Woody Stiles has sung his country songs in every city on the map. His life is one long road trip in a never-ending quest for fame and fortune. But when his agent books him into a club in his hometown, a place he swore he would never set foot again, Woody comes face to face with a few old demons. One in particular. With memories of his childhood bombarding him from every angle, Woody must accept the fact that his old enemy, Willow Man, was not just a figment of childish imagination. With his friends at his side, now all grown up just like he is, Woody goes to battle with the killer that stole his childhood lover. Woody also learns Willow Man has been busy while he was away, destroying even more of Woody's past. And in the midst of all this drama, Woody is stunned to find himself falling in love—something he never thought he would do again. As kids, Woody and his friends could not stop the killer who lived in the canyon where they played. As adults, they might just have a chance. Or will they?
SHORTLISTED FOR THE BOOKPEOPLE ADULT FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023 'Joyous storytelling at its best. I was enthralled' SARAH WINMAN, author of Still Life 'Beguiling and entertaining' PETER LALOR, Weekend Australian 'I bloody loved this - a gorgeous, heartbreaking examination of so much more than cricket' ROBBIE ARNOTT, author of Limberlost Reader Cricket Bats, one of the last traditional batmakers back in England, has a contemporary home in the Antipodes, with Allan Reader keeping the family business alive in a small workshop in Melbourne. When Todd Harrow, a gifted young batter, catches Allan's eye, a spark is lit and Allan decides to make a Reader bat for him, selecting the best piece of willow he's harvested in years to do so. As Harrow charts a meteoric rise to the highest echelons of the sport, leaving his equally talented sister's dreams in his wake, Allan's magical bat takes centre stage as well, awakening something in him. But can Allan's fledgling renaissance - hanging as it does on the magic of that bat - carry on after Harrow is stricken by injury and a strained personal life? With Willowman, award-winning author Inga Simpson has written a love letter to the art and beauty of cricket and a meditation on the inner lives of certain kinds of men and women, for whom it is a way of life. 'Willowman may well be the perfect Australian novel' Readings 'Not since Jasper Jones have I been so utterly spellbound by the next ball, the state of the pitch and the intricacies of scoring' KATE MILDENHALL, author of The Mother Fault 'What a wonderful book. What a read. A love story to cricket, to families, to craft and to music. Beautifully written' MICHAEL BRISSENDEN 'A fabulous novel. Inga Simpson brings all her craft and sensitivity to a story that has never been told, and now that she has done it, it feels like this was a story that was needing to be told' MALCOLM KNOX 'Delightful' JOHN DOYLE (aka Rampaging Roy Slaven) 'A six all the way: Willowman is a novel off the middle of the bat' SYDNEY MORNING HERALD 'These charismatic characters, through good and ill, rise memorable from the page, stroke by inspired stroke, ball by crafty ball, living vividly through cricket history' COURIER MAIL 'A book for the summer, one to throw in the kitbag to read during rain delays, or between overs in the stands, to read even if you're not a fan of the game' Canberra Times 'Heartfelt . . . Uplifting . . . Simpson explores family, priorities, the pain of making difficult choices and the knowledge that it's never too late to start over. This is an uplifting book' Books+Publishing 'Told authentically and with consummate affection' Good Reading 'Moving, gripping, authentic, so tenderly told; at once a page-turner and a life-giving meditation - Willowman is just magic' BROOKE DAVIS
Many people have a mental picture of the Canadian north that juxtaposes beauty with harshness. For the Van Tat Gwich'in, the northern Yukon is home, with a living history passed on from Elders to youth. This book consists of oral accounts that the Elders have been recording for 50 years, representing more than 150 years of their history, all meticulously translated from Gwich'in. Yet this is more than a gathering of history; collaborator Shirleen Smith provides context for the stories, whether they are focused on an individual or international politics. Anthropologists, folklorists, ethnohistorians, political scientists, economists, Indigenous Peoples, and readers interested in Canada's northernmost regions will find much to fascinate them.
This book presents the most recent scholarship on J.R.R. Tolkien, but also introduces and explores the author and scholar's life and work within their historical and cultural contexts. It examines Tolkien's fiction and his sources of influence along with his artistic and academic achievements, including his translations of medieval texts.
Willow James has always dreamed of finding Mr. Right. She thought she had found true love in her last relationship with Jordan Michael, but that turned out to be a hot mess. Jordan was an incredible piece of eye candy, but he wasnt worth a penny. Then one day she meets Rece Gallantine and her world is flipped upside down. He is everything that she has ever dreamed of. Tall, smart, funnyhandsome. What else could a girl ask for? Well, theres only one problemhes white and shes black. How will she ever tell her parents that shes dating a white guy? Her dad is going to hit the roof! Oh well, shes a grown woman and she can do as she pleases. At least thats what she keeps telling herself. At any rate, she cant think about all of that stuff right now. Willow is in love and shell cross that bridge when she comes to it. Until then, shes going to enjoy Rece and all that comes along with it!
Daughter of a poisoned prince and a crafty noblewoman, quiet, bright-minded Hild arrives at the court of King Edwin of Northumbria, where the six-year-old takes on the role of seer/consiglieri for a monarch troubled by shifting allegiances and Roman emissaries attempting to spread their new religion.
Focusing on the bizarre, a collection of entertaining, illustrated travel guides features a host of oddball curiosities, ghosts and haunted places, local legends, cursed roads, crazy characters, and unusual roadside attractions that can be found in England.
Twin Soul Bodies. One was like a golden sun, making it impossible for people to look directly at it. The other was like a star in the night. It was brilliant and dazzling. Relying on his determination, he stepped into dangerous areas, trained his physical body, accompanied by his beauties. After changing his fate, he beheaded evil spirits, killed tens of thousands of demons, rose to prominence amongst the human race, and made friends with drunk brothers.
Willow Taylor lives in a castle with large walls and iron fences. But this is no ordinary castle. It's called Heartstone Psychiatric Hospital and it houses forty other patients. It has nurses with mean faces and techs with permanent frowns. It has a man, as well. A man who is cold and distant. Whose voice drips with authority. And whose piercing gray eyes hide secrets, and maybe linger on her face a second too long. Willow isn't supposed to look deep into those eyes. She isn't supposed to try to read his tightly-leashed emotions. Neither is she supposed to touch herself at night, imagining his powerful voice and that cold but beautiful face. No, Willow Taylor shouldn't be attracted to Simon Blackwood at all. Because she's a patient and he's her doctor. Her psychiatrist. The medicine man.
Fiona Stafford offers intimate, detailed explorations of seventeen common trees, from ash and apple to pine, oak, cypress, and willow. Stafford discusses practical uses of wood past and present, tree diseases and environmental threats, and trees' potential contributions toward slowing global climate change
