Can you not like sport and be Australian? When it comes to sport, Australians are mad. Completely, irrationally insane. It's the closest thing we have to a culture. From Don Bradman's singular focus to Steven Bradbury's heroic not falling over, sport has shaped our sense of self. But how did we get here? Part history, part social commentary and a lot of nonsense, Titus O'Reily, Australia's least insightful sports writer, explains. Covering Australian Rules, League, Union, soccer, cricket, the Olympics and much more, Titus tackles the big topics, like- How not to cheat the salary cap The importance of kicking people in the shins The many shortcomings of the English Titus takes you through the characters, the pub meetings, the endless acronyms, the corruption and the alarming number of footballers caught urinating in public. Sport is important - gloriously stupid, but important. To understand Australia you must understand its sporting history. With this guide you sort of, kind of, will. 'An indispensable voice for serious fans, who need to be reminded to take sport a little less seriously.' Inside Sport 'An enjoyable romp through our nation's great and not-so-great sports moments . . . between the laughs lies an insightful study of everything from cricket to Quidditch.' Herald Sun

A Thoroughly Unhelpful History of Australian Sport

History

O'Reily, Titus

Australia & Oceania

Michael Joseph AU

Midwife Noni Frost needs a miracle. Among the white gums of the NSW northern rivers, Rivertown Hospital’s maternity unit is under threat and will close unless a new obstetrician is hired to share the on-call load. When Iain McCloud and his pregnant teenage daughter, Jacinta, arrive in town to await the birth of Jacinta's baby, Noni's stressed but that doesn't stop the sparks from flying between her and Iain as they disagree on everything from pain relief to breastfeeding. When Noni's young son, Harley, goes missing, everything comes to a head. With lives at risk, Noni and Iain must draw on all their strength and work together. Can they save those closest to them?

Mothers' Day

Literature & Fiction

McArthur, Fiona

Genre Fiction

A festive and charming Christmas romance - perfect summer escapism! Claire Thorne never expected to be heading home for Christmas in Bindallarah - the small country town she left behind thirteen years ago and spends every day trying to forget. But then again she never expected fate to bring Scotty, her oldest friend and first love back into her life. Or for Scotty to tell her that he's about to get married - to a girl he barely knows. With only two weeks until Scotty's big day on Christmas Eve, Claire's determined to make up for lost time and help plan his wedding. And while she's at it, she can make sure he's not making a life-changing mistake. After all, it's what any good friend would do. But is two weeks enough time for Claire to find the answers she needs? And will she be brave enough to question her own heart and the choices she's made along the way?

Two Weeks 'til Christmas

Romance

Greaves, Laura

Contemporary

‘When a football ground was electrified on that unforgettable February evening, feelings did not need words. They had a sound unlike anything anyone had ever heard: an almighty, heartfelt roar.’ The inaugural season of the AFL Women’s league was a game changer for Australian sport and for Australia culturally. When women joined the nation’s biggest and most popular sporting code as players, it gave them licence to become legitimate football heroes. It was personal, political, proud and powerful. With unique insights from award-winning journalist Samantha Lane, including previously untold details behind AFLW’s birth, ROAR tells the remarkable tales of a group of trailblazers. These are intimate stories from a band of pioneers who now have a league of their own. From Daisy Pearce, AFLW’s original poster-player, to Craig Starcevich, the Collingwood premiership footballer who found football happiness where he least expected it. There’s Sarah Perkins’ story of personal and physical transformation; the AFL’s first openly gay couple Penny Cula-Reid and Mia-Rae Clifford; history-making coach Bec Goddard, Kirby Bentley, Tayla Harris, Amanda Farrugia, Darcy Vescio and Katie Brennan. ROAR is a groundbreaking book to inspire, illuminate and celebrate the leading lights of AFLW.

Roar

Sports & Outdoors

Lane, Samantha

Miscellaneous

From award-winning novelist Barbara Hannay comes a timely and uplifting story about the importance of community and connection. Can love and friendship blossom on a rooftop? The residents in Brisbane’s Riverview apartment block barely know each other. They have no idea of the loneliness, the lost hopes and dreams, being experienced behind their neighbours’ closed doors. Vera, now widowed, is trying her hardest to create a new life for herself in an unfamiliar city environment. Unlucky-in-love Maddie has been hurt too many times by untrustworthy men, yet refuses to give up on romance. Ned, a reclusive scientist, has an unusual interest in bees and worm farms. Meanwhile, the building’s caretaker, Jock, is quietly nursing a secret dream. When a couple of gardening enthusiasts from one of the apartments suggest they all create a communal garden on their rooftop, no one is interested. Not at first, anyway. But as the residents come together over their budding plants and produce, their lives become interconnected in ways they could never have imagined.

The Garden of Hopes and Dreams

Hannay, Barbara

A highly evocative family mystery of secrets and betrayal from the bestselling author of Croc Country. The darkest secrets are buried the deepest. Meg Morrissey has just lost her job, and her partner to an overseas assignment, when she is called back to the family home of Hunters Reach in the picturesque Adelaide Hills. Her ailing grandmother, who raised her when she was orphaned as a child, has always been a formidable figure in her life, and this is hardly a welcome summons. When Meg arrives at the ramshackle old homestead, she learns that the place is up for sale. She is expected to care for the property with its extensive garden, while packing up the contents of the house. As she begins the arduous work of bringing the grand old homestead back to its former glory, she is forced to examine the question that has plagued her all her life – why nobody loved her as a child. As the house unfolds the history of an earlier age, it also spills out secrets Meg had never imagined – in particular, the discovery of an aunt she never knew, her mother’s twin sister, Iris.

The Missing Girl

McGinnis, Kerry

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