10th Anniversary - Women's Murder Club #10 (James Patterson & Maxine Paetro)

10th Anniversary - Women's Murder Club #10

James Patterson & Maxine Paetro

Blurb: Detective Lindsay Boxer finally gets married. But two violent crimes push the Women's Murder Club back to full throttle before the wedding gifts are even unwrapped.

For every secret.

Detective Lindsay Boxer's long-awaited wedding celebration becomes a distant memory when she is called to investigate a horrendous attack: A teenage girl is badly injured and left for dead, and her newborn baby is missing. Lindsay discovers that there is no trace of the criminals - and the victim may be keeping secrets as well.

For every lie.

Assistant District Attorney Yuki Castellano is prosecuting the biggest case of her life: A woman stands accused of murdering her husband in front of her two young children. Yuki's career rests on a guilty verdict. But when Lindsay finds evidence that could save the defendant, Yuki must choose between trusting her best friend - or following her instinct.

There's a different way to die.

With her every move watched by her new boss and the pressure to find the baby interfering with her new marriage to Joe, Lindsay wonders if she'll ever be able to start a family...or solve her two cases. With James Patterson's white-hot speed and unquenchable action, 10th Anniversary is the most deliciously chilling Women's Murder Club book ever.

ISBN: 9780446585163 (Paperback)

Year: 2011

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing 

Pages: 395 (Fiction)

Links

1. Goodreads page

2. Buy from Amazon

3. Review of the book

4. Fan page for the book

5. Author's official site

The Prince of Mist (Carlos Ruiz Zafon)

The Prince of Mist

Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Blurb: Nothing is as powerful as a promise.

Strange things begin to happen when Max and his family move to an eerie house by the sea.

Time seems to slow, and move backwards An evil-eyed cat watches their every move. And Max is drawn to an abandoned garden where a mysterious statue stands, its arm outstretched, beckoning.

Then, from the shadows of the past emerges the Prince of Mist. A dark sinister character with the power to grant wishes and an age-old debt to settle.

The Prince of Mist is a haunting story of magic, mystery and adventure from Carlos Ruiz Zafon, the bestselling author of The Shadow of the Wind and The Angel's Game.

ISBN: 9781921656354 (Paperback)

Year: 1993

Publisher: Text Publishing

Pages: 202 (Fiction)

Links

1. Author's official English site

2. Buy from Amazon

3. Goodreads page

4. Wikipedia page for the book

5. Review of the book

The Pacific (Hugh Ambrose)

The Pacific 

Hugh Ambrose

Blurb: Historian Hugh Ambrose deepens the experience of the HBO miniseries The Pacific - revealing the intertwined odysseys of four US Marines and a US Navy carrier pilot and producing a powerful blend of first-person immediacy and historical perspective.

Sidney C Phillips, an easygoing Alabama teenager, enlisted along with a buddy. 'Manila John' Basilone was the son of immigrants who found happiness in the rough-and-ready life of a marine. Eugene B Sledge watched his best friend and his brother go off to war - and finally rebelled against his parents to follow them. 'Shifty' Shofner was the scion of a prominent family with a long record of military service. Ensign Vernon 'Mike' Micheel left the family farm to complete flight school.

Between America's retreat from China in late 1941 and the moment that MacArthur's plane landed in Japan in August 1945, these five men fought many of the key battles of the war in the Pacific. Here, Hugh Ambrose focuses on their real-life experiences and those of their fellow servicemen, enhancing and expanding upon the story told in the HBO miniseries.

Covering nearly four years of combat with unprecedented access to military records, letters, journals, memoirs, photographs, and interviews, this volume offers a unique historical perspective on the war against Japan, from the debacle in Bataan to the miracle at Midway, the relentless vortex of Guadalcanal, the black terraces of Iwo Jima, and the killing fields of Okinawa - and ultimately the triumphant yet uneasy return home.

These are the true stories of the men who put their lives on the line for their country, who were dispatched to the other side of the world to fight an enemy who preferred suicide to surrender; men who suffered hardship and humiliation in POW camps; men who witnessed casualties among soldier and civilian alike; and men whose medals came at a shocking price - a price paid in full by all.

ISBN: 9781921656101 (Paperback)

Year: 2010

Publisher: Text Publishing

Pages: 489 (Non-Fiction)

Links

1. Buy from Amazon

2. Author's official site

3. Review of the book

4. Conversation with the author

5. Wikipedia for the TV series of the same name

Lady Gaga - Queen of Pop (Emily Herbert)

Lady Gaga - Queen of Pop

Emily Herbert

Blurb: 

Lifting the lid on Lady Gaga aka Stefani Germanotta, find out all you ever wanted to know about the eccentric star. 

ISBN: 9781921667466 (Paperback)

Year: 2010

Publisher: Wilkinson Publishing

Pages: 265 (Non-Fiction)

Links

1. Wiki on the book

2. Buy from Amazon

3. Wikipedia page on the book

4. Goodreads page on the book

5. Buy from Barns & Noble

Funny Things - The Best New & Classic Jokes Volume 1 (Marty Fields)

Funny Things - The Best New & Classic Jokes Volume 1

Marty Fields

Blurb: 'I was so sick of reading joke books that were hit and miss and were all one style. I decided to put together a collection of the finest gags from every genre of comedy; one liners, stand up bits, old stories, situational and just plain odd. The rule was simple, no matter what the style, if the gag didn't make me laugh I didn't use it. After 25 years of standup, I don't laugh easy.' 

Marty

ISBN: 9781921667459 (Paperback)

Year: 2010

Publisher: Wilkinson Publishing

Pages: 88 (Fiction)

Links

1. Buy from the Book Depository 

2. Author's official site

3. Wikipedia page for the author

4. Youtube clip of the author doing standup

5. Author's Twitter

A Decade of Pride: The History of the Brisbane Lions (Mark Opolion)

A Decade of Pride: The History of the Brisbane Lions

Mark Opolion

Blurb: An historic merger between the Fitzroy and North Melbourne football club seemed inevitable, but on 4 July 1996 the football world was shocked by the AFL's acceptance of the Brisbane Bears' proposal to merge with Fitzroy.

In their 10th season, the Bears were just becoming a force to be reckoned with, while Fitzroy, a proud and traditional club with eight premierships to its name, was in receivership. The Bears finished one game short of the 1996 Grand Final and Fitzroy collected the wooden spoon with just one win. Many long-time Fitzroy supporters vowed never to follow the Brisbane Lions. Bears supporters had reservations.

Officially 'born' on 1 November 1996, the Brisbane Lions were expected to be an instant powerhouse, yet only limped into the finals before a disastrous 1998 - both on-field and off-field - netted a wooden spoon.

Enter Leigh Matthews as coach.

A former Hawthorn champion, widely regarded as the VFL/AFL's greatest player, Matthews had coached Collingwood to a drought-breaking premiership in 1990. The Matthews regime commenced in 1999 and realised a history-making flag in 2001. But that was nowhere near enough for the hungry Lions.

A Decade of Pride is a chronicle looking at the ground-breaking merger, initial problems and disasters and acceptance from previously disgruntled supporters. It is a fascinating look into all of the Brisbane Lions' major on-field and off-field developments en route to claiming an amazing three consecutive premierships, with a host of champions, including Michael Voss, Alastair Lynch, Jason Akermanis, Simon Black, Nigel Lappin, Jonathan Brown and Justin Leppitsch.

A Decade of Pride also looks at how this brilliant Lions unit - regarded by many as the greatest of all time - has begun the rebuilding process on the back of losing their attempt at equalling Collingwood's long-standing record of four straight flags.

ISBN: 1920997024 (Paperback)

Year: 2006

Publisher: Pennon Publishing

Pages: 328 (Non-Fiction)

Links

1. Buy from Blaq Books

2. Wikipedia page for the Brisbane Lions

3. Google books page

4. Official website of the Lions

5. AFL website

The Avengers: The Ultimate Guide (Tom DeFalco)

The Avengers: The Ultimate Guide

Tom DeFalco

Blurb: Welcome to the thrill-packed world of earth's mightiest heroes!

'Avengers assemble!' Whenever this rousing call to arms rings out, the world's mightiest heroes gather, ready to take on any super-menace. The Avengers' roster includes inspiring leader Captain America, the mighty Thor, the invincible Iron Man, the astonishing Ant-Man and the wondrous Wasp. Individually they are formidable - together they're unstoppable! Avengers: The Ultimate Guide reveals all the secrets of this premier team of comic-book heroes.

ISBN: 9781740338288 (Paperback)

Year: 2005

Publisher: DK Publishing

Pages: 144 (Fiction)

Links

1. Buy from Amazon

2. Google books page

3. Wikipedia page for the author

4. IMDB page for the upcoming Avengers film

5. Wiki for the Avengers

Deadly Beloved (Max Allan Collins)

Deadly Beloved

Max Allan Collins

Blurb: Marcy Addwater killed her husband - there's no question about that. Shot him dead in the motel room where he was trysting with a blonde hooker. Shot the hooker, too.

But where the copts might see an open-and-shut case, private eye Michael Tree - Ms. Michael Tree - sees a conspiracy. For Ms. Tree, digging into it could mean digging her own grave...and digging up her own murdered husband's.

Based on the longest-rinning private-eye comic book series of all time, DEADLY BELOVED brings you an all-new adventure of the legendary Ms. Tree - the groundbreaking female P.I. who put the 'graphic' into graphic novel...

ISBN: 9780843957785 (Paperback)

Year: 2007

Publisher: Dorchester Publishing

Pages: 203 (Fiction)

Links

1. Review of the book

2. Buy from Amazon

3. Author's Wikipedia page

4. Good reads page

5. Excerpt from the book

The Chaser: Annual 2005 (Various)

The Chaser: Annual 2005

Various

Blurb: What they say about The Chaser Annual 2005.

'Every 3 seconds, a Chaser joke dies somewhere.' Bob Geldof

'This is my second favourite book, after the Koran.' Michelle Leslie

'I hope the Chaser keeps producing annuals every year. I'll need some good reading material.' Schapelle Corby

'I had a fabulous time pinching the authors' arses at their book launch.' John Brogden

'do u want my big cok?' Shane Warne (via SMS)

ISBN: 1920885978 (Paperback)

Year: 2005

Publisher: Text Publishing

Pages: 114 (Fiction)

Links

1. Series Wikipedia page

2. Penguin page for the book

3. Publisher's page

4. Fan forum for The Chaser

5. Official ABC page for The Chaser

The Hitler Club: The Rise and Fall of Australia's No.1 Nazi (Gary Gumpl and Richard Kleinig)

The Hitler Club: The Rise and Fall of Australia's No.1 Nazi

Gary Gumpl and Richard Kleinig

Blurb: After immigration restrictions were lifted in 1925, a numer of German nationals came to live in South Australia, the heartland of earlier German settlement. Among them was Dr Johannes Becker, who would go on to achieve infamy as Hitler's Confidential Agent, and 'Australia's No. 1 Nazi.'

A 29 year old war veteran and ship's surgeon, Becker travelled to the Barossa Valley and quickly established a thriving medical practice. Embroiled in controversy and litigation from the start he would later become the leading Nazi Party organiser for Australia. He gathered around him a small following of like-minded expatriates who were eager to see the re-emergence of Germany from the wreckage of the Great War.

Days after the Second World War broke out he and his Party comrades were interned. They were regarded by the Government as risks to national security, but newly declassified archives reveal that none of them had committed any acts which endangered Australian interests or affected the rights of any citizens. Though Becker lost favour with Nazi officials in Germany and was expelled from the Party in 1941, the Australian Authorities nevertheless interned him for seven years.

For a short time in 1947 he became a fugitive and Australia's most wanted when he disappeared whilst on parole. Following his accidental capture on board a ship headed for Panama he was deported to Germany, leaving behind his family amid a blaze of hysterical publicity. He was never allowed to return to Australia and never saw his wife and children again.

'The Hitler Club' (the name coined by Australian security operatives) tells the gripping story of Becker and the people in his life, his rise to prominence and his inevitable fall at the hands of an unsympathetic legal system. Analysis of the transcript of Becker's deportation hearing reveals that the Judge's findings were flawed and unsupported by the evidence; the hearing was litter more than a show trial.

The book highlights the irony of an innocent former Nazi being denied justice by a xenophobic Establishment that preached fair play but practised bias. This is a story that cannot be ignored in today's 'war on terror' and the internment of 'enemy aliens' without due process.

ISBN: 9781921221095 (Paperback)

Year: 2007

Publisher: Brolga Publishing

Pages: 427 (Non-Fiction)

Links

1. Google books page

2. National Library of Australia page for the book

3. Publisher's page for the book

4. Buy from Fishpond

5. Review of the book

Once I Was A Princess (Jacqueline Pascarl)

Once I Was A Princess

Jacqueline Pascarl

Blurb: Can you imagine what it would be like to be swept off your feet by a royal prince to live a charmed life in the marble palaces of an oil-rich nation - and then to watch your fairy-tale romance turn into a nightmare of Islamic superstition, isolation, betrayal and abuse? What would you do if you managed to escape your life of torment - and then your children were kidnapped by their own father? This is what happened to Jacqueline Pascarl.

In Once I Was a Princess, Jacqueline recounts her part in this controversial, headline-grabing international drama with heart-rending honesty.

ISBN: 9781840182774 (Paperback)

Year: 1999

Publisher: Mainstream Publishing

Pages: 462 (Non-Fiction)

Links

1. Author's Wikipedia page

2. Buy from Amazon

3. Good reads page

4. Publisher's page for the book

5. Article on the author

Ma, He Sold Me For a Few Cigarettes (Martha Long)

Ma, He Sold Me For a Few Cigarettes

Martha Long

Blurb: Born a bastard to a teenage mother in the slums of 1950s Dublin, Martha has to be a fighter from the very start.

As her mother moves from man to man, and more children follow, they live hand-to-mouth in squalid, freezing tenements, clothed in rags and forced to beg for food. But just when it seems things can't get any worse, her mother meets Jackser.

Despite her trials, Martha is a child with an irrepressible spirit and a wit beyond her years. She tells the story of her early life without an ounce of self-pity and manages to recreate a lost era in which the shadow of the Catholic Church loomed large and if you didn't work, you didn't eat.

Martha never stops believing she is worth more than the hand she has been dealt, and her remarkable voice will remain with you long after you've finished the last line.

ISBN: 9781845965433 (Paperback)

Year: 2007

Publisher: Mainstream Publishing

Pages: 479 (Non-Fiction)

Links

1. Buy from Amazon

2. Good reads page

3. Google books page

4. Blog on the book

5. Publisher's Site

Sydney Bridge Upside Down (David Ballantyne)

Sydney Bridge Upside Down

David Ballantyne

Blurb: 'There was an old man who lived on the edge of the world and he had a horse called Sydney Bridge Upside Down. He was a scar-faced old man and his horse was a slow-moving bag of bones, and I start with this man and his horse because they were there for all the terrible happenings up the coast that summer, always somewhere around.'

Harry lives in Calliope Bay, on the edge of the world. His mother has gone to the city, perhaps just for the summer, perhaps longer. But while Harry wonders when she'll be back he is free to explore the forbidden and dangerous meatworks, a place where the cries of animals long ago slaughtered can be heard in the wind.

When his beautiful older cousin Caroline arrives, Harry is torn between childish games and his desire to protect her from the attentions of Wiggins the butcher. With terrible consequences.

A great, untamed New Zealand classic, Sydney Bridge Upside Down is a coming-of-age story, a disquieting family tragedy and a sinister gothic thriller.

ISBN: 9781921520020 (Paperback)

Year: 1968

Publisher: Text Publishing

Pages: 278 (Fiction)

Links

1. Publisher's page of the book

2. Goodreads page of the book

3. Google books page for the book

4. Blog on the book

5. Youtube clip on how important the book is to one person