Banksia Bay Beach Shack, The


Book Description

"When Laura discovers and old photo of her grandmother, Lillian, with an intriguing inscription on the back, she heads to the sleepy seaside town of Banksia Bay to learn the truth of Lillian's past. But when she arrives, Laura finds a community where everyone seems to be hiding something. Virginia, owner of the iconic Beach Shack cafe, has kept her past buried for sixty years. As Laura slowly uncovers the tragic fragments of that summer long ago, Virginia must decide whether to hold on to her secrets or set the truth free. Young Gigi and Lily come from different worlds but forge an unbreakable bond, the ‘Sisters of Summer’. But in 1961 a chain of events is set off that reaches far into the future. One lie told. One lie to set someone free. One lie that changes the course of so many lives."--Publisher description.




The Banksia Bay Beach Shack


Book Description

A moving and heartfelt story by the bestselling author of The Kookaburra Creek Café and The Cottage At Rosella Cove. A year is a long time in the memory of a small town. Stories get twisted, truths become warped, history is rewritten. MYSTERIES When Laura discovers an old photo of her grandmother, Lillian, with an intriguing inscription on the back, she heads to the sleepy seaside town of Banksia Bay to learn the truth of Lillian’s past. But when she arrives, Laura finds a community where everyone seems to be hiding something. SECRETS Virginia, owner of the iconic Beach Shack café, has kept her past buried for sixty years. As Laura slowly uncovers the tragic fragments of that summer so long ago, Virginia must decide whether to hold on to her secrets or set the truth free. LIES Young Gigi and Lily come from different worlds but forge an unbreakable bond – the ‘Sisters of Summer’. But in 1961 a chain of events is set off that reaches far into the future. One lie told. One lie to set someone free. One lie that changes the course of so many lives. ---------------------------- 'Docker soars from the absolute heart.' AUSTRALIAN WOMEN'S WEEKLY 'The best of the best of heart-wrenching yarns.' WOMAN'S DAY 'Perfect for a weekend read.' BETTER READING 'The voice of Australian multi-generational sagas.' READ THE WRITE ACT




The Wattle Island Book Club


Book Description

In 1950, teenager Anne flees Wattle Island, desperate to make her own way in the big city. As she begins to establish her new life, though, she is faced with a choice that could destroy all she has worked so hard for. Then when tragedy strikes, establishing the Wattle Island book club is the only thing that offers her solace. Passion. Spirited librarian Grace has been writing bucket lists since she was a child, and is ticking off as many challenges as she can now that life has handed her a hefty dose of perspective. Heading to Wattle Island on one of her adventures, she is determined to uncover a long-held mystery surrounding the town's historic book club, unlocking a buried truth that has been trapped between the dusty pages of secrecy for years. Hope. All too aware of how fragile life is, Anne and Grace must come together to help the residents of Wattle Island find the bravery to move beyond the trauma that tore the book club apart. Budding relationships offer new hope, along with a library project for the town's future - but it will take more than a few lively literary debates to break the silence and heal the past.




Night Road


Book Description

From Kristin Hannah, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the smash-hit novels Firefly Lane, The Nightingale, and The Four Winds comes a novel about how one reckless night destroys the lives of three teenagers and their families. For eighteen years, Jude Farraday has put her children's needs above her own, and it shows—her twins, Mia and Zach, are bright and happy teenagers. When Lexi Baill moves into their small, close-knit community, no one is more welcoming than Jude. Lexi, a former foster child with a dark past, quickly becomes Mia's best friend. Then Zach falls in love with Lexi and the three become inseparable. Jude does everything to keep her kids out of harm's way. But senior year of high school tests them all. It's a dangerous, explosive season of drinking, driving, parties, and kids who want to let loose. And then on a hot summer's night, one bad decision is made. In the blink of an eye, the Farraday family will be torn apart and Lexi will lose everything. In the years that follow, each must face the consequences of that single night and find a way to forget...or the courage to forgive. Vivid, universal, and emotionally complex, Night Road raises profound questions about motherhood, identity, love, and forgiveness. It is a luminous, heartbreaking novel that captures both the exquisite pain of loss and the stunning power of hope. This is Kristin Hannah at her very best, telling an unforgettable story about the longing for family, the resilience of the human heart, and the courage it takes to forgive the people we love. "You cannot read Night Road and not be affected by the story and the characters. The total impact of the book will stay with you for days to come after it is finished." —The Huffington Post




Striking Succulent Gardens


Book Description

Design a succulent garden of your own, with inspiration, advice, and instructional step-by-step projects for container gardens, small-space gardens, mixed gardens, and more. You can't help but be mesmerized by the eye-catching geometric forms and jewel-toned colors of succulents. But how do you grow these beauties in your own garden? One of the only books dedicated to succulent garden design, Striking Succulent Gardens is a stylish, modern gardening book for beginners and enthusiasts alike. Known for his colorful approach and bold use of varied textures and shapes, garden designer Gabriel Frank offers practical ideas, simple concepts, stunning full-color photography, step-by-step instructions for a dozen different gardens, plant recommendations, basic succulent care, and an inspired approach to creating living art in your own garden. For those in colder climates, there is a list of cold-hardy succulents and advice for bringing container gardens indoors for the winter, making succulent gardens achievable no matter where you live. Tough, water-wise, wildly popular, and nearly indestructible, succulents will transform your outdoor space, providing gardens of every size with minimal maintenance and maximum impact.




Rich People Problems


Book Description

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the author of the international sensation Crazy Rich Asians and China Rich Girlfriend, here is the trilogy’s uproarious conclusion. • “A memorable, laugh-out-loud Asian glitz fest that’s a pure pleasure to read.” —USA Today When Nicholas Young hears that his grandmother, Su Yi, is on her deathbed, he rushes to be by her bedside—but he's not alone. The entire Shang-Young clan has convened from all corners of the globe to stake claim on their matriarch’s massive fortune. With each family member vying to inherit Tyersall Park—a trophy estate on 64 prime acres in the heart of Singapore—Nicholas’s childhood home turns into a hotbed of speculation and sabotage. As her relatives fight over heirlooms, Astrid Leong is at the center of her own storm, desperately in love with her old sweetheart Charlie Wu, but tormented by her ex-husband—a man hell bent on destroying Astrid’s reputation and relationship. Meanwhile Kitty Pong, married to China’s second richest man, billionaire Jack Bing, still feels second best next to her new step-daughter, famous fashionista Colette Bing. A sweeping novel that takes us from the elegantly appointed mansions of Manila to the secluded private islands in the Sulu Sea, from a kidnapping at Hong Kong’s most elite private school to a surprise marriage proposal at an Indian palace, caught on camera by the telephoto lenses of paparazzi, Kevin Kwan's hilarious, gloriously wicked new novel reveals the long-buried secrets of Asia's most privileged families and their rich people problems.




The Urban Sketcher


Book Description

Make the world your studio! Capture the bustle and beauty of life in your town. Experience life as only an artist can! Join the rapidly growing, international movement of artists united by a passion for drawing on location in the cities, towns and villages where they live and travel. Packed with art and advice from Marc Taro Holmes, artist and co-founder of Urbansketchers.org, this self-directed workshop shows you how to draw inspiration from real life and bring that same excitement into your sketchbook. Inside you'll find everything you need to tackle subjects ranging from still lifes and architecture to people and busy street scenes. • 15 step-by-step demonstrations cover techniques for creating expressive drawings using pencil, pen and ink, and watercolor. • Expert tips for achieving a balance of accuracy, spontaneity and speed. • Practical advice for working in the field, choosing subjects, coping with onlookers, capturing people in motion and more. • Daily exercises and creative prompts for everything from improving essential skills to diverse approaches, such as montages, storytelling portraits and one-page graphic novels. Whether you are a habitual doodler or a seasoned artist, The Urban Sketcher will have you out in the world sketching from the very first page. By completing drawings on the spot, in one session, you achieve a fresh impression of not just what you see, but also what it feels like to be there . . . visual life stories as only you can experience them.




Budgerigar


Book Description

Budgies, budgies, budgies. Beautiful and cheeky, delightful and enchanting, wild or tamed budgerigars are Australia's gift to the bird world. They sing and dance, and yawn as contagiously as humans. They are masters of mimicry. They grasp simple grammar, can count to six and have memories that belie their size. They've been coveted by royals and been companions to the great and famous as well as grannies in suburban kitchens around the world. They've been painted by masters, rendered in the finest porcelain and graced fashionable hats and earrings of the highest order. Their image has been used to sell whisky, stamps and laundry detergent and everything in between. Surprising, charming and occasionally alarming, Budgerigar is the book that at last opens the cage door on the incredible story of the little bird that grew.




Public Sydney


Book Description

For the first time, see the making of Sydney and all its public buildings and places in exquisite drawings in this new book. For anyone who cares about Sydney, or cities in general -- whether a passionate city dweller, architect, landscape designer, planner, engineer or historian -- it offers a deep appreciation of the city's evolution.




Fragile Monsters


Book Description

Mary is a difficult grandmother for Durga to love. Sharp-tongued and ferocious, Durga hopes simply to endure her and the memories of her past when she visits rural Malaysia. But when a reckoning comes, both women find they must unravel generations of secrets. What happened to Durga's mother? Why did so many of their family members disappear during the war? And who is to blame for the childhood tragedy that haunts Durga to this day? Tracing one family's story from 1920 to the present, Fragile Monsters is a thrilling tale of love, family and betrayal set against the backdrop of natural disasters and fallen empires.