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                            A Life on Pittwater by Susan Duncan 06/11/2009
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                            Susan Duncan came to Pittwater when she impulsively bought a tumbledown, boxy little shack in Lovett Bay. The move changed her life forever, as she describes in her bestselling title, Salvation Creek. Now Susan lives in Tarangaua, the gracious house built for Dorothea Mackellar in 1925 and is a well loved member of the small Pittwater community.

                            A LIFE ON PITTWATER takes the reader on a memorable trip to this beguiling place and presents all aspects of its distinctive way of life. There is Susan's lovely home with its gorgeous verandah; the lush surroundings, the bush and the bays; the wildlife and the ever-present dogs; the tinnies, the ferries and the peculiarities of living somewhere without cars; the boatsheds and the working boats; the bushfires; and, above all, the close community life.

                            Welcome to Pittwater where neighbours stop their tinnies to have a quick chat. No-one ever dresses up. The kids take the ferry to school. Goannas wander into kitchens and leeches attach themselves to ankles. Everyone has time for a cup of tea and a slice of homemade fruitcake. It's a place like no-where else in Australia; and it's also quintessentially Australian. Susan's text describes the life with warmth and heart and the stunning photography by Anthony Ong captures its unique beauty. This glorious book will make you smile as you turn the pages and lose yourself to the magic of Pittwater.

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                            Manhood for Amateurs by Michael Chabon 06/11/2009
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                            In these insightful, provocative, slyly interlinked essays, one of our most brilliant and humane writers presents his autobiography and vision of life in the way so many of us experience our own: as a series of reflections, regrets and re-examinations, each sparked by an encounter, in the present, that holds some legacy of the past.

                            What does it mean to be a man today? Chabon invokes and interprets and struggles to reinvent for us, with characteristic warmth and lyric wit, the personal and family history that haunts him even as it goes on being written every day. As a son, a husband, and above all as a father of four young children, Chabon′s memories of childhood, of his parents′ marriage and divorce, of moments of painful adolescent comedy and giddy encounters with the popular art and literature of his own youth, are like a theme played - on different instruments, with a fresh tempo and in a new key - by the mad quartet of which he now finds himself co-conductor.

                            At once dazzling, hilarious and moving, MANHOOD FOR AMATEURS is destined to become a classic.

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                            Dita Stripteese by Dita Von Teese and Sheryl Nields 06/11/2009
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                            Famed photographer Sheryl Nields brings burlesque superstar Dita Von Teese to life in a series of flip books that capture her most intimate performances. A perfect collectible book for fans of Dita, classic burlesque devotees, or for anyone who loves a playful and beautifully packaged book, Dita: Stripteese is an exquisite visual tribute to this one-of-a-kind performer, featuring three of her most beloved dances:

                            Martini Glass Show: Performed all over the world, the martini glass show is Dita's most famous burlesque act. Featuring her in her "Diamonds in the Buff" costume, Dita performs a traditional striptease that culminates with her bathing herself in an oversize martini glass, complete with olive sponge.

                            Bird of Paradise Show: Inside a posh gilded Victorian birdcage, burlesque's brightest star reinvents the classic feather fan dance with two lush oversize feather fans of exotic, rare magenta pheasant feathers. In an extraordinary costume of beautifully curved feathers, Dita spins around on her golden perch, and treats audiences to an unforgettable wet and wild finale as sparkling water showers over her body.

                            Classic Striptease: This striptease features Dita dressed in a vintage suit complete with a veiled hat, seamed stockings, and sky-high stilettos. Audiences get a glimpse into Dita's personal wardrobe-and the incredible Mr. Pearl-designed corset she reveals underneath!

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                            I Blame Ducahmp by Edmund Capon 06/11/2009
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                            In this sweeping collection of essays, Edmund Capon describes his lifelong fascination with art and the artists who, over centuries, have enlightened us and challenged the way we see the world.  He shares his passion for topics as diverse as the art of China and the Renaissance Old Masters, talks of personal encounters with artists such as Henry Moore and Sidney Nolan, and tells the stories behind some of his controversial acquisitions as the long-time director of the Art Gallery of New South Wales, including Cy Twombly's Three Studies from the Temeraire.

                            Driven by curiosity and his love of the unorthodox, Capon applies the same level of passion to his discussion of football as to the ideas of Confucius.  He sharpens his wit on the contemporary art world, where conceptual art – much of it devoid of beauty (and sometimes a concept) – reigns supreme.  For this, says Capon, Duchamp, and his infamous Fountain, are at least partly to blame.

                            Featuring more than fifty beautiful reproductions of paintings and drawings from collections around the world, this collection is a fascinating insight into the mind of the liveliest and most generous thinkers of our generation.

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                            What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell 06/11/2009
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                            Malcolm Gladwell is the master of playful yet profound insight. And in What the Dog Saw his adventurous curiosity is at full stretch, as he takes everyday subjects and shows us surprising new ways of looking at them.

                            What can hair dye tell us about the history of the twentieth century? Why are there dozens of varieties of mustard but only one of ketchup? What didn't the inventor of the birth control pill know about women's health? Why may a problem like homelessness be easier to solve than to manage? Who do we hire when we can't tell who's right for the job? What's the difference between choking and panicking? What can pit bulls teach us about crime? And are smart people actually rather overrated? Gladwell introduces us to obsessives, pioneers and other varieties of minor genius, diagnoses some of our greatest and most overlooked problems, and explores the confounding mysteries of our characters, personalities and intelligence.

                            What the Dog Saw is Malcolm Gladwell at his very best, as he shows us the intriguing story within everyone and everything. Whether it's criminal profiling or dog training, Gladwell always gives us a completely new perspective, and a glimpse into someone else's head.

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                            Day After Night by Anita Diamant 06/11/2009
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                            Atlit is a holding camp for "illegal" immigrants in Israel in 1945. There, about 270 men and women await their future and try to recover from their past. Diamant, with infinite compassion and understanding, tells the stories of the women gathered in this place.
                            Shayndel is a Polish Zionist who fought the Germans with a band of partisans. Leonie is a Parisian beauty. Tedi is Dutch, a strapping blond who wants only to forget. Zorah survived Auschwitz. Haunted by unspeakable memories and too many losses to bear, these young women, along with a stunning cast of supporting characters who work in or pass through Atlit, begin to find salvation in the bonds of friendship and shared experience, as they confront the challenge of re-creating themselves and discovering a way to live again.

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                            Buon Ricordo by Armando Percuoco and David Dale 06/11/2009
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                            From one of Australia's most awarded Italian restaurants, a mouth-watering collection of easy to cook recipes designed for everyday living as well as a selection of 'did you really make that' dinner party spectaculars.

                            Thirty years ago, the only thing Australians knew about Italian food was spaghetti bolognese. Now, we order the most adventurous dishes with perfect pronunciation.
                            Italian food is the most accessible, generous and participatory cooking style in the world. Even an absolute beginner can produce meals that are satisfying and impressive. And cooking creates conversation around the table.
                            In Buon Ricordo, Armando Percuoco removes the mystique from restaurant food, to make you feel as comfortable in your kitchen as he feels in the kitchen of Buon Ricordo. He shows you how to cook great Italian food in many different ways, and teaches you how different techniques can bring out different qualities in them.
                            Buon appetito e buon ricordo.

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                            What are the Odds? by Bill Waterhouse 06/11/2009
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                            The Waterhouse name is synonymous with Australian horse racing and bookmaking. For the first time, the family’s patriarch, Bill Waterhouse, tells the story of his remarkable life ‘playing the odds’.

                            Bill Waterhouse is a true Australian character who has spent a lifetime mixing it with the biggest names in sport, business and politics.

                            Whilst learning the bookmaking art from his father, Bill studied law and practised as a barrister. With his brothers, he built up a property empire, including Sydney’s biggest hotel, yet bookmaking remained his passion. By the 1960s he was Australia’s biggest bookie, and he remained at the top for over twenty years.

                            Renowned for never refusing to take a gambler on, Big Bill always attracted the high-stake punters. His gambling duels are legendary: from ‘Filipino Fireball’ Felipe Ysmael and the ‘Hong Kong Tiger’ Frank Duval, to the up-and-coming Kerry Packer.

                            In the 1980s, with son Robbie already a leading bookmaker, the Fine Cotton affair brought ignominy to the Waterhouse name. Although cleared of any wrongdoing, Bill was warned off racetracks for fourteen years. Here he reveals how deeply the affair hurt his family and his reputation.

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                            Parrot and Oliver in America by Peter Carey 06/11/2009
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                            Olivier is a young aristocrat, one of an endangered species born in France just after the Revolution. Parrot, the son of an itinerant English printer, wanted to be an artist but has ended up in middle age as a servant.

                            When Olivier sets sail for the New World - ostensibly to study its prisons, but in reality to avoid yet another revolution - Parrot is sent with him, as spy, protector, foe and foil. Through their adventures with women and money, incarceration and democracy, writing and painting, they make an unlikely pair. But where better for unlikely things to flourish than in the glorious, brand-new experiment, America?

                            A dazzlingly inventive reimagining of Alexis de Tocqueville's famous journey, Parrot and Olivier in America brilliantly evokes the Old World colliding with the New. Above all, it is a wildly funny, tender portrait of two men who come to form an almost impossible friendship, and a completely improbable work of art.

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                            Thai Street Food by David Thompson 06/11/2009
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                            It's hard to imagine a more knowledgeable and inspiring guide to the vibrant world of Thai street food than internationally renowned chef and Thai food expert David Thompson.  Join him on a whirlwind tour of the curry shops and stir-fry stalls of Thailand: a float on the canals of Bangkok, on the streets and in the markets – then try your hand at cooking the fast, fresh, and irresistible food that sustains a nation.  With Earl Carter's photo essays of Thai street life and exquisite food photography, Thai Street Food so effectively captures the atmosphere of Thailand's streets and markets it's as if you were there.

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