Toy Fights
Don Paterson. Allen & Unwin. $24.99.
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Scottish poet Paterson spent his boyhood on a council housing estate. When he wasn't busy dreading his birthdays, dodging kids who wanted to kill him in a game of Toy Fights, working with his country-and-western singer dad, obsessing over God, origami, sex or Scottish football cards, he was developing a sugar addiction, playing guitar and descending into madness. While he didn't manage to figure out who he was meant to be, the first 20 years of his life - before he took a chance, packed his guitar and boarded a train to London - did, for better or worse, shape who he would become.
God's Ghostwriters
Candida Moss. HarperCollins. $59.99.
For the past 2000 years, Christian tradition and scholarship have credited the authorship of the New Testament to a select group of men: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and Paul. But they did not write alone. Hidden behind them are enslaved co-authors and collaborators who produced the earliest manuscripts, taking dictation, sometimes editorialising, polishing, and refining. Later, enslaved missionaries moved Christianity from Jerusalem to Europe and Africa. Finally, when these texts were read aloud to new audiences, it was educated and trained enslaved workers who performed them - deciding whether a statement was sincere or sarcastic; a throwaway remark or something central to be emphasised.
Show Up
Tammy Hembrow. Penguin. $36.99.
Discover the accessible tools and tips that fitness and fashion entrepreneur Tammy Hembrow has used to build success and happiness in all the key areas of life. Have you ever wondered what you could achieve if you knew how to show up as your best, strongest self every day? Since founding Tammy Fit and Saski and becoming a mum aged 20, Hembrow has had her share of ups and downs. But through it all she's held strong to her values and motivations, and used a positive mindset to create a life she adores. Here, she reveals what she's learned about keeping everything balanced.
Your Time Starts Now
Julie Goodwin. Penguin. $36.99.
Subtitled "Food and fame, failure and freedom: the life story of Australia's first MasterChef", this book recounts Goodwin's life including her early career in youth work. After her three sons were born, she and her husband started an IT business. Then came the win on MasterChef, providing lots of attention and opportunities. But under the surface, relentless pressure from her outer and inner worlds was taking its toll. Struggling with depression, anxiety and addiction, with bushfires blazing and lockdowns looming, Goodwin found herself hospitalised in a mental health unit. Her recovery is an ongoing process.
With Winter Comes Darkness
Robbi Neal. HarperCollins Australia. $32.99
In Ballarat in 1975, Alice is happy - she has a lovely house and children and a devoted husband. Then a terrible accident rips a child from her, a profound betrayal is uncovered, and things fall apart. On the same day Alice's world collapses, a man is found brutally murdered on respected teacher Ellery's farm. Ellery can't remember what happened but there is blood on his clothes, and he is arrested. Neither Alice nor Ellery realise that their paths in life are about to intertwine and a desperate bargain is about to be made that could save or destroy them in their quest to fathom the darkness that surrounds them.
The North Wind
Alexandria Warwick. Simon & Schuster Australia. $32.99.
Described as Book #1 of The Four Winds, this fantasy romance tells the story of orphaned Wren of Edgewood who must ensure she and her sister survive the harsh, endless winter. For centuries, the land surrounding Edgewood has been encased in ice as the Shade, a magical barrier that protects the townsfolk from the Deadlands beyond, weakens. Only one thing can stop the Shade's fall: the blood of a mortal woman bound in wedlock to the North Wind, a dangerous immortal whose heart is said to be as frigid as the land he rules. The time has come to choose his bride - and he sets his eyes on Wren's sister.
A Woman in Sardinia
Valeria Usala. Translated by Katherine Gregor. Text. $34.99.
In this debut novel, based on a true story, Valeria Usala takes readers into the heart of rural Sardinia, where superstitions and cruelty coexist with the joys and companionship of a tight-knit community. Teresa runs a shop and a tavern. But not even the family she has created with the man she loves can protect her from the malicious gossip of jealous locals, who are threatened by her independence. Her own mother, Maria, was made an outcast, and now Teresa is in turn forsaken by the villagers. Will she pay for her success with her life?
The Studio Girls
Lisa Ireland. Penguin. $34.95.
It's 1955 and four talented young women become best friends while living at the Hollywood Studio Club, the boarding house for movie hopefuls. Julia Newman is a rising star. Peggy Carmichael is still awaiting her big break. Vivienne Lockhart is constantly reduced to "sexpot" roles and will do whatever it takes to succeed. And aspiring scriptwriter Sadie Shore has little interest in the trappings of fame, particularly when she becomes the personal assistant of a big studio boss and her eyes are opened to the perils of her friends' dreams. Victorian writer Ireland's novel was inspired by real Hollywood stories.
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