Examining the themes of presence & absence, the relationship between photography & theatre, history & death, these 'reflections on photography' begin as an investigation into the nature of photographs. Then, as Barthes contemplates a photograph of his mother as a child, the book becomes an exposition of his own mind. ...

A man named Huebler decides to photograph everyone alive. A suburban father perches in his son's tree house to spy on his friends. A dentist recognises his estranged wife in a famous painting. ' The Seduction of My Sister' tells of the increasingly bizarre events involving a boy & his sister when a new family moves in across the street. & in ' Camouflage', Eric Banerjee, an unassuming Adelaide piano tuner, is sent north to the centre of Australia in 1943 to make his contribution to the war effort. It is clear in all these remarkable stories that Murray Bail
- already celebrated for his novels
- has also extended the manifold possibilities of short fiction. Each of his stories creates a strange & fascinating new world, & none of them is easily forgotten. Bail's work in this collection is deft, angular, & very entertaining; the mastery of his art is fully revealed with wry humour & haunting power.

...

A man named Huebler decides to photograph everyone alive. A suburban father perches in his son's tree house to spy on his friends. A dentist recognises his estranged wife in a famous painting. ' The Seduction of My Sister' tells of the increasingly bizarre events involving a boy & his sister when a new family moves in across the street. & in ' Camouflage', Eric Banerjee, an unassuming Adelaide piano tuner, is sent north to the centre of Australia in 1943 to make his contribution to the war effort. It is clear in all these remarkable stories that Murray Bail
- already celebrated for his novels
- has also extended the manifold possibilities of short fiction. Each of his stories creates a strange & fascinating new world, & none of them is easily forgotten. Bail's work in this collection is deft, angular, & very entertaining; the mastery of his art is fully revealed with wry humour & haunting power.

...

Cassie's chic, smart & knows how to get her clients off the hook. However, when Governer Bryce ' Baby Face' Clarkson's libido lands him in hot water, Cassie's not so keen to bail out this particular red-blooded male. Bryce & Cassie were lovers six years earlier, until she caught the handsome charismatic politician cheating on her & dumped him. Now he's a potential presidential candidate, but he has to survive Queenie Amazon, a buxom dominatrix who is threatening to release a raunchy sex tape featuring the debauched governor in a collar & leash. Cassie is torn between revenge & professional commitment, & she is also becoming increasingly attracted to Bryce's brawny head of security, ex-mercinary Brian Collin. In an atmosphere charged with sexual power, the stakes are high as Election Day draws closer. ...

A is for Anxiety, Alcohol & awful Activities. B is for Bedtime, Baking & Boredom. C is for Childcare & Cooking With Your Coat on. N is for Not Swearing (bloody frustrating) & S is for Soft Play Places, Sniffing Babies' Arses (to see if they've filled their nappies
- are there not easier ways of finding out?) & Sex (see also L, for lack thereof).

Can I Give them Back Now? The Aargh to Zzzz of Parenting merrily puts two fingers up to the pervasive notion that parenthood is an eternally rewarding experience. Taking a wry, down-to-earth & humorous look at life with young children, it taps into the very normal, but hard-to-admit ambivalence that so many parents feel about raising kids.

Darkly funny & occasionally shocking, Joanna Simmons & Jay Curtis' brilliantly alternative A-Z of parenting is essential reading for all mums & dads who really, really love their kids, but...




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A is for Anxiety, Alcohol & awful Activities. B is for Bedtime, Baking & Boredom. C is for Childcare & Cooking With Your Coat on. N is for Not Swearing (bloody frustrating) & S is for Soft Play Places, Sniffing Babies' Arses (to see if they've filled their nappies
- are there not easier ways of finding out?) & Sex (see also L, for lack thereof).

Can I Give them Back Now? The Aargh to Zzzz of Parenting merrily puts two fingers up to the pervasive notion that parenthood is an eternally rewarding experience. Taking a wry, down-to-earth & humorous look at life with young children, it taps into the very normal, but hard-to-admit ambivalence that so many parents feel about raising kids.

Darkly funny & occasionally shocking, Joanna Simmons & Jay Curtis' brilliantly alternative A-Z of parenting is essential reading for all mums & dads who really, really love their kids, but...




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