This is a charming story of the true life experiences of a girl (now a Grandmother) growing up in the Philipines during World War 2.

I am sure that teen-agers would enjoy reading this book, as well as adults. It's a small book and can be read in a matter of hours. I found I could not "put this book down"!

Very appealing!

Written from a child's perspective with vivid detail that will also captivate adults, Barbara-Ann's stories of her childhood in the Phillipines during the WWII Japanese occupation is a fascinating read. Her stories are a personal glimpse into the struggles of a multiracial child growing up poor during wartime told with humor, emotion and acute observation. "Pooh" will steal your heart.

I used two field guides on my trip to Australia last year. I primarily used the Simpson guide and occasionally referred to the Pizzey guide. I found the Simpson guide to be quite helpful, with excellent drawings, range maps that were placed alongside each species, and interesting ecological information about each ornithological order at the end of the book. My main criticisms of the Simpson guide are that I thought the Pizzey guide did a better job at depicting the subtle features that separate the honeyeater species, and the Simpson guide was too large to fit into a jacket or pants pocket. Despite these criticisms, I thought the Simpson guide was a very good birding field guide. I have a friend who will be traveling to Australia soon, and I will be buying the Simpson guide as a gift to her.

I used this guide on a recent trip to Australia and found it to be an excellent companion. The illustrations are accurate and the text draws attention to the most important ID features. The maps seem to be well researched and accurate. Unlike most Field Guides this guide includes a handbook section which gives a potted biography, family by family of behaviour and ecology. This handbook section always provided some interesting extra detail of birds seen. In conlusion, a great field guide, well illustrated and researched.

I've always been drawn to books that juxtapose our contempory world with a bygone historical world. That was what drew me initially to Jane Rogers' novel. I ended up reading it strictly for the historical sections. I followed Dawes' endeavors and evolving social conscious with delight. The sections featuring the latter-day Olla and Stephen at first appeared to be promising, but soon dwindled to insignificance. The deformed child was like a sore thumb, distracting from what seemed the book's true purpose. However, Stephen's comparisons of his own self with Dawes were intriguing. I would recommend this book only to those who love a good historical tale. I'm glad I read it.

My sister, the professor of English and sometime novelist, told me that this was a good book. She stopped short of recommemding that I read it, probably because she knows that most of my reading is done on airplanes and consists of mysteries and science fiction. "It's an interesting book," she said, "it's supposed to be about a deformed child," she paused, "...but it's not, not really. It's more than that." I started to read the book on an airplane, partly to prove to my more literate sister that I could read something serious, at least occasionally. Unlike the usual mysteries and science fiction, I did not put this book down when I got home. The writing is wonderful and the story is a whopper. The book is about families, late 20th Century Europe and the founding of Australia; it's about different people trying to do the same thing, trying to change the world so that it suits them. But, not really...It's more than that

This story has my six year old pretending to eat slices of pumpkin before he zooms off into the distance! It is a compelling tale of an old bloke who beats the odds by just doing what works for him. What I like best about this story, besides it being based on reality, is that it makes folks think about what elders can do, or indeed what people can accomplish, just by being utterly themselves. It's an updated 'tortoise and the hare' fable, really. Incidentally, I found the laconic, modest character of Joshua to be distinctly Australian, having lived there for four years. It's great!

The Pumpkin Runner is a great book for parents to read to their children, especially those parents who are runners. Few are the books that spin a tale about the sports we love. Children need to be exposed to the challenges and rewards of participating in sports. Taken from a true story of ultramarathoner Cliff Young, The Pumpkin Runner has fantastic colors in vivid artwork to hold a child's attention. Adults will smile as Joshua runs the race of his life in a carefree way that shows children of all ages that sometimes we just need to have fun--and the rewards will come.

This is a well written book - Volume 3 of a series
"The Australian Centenary History of Defence Services". This volume is written by 6 contributors including the editor Dr D M Stevens.
All the contributors served in the Royal Australian Navy.
The first chapter deals with the formation of The Commonwealth
Naval Forces from five colonial naval forces and then the creation of the Royal Australian Navy in 1913.
The conflicts in which the navy was engaged are covered in some detail as well as the periods of peace with all the professional and political problems of how the navy should be developed.
There are good black and white photographs as well as fold-out plans of significant ships. There is a list of major ships giving the fate(i.e. sunk sold scuttled etc) of those no longer in service.
Also of value is a list of abbreviations for reference - for example
it may not be known to everyone that a DDG is a "Guided Missile
Destroyer"!

Analysis of the Royal Australian Navy in the 20th century. Third volume in the Australian Centenary History of Defence series. Explores the effects of changing strategic circumstance, technological innovation, and differing national needs and expectations. Reviews Australia's naval involvement in operations that have ranged from global war through to peacekeeping and natural disaster. Includes illustrations, notes on contributors, notes, further reading and index. Editor served for 20 years with the Royal Australian Navy and became the inaugural Director of Naval Historical Studies within the Maritime Studies Program on retirement in 1994. He has authored or edited several books on maritime strategy and naval history. Series editors Professor Peter Dennis and Lieutenant-General John Coates are both connected with the Australian Defence Force Academy.

This book breaks Melbourne into shopping districts that can be covered in an afternoon or a day. Brief descriptions are sufficient to get a feel for whether you would be interested in visiting certain stores, or even whole districts, so that you can more efficiently plan your trip. Hours of operation are included. Colorful pictures of the interior of stores and their merchandise are helpful, but a relative indicator of prices (like a 1 to 5 dollar sign system) would be extremely helpful. Also, mileage indicators on the maps would be a big plus.

Michelle Matthews has unearthed a pot-pourri of alternative venues for the discerning consumer. Street smart and shopping savvy, this book oozes class and cuts a swathe through similar projects aimed at a peculiar niche. Its light, breezy treatment and contemporary pace only hastens the buyer's decision-making process. What a Mecca Melbourne is! Roll on San Francisco, London...Moscow!

Barry Jones's thesis about revolutionary changes in the labour force, Sleepers, Wake! was originally published in 1982 and is now in its fourth edition. Jones explores the impact and future implications of the Information technology revolution on the labour market and society in general. The very fact that this book has endured the test of time provides a good indication as to the strength of Jones's analysis. An immensely stimulating and thought provoking read

This book discusses the links between technological change and employment levels in developed countries, with an emphasis on Australia. Barry Jones introduces a five-part economic analysis to assist analysis of employment levels, as well as a good analysis of historical impacts of technology. The book also delves into the question of what we will do when the need to work declines as technology displaces more workers. Written in a very erudite style, with thorough referencing. A book everyone should read if they are at all concerned about having to work for a living. Now available in a 4th edition, which you should look at for the latest data.

I read Liza's first book "Just Cruising" and couldn't wait to read the sequel. I really enjoyed reading about her trip around the world. I wanted to leave my job behind and join her family. What an exciting life!

This is an excellant follow-up to the book, "Just Cruising." It is written in everyday language with descriptions and annodotes that puts the reader in the boat with the Copelands. As in her first book, Mrs. Copeland covers the subjects most sailors are interested in and leaves out the mudane. No maps and positions, no how to repair or replace, just good fun on a trip around the world. Read, "Just Cruising," first and then this book and you'll be packing the kids and heading for the boatyard...

Jan Morris has been everywhere, seen everything, met everyone, and tries to see the good in all of it. She seems happiest, though, among the young. She is surprisingly forgiving toward some of the hollower booster-driven cities of North America, while often coming down hard on New World cities that seem too full of themselves. (She memorably describes Washington, DC as seeming designed for nuclear annihilation.)

Not surprisingly, then, Morris is generous toward Sydney, honoring its brief history but focusing on its childlike present. Since the book was completed, of course, the child has become an adolescent, frantically acquiring attractions that will make it seem more adult -- preening itself for its moment on the world stage in the 2000 Olympics. Like many books about childhood, this one should be read wistfully, with the knowledge that the city it describes is only a snapshot, circa 1990, of a place that seems to be disappearing under its own need for approval.

Of course, during the inevitable post-Olympics hangover, this book may be useful in another way. When we lose track of who we are, when the purpose that has obsessed us suddenly evaporates, it's sometimes helpful to recall what gave us pleasure when we were children. At such a moment, Morris's portrait of Sydney in its last moments of childhood may offer the city a route back to its core, and thus forward into a happier adulthood.

I bought this book in Sydney and found it a wealth of information on Sydney's beginings. The first time I read it, I savored every page...I couldn't put it down. As I got to the end of the book I felt bad that it was over, so I re-read it every few years. Jan Morris's style of writing is so entertaining and makes for a easy read.

I recently re-read this book. This time, it didn't blow me away to the same extent as it did the first time, but it it is a book that has stayed with me for years. Joel Nathan captured the hopes and fears of people with cancer - he now works with the Anti-Cancer Council of Victoria (Australia). All in all, an excellent resource book

Joel's book addressess the real life experience of leukaemia, exploring and describing his use of dietary therapy, spirituality and the use of mediation and spiritual healing as well as family and relationship issues. The book covers the full period from day of diagnosis, through acute periods of illness to successful treatment. It is a wonderful way to learn something of the personal side of living with cancer. The book is out of print but the author still has some copies available to sell, contact joel@netspace.net.au.