Showing results by publisher "Penguin Random House Australia Audio" in All Categories

There's this weird gap in life that's fuelled by cheap tacos and even cheaper tequila - also known as our 20s. It's a specific limbo of being suspended between being a teenager and a 'Proper Adult' and though it's wildly confusing, often lonely, sometimes embarrassing and frequently daunting, there's also a whole lot of magic to be found in the chaos. It's a time when we're finding our own voices, cementing our relationships and starting to fulfil our big ambitions (or simply just working out what they are).

In the summer of 1976 it's picking season on an Australian stone-fruit orchard run by Celia, a hardworking woman in her early 40s. Years ago, when her husband was killed as a bystander in an armed robbery, Celia left the city and brought her newborn daughter, Zoe, to this farm for a secure life. Now 16, Zoe is a passionate, intelligent girl, chafing against her mother's protectiveness, yearning to find intensity and a bit of danger.

The presidency of Donald Trump is commonly seen as an historical accident. Nick Bryant argues that by 2016 it had become almost historically inescapable. In this highly personal account, drawing on decades of covering Washington for the BBC, Bryant shows how the billionaire capitalised on the mistakes of his five predecessors, Ronald Reagan, George Herbert Walker Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama.

Marnie Fairchild is the brains and talent behind Wish & Co, a boutique store that offers a bespoke gift-buying service to wealthy clients with complicated lives. Brian Charlesworth is Marnie's most prized customer, and today she's wrapping the perfect anniversary gift for his wife, Suzanne, and a birthday present for his mistress, Leona. What could possibly go wrong?

Award-winning astrologer Natasha Weber (also known as AstroTash) is your guide to unravelling the secrets of your astrological blueprint. With her down-to-earth stellar insights, Natasha unpacks the Zodiac signs, explores the mysteries of the Moon, clarifies cusp signs, and demystifies those challenging celestial shifts (Mercury retrograde, anyone?) so you can harness the knowledge of the cosmos for greater personal growth and success.

The Forgotten Children was David Hill's heartbreaking account of the abuse that he and other 'orphans of empire' survived at the Fairbridge Farm School in New South Wales. Part memoir, part oral history, the book became a best seller. It was also the catalyst in a subsequent battle for justice. In Reckoning, David recounts stories of the shocking systemic abuse at Fairbridge and how he led the fight against the powerful people and organisations.

Susannah Parks - wife, mother, cleaner of surfaces and runner of household - is a viola virtuoso. Except she hasn't picked up a viola for over a decade. She has, however, picked up a lot of Lego, socks, wet towels and other exhibits of mundanity. She has also picked up on the possibility that her husband has lost interest in her. (And frankly, she's not very interested in Susannah Parks either.) But this year, she has resolved to be very interesting. Also thoughtful, useful, cheerful, relevant, self-sufficient, stylish, alluring and intelligent.

In the cold, wet summer of 1960, 11-year-old Joy Henderson lives in constant fear of her father. She tries to make him happy but, as he keeps reminding her, she is nothing but a filthy sinner destined for Hell.... Yet, decades later, she returns to the family's farm to nurse him on his death bed. To her surprise, her 'perfect' sister, Ruth, is also there, whispering dark words, urging revenge. Then the day after their father finally confesses to a despicable crime, Joy finds him dead - with a belt pulled tight around his neck.

In 2010, thousands of feet in the air above Singapore, the 469 passengers aboard QF32 found themselves in a crisis that no one could have anticipated when the A380 in which they were flying suffered a catastrophic explosion. Captain Richard de Crespigny and his crew confronted extraordinary challenges over the next four hours, with only three partially working engines, and a potentially explosive plane facing an imminent emergency landing.

From the author of the million-copy global best seller Lilac Girls, comes a captivating new historical novel, set during the American Civil War. It's a sweeping story of women caught in a country on the brink of collapse, in a society grappling with nationalism and unthinkable racial cruelty.

Surging out of the sea, the Bass Rock has for centuries watched over the lives that pass under its shadow on the Scottish mainland. And across the centuries the fates of three women are linked: to this place, to each other. In the early 1700s, Sarah, accused of being a witch, flees for her life. In the aftermath of the Second World War, Ruth navigates a new house, a new husband and the strange waters of the local community. Six decades later, the house stands empty.

Surfers and surfing aficionados worldwide will be enthralled with this fascinating autobiography of Nat Young, arguably one of the world's best surfers and a pioneer of the 'shortboard' style. With short stories, anecdotes and unbelievable adventures with some of surfing's most colourful and well known characters, Nat Young recounts his life from Australia to Hawaii to the Pacific Coast of America and beyond. This audiobook is a must-listen for any surfer!

Brisbane, 1984. It all started with a simple plan to secretly swap a mediocre horse with a faster one, and rake in the cash with a few well-placed bets. What could possibly go wrong? In The Fine Cotton Fiasco, Peter Hoysted and Pat Sheil brilliantly tell the scarcely believable tale of how - through a combination of horrendous mismanagement, terrible judgment and comically bad luck - the scheme gradually unravelled. How did a horse with white painted socks dripping onto the turf come to hold the hopes of punters across Australia and beyond?

Amid a series of personal disasters, Aliyah and her daughter, Sakina, retreat to rural NSW to make a new life. Aliyah manages to secure a run-down property and hires a farmhand, Shep, an extremely private Palestinian man and the region's imam. During a storm, she drives past the town's river and happens upon a childhood friend, Hana, who has been living a life of desperation. Aliyah takes her in and tries to navigate the indefinable relationships between both Hana and her farmhand. Tensions rise as Aliyah's devotion to Hana is strained by her growing bond with Shep.

It's been more than 10 years since Maddy Locke left Spinifex, the small outback town where she gave birth to her daughter, Bridget. Now she's back to prove she's got what it takes to run the medical centre and face the memories of that challenging time in her life. But everything's changed - the old pub is gone, her new colleagues aren't pleased to see her and it's drier and hotter than ever.

Leading expert Dr Nick Fuller has outlined six principles that will allow you to create a research-based lifestyle plan for the whole family. By following them you will be able to help even the fussiest child establish a healthy relationship with food, exercise and sleep, ensuring they have a natural optimum body weight throughout their life, are full of energy and flourish.

Psykhe has always been different. Fair as Venus, the goddess of love, and with the hard-won ability to save the lives of those of mortal blood, she is both shunned and revered. When she unwittingly provokes Venus, she and her sisters lose everything. Psykhe must find a way to make amends and support her family. Befriended by an old woman, Nokturna, Psykhe finds herself irresistibly drawn to her young friend, Ambrose. But neither is what they seem.

Luca is ready to audition for the Australian Ballet School. All it takes to crush his dreams is one missed step...and a broken foot. Jordan is the gorgeous rowing star and school captain of Luca's new school. Everyone says he's straight - but Luca's not so sure.... As their unlikely bond grows stronger, Luca starts to wonder: who is he without ballet? And is he setting himself up for another heartbreak?

As a journalist, Leigh Sales often encounters people experiencing the worst moments of their lives in the full glare of the media. But one particular string of bad news stories - and a terrifying brush with her own mortality - sent her looking for answers about how vulnerable each of us is to a life-changing event. What are our chances of actually experiencing one? What do we fear most and why? And when the worst does happen, what comes next?

Growing up in a rambunctious family in Rockhampton, Mary discovered an extraordinary early passion for ballet. Then right at the height of her international career, Mary seemingly disappeared from view, leaving the fans aghast. What could have happened to cause a woman so committed, so talented, to give it all away in a heartbeat? Now, almost 20 years on, fans finally get their answer about what happened next to this inspiring family and learn why it is Mary's turn to tell a truly remarkable tale.