Well the countdown to Christmas continues and with only 21 more sleeps to go until the special day the elves and all of Santa's special helpers have been really busy this week unpacking more boxes of great new book releases.
Here are just some of the great new book releases that have arrived in store this week:
A Drive of a Lifetime
Jamie Whincup
Memoir/Autobiography
This is the definitive account of the life and career of the winningest Supercar driver of all time, Jamie Whincup -- most championships, most race wins, most pole positions, most podiums. But it's also the story of the making of a champion - the drive and desire, the grind and the teamwork, the values and philosophies that it takes to get to the top, in sport and in the life.
With success comes challenges, and Jamie has always had a target painted squarely on his rear spoiler. And it all started back in 1991, when his father put him behind the wheel of his first go-kart. With steely focus and a relentless desire to win, it was only a matter of time before Whincup made the leap to the Formula Ford circuit and on to the big show- Supercars.
But there are ups and downs to life in the fast lane - sackings, loss of sponsors, the rivalries, the fans, the partnerships, the sacrifices and being true to the dream when everything looks like an off-ramp. There are freak accidents, split-second decisions that win the day, omens from the race gods, and a strong dose of self-made luck.
In 2008, Jamie would seal his quest for the Supercar crown after several near-misses, and he wouldn't look back. Seven championships, four Bathurst 1000 victories and a Bathurst 12-hour win in the books, you'd be tempted to ride off into the sunset. But that's never been Jamie's style. It's just the start of his next act- team principal of Triple Eight Race Engineering and mentor to the next generation of champions.
'You have to make a decision- What do you want out of life? Where do you want to go? How do you want to live?'
With success comes challenges, and Jamie has always had a target painted squarely on his rear spoiler. And it all started back in 1991, when his father put him behind the wheel of his first go-kart. With steely focus and a relentless desire to win, it was only a matter of time before Whincup made the leap to the Formula Ford circuit and on to the big show- Supercars.
But there are ups and downs to life in the fast lane - sackings, loss of sponsors, the rivalries, the fans, the partnerships, the sacrifices and being true to the dream when everything looks like an off-ramp. There are freak accidents, split-second decisions that win the day, omens from the race gods, and a strong dose of self-made luck.
In 2008, Jamie would seal his quest for the Supercar crown after several near-misses, and he wouldn't look back. Seven championships, four Bathurst 1000 victories and a Bathurst 12-hour win in the books, you'd be tempted to ride off into the sunset. But that's never been Jamie's style. It's just the start of his next act- team principal of Triple Eight Race Engineering and mentor to the next generation of champions.
'You have to make a decision- What do you want out of life? Where do you want to go? How do you want to live?'
Bert
Graeme Blundell
Memoir/Biography
AFTER SIX DECADES OF HIM BRINGING LAUGHTER, JOY AND CHEEKY IRREVERENCE INTO OUR HOMES, EVERY AUSTRALIAN KNEW BERT NEWTON Ol' Moonface, as he was affectionately named, ruled the radio waves of Melbourne in the 1950s before making the transition to our TV screens. Alongside Graham Kennedy and then Don Lane, Bert was the pre-eminent entertainer. Australians loved him, and when he married Patti McGrath, the police had to be called to hold the crowds back. Over the years, he quipped along with the best: Olivia Newton-John, Muhammad Ali, John Wayne, Sammy Davis Jr. and Robin Williams, to name a few. But behind his most public of faces is the story of a boy whose father died early and a young man whose compulsion to work led him to push himself to collapse. But, for Bert, the show always went on. Riding the highs and lows of the fickle television industry, he reinvigorated his career over and over as the world around him changed - from black-and-white to colour and beyond - to become one of our most enduring stars. Bert held the respect and admiration of his peers and fans alike. That respect and admiration lasted until the day he died, with his beloved Patti still by his side. In this insightful retelling of Bert Newton's life on and off the screen, Graeme Blundell captures the heart and soul of the Bert we all loved. 'kind, funny and quick-witted . . . everyone in Australia loved Bert!' OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN 'Bert was the original, and the best . . . and one of the kindest, and most generous, that Aussie TV ever produced.' LISA WILKINSON 'Bert Newton was the ultimate entertainer. Australian TV wouldn't be what it is without Bert.' ADAM HILLS 'We all grew up with Bert. The ultimate showman.' DAVID CAMPBELL 'Just by watching him . . . I learned how to handle the spotlight with grace, dignity, humour, and class.' HUGH JACKMAN
Leadership - Lessons From My Life in Rugby
Eddie Jones
Sporting
What does it take to become one of the successful coaches in the world? Eddie Jones is one of the most successful sports coaches of all time. From coaching three different nations to Rugby World Cup Finals and with a winning record with England of nearly 80%, Eddie Jones knows what it takes to lead and manage high performance teams. What can sport teach us about leadership? For the first time, Eddie Jones shows just what it takes to be a leader in a high performance and high pressure environment and how these lessons can be applied to every walk of life, from coaching the U9 rugby team to leading a multinational organisation to simply doing your job better. Have a voracious ambition to improve every day As he explains the High Performance Cycle of Success at the heart of his philosophy, Eddie Jones reveals the lessons he has learnt from Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger, Pep Guardiola as well as from the founder of Uniqlo and Ron Adams from the NBA. He also gives a detailed analysis of his own performance as a coach as well as how he gets the best out of the players and coaches around him and what he saw in Tom Curry that no one else saw, which makes him think that he could be the next Richie McCaw. Always start with the end in mind Drawing on stories of nearly thirty years of coaching, including the 2003, 2007, 2015 and 2019 World Rugby campaigns, the full story of England's 2021 Six Nations campaign as well as why it takes humour, humility and relentless curiosity to lead an eclectic mix of superstars from Maro Itoje to James Haskell, George Smith to Kyle Sinckler to create teams that are relentlessly hungry to win, Leadership is the ultimate rugby book about what it takes to be the best. Written with Donald McRae, two-time winner of the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award, Leadership is the book for anyone who wants to learn how to build and lead a team to success.
Let Go : The Resilience Project
Hugh Van Cuylenburg
Self Help
From the bestselling author of THE RESILIENCE PROJECT comes this deeply personal book about the importance of letting go.
If ever there was a time for us to be resilient, it was when a deadly virus emerged and engulfed the planet. As death rates soared and lockdowns radically altered our lives, The Resilience Project founder Hugh van Cuylenburg was one of the people Australia turned to for advice on how to cope. Under pressure to deliver good news during a historic crisis, it didn't take long for the Melbourne-based educator to realise he wasn't coping.
Like millions of others around the world, Hugh was forced to reassess life during the pandemic as COVID-19 undermined our sense of safety, strangled our personal connections and saw levels of happiness plunge. After taking the time to address his own feelings, Hugh recognised he was being hamstrung by the same powerful issues that affect the lives of many- shame, expectation, ego, fear of failure, the quest for perfection and control, and our addiction to social media.
In this follow-up to the bestselling The Resilience Project- Finding happiness through gratitude, empathy and mindfulness, Hugh combines powerful insight with research and his own disarming and candid storytelling to show how it is possible to create authentic connections, cope better during challenging times and rediscover joy.
If ever there was a time for us to be resilient, it was when a deadly virus emerged and engulfed the planet. As death rates soared and lockdowns radically altered our lives, The Resilience Project founder Hugh van Cuylenburg was one of the people Australia turned to for advice on how to cope. Under pressure to deliver good news during a historic crisis, it didn't take long for the Melbourne-based educator to realise he wasn't coping.
Like millions of others around the world, Hugh was forced to reassess life during the pandemic as COVID-19 undermined our sense of safety, strangled our personal connections and saw levels of happiness plunge. After taking the time to address his own feelings, Hugh recognised he was being hamstrung by the same powerful issues that affect the lives of many- shame, expectation, ego, fear of failure, the quest for perfection and control, and our addiction to social media.
In this follow-up to the bestselling The Resilience Project- Finding happiness through gratitude, empathy and mindfulness, Hugh combines powerful insight with research and his own disarming and candid storytelling to show how it is possible to create authentic connections, cope better during challenging times and rediscover joy.
Unforgiven
Sarah Barrie
Adult Fiction
Once a victim, she's now a vigilante. An addictive and suspenseful thriller for readers of Candice Fox and Sarah Bailey.
Lexi Winter is tough, street-smart and has stood on her own two feet since childhood, when she was a victim of notorious paedophile the Spider. All she cares about now is a roof over her head and her long-term relationship with Johnny Walker. She isn't particular about who she sleeps with ... as long as they pay before leaving.
Lexi is also an ace hacker, tracking and entrapping local paedophiles and reporting them to the cops. When she finds a particularly dangerous paedophile who the police can't touch, she decides to gather enough evidence to put him away. Instead, she's a witness to his death ...
Detective Inspector Rachael Langley is the cop who cracked the Spider case, 18 years earlier - but failed to protect Lexi. Now a man claiming to be the real Spider is emulating his murderous acts, and Rachael is under pressure from government, media and her police colleagues. Did she get it wrong all those years ago, or is this killer is a copycat?
Lexi and Rachael cross paths at last, the Spider in their sights ... but they may be too late ...
'Phenomenal. Lexi Winter is the gritty hero I didn't know I needed ... I'm now desperate for more' - bestselling Australian author Nicola Moriarty
Lexi Winter is tough, street-smart and has stood on her own two feet since childhood, when she was a victim of notorious paedophile the Spider. All she cares about now is a roof over her head and her long-term relationship with Johnny Walker. She isn't particular about who she sleeps with ... as long as they pay before leaving.
Lexi is also an ace hacker, tracking and entrapping local paedophiles and reporting them to the cops. When she finds a particularly dangerous paedophile who the police can't touch, she decides to gather enough evidence to put him away. Instead, she's a witness to his death ...
Detective Inspector Rachael Langley is the cop who cracked the Spider case, 18 years earlier - but failed to protect Lexi. Now a man claiming to be the real Spider is emulating his murderous acts, and Rachael is under pressure from government, media and her police colleagues. Did she get it wrong all those years ago, or is this killer is a copycat?
Lexi and Rachael cross paths at last, the Spider in their sights ... but they may be too late ...
'Phenomenal. Lexi Winter is the gritty hero I didn't know I needed ... I'm now desperate for more' - bestselling Australian author Nicola Moriarty
To The Sea
Nikki Crutchley
Adult Fiction
Keep a secret. Tell a lie. Protect the family. At all costs.
A compulsively readable suspense thriller from Ngaio Marsh Award shortlisted author, Nikki Crutchley, which will keep you guessing and reading up until late into the night.
Iluka has been the only home that 18-year-old Ana has ever known. The beautiful wild pine plantation overlooking the Pacific Ocean where her grandfather builds furniture, her aunt runs an artists' retreat and her uncle tends the land, is paradise, a private idyll safe from the outside world.
But the place holds a violent secret and when a stranger arrives, Ana will need to make a choice: to protect everything - and everyone - she holds dear or tell the truth and destroy it all.
An atmospheric, suspenseful, dark and twisty thriller in the tradition of Daphne du Maurier, Paula Hawkins, Anna Downes and JP Pomare.
'An enthralling thriller, as beautiful and deadly as an ocean storm ... Crutchley achieves a perfect balance as she draws the reader into an eerie world filled with secrets, lies and twisted love.' Rose Carlyle, The Girl in the Mirror
A compulsively readable suspense thriller from Ngaio Marsh Award shortlisted author, Nikki Crutchley, which will keep you guessing and reading up until late into the night.
Iluka has been the only home that 18-year-old Ana has ever known. The beautiful wild pine plantation overlooking the Pacific Ocean where her grandfather builds furniture, her aunt runs an artists' retreat and her uncle tends the land, is paradise, a private idyll safe from the outside world.
But the place holds a violent secret and when a stranger arrives, Ana will need to make a choice: to protect everything - and everyone - she holds dear or tell the truth and destroy it all.
An atmospheric, suspenseful, dark and twisty thriller in the tradition of Daphne du Maurier, Paula Hawkins, Anna Downes and JP Pomare.
'An enthralling thriller, as beautiful and deadly as an ocean storm ... Crutchley achieves a perfect balance as she draws the reader into an eerie world filled with secrets, lies and twisted love.' Rose Carlyle, The Girl in the Mirror
Aggie Morton Mystery Queen Peril at Owl Pass
Marthe Jocelyn
Illustrated by Isabelle Fallath
Junior Fiction
For young detective Aggie Morton and her friend Hector, Christmas becomes a lot more exciting when a dead body is found in this second book in the Aggie Morton, Mystery Queen series, inspired by the life of Agatha Christie as a child and her most popular creation, Hercule Poirot. For fans of The Wollstonecraft Detective Agency.
Aspiring writer Aggie Morton is looking forward to Christmas. Having just solved a murder and survived her own brush with death inal her small town of Torquay on the coast of England, Aggie can't wait to spend the holidays with her sister Marjorie, the new Lady Greyson of Owl Park, an enormous manor house in the country; Grannie Jane and her fellow sleuth and partner in crime, Hector Perot. Owl Park holds many delights including Aggie's almost cousin Lucy, exciting and glamorous visitors from Ceylon and disguises aplenty in the form of a group of travelling actors, not to mention a secret passageway AND an enormous, cursed emerald. Not even glowering old Lady Greyson (the Senior) can interfere with Aggie's festive cheer. But when Aggie and her friends discover a body instead of presents on Christmas morning, things take a deadly serious turn. With the help of a certain nosy reporter, Aggie and Hector will once again have to put their deductive skills and imaginations to work to find the murderer on the loose.
Filled with mystery, adventure, unforgettable characters and several helpings of tea and Christmas pudding, Peril at Owl Park is the second book in a new series for middle-grade readers and Christie and Poirot fans everywhere
Aspiring writer Aggie Morton is looking forward to Christmas. Having just solved a murder and survived her own brush with death inal her small town of Torquay on the coast of England, Aggie can't wait to spend the holidays with her sister Marjorie, the new Lady Greyson of Owl Park, an enormous manor house in the country; Grannie Jane and her fellow sleuth and partner in crime, Hector Perot. Owl Park holds many delights including Aggie's almost cousin Lucy, exciting and glamorous visitors from Ceylon and disguises aplenty in the form of a group of travelling actors, not to mention a secret passageway AND an enormous, cursed emerald. Not even glowering old Lady Greyson (the Senior) can interfere with Aggie's festive cheer. But when Aggie and her friends discover a body instead of presents on Christmas morning, things take a deadly serious turn. With the help of a certain nosy reporter, Aggie and Hector will once again have to put their deductive skills and imaginations to work to find the murderer on the loose.
Filled with mystery, adventure, unforgettable characters and several helpings of tea and Christmas pudding, Peril at Owl Park is the second book in a new series for middle-grade readers and Christie and Poirot fans everywhere
Mr Bambuckles Remarkables : Fight Back
Tim Harris
Illustrated by James Hart
Junior Fiction
Australia's favourite teacher is back - but has Mr Bambuckle met his greatest challenge yet?
Vex is gone! We have to find him.
But how? He could be anywhere.
We'll have to track him down.
That's impossible.
Not if we work together!
Mr Bambuckle and the class in room 12B are in trouble. Can they find Vex before it's too late?
Vex is gone! We have to find him.
But how? He could be anywhere.
We'll have to track him down.
That's impossible.
Not if we work together!
Mr Bambuckle and the class in room 12B are in trouble. Can they find Vex before it's too late?
Guess How Much I Love You
Sam McBratney
Illustrated by Anita Jeram
Children's Book
Guess How Much I Love You has sold over 43 million copies worldwide!
The enchanting international bestseller.
This gorgeous picture book has become a modern classic. The story of Little Nutbrown Hare and Big Nutbrown Hare trying to express how much they love each other is one which has captivated adults and children the world over. For activities, games, newsletters and more, visit www.guesshowmuchiloveyou.com
Rudie Nudie - 10th Anniversary Edition
Emma Quay
Childrens Book
Ten years on, and still running out the door!
One, two Rudie Nudie,
Rudie Nudie in the bath.
Squeaky clean and splishing,
splashing,
sploshing ?
Rudie Nudie laugh.
Celebrate a decade of Rudie Nudie, the modern classic and beloved family favourite from award-winning author and illustrator Emma Quay.
One, two Rudie Nudie,
Rudie Nudie in the bath.
Squeaky clean and splishing,
splashing,
sploshing ?
Rudie Nudie laugh.
Celebrate a decade of Rudie Nudie, the modern classic and beloved family favourite from award-winning author and illustrator Emma Quay.
So I hope you enjoy my selection of great new book releases this week and if you need any more help with your selection of books for Christmas then please don't hesitate to message us. Also don't forget to check out all the latest book arrivals online at www.booksngifts.com.au or if you are down in Berry please come in and visit our sister store Berry Newsagency. We are also pleased to announce that we will soon be launching our own retail store in Stockland Nowra so stay tuned for more exciting updates on that front.
Head Bookseller
Tammy