Australia Books

Blacklock has written a collection of very short stories highly suitable for reluctant boy readers. Very funny and very absorbing. Ideas flow across the pages like pearls

Holy cow! It's a book on vomiting in outer space!

If you're under 14 (mentally and emotionally, which after all is most of us), you'll love these multifaceted stories about puking, ralphing, and giving up the lunch. Plus, they all take place on a journey to Vomitrius 9, the galaxy just beyond view of the Hubble Space Telescope, reported to have a planet just like Earth in it, except it's circling two suns and all the oceans and rivers and raindrops are pure vodka, and the only edible fruit is the orange.

This book probably shouldn't be taken on long car trips unless you parents out there want to answer a lot of questions about alcohol poisoning and the dangers of underage drinking.

The book contains graphic recipes for what to do with all-natural vodka and an endless supply of oranges.

Neither a sexy title nor, some would say, subject, but this book has amazed and continues to amaze us. With a new small acreage, we needed a practical guide to planting, growing and harvesting fruit and nut trees, so we bought this. It functions as you'd expect - as a simple, clearly written guide. But the quality of writing is really out of its class, the wit is as dry as a really good martini, and the erudition of the author is quite phenomenal. We might look up, say, growing macadamias in southern Victoria, and find ourselves reading the extract aloud to each other because it's just so damn interesting. I know, you're thinking what pitiably dull people we must be. And we are, but I defy anyone to scan through a few pages without being educated, entertained and bloody impressed. I have no hesitation in recommending this for anyone about to, or growing, fruit and nut trees anywhere from backyards to production horticulture. A superb guide from a superb guide. Get growing stuff!

This book deals with growing the fruits we all know as well many I'd never heard of, the likes of Jaboticaba,Babaco,Cheimoya,Grumichama etc. which I now own and am eagerly awaiting them fruiting. I found the book extremely informative on all aspects of growing fruit, Especially on growing sub-tropical trees in temperate climates. The book has inspired me to turn my 1360 square metre residential block into an orchard with 45 fruit trees, shrubs and plants. Many of the 200 different trees and plants in the book are very ornamental, and as the author says you can have an ornamental edible garden.

The title of this book says it all. It is a complete guide to Easter Island--history, geography, banking and groceries all in one package. Definitely a must-read prior to a trip to the island, and to have on hand while trekking across Rapa Nui.

This guide is absolutely fabulous, whether you want to plan a trip to Easter Island (in the South Pacific, about 7 to 8 hours flight from Santiago, Chile) or just want to read about this exotic and remote island. I found the Guide fascinating and extremely helpful about all aspects regarding Easter Island, including where to stay, what historic sites to visit, and the eclectic history regarding Rapa Nui (as it's Polynesian name is known). A lot of thought and detail has been put into this hearty book. If Easter Island is on your mind, I recommend this book whole heartily.

This is a great book for any Kylie fan. It is really well written, obviously well researched and very entertaining. This would be a great buy for anyone who loves pop music and wants to know more about the girl behind the glamour!

If you love everything that Pop Queen Kylie Minogue has ever done in her incredible life then you will love this book! From Skyways all the way to her latest album "X" Spectacular author Simon Sheridan has beautifully put together this fabulously fun book that will keep you smiling from beginning to the very end! Kylie fans, don't miss out on this great book! And for those of you who don't know much about this lady, you will definitely NOT be disappointed! Well done Simon! Thanks for the book!

My 21 month old son loves this book - he has me read it again and again - then reads it to himself. Little text, rich pictures. The pictures are full of subtle humor that parents can enjoy - for example the baby brother banging the pots and pans - then you notice that he has also placed some of the cookware in the trashbin...Oh so real!

All four of my children have loved this book as much as I have. In charming illustrations, it shows the happy clutter of a home inhabited by children.

Up-to-date coverage of most of the issues a trainer has to deal with. Ideas presented in a readily assimilable form. It's always useful to see NLP techniques applied to training in a practical way. Top marks to this book!

i stumbled upon CTM in a big bookstore in my homecity. since then it has been a constant companion as i design and facilitate workshops, from a single session to a monthlong comprehensive training. this book gave face and name to several needs i felt as a trainor in the recent years. i've always been a self-directed learner and Creating Training Miracles proved to be a very effective tool and companion. as one discovers the gems in it, there is always the excitement to try things as soon as one gets the chance. fear is transformed to excitement, uncertainty is transformed to adventure and expectation. concepts and principles are clearly presented in simple and straightforward manner through highlights and visuals. i won't ever part with this book. it is similar to how one relates to one's Bible. it presents a new learning everytime one moves a step forward in his training and facilitation experience. Mr. Rylatt with Mr. Lohan did a great job, Congratulations!

This book is a great read to help you plan ahead for your adventure. Most importantly, it is easy to understand and gives you everything you need to know. It is difficult not to be enthusiastic or motivated after reading it.

Sven Klinge is the author of the most comprehensive cycling guide books in Australia. By combining cycling with walking treks, he has explored over 300 of Australia's National Parks and State Forests. Born in Sydney and educated at the University of Sydney, Sven now divides his time between accountancy and other writing projects. CYCLING THE BUSH: MOUNTAIN BIKING IN AUSTRALIA is a comprehensive guide to mountain biking and cycle touring down under. The range of rides includes short one day trips around the states' capitals to extended overnight cycling/walking expeditions in remote and rugged wilderness areas. Almost all of Great Dividing Range's major national parks are covered. Other parts deal with the coast and beaches, pristine lakes and rivers, spectacular waterfalls and lookouts, as well as the great outback, and our world heritage rainforests. Each ride incorporates data on distances, height variation, transport, access, track and rides grades, facilities, map references, and special equipment needed. Extensive information is provided on geological, biological, and historical aspects of natural, Aboriginal, and colonial features along the rides. In COMPACT, LIGHTWEIGHT FORMAT, this guide should be POCKET EQUIPMENT for every cyclist and bushwalker wishing to discover this exciting way of venturing into Australia's great national parks system.

I read this book a couple of years ago and I havent been able to forget about it. It was a great story of two young men who fall in love and find their lives turned around by their situation. I recommend it to anyone looking for something out side the norm!

I first came across this novel in my eighth grade year at school. It had been the first homosexual novel that I'd ever read, and I found it both surprising and satisfying; it was a coming-of-age story about a pair of young men who happened to meet by chance of fate during the summer vacation and ended up spending several weeks together.

Hal seems much more committed to the relationship than Barry, who acts as though his time with Hal is merely an exciting fling. And one morning, Barry, filled with exhilaration, makes Hal promise that if one of them dies, the other must dance on his grave. For Barry to ask such a daring thing of Hal only serves to further arouse Hal's interest and he becomes more obsessively committed than ever, for he had always hoped to find the ideal, "bosom" friend, and he feels that Barry must certainly be "the one".

Dance on My Grave was like nothing I had ever read before, and admittedly, the novel seems targeted more towards a British audience and someone unfamiliar with British terms may have to reread certain parts several times to fully understand the book. But I have remained forever attatched to this book, for it evoked such emotions in me as I had never felt before. You can't help but feel sympathy for Hal, who, for his whole life, has been searching for the perfect friend and lover but could never find anyone that fit his ideals... until he met Barry.

The lesson of the desperate, clinging obsession that comes with true and unconditional love in this story seems to be like the young adult equivallent to Joseph Olshan's Nightswimmer. I highly recommend this book.

I loved the movie, and I loved the book. The book built on the movie, adding parts and info on scenes and the characters, explaining technical info, and more. It went more into the movie, adding on what happened at Mount Baker in the 1970's (Mentioned in movie, but not explained), and going into other Cascade Volcanoes (Rainier, St. Helens, Baker, Crater Lake). Anyone who loves disaster stories, volcanoes, or Washington State should read this book.

I loved this book. The Movie was Great but the book was even better. Get this book.

"The Deliverance of Dancing Bears" tells the story ofan unnamed bear that is taken every day by its "owner" to amarket square in a mountain village of eastern Turkey and set to dance on its hind legs for hours. Elizabeth Stanley's prose makes clear to young readers that this is not really dancing. "Around and around the poor bear turned on her two back legs, her head pulled from side to side by the chain which Haluk jangled to the clatter of his tambourine... The performance continued relentlessly for many hours until day began to fade [and] Haluk led the bear back to her cage and lock[ed] the door." Stanley's pastel illustrations in purple, blue, gold, scarlet and indigo evoke the liveliness of Turkish village life as people go about their ordinary business of shopping, eating and paying the bearkeeper to see dancing bear. The overall effect of these village scenes, however, is depressing. The heavily textured paper to which the pastels are applied seems to drain the light out of these sad market scenes, in which no-one seems to smile.

The power of the book, however, comes from the scenes that depict the dreams of the chained bear. The scenes that show her fishing in mountain streams with her mate or lying lazily with her babies in the sun are full of shimmering light and vibrant energy.

And thankfully, the bear's dreams come true. An old man named Yusuf buys the bear from Haluk, takes it with him to his house by a stream and slowly reintroduces it to the wild. And that is just the beginning of this eloquently written and superbly illustrated book dedicated to relieving the suffering of captive bears.

Stanley saw her first "dancing bear" in 1979 in Athens and decided then to write a book to challenge the assumption that men could cruelly use wild animals to make money. In 1992 she took her written text to Turkey to take photos and to make sketches for the artwork. In the same year The World Society for the Protection of Animals effected the release and the return to the wild of all chained bears in Turkey. Today there are no dancing bears in Greece or Turkey.

But a recent WISPA report has revealed that the trade in dancing bears is still alive and well in India. It says that "60-70% of cubs taken from the wild die before they even begin their brutal training. Dehydration, starvation and trauma are all reasons [for their dying]. Should the cub be lucky enough to live, a punishing regime of starvation and beating will begin to condition it to perform. The piercing of the cub's sensitive muzzle with a rope for control is the next ordeal. It is held down without anaesthetic while a crude iron needle is heated in a coal fire and plunged in with a group of men holding the squealing cub tight. The investigators also found that the site of the nose piercing was invariably infected in all the seventeen cases observed. 'The cub would the have to suffer a second piercing before the first was healed, compounding his agony,' explained Geete Seshamani. 'The tug of this rope, along with an intense fear of the strike of a heavy stick, motivates the bear to lift its legs in turn and 'dance'.'"

The WISPA site also provides gory and even more gruesome details of bearbaiting in Pakistan and of the farming of bears for bear bile in China.

WISPA has done and will continue to provide facts about animal mistreatment and about campaigns and projects to challenge these abuses. Whilst it is important for the thinking public to have access to information like that on the WISPA site, I believe that Elizabeth Stanley's "The Deliverance of Dancing Bears" is one of the best books for introducing pre-school, elementary and junior high school aged children to these issues.

While not so sparsely written as Anthony Browne's "Gorilla", the prose is tight. The illustrations are similar to and as powerful as those in Brian Wildsmith's animal books. The interleaving of reality and dream is reminiscent of Shirley Hughes' "Stay Away from the Water Shirley" or of the more recently published "Magic Beach" by Alison Lester. All in all, this is an ideal book to get the young and the not-so-young thinking about animal rights issues. It is a beautiful book that can help us all to realise the epigraph that Stanley has taken from Aristotle: "Hope is a waking dream."

Named an honor book of The Children's Book Council of Australia, The Deliverance Of Dancing Bears is a wonderful picture book story written by Elizabeth Stanley for young readers having intermediate level reading skills. This very highly recommended account is about a captive bear who forced to dance, and who clings to hope, even though the degradations of her daily life cause her spirit to ebb. It is a kind-hearted peasant who liberates the bear and who reminds all of those watching of an important moral lesson about dignity and life. Elizabeth Stanley's touching and emotional color artwork highlights and enhances her original and involving parable.