Scrublands by Chris Hammer

$16.99 AUD

Category: Crime/Thriller

Winner of the New Blood Dagger Award In the vein of The Dry and Before the Fall, a town's dark secrets come to light in the aftermath of a young priest's unthinkable last act in this arresting and searing debut thriller.In Riversend, an isolated rural community afflicted by an endless drought, a young priest does the unthinkable, killing five parishioners before being taken down himself. A year later, accompanied by his own demons from war-time reporting, journalist Martin Scarsden arrives in Riversend. His assignment is simple: describe how the townspeople are coping as the anniversary of their tragedy approaches. But as Martin meets the locals and hears their version of events, he begins to realize that the accepted wisdom--that the priest was a pedophile whose imminent exposure was the catalyst for the shooting, a theory established through an award-winning investigation by Martin's own newspaper--may be wrong. Just as Martin believes he's making headway, a new development rocks the town. The bodies of two German backpackers--missing since the time of the church shootings--are discovered in a dam in the scrublands, deserted backwoods marked by forest fires. As the media flocks to the scene, Martin finds himself thrown into a whole new mystery. What was the real reason behind the priest's shooting spree? And how does it connect to the backpacker murders, if at all? Martin struggles to uncover the town's dark secrets, putting his job, his mental state, and his life at risk as more and more strange happenings escalate around him. For fans of James Lee Burke, Jane Harper, and Robert Crais, Scrublands is a compelling and original crime novel that marks Chris Hammer as a stunning new voice in the genre. A compulsively readable thriller of the highest order, Scrublands never loosens its grip, from its opening scene to the very last page. ...Show more

Kitty Flanagan's 488 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Idiots by Kitty Flanagan

$29.99 AUD

Category: General | Reading Level: 4 Non Fiction

RICHARD GLOVER: ''You won’t agree with all her rules – I, for one, am a great believer in the word “pash” – but there is a good laugh, and a lively argument, to be had on every page.'' 488 Rules for Life is Kitty Flanagan's way of making the world a more pleasant place to l ive. Applying truth and wit to modern problems. An antidote to stupidity. 488 Rules for Life is not a self-help book, because it's not you who needs help, it's other people. Whether they're walking and texting, asphyxiating you on public transport with their noxious perfume cloud, or leaving one useless square of toilet paper on the roll, a lot of people just don't know the rules. But thanks to Kitty Flanagan's comprehensive guide to modern behaviour, our world will soon be a much better place. A place where people don't ruin the fruit salad by putting banana in it … where your co-workers respect your olfactory system and don't reheat their fish curry in the office microwave ... where middle aged men don't have ponytails … What started as a joke on Kitty Flanagan's popular segment on ABC TV's The Weekly, is now a quintessential reference book with the power to change society. (Or, at least, make it a bit less irritating.)  What people are (Kitty Flanagan is) saying about this book:  'You're welcome everyone.Thank god for me.' 'I'd rather be sad and lonely, but right.' 'There's not actually 488 rules in here but it sure feels like it'. ...Show more

Sherlock Bones And The Natural History Mystery by Renee Treml

$14.99 AUD

Category: 6-9 Years Younger Readers

'Hi there, I'm Sherlock Bones. Who is Sherlock Bones, you ask? Well, I don't like to brag, but my trusty side-kick Watts says I'm the greatest detective in our whole museum. Don't you, Watts? Watts...?' You might not be able to hear Watts, because he's technically a stuffed parrot, but I always know wha t he's thinking. And right now he's thinking: Can we solve the mystery of the missing Blue Diamond and save the Museum of Natural History, before it's too late? ...Show more

Ottilie Colter and the Master of Monsters (#2 Narroway Trilogy) by Rhiannon Williams

$17.99 AUD

Category: 9-12 Years Middle Readers | Series: The Narroway Trilogy | Reading Level: 8+

A SECRET HUNT. A SECRET HERO. Ottilie Colter is the first girl ever to join the secretive, boys-only Narroway Hunt – and she’s determined that she won’t be the last.  The Hunt trains children to kill ruthless monsters known as dredretches, but now it's under threat. Dredretches have invaded Fort Fiory, and no-one is safe – especially not the girls who live there, but aren’t allowed to fight.  Ottilie must convince the Hunt to train the girls – but with the dredretches getting worse, talk of witchcraft on the rise, and a mysterious hooded figure in the Narroways itself, her time is running out …  The second adventure in a thrilling feminist trilogy about friendship, monsters and having the courage to be a rebel. ...Show more

Hat Tricks by Satoshi Kitamura

$24.99 AUD

Category: Picture Books (Hardback)

Teen Brain: Why screens are making your teenager depressed by David Gillespie

$32.99 AUD

Category: Parenting/Adolescence

From Australia's most trusted non-fiction researcher and author comes the book that every parent needs to read. With their labile and rapidly developing brains, adolescents are particularly susceptible to addiction, and addiction leads to anxiety and depression. What few parents will know is that wha t we think of as the most typical addictions and problematic teen behaviours - smoking, drinking, drug-taking, sex leading to teenage pregnancy - are on the decline. The bad news is that a whole raft of addictions has taken their place. Whereas once the dopamine-hungry brain of a teenager got its fix from smoking a joint or sculling a Bundy and coke, it is now turning to electronic devices for the pleasure jolt that typically comes from playing online games (if you're a boy) and engaging with social media (if you're a girl). What is even more troubling is that, unlike drugs, alcohol and cigarettes, electronic devices are not illicit. Quite the contrary. They are liberally distributed by schools and parents, with few restrictions placed on their use. However, all is not lost. In Teen Brain, David sets out clear, reasonable and effective rules to help you confidently manage your kids' use of screens at this critical point in their lives. ...Show more

Esther: The Extraordinary True Story of the First Fleet Girl Who Became First Lady of the Colony by Jessica North

$29.99 AUD

Category: Biography

The little-known rags to riches love story of a convict girl who arrived in Australia on the First Fleet. Much like another, better-known colonial woman, Elizabeth Macarthur, Esther successfully managed her husband's property and became a significant figure in the new colony.

Factfulness: The Ten Reason We're Wrong About the World - and Why Things Are Better Than You Think by Hans Rosling; Ola Rosling; Anna Rosling Rönnlund

$22.99 AUD

Category: Sociology | Reading Level: near fine

'A hopeful book about the potential for human progress when we work off facts rather than our inherent biases.' BARACK OBAMA 'One of the most important books I've ever read - an indispensable guide to thinking clearly about the world.' BILL GATES 'Hans Rosling tells the story of "the secret silent mirac le of human progress" as only he can. But Factfulness does much more than that. It also explains why progress is so often secret and silent and teaches readers how to see it clearly.' MELINDA GATES Factfulness: The stress-reducing habit of only carrying opinions for which you have strong supporting facts. When asked simple questions about global trends - why the world's population is increasing; how many young women go to school; how many of us live in poverty - we systematically get the answers wrong. So wrong that a chimpanzee choosing answers at random will consistently outguess journalists, Nobel laureates, and investment bankers. In Factfulness, Professor of International Health and a man who can make data sing, Hans Rosling, together with his two long-time collaborators Anna and Ola, offers a radical new explanation of why this happens, and reveals the ten instincts that distort our perspective. It turns out that the world, for all its imperfections, is in a much better state than we might think. But when we worry about everything all the time instead of embracing a worldview based on facts, we can lose our ability to focus on the things that threaten us most. Inspiring and revelatory, filled with lively anecdotes and moving stories, Factfulness is an urgent and essential book that will change the way you see the world. ...Show more

Warlight by Michael Ondaatje

$19.99 AUD

Category: General

Lindsey Hilsum: (author of ‘In Extremis; the Life of War Correspondent Marie Colvin’ &  friend of Bookoccino)   “The best novel I read this year […] The atmosphere of post-war London that he conjures has stayed with me, and I love how the plot slowly unwinds, so you feel that you’re coming to understand the meaning of the narrator's childhood at the same time as he does.”   'Our book of the year -and maybe of Ondaatje's career' Daily Telegraph Books of the Year In a narrative as mysterious as memory itself - at once both shadowed and luminous - Warlight is a vivid, thrilling novel of violence and love, intrigue and desire. It is 1945, and London is still reeling from the Blitz and years of war. 14-year-old Nathaniel and his sister, Rachel, are apparently abandoned by their parents, left in the care of an enigmatic figure named The Moth. They suspect he might be a criminal, and grow both more convinced and less concerned as they get to know his eccentric crew of friends- men and women with a shared history, all of whom seem determined now to protect, and educate (in rather unusual ways) Rachel and Nathaniel. But are they really what and who they claim to be? A dozen years later, Nathaniel begins to uncover all he didn't know or understand in that time, and it is this journey - through reality, recollection, and imagination - that is told in this magnificent novel. ...Show more

Transcription by Kate Atkinson

$19.99 AUD

Category: General

From the bestselling author of Life After Life, a new novel that explores the repercussions of one young woman's espionage work during World War II.  In 1940, eighteen-year-old Juliet Armstrong is reluctantly recruited into the world of espionage. Sent to an obscure department of MI5 tasked with m onitoring the comings and goings of British Fascist sympathizers, she discovers the work to be by turns tedious and terrifying. But after the war has ended, she presumes the events of those years have been relegated to the past forever. Ten years later, now a radio producer at the BBC, Juliet is unexpectedly confronted by figures from her past. A different war is being fought now, on a different battleground, but Juliet finds herself once more under threat. A bill of reckoning is due, and she finally begins to realize that there is no action without consequence. Transcription is a work of rare depth and texture, a bravura modern novel of extraordinary power, wit, and empathy. It is a triumphant work of fiction from one of the best writers of our time. ...Show more

Good Selfie: Tips and Tools for Teens to Nail Life by Turia Pitt

$34.95 AUD

Category: Reference

Good Selfie contains simple strategies to help kids and teens build self-confidence, get through hard times and go after massive goals. It's real, straight-talking and funny (if I do say so myself!). I can't wait for you to get stuck in! Turia xx

A Wishing-Chair Adventure: The Royal Birthday Party by Enid Bylton

$14.99 AUD

Category: Classics | Series: Wishing Chair Adventures

A brand new full-colour short story from Blyton's magical Wishing-Chair series - an excellent companion to the successful Magic Faraway Tree Adventure series and perfect for readers age 5+ When Mollie and Peter go to buy their mother a birthday present, they discover the most extraordinary thing: a chai r that can fly and grant wishes! Together with their friend Binky the Pixie, Mollie and Peter wish to become a prince and princess for the day, celebrating the birthday of Princess Peronell at the royal palace. But whatever do you give a princess for their birthday? Short chapters and beautiful full-colour illustrations from Alex Paterson make the Wishing- Chair Adventures series perfect bedtime reading for children aged five and upwards. A richly nostalgic offering for grandparents and parents to share with the next generation of Blyton fans. ...Show more