Australia Books

In this gripping and controversial biography, Anne-Maree Whitaker uncovers the role of Joseph Foveaux, a neglected and sometimes unfairly criticised key figure in the colony's development.

The vivid prose plunges the reader into the worlds in which Foveaux moved: the elaborate milieu of parliamentary politics and patronage in London, and the rough and tumble of the colonies of Norfolk Island and New South Wales where he was lieutenant governor.

We meet the irascible William Bligh, the visionary Lachlan Macquarie, leading colonists including John Macarthur and D'Arcy Wentworth and an enormous cast of supporting characters in Britain and the colonies.

"I have never yet met with any Officer...that is more eminently qualified for forming and conducting to maturity and perfection any infant colony committed to his charge," wrote Governor Macquarie in 1810, praising Joseph Foveaux, the man who had presided over the colony of New South Wales since the controversial Governor Bligh was relieved of his duties two years before.

If you saw any of the Sydney during the Olympics, you are sure to find this account of its early years a fascinating revelation. Based on the life of Lieutenant Governor Joseph Foveaux, demonised in Robert Hughes' The Fatal Shore, this book reveals the links and patronage networks which held the British empire together. I liked the way the author in each chapter flung the reader into a physical description of the place where the action happens. And I even found myself caring about Foveaux's successes and setbacks. This is a warm, elegantly written and compelling new departure in Australian historical writing.

(...) "The Judy Blume Diary" is meant to be written in for approximately one year. There are, on average, 11 pages per month to write on, containing a quote on each page from various Judy Blume books, such as "Tiger Eyes", "Forever...", and "Deenie". There are also a couple dozen black-and-white photographs of young adults, all of which is meant to inspire the writer. By the end, there are a few pages for you to reminisce on how you've grown/matured over the year and what you expect to accomplish in the next year. There is also a place for addresses, phone numbers, important dates, and even a calendar, but only for the years 1986-8 (in the 1985 British version published by Piccolo).

(...)

Even though I don't intend to use this book as a diary, it's still great to have if you're a diehard Judy Blume fan (which I am). Another good book that benefits children (as well as parents) is her nonfiction book, "Letters to Judy: What Kids Wish They Could Tell You", which I highly recommend.

While growing up, Judy Blume was my favorite author. When shepublished the Judy Blume Diary I was the first person that I know ofto have one! The passages from Judy Blume's books, throughout thediary, will remind you of all the innocence of childhood that once was. This is a highly recommended keepsake for all Blume fans!

Do yourself a favour - buy anything by Lily Brett, and buy it today. She is a superb writer. Just Like That is one of my personal favourites, but any of her books (fiction and non fiction alike) will satisfy if you crave for quality literature with a personal (almost confessional) feel. Her characters are wonderful, you really care about them and feel almost as if you know them. Her poetry is amazing as well. I really cannot do justice to Brett's work....so you had better buy this book yourself.

The heroine is a jewish woman, 2nd generation of the holochaust, kind of overanalyzed by herself and her therapists. The story is written from her perspective. Nothing spectacular happens in the everyday life of a New Yorker, emigrated from Australia, but an awsome reflection of the history of the 20th century makes the book thrilling and interesting. The contrast between this ordinary life and the inner world of a woman born one year after her parents escaped Auschwitz is dramatic. Married to a painter, she writes obituaries. She has three children. Her parents emigrated with her to Australia. Her life seems mainly balanced and secure on the outside, but internally this woman is haunted by the past, which is in most parts not hers but her parents'.

The flow of language is easy but the words are amazingly precisely chosen. Though the heroine's biography is in main points the same as the author's, the book to me never seems like a 'confession'. Perhaps that is why the characters are so believable. The perspective is loving but with the distance of someone who can not take the momentary easiness of life as granted. I liked the emotional depth, the humor. The topics are nothing new but amazingly the perspective did not once make it boring for me. ( -And I can be easily bored!)

The inner state of mind of the protagonist is psychologically believable and seems to me very precise described.

A girlfriend of mine gave me the book. She found the psychology as convincing as I do. I think it will be easier to read for women. I would not recommend that book for people who may seek mere entertainment and action in a book. For us other folks, neurotic, insecure, contemplating, 2nd or third generation: highly recommended. Reads like a biography and though giving insight in an historic process and new aspects towards pychology, it is entertaining.

Since I have all of Tony O'Connor's CDs, there are tracks on each that I prefer. On Kakadu, I really enjoy track 3 with the Aboriginal digerdoo. His ability to transport one to the environment about which he is "making music" is amazing.

We have 9 of T.C's CD's, and each one is a favorite for late night relaxation and good listening. Gave 2 to a friend who was in hospital for 5 days. They made her stay very tolerable and she hasn't given them back. My massage lady plays them in her massage rooms and has had many requests from her clients. Very unusual sounds. I highly recommend any of his CD's. He has a new one, "Live at Sydney Opera House". Wish that I had been there. Tony and his wife are two very talented people.

To All Who Ponder this Book,
This book is a HUGE hit in our house. My daughter is 21 months and it is her favourite book by far. We spend at least 30 minutes each day exploring this book. It needs to be monitored for now though because sometimes she can tug a bit on the pop-ups and we don't want her to rip them off. She loves looking under the rocks, behind the bushes, and seeing all of the nature. I also like the fact that it reiterates the environmental message that jewels are in nature. It is a beautiful book. Hope this helps.

Maurice Pledger's book have the great illustrations that are detailed and true to life. Any of his books should be visually pleasing.

This book contains nine two-page layouts; six have peek-and-find pop ups/movements and one has a full pop-up (the remaining two layouts have no pop up or flap). The book covers animals from Australia (koala, jewel beetles, wombat, platypuse, pygmy possum, kookaburra, spiny anteater, and kangaroo). There is a brief description of the eight animals on the first page.

The pop-ups are simple and nice. I do not feel the pop-ups are lacking, but know that they aren't as dazzling as some of the paper engineering out there. For example, the wombat movement is its eyelids sleepily opening with the flap movement. Another, the pygmy possum peaks out from a bottlebrush flower. These are simple, but very pleasing. However, this isn't a book for complex, intricate castles popping up five inches off the page.

The story is nice, too. The koala is searching for jewel beetles and finds the different animals along the way.

Koalas are one of the most beautiful, gentle and loving animals in the world. Sadly, the population is steadily declining due to the destruction of their natural habitats. This book is a wonderful way to learn about these very intelligent creatures. Full of darling pictures, everyone who picks up this book will instantly fall in love with koalas (who, by the way, are not bears)! Read about their habits, diet and social activities, and you will develop a new appreciation for these fuzzy friends!

This is a wonderful book on many counts. Information isabundant, so you can use it for reports. But the best part is thedelightful photos of koalas at sleep, play, and the dinner table. I left out "work" because it doesn't seem to be in their vocabulary. One or two of the views of relaxing, snoozing koalas are alone worth the price of the book. Instead of reciting a mantra or meditating to relax, all you need do is look at those photos. A book for all ages.

John Alcock's status as the dean of animal behaviour studies is delightfully illustrated by this excellent book. A collection of over two dozen essays on the conduct of various animal [and one plant] species relate the findings of an Australian sabbatical. Using his own and other's research he poses questions arising from a medley of animal antics. How have these behaviours come about? He shows how these queries have adaptive evolutionary roots. The beauty of Darwin's idea, he reminds us, is that it provides us with "an adaptationist foundation" for testing hypotheses, arguments and ideas. Adaptations are subtle, often requiring careful perception and analysis. With careful study and cautious speculation he provides some stimulating ideas about the things he observed.

The examples are chiefly birds and insects. The first is Kookaburra, the "alarm clock" of Australian mornings, is famous for its raucous wake-up call. When other birds may sing, caw or carol throughout the day, why does Kooka limit himself [and it's the males doing the laughter] to this brief, but delightful, period? Put simply, it's an energy saving device! Once the territorial claim has been vocally established, he can go on to feeding or courting. Other birds exhibit the immense variation evolution has produced. The Mallee Fowl, a bush dweller may seem "a dream come true" for some. This turkey-sized bird upsets gender patterns. The male bird spends weeks building a five-metre wide nest, enticing a mate to join him, "allowing" her to deposit thirty eggs, then lets her wander off while he meticulously controls the nest environment ensuring a successful hatch. Further north, Bowerbird building is also the male's role. He constructs complex and gaudy structures, although not to the Mallee Fowl's immensity. Here, however, the bower is merely the conjugal boudoir, with the impregnated female left to wander away for both nest building and chick rearing.

Wasps display contrasting practices. With these insects, nest building is nearly uniformly a female task. Males, however, make contributions to mating and reproduction in many other ways. One wasp will bring nectar to a potential mate, then take her wingless body around from flower to flower as they seek a nest site. Other males are even more energetic. They will grab a moth or other large insect, then hang from a twig using the capture as bait. Wasp nesting behaviours offer yet more varieties in practice. One species employs a "housemaid" to guard and clean a ground nest. Such maintenance allows the food-bearing mother to fly directly into the nest, thereby avoiding predators.

Alcock's easy style in this book keeps you at his side. His text is enhanced by Marilyn Stewart's fine drawings. Good maps provide location reference and ranges of the subjects. His science is presented in a conversational, almost friendly manner. He wants you to share his awe, his interest, and his conclusions. We must be grateful to him for this, since we're all aware that others, who are as earnest and knowledgeable as he, don't manage to impart that with the same verve. He also notes that his findings aren't confined to the wonders of the island continent. The rules of life he outlines for us apply to the biosphere we inhabit. Read this book and find out what sort of world you live in. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

Written by American biologist John Alcock (along with excellent illustrations by Marilyn Hoff Stewart), this book chronicles Alcock animal observations throughout the land Down Under. Alcocok observed the intimate details of the birth, breeding habits, feeding habits, and sometimes death of a large variety of Australian birds, insects, and mammals. Each chapter devoted to a particular species, he covers not only well known species such as the kookaburra, flying fox, and platypus, but lesser known ones (at least to Americans), such as the northern logrunner, resin wasp, and silver gull.

Alcock not only covers the life habits of a number of species, but also during the course of the book, using these species as examples, explores many concepts in biology. Why do birds sing so early in the morning? Are marsupials really primitive and not able to compete with placental mamamls (such as dogs and horses)? Particulary interesting are his speculations on adaptations on animals. Do all the features of an animal, from the cooperative efforts by grey-crowned babblers to raise a brood of young to the red tail feathers in the otherwise black red-tailed cockatoo all surve useful purposes in species (and individual) survival and were the results of evoultion, or is it wrong to atttribute every feature and behavior an animal to direct survival of individuals and the production of new offspring?

A highly worthwhile and readable book, I recommend it.

If you are an animal lover you will love this sweet story. Well written one that you can't put down. Highly recommended.

On a wild and steamy night, Annie enters the strange and secret world of birds--a world of ancient tradition and alien lore.

from the cover

After buying The Last Castaways while in London a year prior, I fell madly in love with the adventures of Grandfather and Roo. I had to have more, so the next trip, I bought all the rest of the series. They can be read in any order. Each tale stands alone. They are funny, warm-hearted and clever. Your children will love each one.

What a pleasure to read to my granddaughter a book that was witty, clever and sophisticated. Harry Horse's Last Gold Digger is not your run of the mill children's book. Its humor is at times subtle, a bit eccentric, and just plain fun. And best of all, it's great fun for the adult reading the book to a child.

Can you imagine being a student, no more than the age of eighteen, and involved in communications with a serial killer that's past victims fit your description? Amazingly, Jason Moss pulled it off. Putting his own life on the line, he successfully entered the lives and minds of several different serial killers including John Wayne Gacy whom he got the closest to. Other than being down right crazy and unbelievable, it offers a view that the public is often not shown of serial killers. Included are pictures of himself with Gacy and others as well as pictures from the original crimes.

This book is a true life, thrill ride from beginning to end. Once you pick it up you absolutely cannot put it down. Although the book is a great read, I do not recommend it for the faint of heart due to its violent and explicit content. It gets very graphic at times. Any true crime fan should definitely read this book. It's well worth the time.

Jason, at the age of 18, wrote letters to various serial killers in jails around the United States, construing his personality in such a way as to lay a mental trap for those in prison, in hopes of a response. He received many letters in return, as each predator innmate, including John Wayne Gacy and Jeffery Dahlmer, sought him as a troubled youth in need of their advice.

You won't be able to put this down. I read the whole thing in one night. Copies of the letters received from the innmates are in the book, including phone conversations that occured with John Wayne Gacy. Jason Moss ended up visiting Gacy in prison... and the end of the book records an incredibly frightening experience...