The Accusation

The Accusation

Author: Wendy James

Publisher: HarperCollins

Published: 2019-06-01

Total Pages: 241

ISBN-13: 1460707230

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Somebody is lying. After eighteen-year-old Ellie Canning is found shivering and barely conscious on a country road, her bizarre story of kidnap and escape enthrals the nation. Who would do such a thing? And why? Local drama teacher Suzannah Wells, once a minor celebrity, is new to town. Suddenly she's in the spotlight again, accused of being the monster who drugged and bound a teenager in her basement. As stories about her past emerge, even those closest to her begin to doubt her innocence. And Ellie? The media can't get enough of her. She's a girl-power icon, a social-media star. But is she telling the truth? A powerful exploration of the fragility of trust and the loss of innocence, from the author of The Golden Child and The Mistake. PRAISE 'James brilliantly takes this historical true crime and updates it to the internet age' Cameron Woodhead, Sydney Morning Herald 'This satisfying novel perfectly captures our current world, saturated by social media, obsessed by beautiful victims and easily identified villains, and quick to judge and condemn ... This is a gripping novel with plenty of twists, underpinned by acute observations about society.' Good Reading magazine 'The Accusation will grip you from page one ... Intelligent, suspenseful, and masterfully paced, with a killer twist in the tail, The Accusation is domestic noir at its best, perfect for fans of Adele Parks, Caroline Overington and Liane Moriarty' Better Reading 'The Accusation is Australian crime writing at its best, showcasing the great talent of Australian women writers out there today. It deserves all the hype! A brilliant book, very highly recommended.' But Books are Better blog 'The way the book was structured really gave it an inventive feel ... Highly recommended' Katrina Ferguson and Kathryn Ryan, Radio New Zealand PRAISE FOR THE GOLDEN CHILD 'The novel is cleverly constructed, the characters are extremely well-drawn, the use of social media as a plot device is very sophisticated, and the resolution is a genuine surprise' Judges' report, Ned Kelly Crime Awards, 2017 'This is domestic noir at its most intelligent and sharp' Sydney Morning Herald 'It takes 48 hours to pulse through Wendy James' rollercoaster 21st century story about parenting' Australian Women's Weekly 'an engaging and intimate read that will appeal to fans of Liane Moriarty and Jodi Picoult, with nods to Lionel Shriver and Christos Tsiolkas' The Slap . . . 4 Stars' Books & Publishing 'This book is utterly brilliant' Nicola Moriarty'


Books that Changed the World

Books that Changed the World

Author: Andrew Taylor

Publisher: Hachette UK

Published: 2014-03-06

Total Pages: 257

ISBN-13: 1849165610

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Books that Changed the World tells the fascinating stories behind 50 books that, in ways great and small, have changed the course of human history. Andrew Taylor sets each text in its historical context and explores its wider influence and legacy. Whether he's discussing the incandescent effect of The Qu'ran, the enduring influence of Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations, of the way in which Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe glavanized the anti-slavery movement, Taylor has written a stirring and informative testament to human ingenuity and endeavour. Ranging from The Iliad to Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the Kama Sutra to Lady Chatterley's Lover, this is the ultimate, thought-provoking read for book-lovers everywhere.


The Art of Being Normal

The Art of Being Normal

Author: Lisa Williamson

Publisher: Macmillan + ORM

Published: 2016-05-31

Total Pages: 321

ISBN-13: 0374302391

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An inspiring and timely debut novel from Lisa Williamson, The Art of Being Normal is about two transgender friends who figure out how to navigate teen life with help from each other. David Piper has always been an outsider. His parents think he's gay. The school bully thinks he's a freak. Only his two best friends know the real truth: David wants to be a girl. On the first day at his new school Leo Denton has one goal: to be invisible. Attracting the attention of the most beautiful girl in his class is definitely not part of that plan. When Leo stands up for David in a fight, an unlikely friendship forms. But things are about to get messy. Because at Eden Park School secrets have a funny habit of not staying secret for long , and soon everyone knows that Leo used to be a girl. As David prepares to come out to his family and transition into life as a girl and Leo wrestles with figuring out how to deal with people who try to define him through his history, they find in each other the friendship and support they need to navigate life as transgender teens as well as the courage to decide for themselves what normal really means.


The Secrets of Story

The Secrets of Story

Author: Matt Bird

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2016-11-01

Total Pages: 369

ISBN-13: 1440348235

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You've just boarded a plane. You've loaded your phone with your favorite podcasts, but before you can pop in your earbuds, disaster strikes: The guy in the next seat starts telling you all about something crazy that happened to him--in great detail. This is the unwelcome storyteller, trying to convince a reluctant audience to care about his story. We all hate that guy, right? But when you tell a story (any kind of story: a novel, a memoir, a screenplay, a stage play, a comic, or even a cover letter), you become the unwelcome storyteller. So how can you write a story that audiences will embrace? The answer is simple: Remember what it feels like to be that jaded audience. Tell the story that would win you over, even if you didn't want to hear it. The Secrets of Story provides comprehensive, audience-focused strategies for becoming a master storyteller. Armed with the Ultimate Story Checklist, you can improve every aspect of your fiction writing with incisive questions like these: • Concept: Is the one-sentence description of your story uniquely appealing? • Character: Can your audience identify with your hero? • Structure and Plot: Is your story ruled by human nature? • Scene Work: Does each scene advance the plot and reveal character through emotional reactions? • Dialogue: Is your characters' dialogue infused with distinct personality traits and speech patterns based on their lives and backgrounds? • Tone: Are you subtly setting, resetting, and upsetting expectations? • Theme: Are you using multiple ironies throughout the story to create meaning? To succeed in the world of fiction and film, you have to work on every aspect of your craft and satisfy your audience. Do both--and so much more--with The Secrets of Story.


Story Engineering

Story Engineering

Author: Larry Brooks

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2011-01-27

Total Pages: 288

ISBN-13: 1599632810

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What makes a good story or a screenplay great? The vast majority of writers begin the storytelling process with only a partial understanding where to begin. Some labor their entire lives without ever learning that successful stories are as dependent upon good engineering as they are artistry. But the truth is, unless you are master of the form, function and criteria of successful storytelling, sitting down and pounding out a first draft without planning is an ineffective way to begin. Story Engineering starts with the criteria and the architecture of storytelling, the engineering and design of a story--and uses it as the basis for narrative. The greatest potential of any story is found in the way six specific aspects of storytelling combine and empower each other on the page. When rendered artfully, they become a sum in excess of their parts. You'll learn to wrap your head around the big pictures of storytelling at a professional level through a new approach that shows how to combine these six core competencies which include: • Four elemental competencies of concept, character, theme, and story structure (plot) • Two executional competencies of scene construction and writing voice The true magic of storytelling happens when these six core competencies work together in perfect harmony. And the best part? Anyone can do it!


What Snail Knows

What Snail Knows

Author: Kathryn Apel

Publisher:

Published: 2022-03

Total Pages: 224

ISBN-13: 9780702265464

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Lucy and Dad move a lot, so it's hard to make friends. Luckily, she has Snail, the perfect pet for a lonely girl. If only she had her own shell to hide in when she started at a new school. But this place is different. She likes her teacher, Miss Darling. She likes her classmates, especially Tahnee. She even likes Mei-hui's van park, where she lives with Dad and Snail. This place feels like home. But can she convince her dad to stay? From the author of Bully on the Bus comes this moving story about making friends and finding where you belong.


Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Author: J.K. Rowling

Publisher: Pottermore Publishing

Published: 2015-12-08

Total Pages: 311

ISBN-13: 1781100489

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Turning the envelope over, his hand trembling, Harry saw a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms; a lion, an eagle, a badger and a snake surrounding a large letter 'H'. Harry Potter has never even heard of Hogwarts when the letters start dropping on the doormat at number four, Privet Drive. Addressed in green ink on yellowish parchment with a purple seal, they are swiftly confiscated by his grisly aunt and uncle. Then, on Harry's eleventh birthday, a great beetle-eyed giant of a man called Rubeus Hagrid bursts in with some astonishing news: Harry Potter is a wizard, and he has a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. An incredible adventure is about to begin! Having become classics of our time, the Harry Potter eBooks never fail to bring comfort and escapism. With their message of hope, belonging and the enduring power of truth and love, the story of the Boy Who Lived continues to delight generations of new readers.


Chasing the Stars

Chasing the Stars

Author: Malorie Blackman

Publisher: Random House

Published: 2016-04-21

Total Pages: 497

ISBN-13: 0857531425

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Olivia (Vee), is now captain of her own spaceship, an Explorer Vessel which set out seven years earlier on a deep space mission. She and her twin brother Aidan are heading alone back to Earth following the virus that wiped out the rest of the ship in its entirety three years earlier âe" including their parents. Nathan is part of a community heading in the opposite direction. A violent war is spreading through space so theyâe(tm)re heading for a peaceful patch from where they will plan an uprising. But on their journey, Nathanâe(tm)s ship is attacked and most of the community killed. Only a few survive, thanks to Vee and Aidan, who rescue them, bringing them on board their ship. Nathan and Vee are instantly attracted to each other, and in the midst of all the dramas and hostilities of this newly occupied ship, they fall head-over-heels in love. But not everyone is happy with their relationship. Someone is sowing rumours of Nathanâe(tm)s infidelity, Veeâe(tm)s flaws, and putting the lives of everybody on board at risk . . .


The Tree Climber’s Guide

The Tree Climber’s Guide

Author: Jack Cooke

Publisher: HarperCollins

Published: 2016-04-07

Total Pages: 304

ISBN-13: 0008153922

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‘After I finished this book I alarmed my family by going into the garden and climbing the apple tree.’ – Damian Whitworth, The Times