Böcker utgivna av Linda Ruth Brooks

Lucy's mother died at home, listening to the afternoon birds. Lucy treasured her mother's silk embroidered notebook. It had wildflowers inside, pressed and dried, their petals as dainty as insect wings. Charlotte Bragg, denied invitation to her elder son's wedding, slid into the back pew of the cathedral.At the Soldatenkaffee Madeleine on the Rue St Honoré a slender woman sits on the edge of a vinyl chair.The corpulent man stumbled and wavered, taking pains to appear sober, soughing onto the slatted bench near the park.Georgia dragged her feet, watching her brother's long strides swirl dust on the bush track ahead. It was alright for him. He wanted to go.Kate couldn't remember when her role of carer had begun. It stretched back into a childhood that should still exist, but didn't. This long awaited collection of Brooks' short stories deals with all the themes close to her heart. They are shared with the grit and fearlessness that has appeared in her previous narratives. A welcome addition to Brooks' list of published works.

Animals have unique personalities and experience fear, anxiety and stress. The Banyula Tales are about a group of Australian animals living in the Australian bush. There's Callan Chameleon who doesn't like to go far from home, Ben Bowerbird is very careful and collects blue objects to decorate his bower. Kyle Koala likes to sleep a lot. Katie Kookaburra is loud and bossy. Serena Sugar Glider is thoughtful and takes care of the others. Blue Roo has lots of energy and acts before he thinks. Freya Frill-Neck Lizard is anxious and worries about lots of things. Fleur Possum is shy and kind. Emily Echidna is confident and friendly. Wesley Wombat likes to join in but he can't keep up with the faster animals. The Bilby Twins live in the Dark Forest, which is where you'll find Cassowary and Lyre Bird. There are many other animals: Tyson Turtle, Tazza the Tasmanian devil, Tessa Thorny-Devil, Fraser Frog, Gang-Gang Galah and Peter Platypus. There's Grandpa Koala, Doc Possum and Hawk. Welcome to Banyula!

Life is a slip on the ice It's a spent gamea try, a clasha save, a dash It's a burger with the worksa song & dance, a purloined chance a flashy show,a slow-river flowa blind quest, a fleeting guest It's a dense mirrora cloudy glass, a quick passa heedless pawn, a crystal dawn,a sly ploy,a heart-busting joy It's a sinner's prayer

With my folded, pinned, kitten ears I heard anger from human voices. I snuggled closer to my mother and tried to keep away from the human shapes that flitted like dark shadows. I was never far from her. She called me the loneliest kitten ever. The humans didn't want us. One day the man threw us kittens into a box and drove away in his growling beast. We slithered every which way until the truck stopped, then the bottom broke and I slid out onto a hard grey surface. The man made angry sounds, picked up the box with my brothers and sisters and kept going until I couldn't hear them anymore. Alone and afraid I hid under a blue metal bin as big as a house. Sometimes bits of food fell out, meat or bread or other slimy stuff. I drank from the puddles at night and ate moths and crawling things. I was sure that no one ever saw me - none of the quick, stomping humans with their loose, grey overalls carrying clanky, heavy things here and there. There was no soft green grass, no shelter from the wind, but under the blue metal bin as big as a house I was dry and hidden away. Hiding was my best talent. I crept low. I slunk quietly, never meowing or making a sound. Sometimes hissing cats or drooling dogs tried to get at me under the bin. They could only get their paws in the small space. A large hand reached under and grabbed me. Where would I be taken this time? I had learned that life was full of sudden things.

Animals have unique personalities and experience fear, anxiety and stress. The Banyula Tales are about a group of Australian animals living in the Australian bush. There's Callan Chameleon who doesn't like to go far from home, Ben Bowerbird is very careful and collects blue objects to decorate his bower. Kyle Koala likes to sleep a lot. Katie Kookaburra is loud and bossy. Serena Sugar Glider is thoughtful and takes care of the others. Blue Roo has lots of energy and acts before he thinks. Freya Frill-Neck Lizard is anxious and worries about lots of things. Fleur Possum is shy and kind. Emily Echidna is confident and friendly. Wesley Wombat likes to join in but he can't keep up with the faster animals. The Bilby Twins live in the Dark Forest, which is where you'll find Cassowary and Lyre Bird. There are many other animals: Tyson Turtle, Tazza the Tasmanian devil, Tessa Thorny-Devil, Fraser Frog, Gang-Gang Galah and Peter Platypus. There's Grandpa Koala, Doc Possum and Hawk. Welcome to Banyula!

Living with someone on the autism spectrum is like watching a child trying to play hopscotch when they can't see the squares, and everyone else can.This new compilation of I'm not broken, I'm just different & Wings to fly takes us to the heart of living with a child with on the autism spectrum. This latest edition of the book has also been published as Don't read this book by my mother - she's crazy. However, for early fans of Brooks' books on Asperger's it will be welcome news to find both books available in the one volume in the previous familiar style and title. Brooks chronicles her life with her son from his birth, covering the early years, and the teen years through to adulthood-ending with his fearless flight into manhood. The last section, focuses on the struggles faced by adults on the spectrum and their families in an informative, scientific approach.In an unflinching account Brooks poignantly captures the struggle of living with a child who appears to see the world through broken glass. A roller coaster ride from the bizarre to the obscene, encompassing the poetic and the hilarious, heartache and joy. The narrative embraces the muddled stumbling between two worlds-worlds that seem so desperately different at first glance. About a boy obsessed with the unfathomable and a mother obsessed with understanding him. This book is a celebration.

In a land as harsh on its wildlife as its peoples, humans have a unique guardianship for the fauna and flora of the landscape. As a child I hated seeing any creature confined, but during the recent wildfire season we've seen the interdependence between us, as birds and animals have sought our care. Many people responded, with sanctuaries, care stations and animal hospitals springing into action. Australians have prioritised pets and wildlife over property. The world, looking on in horror has reached out-from donations to simple kind acts, like making koala mittens. As Australians, we are island-isolated but with the reaction around the globe, we know we're not alone. Australia's favourite bush animals, birdlife and lizards, known and loved around the world are included in this artistic collection in watercolour, pencil and digital art.

In a land as harsh on its wildlife as its peoples, humans have a unique guardianship for the fauna and flora of the landscape. As a child I hated seeing any creature confined, but during the recent wildfire season we've seen the interdependence between us, as birds and animals have sought our care. Many people responded, with sanctuaries, care stations and animal hospitals springing into action. Australians have prioritised pets and wildlife over property. The world, looking on in horror has reached out-from donations to simple kind acts, like making koala mittens. As Australians, we are island-isolated but with the reaction around the globe, we know we're not alone. Australia's favourite bush animals, birdlife and lizards, known and loved around the world are included in this artistic collection in watercolour, pencil and digital art.

It's 1914 and nine year old Henrietta Eloise Parsons is sick of a war that's only just getting started. Father, a senior editor at the Sydney Morning Herald is hardly ever seen without a newspaper in front of his frowning face, and Mother has suddenly taken an interest in activities she haughtily refers to as The War Effort. As far as Henrietta can see, this involves a lot of high teas, committees about cake, how to motivate housewives to knit socks for soldiers and make care packages for the troops.The war has been called The Great War as if it was an event like the Olympic Games, with parades, medals and ribbons. As far as Henrietta is concerned, it's a crummy war. It's just like a schoolyard brawl where all the boys join in, with torn shirts, bloody noses and filthy uniforms from rolling in the dirt, then, when they're lined up in the principal's office none of them can remember why they were fighting or what stupid thing started the whole mess.Henrietta's parents have decided that she will spend the duration of war far away in the country in South Australia with her grandparents, who she hardly remembers. To be sent away with her mother's silly maid, Daisy, is enough to push Henrietta to the end of her puny patience. But go she must. To a small country town where nothing is as she expected.

None of the young animals had noticed that the water in the billabong was higher than usual. Certainly not Blue Roo who was bouncing awkwardly along the log that went from one side of the Banyula billabong to the other.What they had noticed, couldn't fail to notice, was that it had been raining for days, and days. Wesley Wombat worried if there would be enough food. Kyle Koala didn't like too much water falling from the sky.Peter Platypus didn't care how much water there was, he hoped that Blue would fall off the log into the billabong. Maybe that would teach the silly joey a lesson.Serena Sugar Glider, who was usually calm and, well … serene, came running into Banyula and burst into tears. Soon after Freya Frill-Neck scuttled in from the desert, her frill in fright mode.What was happening in Banyula?

Steele Fitchett describes his vision for The Narrow Way of Loving Ourselves:"This book is designed for anyone who has a longing to be themselves but has no idea of how to go about it. Being ourselves requires being real about how we feel about what's going on in our lives. It also reveals how our past impacts on our current attitudes and behaviour. The book is valuable for those who have reached a place where nothing seems to work and there seems to be no way out of the mess we find ourselves in. It provides no quick fix-there is none. It also presents God as the source of the unconditional love and acceptance we all long for.The journey of being real requires us to discover that our Creator is more committed to our heart than we are. He longs to teach us how to love ourselves and then our neighbour. He desires us to be able to love our enemy. Love him, but struggle with what he does. What we do is not what we are.You will find this journey confronting. I did."

Katie Kookaburra was bored. Kyle Koala nibbled on a sweet red-tipped leaf while Callan Chameleon played with a soft, white feather.'G'day. Wassup?' Blue Roo bounced up.'Nothing.' Kate sighed.Blue groaned. ''Hate doing nothing. Wanna go the Red Quandong?''Sure.' Katie flew down from the branch and sat next to Blue.'Righto,! Blue jumped and tripped over Tyson Turtle.Along the way a new plan was made. Later on, there'd be an argument over whose idea it was…but they decided to go to the blue quandong tree instead-in the Dark Forest.Things got a bit complicated on the return journey. Katie was sure they took the left fork in the track but Blue Roo said that was rubbish.The argument got louder as clouds crept across the sky, dulling the little light that shone through the trees.Then they heard a thunderous noise...

A hot westerly wind rushed through Dry Gully, swirling through the trees, shaking branches and rattling leaves.Things began to blow in on the wind. Lots and lots of things. Blue tried to catch one of the things, but the wind was too fast. Leaves, twigs and dust twisted and spiralled on the wind, stinging their eyes.The animals became afraid. Kyle ran to top of his tree. Tyson stood still and stared. Wesley looked glum. Emily quickly rolled into a ball. Fleur and Serena huddled together, shivering. Freya's frill flew up.Above the noise of the roaring wind, a whoosh was heard, not like the wail of the wind, something else, something large.It was Hawk. He stepped along a branch overhanging the billabong. 'Where are your parents? We need to sound an alarm.''Alarm! Alarm!' shrieked Katie. 'Oh no!'Tick grey dust whirled in, making them cough and splutter.'The clouds have fallen! The clouds have fallen!' Kyle Koala yelled.

Where's your mother?Not well today. Said carefully and neutrally, as if pretending things were normal would make them so. Transform life into a manageable thing. As if ten year olds everywhere were the ladies of the house, the caretakers of the family.I see.Mrs Blakehurst, their babysitter from up the road was on the stoop. She had brought the youngest two. Kate knew it was important to use her grown up voice, through a narrow slit in the door.Thank you, Mrs Blakehurst. Here is your pay.Father didn't change the rhythm, so that helped make it normal. Though deep inside a much younger Kate screamed that it was not. But Emily, Daniel and Sara's voices were louder. Some inner sense stopped Kate from calling them 'the children' as was her mother's custom. She was even particular that she called them in order of their age, oldest to youngest, as if by this precision she could push back the chaos that hovered like a patient bird of prey.Brooks explores the internal dilemma of a child compelled to become parent to a mentally unstable mother, as well as the guardian of her three younger siblings. With fearless candour, Linda peels back the layers of a child with adult responsibilities. What becomes of Kate when the years fall by and she reaches adulthood? Can the child within be denied voice?

The young Banyula animals finally believe Serena Sugar Glider's adventure stories when she takes them to see the Blue Quandong. Kyle Koala sleeps through the whole thing and Callan the Chameleon stays home to count his feathers. Despite many misgivings Ben Bowerbird joins in. Blue Roo makes everyone tired by leaping and bouncing in their way. Kate Kookaburra gives a running commentary on the journey and only keeps quiet when she is mimicked by a lyre bird in the bush. Wesley Wombat walks further than ever before, for the mysterious fruit of the blue quandong tree beyond the dense scrub in the deep forest. Their journey is interrupted by a strange, angry creature with huge thumping feet. A creature they never want to see again!

On sunset, an orange-red sun dipped behind Craggy Rock in the west. A flock of yellow-crested cockatoos flew to the wattle tree to feed on black seed pods.A young male Gang Gang cockatoo, with beautiful, dove-grey feathers, black eyes and a red plume pecked at pods on the ground.'Why is he eating off the ground, not from the tree?' Katie Kookaburra watched the bird eat quickly, glancing nervously around.The cockatoos flew in circles, taunting him. He clung to the tree trunk and hung his head. Two of the bolder birds flew close, pulling at his feathers. Then they flew away, seeking a tree for the night.Freya Frill Neck watched the gang-gang fade into the sunset, trailing behind, trying as hard as he could to keep up. Behind her, to the north, Purple Mountain glowed with soft red hues.Freya had trouble falling asleep. Visions of the lost Gang Gang flitted through her dreams and she awoke tired and unsettled.

There's a randomness and whimsy to this collection, and anyone familiar with Linda, will expect exactly that. It is also represented in the cover art-a zentangle, aptly name 'Goldfish in the Garden'.Prose begins at a nurses' reunion where the usual entertainments slip away as Pathfinder Robyn astounds the normally unflappable Marilyn and everyone else with a tale as disjointed as ever was told. A difficult childhood, a fascinating life, related with warmth and received with hilarity. Monica is voted Google-On-Legs for her encyclopaedic knowledge of life's goings on.A boy learns the beauty of the legacy of his great-uncles. A patient Indian Postmaster goes to great lengths to explain the parcel post system to an insistent customer. Jenny grieves a son on Mother's Day. Brooks shares memories of a muddy creek, a barbed wire fence and the angst and joys of growing up.Linda steps into a Jane Austen world and is maid at an elegant mansion in leafy upper-crust Sydney's North Shore and learns the rules for the help haven't changed much. In spite of his best intentions, an angry man becomes like his brutal father. A top-lofty son is embarrassed by his gentle mother's dementia and receives a lesson in grace. A vigilante tenant prunes a hedge and the neighbourhood is not amused.Brooks shares her award winning stories: 'The loud clock' (Coastlines 6, Southern Cross University), 'That Madness' (Legacy University Prize), 'Anyone but him, God' (Gabe Reynaud Award), 'Ancient Grief' (Grieve, Newcastle Writers Centre), 'A far place' (Stringybark Press), 'Dad's apprentice' (Wood, Brick & Stone, Catchfire Press), and 'The wall is blue (Coastlines 5, Southern Cross University).

It's 1914 and nine year old Henrietta Eloise Parsons is sick of a war that's only just getting started. Father, a senior editor at the Sydney Morning Herald is hardly ever seen without a newspaper in front of his frowning face, and Mother has suddenly taken an interest in activities she haughtily refers to as The War Effort. As far as Henrietta can see, this involves a lot of high teas, committees about cake, how to motivate housewives to knit socks for soldiers and make care packages for the troops.The war has been called The Great War as if it was an event like the Olympic Games, with parades, medals and ribbons. As far as Henrietta is concerned, it's a crummy war. It's just like a schoolyard brawl where all the boys join in, with torn shirts, bloody noses and filthy uniforms from rolling in the dirt, then, when they're lined up in the principal's office none of them can remember why they were fighting or what stupid thing started the whole mess.Henrietta's parents have decided that she will spend the duration of war far away in the country in South Australia with her grandparents, who she hardly remembers. To be sent away with her mother's silly maid, Daisy, is enough to push Henrietta to the end of her puny patience. But go she must. To a small country town where nothing is as she expected.

This is the story of a man born in turbulent times in Tsarist Russia, a man who found his vocation in China and carried the Christian Gospel into the barren and lonely land of Inner Mongolia. He was a man of courage and perseverance, fervent in prayer, and persuasive in his preaching. Who were the people who influenced his life? What were the events that shaped his destiny, the places where his character developed? Read the pages that follow to find those people, places and events in the life of Pavel (Paul) Rodionoff. Read also the story of his wife, Vera, and their three surviving children, because they too shared the trials and the joys, the privations and persecutions. It is a story, but it is also twentieth century history; an account which leads us from Russia to China, to Mongolia and back to China, before resolution in 1950s Australia.

Galilee is a Gospel music label started in 1978 and active until 1982, when all the key players were Christians (more or less). Now, three of the four believe in something else, leaving record producer, songwriter, lecturer in Rock, and Bible translator, Robert Wolfgramm as the only true believer. Such is their respect for Robert and the Gospel years that Sally Hilder, Genna Levitch and Lowell Tarling have re-joined Robert and re-formed Galilee. They have re-released all three Galilee records and written this book.Galilee songs go into unusual territory. All My Friends Are Sinners and Refugee are 'moody' albums. Not happy-clapping. More like the blue note resonating from the Psalms of David. After which comes Persecution Games - unusual territory indeed. Welcome to the crucifixion.

I spent a good deal of my childhood frantically running-bare feet, of course-in all directions searching for that promised, though achingly elusive, pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.Running here and there, I looked again and saw that the end of the rainbow was now up the steep hill behind the house. "It's over here!" I hollered over my shoulder to the little sisters who were as determined as I to claim this untold wealth. Upward and onward we puffed and panted, only to discover that the rainbow now ended somewhere behind the house. We tumbled down the hill, tripping each other up in our eagerness to be the first to claim the bullion. But somehow it never was 'over here'.Although Sonya (Sunny) claims she can't remember when she stopped running up and down hills, she still terrifies her friends and family with her ability to get things done and take on more. as for that pot of gold…it can reliably be reported that it has remained as elusive as ever, but that hasn't dimmed Sunny's capacity for joy, or her desire for the best in life for everyone she knows.

I am Madame Iris BigglesworthI'm a Very Important CatIn the kingdom where I liveThere's no dispute about thatA book poem about a superior cat with elegant airs and two fine servants, Kyle and Jemina. She has many adventures including a green space creature that arrives in the dark night.

Living with someone on the autism spectrum is like watching a child trying to play hopscotch when they can't see the squares, and everyone else can. Linda's book takes us to the heart of living with a child with on the autism spectrum, inviting us to see life through the eyes of others. Brooks chronicles her life with her son from his birth, covering the early years, and the teen years through to adulthood-ending with his fearless flight into manhood. The last section focuses on the struggles faced by adults on the spectrum and their families with an informative, scientific approach. In an unflinching account Brooks poignantly captures the struggle of living with a child who appears to see the world through broken glass. A roller coaster ride from the bizarre to the obscene, encompassing the poetic and the hilarious, heartache and joy. The narrative embraces the muddled stumbling between two worlds-worlds that seem so desperately different at first glance. This is a story bout a boy obsessed with the unfathomable and a mother obsessed with understanding him. This book is about celebration. This book is also published as I'm not broken, I'm just different & Wings to fly. I am very pleased to be involved with Linda's book. I think we both have a very important message and I certainly endorse Linda's positive approach. I know it will change the lives of many families. Professor Tony AttwoodAs a counsellor I have discovered a number of special pearls, a couple of which are found in Linda and Bronson's journey. This is a timely book with a special message. I believe Linda and I met for a purpose. I have read the manuscript and feel this is her gift to other parents. Dr Steele FitchettThis is a long awaited book. Linda and Bronson have a great relationship; it's entertaining to watch them bounce off each other. I once remarked to Linda, describing her parenthood-'You enjoy him and that is one of the finest assets of a mother that you offer, regardless of how he reacts.' Dr Jay

Izzy has just turned five years old. It will soon be time to start school. She had a really wonderful birthday party with her friends. Now, Mum and Dad have brought home a baby brother. Izzy likes her new brother, but she is bored playing on her own. She decides to take her cat, Pudding, for a walk in the new pram, but she has forgotten the rule about being safe.When she gets lost in the city streets, it is Pudding who helps her find her way home. Mum and Dad are really worried. Izzy is very tired. It has been quite an adventure for a little girl.