Showing results by narrator "Amos Phillips" in All Categories

We're in Bacchus Marsh in the 1950s, with car salesmen, an early aviator, and the lives of Irene Bobs and Willy Bachhuber. The striking Irene is ahead of her time, a fearless, big-hearted, independently minded woman. Her next door neighbour Willy seems to be constantly in flight from his own life. He lacks social confidence but is extremely well read, so much so that he's a radio quiz champ. And he has a particular fondness for maps.

Retirement isn’t just about how much money you’ve saved. It’s also about the kind of life you want to live when you stop working. Whether your retirement feels a long way off or just around the corner, the simple choices you make now can make a big difference later. In Retire Life Ready, financial advisor James Wrigley shows you what you already have, what else you’ll need and what steps you can take to build the life you’re aiming for.

Big Time is set in a not-too-distant future Australia, where the eastern states have become the world's newest autocracy—a place where pop music is propaganda, science is the enemy, nationalism trumps all, and moral indecency is punishable by indefinite detention. The novel opens as Julian Ferryman, bass player for the Acceptables, returns to Melbourne after a year overseas. He reconnects with his band as they prepare to record and tour their second album, and is given his first taste of a new designer drug, F, a powerful synthetic hallucinogen that gives users a glimpse of their own future. 

Welcome to Hayden Connor’s nightmare! His parents think he’s struggling to ‘put himself out there’, so they sign him up for singing lessons to help him find his voice. But a 13-year-old boy singing? His parents have just butchered his social life! To his surprise, he actually enjoys it. He is even talking to others more. Is he making some friends after all? Not according to Ben and Sam, who laugh about the whole thing. The singing teacher wants Hayden to perform in the end-of-year recital. Hayden is horrified, especially if Ben and Sam are going to livestream it.

A powerful allegorical tale about humanity and dignity and the ease with which we can justify brutality. Two mysterious strangers appear at a hotel in a small country town. Where have they come from? Who are they? What catastrophe are they fleeing? The townspeople want answers, but the strangers are unable to speak of their trauma. And before long, wary hospitality shifts to suspicion and fear, and the care of the men slides into appalling cruelty.

When a new student named Clint arrives, things become much more interesting. Soon, Liam is taking risks and bending the rules and even has a haircut just like Clint. Liam’s mates are acting weird, though. And Mum keeps asking if he’s OK. His teacher even has ‘a word’ with him. Liam wishes they would leave him alone and let him grow up. He’s going to high school next year!