol Lang, the best-looking archaeologist she's ever met - and also Julieanne's boyfriend. When Julieanne is found murdered in Poppy's house, both she and the increasingly attractive Tol are considered suspects - and so Poppy uses her media contacts and news savvy to investigate other suspects. Did Julieanne have enemies in the right-wing Australian Family Party, for which she was seeking preselection, or in the affiliated Radiant Joy Church? Or at the Museum of New South Wales, among her rivals and ex-boyfriends? And who was her secret lover? Can Poppy save herself, and Tol ... and finally get her house back? 'Fast, fun and ferocious in turns' - Candice Fox 'Digging Up Dirt is a clever, blackly funny murder mystery of our times' - Petronella McGovern 'Digging UpDirt by Pamela Hart is a great fun read. I couldn't put this smart, sparkling mystery down. I can't wait for book 2 in the Poppy McGowan series' - Anna Campbell, bestselling author of the Dashing Widows series

Download or read book The Dressmakers of Yarrandarrah Prison written by Meredith Jaffe and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2021-05-01 with total page 249 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Can a wedding dress save a bunch of hardened crims? The Full Monty meets Orange is the New Black in a poignantly comic story about a men's prison sewing circle. 'This is a deft and unlikely story in an uncommon setting about an estranged daughter, her jailed father and a very bad idea about a dress. It all makes for a warm, funny union of foes and a lovely encounter with what matters.' Rosalie Ham Derek's daughter, Debbie, is getting married. He's desperate to be there, but he's banged up in Yarrandarrah Correctional Centre for embezzling funds from the golf club, and, thanks to his ex-wife, Lorraine, he hasn't spoken to Debbie in years. He wants to make a grand gesture - to show her how much he loves her. But what? Inspiration strikes while he's embroidering a cushion at his weekly prison sewing circle - he'll make her a wedding dress. His fellow stitchers rally around and soon this motley gang of crims is immersed in a joyous whirl of silks, satins and covered buttons. But as time runs out and tensions rise both inside and outside the prison, the wedding dress project takes on greater significance. With lives at stake, Derek feels his chance to reconcile with Debbie is slipping through his fingers ... A funny, dark and moving novel about finding humanity, friendship and redemption in unexpected places. 'Overflowing with humour and heart. If you like a story about misfits making good, but with the added lustre of silk and satin, then this book is for you.' Natasha Lester 'This deliciously original, immersive and darkly funny novel is full of hope and heart. A refreshing take on the theme of redemption and second chances from an assured writer.' Joanna Nell 'Funny and moving' Sun-Herald 'Funny, heartfelt, and gorgeously written, The Dressmakers of Yarrandarrah Prison is a highly original and extremely enjoyable read' Better Reading

Download or read book The Grand Tour written by Olivia Wearne and published by . This book was released on 2023-01-04 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This vivid story of campervans, stowaways and mischief at any age is essentially about families: the ones you have and the ones you make. When Ruby and Angela embark on a Grey Nomads road trip, the last thing they expect is a tiny stowaway; one who will turn them from unsuspecting tourists into wanted kidnappers and land them in a world of trouble. As their leisurely retirement plans unravel, Angela's relationship with her brother Bernard goes from bad to worse. Bernard has his own problems to contend with. Adrift in life, his career as a news presenter has been reduced to opening fetes and reading Voss as an audio book (a seemingly impossible task). His troubles are compounded when his wife starts dating a younger man and a drink-driving incident turns him into a celebrity offender. As Angela and Ruby set about repairing burnt bridges and helping their unexpected guest, and Bernard attempts to patch together his broken life, they discover that even after a lifetime of experience, you're never too old to know better. A warm, funny, sharply observed story about aging disgracefully and loving the one you're with. PRAISE 'Laugh out loud funny. If you love characters of a certain age behaving very, very badly - read this book.' Victoria Purman, bestselling Australian author of The Nurses' War 'A great debut novel packed with crazy characters, this is an entertaining story of growing older and coming up trumps.' Tricia Stringer, bestselling author of Keeping Up Appearances 'Olivia Wearne's compelling and witty novel unveils the frailties and passions of a complex array of characters...The perfect book to take on your own Grand Tour.' - Jane Coverdale, author

Download or read book The Mathematics of Life written by Ian Stewart and published by Basic Books. This book was released on 2011-06-07 with total page 370 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Biologists have long dismissed mathematics as being unable to meaningfully contribute to our understanding of living beings. Within the past ten years, however, mathematicians have proven that they hold the key to unlocking the mysteries of our world -- and ourselves. In The Mathematics of Life, Ian Stewart provides a fascinating overview of the vital but little-recognized role mathematics has played in pulling back the curtain on the hidden complexities of the natural world -- and how its contribution will be even more vital in the years ahead. In his characteristically clear and entertaining fashion, Stewart explains how mathematicians and biologists have come to work together on some of the most difficult scientific problems that the human race has ever tackled, including the nature and origin of life itself.