Best Summer Reading
Making your food go further
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amie gets Australia cooking clever, shopping smart and wasting less with his new cookbook, Save with Jamie. ‘This year, I’ve got the message loud and clear that as everyone comes under bigger and bigger financial pressure, they want help to cook tasty, nutritious food on a budget, so this book was born completely out of public demand. Save with Jamie draws on knowledge and cooking skills to help you make better choices, showing you how to buy economically and efficiently, get the most out of your ingredients, save time and prevent food waste. And there’s no compromise – I’m talking big flavours, comfort food that makes you happy, and colourful, optimistic dishes.’ Our biggest luxury is knowledge, whether times are hard or not, so it’s time to get kitchen smart. Photography: David Loftus © 2013 David Loftus
Celebrate in style this Christmas with Maggie Beer
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hristmas is Maggie Beer’s favourite time of year, a time for everything she loves – for hugs from the grandchildren, for giving, and for creating special memories. But most of all, it is a time for family and friends to gather around a table groaning with delicious food. With her hallmark generosity and warmth, Maggie invites you to join her Christmas celebrations in South Australia’s beautiful Barossa Valley. From roasting the perfect turkey and transforming leftovers into fabulous meals, to turning ripe summer fruits into luscious desserts and creating a glamorous formal dinner to welcome in the New Year in style, Maggie shares her most cherished recipes. With plenty of advice for stress-free entertaining, Maggie shows you how to celebrate this special time of year with panache and joy.
A must-have for any lover of Italian food and culture
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oin Guy Grossi as he travels around the gastronomic paradise that is Italy, tasting the best of Italian food and meeting the passionate artisans who produce it. All the quintessential Italian ingredients are here, from parmesan to prosciutto, balsamic vinegar to buffalo mozzarella. Discover the wonderful characters behind the ingredients, and the traditional artisan methods that have been passed down through the generations. Then cook your way through 150 recipes, including slow-cooked veal shoulder with porcini, bresaola with gorgonzola, honey and fennel, artichoke tortellini with capers, lemon and olive oil, crispy polenta chips with truffle mayonnaise and vanilla panna cotta, strawberries and aged balsamic. This is irresistible, authentic Italian food you can make at home. Love Italy is a warm, honest and joyful celebration of real food and real people. It is destined to become a classic cookbook.
Design and grow vegie gardens with substance and style
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ractical and inspiring, Jamie Durie’s Edible Garden Design is a book for our times. As more and more of us recognise the environmental, financial and
health benefits of growing our own food, all over the country flower beds are being transformed into vegie patches and empty windowsills into flourishing windowboxes. Jamie shows you how to create productive edible gardens that look great. He gives you the lowdown on the design function of each plant, and reveals how you can incorporate edibles into even the smallest of outdoor spaces without sacrificing style. Be inspired by real-life case studies in Australia and the US, from Jamie's mum’s beloved vegie patch and kids’ community plots in Chicago to Matt Moran’s classic kitchen garden in Sydney and New York's buzzing green produce markets.
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he much-anticipated first book from the founder of The Agrarian Kitchen in Tasmania. When former Australian Gourmet Traveller food editor Rodney Dunn moved from Sydney to Tasmania, he and his wife Severine set about transforming a nineteenth-century schoolhouse into a sustainable farm-based cooking school. Nestled in a misty valley outside Hobart, The Agrarian Kitchen struck a chord with people seeking respite from fastpaced lives and a meaningful connection with the food we eat and the land that produces it. This collection of recipes from the phenomenally popular cooking school celebrates the simple pleasures of cooking and eating in tune with the seasons.
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aples: City of Blood, City of Miracles. City of Contradictions and Secrets, Luck and Superstition, Danger and Incredible Kindness. Photographer Carla Coulson and writer Lisa Clifford know this dazzling, magical city intimately: in this book they take you on a journey through the Naples most tourists never see. Walk with them down hidden cobblestoned alleyways lit by shrines to the saints and into ancient crypts filled with skulls; taste the myriad sweets and pastries for which the city is famous, and learn the art of arrangiarsi – all fuelled by pizza, the city’s signature dish, and coffee, always coffee. Naples is a city where it’s never too late.
‘Italians are passionate and opinionated about their food and I am no exception!’
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talian-born food lover, blogger and actress Silvia Colloca offers us her personal insight into authentic Italian home cooking. Now living in Australia, she is quick to correct the misconception that every dish must be drowned in olive oil or topped with a thick coating of parmesan. On the contrary, Silvia’s everyday recipes are simple, light and healthy, and based on fresh, seasonal ingredients. This is the food she grew up with. This is how Italians really eat. Sample such goodies as ricotta gnocchi with cavolo nero pesto, twice-cooked cinnamon galettes and strawberry and mascarpone cake. Silvia’s warmth, humour and thoughtful instructions show you how easily it can be done in your own kitchen.
The inspirational story of creating one of Australia’s most beautiful country gardens ‘A truly great garden should enrich your soul, and those of many others – hopefully for generations to come.’
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his is celebrated landscape designer Paul Bangay’s inspirational story of creating Stonefields, one of Australia's most beautiful country gardens. The Garden at Stonefields reveals the triumphs and trials of designing and building this extraordinary house and garden – Paul’s most challenging and personal project yet. Photographed by Paul’s long-time collaborator Simon Griffiths, the stunning photos reveal the evolution of the site from conception to completion, and capture the unique beauty of each area of the garden. The book also features extracts from Paul’s personal diary, an intimate and compelling account of dealing with drought, bushfires and the threat of mining in contemporary rural Australia.
Collette Dinnigan, Australian fashion icon, gives an intimate insight into her life and work
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he name Collette Dinnigan conjures up images of romance, style, luxury and femininity – meet the woman behind the name.
For the first time, this intensely private woman opens up about what makes her tick. What inspires her to create clothes worn by the most glamorous women in the world, from film stars to royalty? How has her bohemian childhood shaped her? What has made her so successful? What drives her creativity and her famed attention to detail? How does she unwind? How does she juggle the roles of mother and businesswoman? Obsessive Creative takes you behind the scenes of the world of high fashion, from the studio where Collette’s sublimely beautiful clothes are made, to backstage at the Paris shows; from the red carpet to a beading factory in India. Lavishly illustrated with photographs from top international fashion photographers and from Collette’s own family albums, this is an intensely personal account of her life and times.
‘Eyrie... is a novel for which our culture has been in urgent need.’ – Michael McGirr, The Age Tom Keely’s reputation is in ruins. And that's the upside. Divorced and unemployed, he’s lost faith in everything precious to him. Holed up in a grim highrise, cultivating his newfound isolation, Keely looks down at a society from which he’s retired hurt and angry. He’s done fighting the good fight, and well past caring. But even in his seedy flat, ducking the neighbours, he’s not safe from entanglement. All it takes is an awkward encounter in the lobby. A woman from his past, a boy the likes of which he’s never met before. Two strangers leading a life beyond his experience and into whose orbit he falls despite himself. What follows is a heart-stopping, groundbreaking novel for our times – funny, confronting, exhilarating and haunting. Inhabited by unforgettable characters, Eyrie asks how, in an impossibly compromised world, we can ever hope to do the right thing. ‘From the opening pages, you know you’re in the hands of a master.’ – The Weekend Australian
‘Witty, insightful, compelling – In Cold Blood for our generation’. – Eddie Perfect
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hen filming his TV series Race Relations, John Safran spent an uneasy couple of days with one of Mississippi’s most notorious white supremacists. A year later, he heard that the man had been murdered – and what was more, the killer was black. At first the murder seemed a twist on the old Deep South race crimes. But then more news rolled in. Maybe it was a dispute over money, or most intriguingly, over sex. Could the infamous racist actually have been secretly gay, with a thing for black men? Did Safran have the last footage of him alive? Could this be the story of a lifetime? Seizing his Truman Capote moment, he jumped on a plane to cover the trial. Over six months, Safran got deeper and deeper into the South, becoming entwined in the lives of those connected with the murder – white separatists, black campaigners, lawyers, investigators, neighbours, even the killer himself. And the more he talked with them, the less simple the crime, and the world, seemed. Murder in Mississippi is a brilliantly innovative true-crime story. Taking us places only he can, Safran paints an engrossing, revealing portrait of a dead man, his murderer, the place they lived and the process of trying to find out the truth about anything.
‘Action, heartbreak and romance aplenty... a great read.’ – Bookseller + Publisher
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rom the bustling streets of 1920s London to the idyllic English countryside, this is a breathtaking story of passion and determination from a phenomenal Australian storyteller. When a humble soldier, known only as Jones, wakes in a military hospital he has no recollection of his past. Jones’s few fleeting memories are horrifying moments from the battlefield of Ypres. His identity becomes a puzzle he must solve. Then Eden Valentine arrives in his world, a stunning seamstress who dreams of her own high-fashion salon in London. Mourning the loss of her brother in the war, Eden cannot turn away the soldier in desperate need of her help. The key to Jones’s past – and Eden’s future – may lie with the mysterious Alex Wynter, aristocratic heir to the country manor Larksfell Hall. But the news that Alex bears will bring shattering consequences that threaten to tear their lives apart. This is a heart-stopping story of true love and courage in the most extraordinary circumstances from the rising star of Australian fiction.
‘Beautifully written and frequently hilarious.’ – The Guardian ‘As the steady march of time takes its toll on my memory and the vultures circle, I thought I should have a stab at recollecting how it all happened...’
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ennifer Saunders’ brilliant comic creations have brought joy to millions for three decades. From Comic Strip to Comic Relief, from Bolly-swilling Edina in Absolutely Fabulous to Meryl Streep in Mamma Mia, her characters are household names. But it’s Jennifer herself who has a place in all our hearts. This is her funny, touching and disarmingly honest memoir, filled with stories of friends, laughter and occasional heartache – but never misery. From her childhood on RAF bases, where her father was a pilot, to her life-changing encounter with a young Dawn French, on to success and family, the book charts her extraordinary story, including the slip-ups and battles along the way. Prepare to chuckle, cry, and whoop with delight.
ctober 1943. A U.S Navy warship vanishes at sea. Its disappearance was rumoured to have been a result of a classified military experiment into the effects of electromagnetic radiation. The story has long since been considered a hoax.
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But Juan Cabrillo and his colleagues aboard the top secret spy ship Oregon aren’t convinced.
is fighting a silent war against a
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As they race to unearth the truth, they discover that the stakes are dangerously high. And that it may already be too late... Mirage is state-of-the-art action adventure from the master, Clive Cussler.
aster of the modern thriller, Tom Clancy delivers an
electrifying story of intrigue, power and one family with two generations of heroes. President Jack Ryan, Sr. is fighting a desperate campaign to thwart Russian aggression, while his son ruthless foe. A new strongman has emerged in the ever-chaotic Russian republic – his rise to power was meteoric, but shrouded in deception and treachery. The foundations of his personal empire are built on a bloody secret from his past, and he will eliminate anyone who comes close to that truth...
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ne morning Ruth wakes thinking a tiger has been in her seaside house. Later that day a formidable woman called Frida arrives, looking as if she’s blown in from the sea. In fact she’s come to care for Ruth. Frida and the tiger: both are here to stay, and neither is what they seem. Which of them can Ruth trust? And as memories of her childhood in Fiji press upon her with increasing urgency, can she even trust herself? The Night Guest is a mesmerising novel about love, dependence, and the fear that the things you know best can become the things you’re least certain about.
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rom the internationally bestselling author – over two million books sold worldwide. Kitty Hamilton arrives in Tanganyika with high hopes for her new life. An exciting adventure halfway across the world could be just what she and Theo need to recover from the scandal that almost tore them apart. But in this wild and foreign land, where very different powers prevail, the head can’t always rule the heart. As old wounds resurface and new passions ignite, Kitty and Theo confront emotions that push them beyond the boundaries of all that they know and believe in.
‘We’re suckers for it.’ – Entertainment Weekly
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n The Indigo Spell, Sydney was torn between the Alchemist way of life and what her heart and gut were telling her to do. And in one breathtaking moment that Richelle Mead fans will never forget, she made a decision that shocked even her... But the struggle isn’t over for Sydney. As she navigates the aftermath of her life-changing decision, she still finds herself pulled in too many directions at once. Her sister Zoe has arrived and while Sydney longs to grow closer to her, there’s still so much she must keep secret. Working with Marcus has changed the way she views the Alchemists, and Sydney must tread a careful path as she harnesses her profound magical ability to undermine the way of life she was raised to defend. Consumed by passion and vegeance, Sydney struggles to keep her secret ife under wraps as the threat of exposure – and re-education – looms larger than ever. Pulses will race throughout this smoldering fourth installment in the bestselling Bloodlines series, where no secret is safe.
‘Wimpy Kid is bent on world domination.’ – TIME
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his is Jeff Kinney’s eighth book of this hilarious and highly successful series, and Greg Heffley and his friends now have a whole new set of adventures. Greg Heffley’s on a losing streak. His best friend, Rowley Jefferson, has ditched him, and finding new friends in middle school is proving to be a tough task. To change his fortunes, Greg decides to take a leap of faith and turn his decisions over to chance. Will a roll of the dice turn things around, or is Greg’s life destined to be just another hard-luck story? Readers love the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, which features regularly on the USA Today, Publishers Weekly, Wall Street Journal and #1 New York Times bestseller lists.
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nsightful, bold, irreverent, and raw, this is award-winning author John Green’s most ambitious and heartbreaking work yet, brilliantly exploring the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love. Despite the tumour-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten. ‘Damn near genius’. – TIME
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thousand deadly monsters. Three battling demigods. One fatal decision. Hazel looked behind Hecate at the middle gateway. She saw Percy and Annabeth sprawled helplessly before the doors. A massive dark shape now loomed over them, its foot raised as if to crush Percy. ‘What about them?’ Hazel asked, her voice ragged. ‘Percy and Annabeth?’ Hecate shrugged. ‘West, east or south... they die.’ ‘Not an option,’ Hazel said. ‘Then you have only one path – and that’s the most dangerous of all...’
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EGO® Play Book proves it. You can build anything with a LEGO brick in your hand. LEGO® Play Book contains a collection of all-new LEGO building ideas that will inspire you in new and exciting ways. Get the most play out of your LEGO models. With over 200 building ideas and tips, including suggestions for ‘ten-minute builds’, ‘cool brick’ features and ‘a handful of bricks’, you’ll discover endless possibilities. With a mixture of LEGO models LEGO® Play Book is perfect for everyone; for beginners and more accomplished builders alike.
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lay and read at the same time with LEGO® Star Wars™ Brickmaster Battle for the Stolen Crystals. Create fantastic models with the help of an exciting storybook, filled with step-by-step instructions. Join Clone trooper Commander Gree as he hunts down the valuable lightsaber crystals stolen by a Separatists droid captain, using your bricks to build weapons and vehicles to help him fight along the way. Assemble your bricks in time to fight battles in canyons and ice mountains, and fend off an ambush in the forest. Includes two minifigures.
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art poem, part lullaby, this gentle story celebrates a baby’s wonder at our beautiful world. From much-loved Australian Children’s Laureate Alison Lester comes a timeless book to share and to treasure.
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lullaby to babies everywhere, Baby Bedtime is a lyrical tribute to the love inspired by the little people in our lives. This enchanting read-aloud story combines the talents of Australia’s premier picture-book writer, Mem Fox, author of Possum Magic and Where is the Green Sheep?, and acclaimed illustrator Emma Quay, creator of Not a Cloud in the Sky and Rudie Nudie.