Australia Books

Sydney Morning Herald: Headline: "Black deaths, black lives" "... unless there's something I don't know about, Philip McLaren's excellent Scream Black Murder is still only the second crime fiction novel by an Aboriginal writer." "Some of the incidents had me thinking, 'this couldn't possibly happen in Australia', then when I thought about it a bit more, I realised how naive I was being. "... Scream Black Murder is a superb novel that's both tough and tender. In it we're presented with a straight-from-the-shoulder novel of criminality that's as evocative and powerful as Walter Mosley's series about the black ghettos of Los Angeles. High praise but McLaren deserves it."

The best books are the ones that after you read, you realize you've learned a great many things you didn't know before. Such is the case with Scream Black Murder, by Aboriginal writer Philip McLaren.

To begin with, this is a suspensful, white-knuckled thriller. The author does an amazing job getting in the head of a deranged killer who targets aboriginal women in and around Sydney, Australia. Assigned to crack the case is Gary and Lisa, the first aboriginal detectives in the history of the force. Not only must they compete in a thrilling game of cat and mouse with the killer, but they must also perform under a prejudiced police department, many of which would like to see them fail.

Apart from a superb story, McLaren also succeeds in illuminating the social and racial issues of Australia--a history of a people oppressed that isn't included in most high school textbooks. It is a relevent, realistic story that will give you a glimpse of a culture suffering from many of the same prejudices as our own.

I highly recommend this book; and I am looking forward to "investigating" the other WorldKrime books put out by the publisher, all of which apparently offer similiar multi-culured views of different countries.

I loved this book. It has a dream-like feel. I grew to like F.J. The last few pages holds a surprise. Read "The Grisly Wife" for a (brief) mention of F.J.

I loved this book. It has a dream-like feel. I grew to like F.J. The last few pages holds a surprise. Read "The Grisly Wife" for a (brief) mention of F.J.

In my first visit to Sydney I covered more ground and learned more about the city than my Sydney-veteran companion had seen in numerous trips. The maps and directions were accurate, and the tidbits were a great combination of history and quirky facts and folklore.

Sydney is a beautiful city and this books gets visitors out of the usual tourist spots. Many of these sites truly are hidden...I found myself searching a graveyard for a unique tomb, walking down a lizard-populated path of rainforest reserve hidden in the middle of a residential area, investigating the mystery of a missing heiress, and scheduling a shiatsu massage (the author was right...getting scrubbed, stepped on, and kneaded was an ideal finale to a day of touring).

For all those who think they know Sydney- be prepared to be amazed!! Interesting facts and local tales enable the reader to rediscover popular tourist areas such as Bondi and Kings Cross. Detailed maps and directions will see you discovering new and beautiful areas known only to locals. For those who love Sydney and those wishing to discover it, this book has something for everyone. Extremely easy to read and immensely enjoyable, see your city with new eyes!!

I really enjoyed this book, because it was humourous, a bit silly and it rhymed. i would recomend this book to anyone who liked to have a good laugh. i can't wait to read the next book:
Sister Madge's Book Of Nuns: Part Two.
i liked this book so much that i wrote my very own powm about a nun,
if you read on you will be reading my poem:

This is a story of Sister Mary, who one day found a tiny fairy.
she said to the fairy
"How do you do?"
"What makes me think that i know you?"
the fairy looked with such dismay, that Sister Mary ran away.
that was strange the fairy thought, it must be this new dress i brought.
"The shopkeeper said it would be alright,"
"But i think i gave Sister Mary a terrible fright?
i wonder what is so bad,
i actually think that Sister Mary is mad.

But what the fairy did not know, was that her dress let her underwear show!

THE END

This is a short collection of stories in verse about very colorful and fanciful Nuns and thier antics and idiosyncracies.

Most of my friends have enjoyed it a great deal and want to have a copy.

Great book with good quality pictures, demostrates their best works during those good years, way better than the other new books on the market. I don't regret to pay the price for it!

A great collection of SOM's projects. Each page is painstakingly arranged graphically. A must buy for any architectural professional who loves great photographs of built work. The amazing talent that has passed through SOM is apparent.

Though these words are spoken by a priest, they could have been spoken by any of the bored and guilt-ridden characters of this novel, all of whom are at loose ends, uncertain whether their lives have any meaning at all to anyone. Bernard Leverson, a music examiner, is bored with his wife, telling her, "After twenty years of marriage, you feel as if you're the same sex." She, in turn, is having a tepid affair with a neighbor, engaging in "the humdrum routine of deceiving their partners, not out of love but boredom." The Leversons' fourteen-year-old son, craving genuine feeling and communication, instead sees indifference and seeks excitement in shop-lifting and misbehavior. Nuns in the local convent and priests at the local church perform the routine requirements of their vocations, sometimes without genuine feelings of commitment. Other characters atone for "sins" committed long in the past, wasting their present lives in the fruitless search for personal absolution.

Winner of the 1965 Miles Franklin Award for Best Australian Novel of the Year, The Slow Natives is Thea Astley at her most thoughtful and complex. In compressed language and sparkling dialogue, she explores the meaning of love in all its permutations, along with the "sin" and "guilt" so often associated with it. Unique and witty descriptions abound: A monsignor's soul, "doily-neat, had scalloped edges of predictable pattern"; two men lunching at an inn notice the dining room "filled up with crustaceans--varnished hard-jawed mums and small-bit farmers coated with the same malty staleness"; and one woman, annoyed at another, snaps, "You know what they used to call [you] at school? Alma Martyr!"

As her characters interact and overlap, affecting each other's lives, though not necessarily inspiring their love, Astley evokes genuine feeling for them, allowing her readers to empathize with them. The humor for which she is so often lauded is subordinated here--she does not poke fun at these sad, often earnest, and very "normal" people. Revelations do come to them, often at a great price, and few readers will fail to be moved by the climactic ending. Mary Whipple

This book tracks the life of the Leverson family on three levels: the emotional, mental, and physical. As they carry on their everyday lives, the reader is drawn into the depth of their existence on all these levels through the creative, serious, humorous, and satirical writing style of the author. The reader is mesmerized by the numerous stories about the lives of this family during the integration, disintegration and resolution of various life problems that separate each member from the other. Eventually the family reunites due to a serious crisis which threatens one vulnerable family member, Keith.

The reader is introduced to the lonely existence of Keith as he engages in attention-getting behaviors, such as petty theft, trying to force his dad to express strong emotions toward Keith -any emotional involvement would gratify Keith. Bernard is a mild-mannered easy going gentleman who teaches music to various levels of students. He tests the students proficiency to determine their skills, aptitude and abilities for more serious piano study. One of the most highly captivating stories within the book involved Bernard as he tested a pretty precocious female teenage student who used her awkening s#xual energy to her advantage. Amazingly, she was a highly talented pianist and Bernard was drawn to her energy but he kept it well within the bounds of a proper "student and teacher" relationship. However, his special attention to Eva did not go unnoticed by one of the nuns who taught Eva at the Catholic boarding school she attended. As it turned out, the nun, Sister Matthew, also studied the piano and was taking examinations with Bernard to gain her qualifications and proper credentials to teach piano ... Sister Matthew became jealous over a small incident that she noticed had passed between Bernard and Eva. Bernard was caught unprepared for the aftermath of this petty jealousy (of which he was unaware). He became the victim of an unfounded accusation, via an anonymous letter which alleged inappropriate behavior ... Meanwhile Iris was carrying on an affair with the male partner of a couple who was in their circle of friends. Through different means, Bernard learned of the affair ... and so did Keith their son. To Keith's consternation, Bernard did not show any emotion and let the situation continue ...

Keith was testing his limits as a rebellious teenager. He grew up into young adulthood without any strong interests in life or a clear path or goal. He tried college, he worked at many jobs and ended up as a drifter and finally a surfer on the beach. The family had not heard from him for quite a while and Bernard and Iris accused each other of failing to raise him properly ... A phone call aroused both Bernard and Iris from bed. It made them finally realize what is most important to a family. Thea Astely possesses a very unique writing gift, the ability to weave complex emotions and deeply moving life experiences of many different characters into a seamless whole. As an author from Australia she uses her special knowledge and experience of her homeland to best advantage - introducing new readers to its diverse culture and untamed natural beauty.
Erika Borsos (erikab93)

I was reading this book on a visit to NZ, flying from Los Angeles to Auckland. This put Smithy's epic adventures in a new light...as a commercial pilot myself, I could start (just start)to appreciate the problems they encountered, let alone the fear they must have felt... An excellent book, well researched, and as the review states, "not a dull page in the book". Well done Ian.

While i confess to not having read any other books on Sir Charles, I have an appreciation of sorts through the many Smithy stories i had grown up with. My father had worked at Brisbane airport where the Southern Cross stands today and as a boy i recall him telling me Smithy stories as we walked around the old plane. Naturally, 70 odd years after the epic flight, traffic streams past and no one gives it a second glance (although oddly this amazing historical icon is almost hidden from view). I wonder how many young Australians today know who this man is and what he contributed to world aviation.

This book offered a smorgasboard of adventure and excitement and really does put into perspective the amazing feats this man accomplished. It also shows to us a character that was flawed in many ways. Smithy is portrayed as being reckless, selfish and irresponsible and yet also often displayed amazing courage, determination and humour. The book seems factually thorough while continues to flow nicely and is really an entertaining read.

This book would provide an ideal starting point for a film, that could further document and publicise, not only Smithy but all those other early aviation pioneers. Just so many amazing flights amidst so much danger and often so much fun.

A great story of a legend from a time when you really had to do something to earn that epithet.

My kids loved this book. It's sing-songy and moves at a good pace.

If your children enjoyed "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" as toddlers, then they will probably enjoy Snap! (the recommended age is 3-7, which seems accurate to me). The illustrations and the repetitive rhymes are similar to "Brown Bear, Brown Bear", yet more advanced and appealing to older children because the animals interact and play games (and suffer a mishap, but I won't spoil it).

Snap! by Marcia K. Vaughan is an engaging tale of what happens to baby Joey when he decides to go play while Mama Roo takes a nap. He meets lots of Australian animal friends and learns lots of new games, but Joey has to think of a game to save the day after Sly-tooth the crocodile invites the friends to play Snap! We used this book to study Australia during the Sydney Olympic Games and had loads of fun!

I am a Somali Court Interpreter in Ontario, Canada.

I bought this book online. My money was well spent, ie I am very satisfied with the way this book is written.

The author wrote the book for the court interpreters, but I beleive it also benefits the Somali law students in the Western, English-speaking nations.

This is Strehlow's most widely regarded work and the culmination of his anthropological work related to the Aranda (Arunta) people of the Alice Springs region. In this work Strehlow records the patrilineal chants or songs of the Aranda people and puts them into a wider context of totemic cultural understanding. Of particular interest is Chapter 10, the love songs of the Aranda people, which pre-date European romantic conventions by several thousand years.

This is one of the greatest books ever written in australia. The introduction and background is too long however the book presents 50 years of first hand research. Songs is one of the greatest anthropological books ever written. Sadly only 1000 copies were published and due to australian indigenous politics, as the book deals with the secret sacred, it will not be reprinted by the current copyright holders.
We will have to live with its rareity until copyright expires around 2044 approx.
The book covers all aspects of aboriginal religion, beliefs and ties together the songs, myths and drama of aboriginal ritual.
ted strehlow continued the work of his father carl strehlow.
Typical price for book has been $3500 ebay to $6000 retail