Staff Reviews

Faking it: artificial intelligence in a human world By Toby Walsh

Available in print

The brave new world of faking it …

Artificial intelligence is, as the name suggests, artificial and fundamentally different to human intelligence. Yet often the goal of AI is to fake human intelligence. This deceit has been there from the very beginning. We've been trying to fake it since Alan Turing answered the question 'Can machines think?' by proposing that machines pretend to be humans.

Now we are starting to build AI that truly deceives us. Powerful AIs such as ChatGPT can convince us they are intelligent and blur the distinction between what is real and what is simulated. In reality, they lack true understanding, sentience and common sense. But this doesn't mean they can't change the world.

Can AI systems ever be creative? Can they be moral? What can we do to ensure they are not harmful? In this fun and fascinating book, Professor Toby Walsh explores all the ways AI fakes it, and what this means for humanity – now and in the future.

Machines behaving badly: the morality of AI by Toby Walsh

Available in print

Artificial intelligence is an essential part of our lives – for better or worse. It can be used to influence what we buy, who gets shortlisted for a job and even how we vote. Without AI, medical technology wouldn’t have come so far, we’d still be getting lost on backroads in our GPS-free cars, and smartphones wouldn’t be so, well, smart. But as we continue to build more intelligent and autonomous machines, what impact will this have on humanity and the planet?

Professor Toby Walsh, a world-leading researcher in the field of artificial intelligence, explores the ethical considerations and unexpected consequences AI poses – Is Alexa racist? Can robots have rights? What happens if a self-driving car kills someone? What limitations should we put on the use of facial recognition?

Machines Behaving Badly is a thought-provoking look at the increasing human reliance on robotics and the decisions that need to be made now to ensure the future of AI is as a force for good, not evil.

Mabu Mabu: an Australian kitchen cookbook by Nornie Bero

Available in print

In Mabu Mabu, charismatic First Nations chef Nornie Bero champions the tastes of native flavours in everyday cooking by unlocking the secrets of Australian herbs, spices, vegetables and fruits.

Nornie grew up on the island of Mer in the Torres Strait and while her wanderlust would take her to Italian and Japanese kitchens in Melbourne and London via Townsville, her home now is Mabu Mabu, a restaurant renowned in Melbourne and beyond for its innovative and delicious Australian Indigenous food.

This book, also called Mabu Mabu – which means help yourself – reflects Nornie’s approach to cooking: simple, accessible, delicious, and colourful! Her native pantry (explored in a comprehensive glossary of native ingredients) includes seeds, succulents, nuts, plants and herbs, and her recipes range from Pumpkin and Wattleseed dampers (for which she is known) to Kangaroo Tail Bourguignon to Saltbush Butter, Quandong Relish, Pickled Karkalla and Pulled Wild Boar.

Nornie also shares her knowledge of foraging, sourcing and substitutions, as well as the story of her formative years foraging, fishing and cooking alongside her beloved father on Mer.

Bush tukka guide by Samantha Martin

Available in print

In this second, refreshed edition of Samantha Martin’s bestselling Bush Tukka Guide, readers will discover additional bush foods, recipes and updated information in a handy, field guide format.

Known as the Bush Tukka Woman, Jaru woman Samantha was born into a long line of traditional hunters and gatherers. She grew up learning the layout of the land and surrounding waters, and what's in season, from her mother and First Nations Elders. This new edition includes over 20 extra bush foods with all new photography and Samantha's own artwork.

Across three chapters covering plants, animals and recipes, Samantha shows us how to identify bush tukka with detailed descriptions of each plant and animal species, supported by distribution maps and warnings if any parts of a bush food are toxic. Learn how to identity native flora such as Kakadu plums and lemon myrtle leaves and discover the nutritional value of magpie goose and green ants. Samantha has included many delicious recipes like bunya nut pesto, lemon myrtle slow-cooked kangaroo and caramelised cluster figs with ice-cream.

With this field guide, you can learn what First Nations People have known for centuries about the abundance of bush foods on Country.

The super easy teen cookbook by Christina Hitchcock

Available in print 

Build confidence and kitchen skills with 75 deliciously easy recipes just for teens

Whether you already have some cooking know-how, or your skills are limited to pressing buttons on the microwave, now you can create your own flavour-packed, homemade meals! The Super Easy Teen Cookbook is filled with options for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, and snacks that you can whip up without any cooking experience.

The recipes in this cookbook for teens have detailed, step-by-step instructions and use easy-to-find, affordable ingredients. No complicated prep work, no boring flavours, and no help from adults required—just dozens of homemade favourites like Fluffy Chocolate Chip Pancakes, Vegetarian Miso Ramen, and Parmesan-Crusted Chicken. Get ready to make something delicious!

This ‘Easy recipes cookbook for beginners’ includes:

• A quick start guide—Explore helpful pointers for successful cooking, from practicing proper food safety to suggestions for stocking your kitchen with the essential tools and ingredients
• Handy tips and tricks—Learn how to switch out some of the ingredients in these recipes to try different flavours and find out what you like best!
• Cooking terms explained—This cookbook for teenagers helps you build up your cooking vocabulary with straightforward definitions for common culinary terms

Lay the foundation for a lifetime of tasty cooking with The Super Easy Teen Cookbook. And keep growing your kitchen skills with the sequel: The Super Easy Teen Baking Cookbook.

How to be body confident by Olivia Roberts

Available in print

A guided journal for learning to fully love and accept yourself as you are.

There are so many things to celebrate about your body. Just think of everything it's got you through - the happy times and the challenges - and all the wonderful things it enables you to do each day. Sometimes, it's important to be reminded that your body is uniquely yours, and that's what makes it so special.

This beautiful, guided journal is here to help you shed body shame for good, so that you can feel confident in yourself every day. By engaging with the tips and activities inside, you'll learn how to see your body in a different light, quit negative self-talk and start speaking to yourself with love and kindness.

By encouraging you to wholly embrace yourself, this empowering guide promotes changing your attitude rather than changing your body. So, whatever your shape or size, this book reassures you that all bodies are good bodies, and yours is perfect as it is.

Timeboxing: the power of doing one thing at a time By Marc Zao-Sanders

Available in print

Do less and achieve more with a simple time management practice guaranteed to transform all aspects of your life.

Do you feel like you're always busy, but never truly productive?

Do you crave a simpler, more intentional life?

Look no further than timeboxing: the gloriously simple practice of choosing one thing to do, when to do it, and getting it done.

In concise, easy to digest chapters, this book will dive deep into the discipline of timeboxing, explore the benefits of incorporating this time management practice into your daily life and most importantly, show you the tried and tested ways to make it a habit that sticks.

Say goodbye to feeling overwhelmed and hello to a more intentional, fulfilling life with timeboxing.

2025 Horoscopes by Patsy Bennett

Available in print

Make 2025 your best year yet with this complete road map to your horoscope. This essential guide includes weekly forecasts for every sign and all you need to know to find out what is in store for you in 2025. It's a complete astrological reference book with inspiring and motivational forecasts so you can be well prepared for the year ahead. Discover how to best navigate your opportunities and reach your full potential. 2025 Horoscopes includes weekly horoscope predictions for all zodiac signs, tells you what you can expect and indicates the ideal days to attract wealth, love, success and more. Predictions include lunar phases and key dates for new and full moons, supermoons and eclipses, and what these mean personally for your sign. It also includes a monthly overview of your love life, finances, home life, career and health.

Patsy Bennett is a leading Australian astrologer who has been practising astrology for over 25 years.

Your personal horoscope 2025 by Lars Mellis

Available in print

Your complete one-volume guide to the year 2025. This fantastic and in-depth book includes month-by-month forecasts for every sign and all you need to know to find out what is in store for you in the year ahead.

This popular, complete one-volume guide contains all you need to know about your personal horoscope for the year 2025. Be prepared for the forthcoming year with monthly predictions for your own sign and discover how to maximise your opportunities and potential to make the most of 2025.

This bestselling astrological guide contains:

• A personality profile for each sign
• A forecast for the year ahead – what you can expect in terms of wealth, home, health, social and love life
• A month-by-month forecast of your best days and worst days – the ideal days to attract love, money or success, and when it’s better to just stay in bed!

Who Owns the Moon? by A C Grayling

Available in print 

Silicon for microchips; manganese for batteries; titanium for missiles.

The moon contains a wealth of natural resources. So, as the Earth's supplies have begun to dwindle, it is no surprise that the world's superpowers and wealthiest corporations have turned their eyes to the stars. As this new Space Race begins, A.C. Grayling asks: who, if anyone, owns the moon? Or Mars? Or other bodies in near space? And what do those superpowers and corporations owe to Planet Earth and its inhabitants as a whole?

From feudal common land, through the rules of the sea, to the vast, nationless expanse of Antarctica, Grayling explores the history of the places which no one, and therefore everyone, owns. Examining the many ways this so-called terra nullius has fallen victim to 'the tragedy of the commons' – the tendency for communal resources to be exploited by a few individuals for personal gain at the expense of everyone else – Who Owns the Moon? puts forward a compelling argument for a bold new global consensus, one which recognises and defends the rights of everyone who lives on this planet.

Top Stocks: Special Edition: Ethical, Sustainable, Responsible by Erica Hill

Available in print

A handbook for investing with impact and building a share portfolio that reflects your values

When it comes to share investing, how you choose to invest your money can create real global impact. Your investments can make a difference for urgent issues like climate change and human rights. But how do you know which companies are living up to their promises for a greener, brighter future? In Top Stocks Special Edition – Ethical, Sustainable, Responsible, you’ll discover essential information for growing a profitable portfolio that aligns your investments with your values.

This book reveals the ethical and sustainable impact of top Australian companies. Inside, sustainable investing expert Erica Hall provides clear explanations for key metrics on environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria and on carbon emissions. With this book, you’ll learn how to evaluate risk and momentum for more than 60 best-in-class companies across the major industry sectors of the ASX. And you’ll discover which companies have strong accountability, a clear pathway to decarbonisation, and robust, transparent ESG reporting.

• Learn how to identify what companies are best-in-class for responsible and ethical investing
• Understand the different challenges faced by each sector in achieving goals for impact
• Explore current issues in ESG and sustainability, from business ethics to public policy, the supply chain, environmental operations, and more

An invaluable resource for novices and professionals alike, Top Stocks Special Edition – Ethical, Sustainable, Responsible provides clear, accessible tables for easy reference to essential ESG ratings and data points. With this handbook, you’ll learn how and where your investments can make a positive difference in the world — so you can make wiser, well-informed decisions for building your wealth.

iPad for Seniors in easy steps 13th edition by Nick Vandome

Available in print

This bestselling guide, iPad for Seniors in easy steps, 13th edition, is updated for iPadOS 17. Written in larger type, it'll help senior folks learn how to use and enjoy myriad iPad features with ease:

• Choose the right model for you, master Multitasking Gestures, and customize the iPad for your needs
• Use your iPad to keep in touch with family and friends. Make video calls; send fun messages; take and share photos
• Shop and order food and more online; take a virtual tour of your favourite art galleries and museums; plan and book your trips
• Explore the new and enhanced features in iPadOS 17, such as the Health app, and make the most of your new device!

Written in large type, in full colour, and using non-technical language, iPad for Seniors in easy steps 13th edition will help you get much more out of your iPad - so you don't have to ask the kids anymore!

Teach Yourself Visually MacBook Pro and MacBook Air, 7th Edition by Guy Hart-Davis

Available in print

The visual learner's guide to getting up and running with your Apple laptop

Teach Yourself VISUALLY MacBook Pro and MacBook Air covers all the vital information you need to start working on your MacBook. With this highly illustrated and easy-to-follow guide, you'll learn to navigate the macOS interface like a pro; customize your desktop with the widgets you need; and get your MacBook working with iCloud, your iPhone, and your iPad. This book's graphical, step-by-step instructions walk you through everything from installation to troubleshooting, helping you to get the most out of the investment you've made in your MacBook.

This fully updated edition helps you become a power user of the latest MacBook models and exploit the features in macOS Sonoma, Apple's state-of-the-art operating system, and the apps that come with it. If you prefer to learn visually, this is the book you need.

• Get up to speed with the latest macOS version, Sonoma, and its new features
• Perform everyday tasks quickly and easily
• Customize settings to make macOS and its apps work the way you prefer
• Communicate via audio and video with FaceTime, via instant messaging with Messages, and via email with Mail
• Organize your life with Calendar, Contacts, Reminders, Notes, and Maps
• Make the most of your iCloud account

Instead of confusing tech-speak and vague instructions, this guide is packed with screenshots, easy-to-follow instructions, and a practical sensibility. Grab Teach Yourself VISUALLY MacBook Pro and MacBook Air and explore all that your MacBook can do.

Deep Water by James Bradley

Available in regular print 

"The ocean has shaped and sustained life on Earth from the beginning of time. Its vast waters are alive with meaning and connect every living thing on Earth.

Deep Water is a hymn to the beauty, mystery and wonder of the ocean. Weaving together science, history and personal experience, it offers vital new ways of understanding not just humanity's relationship with the planet, but our past -- and perhaps most importantly -- our future."

Force of Nature by Kate Parker

Available in regular print

“Mothers lifting up their daughters. Sisters standing their ground. Classmates lending a helping hand. Here are more than 150 full-color and black-and-white images of girls and women in the process of speaking up and speaking out. Force of Nature, the third installment in the Strong Is the New Pretty series by bestselling author-photographer Kate Parker, is split into four chapters-Find Your Voice, Use Your Voice, Amplify Your Voice, and Sustain Your Voice. The book and its subjects tackle issues big and small with the power and wisdom of their voices and their confidence in themselves.”

Personal Politics by Leigh Boucher

Available in regular print

“The achievement of marriage equality in Australia in 2017 was hailed by many as the crowning event of a fifty-year story of hard work by activists, which began with campaigns to decriminalise sex between men in the early 1970s. In that same five decades, feminist activism, including campaigns for abortion rights, the reform of family law and forms of welfare to support survivors of domestic violence, has similarly remade the rights and entitlements of Australian women. But has that story been one of continual progress and success? And who has been excluded from the privileges of Australian citizenship in the process? “

Personal Politics brings together the voices and campaigns of a diverse set of activists who employed ideas about gender and sexuality to remake modern Australia. Beginning in the pivotal decade of the '70s in which the 'personal became political', this book critically examines the wins and losses of these new ways of imagining citizenship and provides a revised political history of the past fifty years.”

Heresy by Catherine Nixey

Available in regular print

“In the beginning was the Word,' says the Gospel of John. This sentence - and the words of all four gospels - is central to the teachings of the Christian church and has shaped Western art, literature and language, and the Western mind. Yet in the years after the death of Christ there was not merely one word, nor any consensus as to who Jesus was or why he had mattered.

There were many different Jesuses, among them the aggressive Jesus who scorned his parents and crippled those who opposed him, the Jesus who sold his twin into slavery and the Jesus who had someone crucified in his stead. Moreover, in the early years of the first millennium there were many other saviours, many sons of gods who healed the sick and cured the lame.

But as Christianity spread, they were pronounced unacceptable - even heretical - and they faded from view. Now, in Heresy, Catherine Nixey tells their extraordinary story, one of contingency, chance and plurality. It is a story about what might have been."

The First-Time Gardener: Growing Vegetables by Jessica Sowards

Available in regular print

Jessica Sowards, is the perfect teacher for new gardeners, offering not just know-how but inspiration and time-management tips for success. Before you sink your hands into the soil, she’ll answer all those questions rolling around inside your head including where do I put my new garden? How do I prepare the soil? What vegetables should I plant? Is it better to start new plants from seed or should I buy transplants?

What about watering, feeding, and taking care of my garden? What do I do if bugs show up? Not only will you learn how to prepare, plant, and tend your first vegetable garden, but you’ll also learn how to design an eco-friendly layout, how to grow with the seasons, how to maximise your harvest, even if you only grow in a small space. Jessica wants your first food-growing experience to be a positive one, and she’s prepared to go the distance to make sure tending the earth becomes your new favourite hobby.

The Little Veggie Patch Co: an A-Z guide to growing food in small spaces

Available in regular print

After years of helping clients grow fruit and vegetables, the Little Veggie Patch Co. crew believe anyone can grow their own food, in most areas in Australia. And in this easy-to-use guide they show you how simple it is!

Fundamentals such as soil, climate, watering, composting, worm farms, saving and sowing seeds, and raised garden beds and crates are all covered comprehensively - each with fully illustrated step-by-step plans that show how to create your own little veggie patch in any space.

A complete A-Z of edible plants gives you vital information on more than 40 vegetables (and fruit trees), including detailed planting information, ongoing maintenance advice, tips on best companions and when to harvest. And the weekend activities scattered throughout the book will get the kids involved too, whether they're making a scarecrow, building a spud tower or growing beans in a bean can. Lots of fun, and packed full of all the knowledge you'll need - plus recipes and some hilarious stories - this colourful guide is for anyone interested in growing their own food.

The Ultimate Seed Saving Guide by Hector J Furr.

Available in regular print

This informative guide is designed to help novice gardeners with the essential knowledge and techniques to successfully save seeds from their plants. With step-by-step instructions, expert gardening advice, and comprehensive explanations, this guide is your one-stop resource for seed saving. This guide takes you through every step of the seed saving process, from selecting the right seeds to harvesting and storing them.

Each step is clearly explained and accompanied by detailed illustrations, making it easy for beginners to follow along. Written by seasoned gardeners, this guide offers valuable insight and tips based on years of experience. Whether you're a complete beginner or have some gardening knowledge, you'll find useful advice to improve your seed saving skills. The Ultimate Seed Saving Guide covers a wide range of seeds, including vegetables, herbs, flowers, and more. No matter what type of plants you're growing, you'll find guidance on how to save their seeds effectively.

Seeds: grow your own cut flowers from scratch by Milli Proust

Available in regular print and ebook

A modern and practical guide to growing your own cut flowers, The Grower's Guide will gently guide you through all the essential steps from sowing and germination to sprouting, re-potting and harvesting your glorious blooms. Including beautiful photography that demystifies the growing process in Milli Proust’s unique style.

Discover how to plant with confidence and fill your life with flowers. Including floral features and seasonal highlights as well as how to tackle the common problems all gardener's face.  This book will show you how to grow cut flowers in a sustainable way. The Grower's Guide is a brand-new gardening series for those who seek an approachable and accessible insight into the wonderful world of flower growing and floral arranging.

Girl Falling by Hayley Scrivenor

Available in Print, BorrowBox eAudio & eBook formats

"Why would my best friend want to destroy my life? Finn and her best friend, Daphne, have grown up together in a small town in the Blue Mountains, NSW. Bonded by both having lost a younger sister to suicide, they've always had a close, sometimes too close, friendship. Now in their twenties, their lives have finally started to move apart.

Daphne is at university and Finn is working in the Mountains, as well as falling in love with a beautiful newcomer called Magdu. Unused to sharing Finn, Daphne starts to act up in ways that will allow her to maintain the control over her best friend she's always relished. Then, one fateful day, Finn, Daphne and Magdu all go mountain climbing, and Magdu falls to her death. Is it suicide, or a terrible accident, or has something more sinister happened?"

The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer

Available in Print, Large Print & Audio CD formats

"In her work as a 'death doula', Clover Brooks ushers people peacefully through their last days, collecting their final words into three notebooks: "Advice, Confessions And Regrets". But Clover spends so much time with the dying that she's forgotten how to live. Can her clients' hard-won wisdom and the inspiring love story of a spirited old woman named Claudia show Clover the way to a happy ending? After all, what's the point of giving someone a beautiful death if you can't give yourself a beautiful life?"

Safe Haven by Shankari Chandran

Available in Print Format & BorrowBox eBook

"After arriving in Australia seeking asylum, Fina dedicates herself to aiding the refugees held in a detention centre at Port Camden, a remote island outpost. Appalled by the mistreatment of those in custody, Fina speaks out to the media about the poor conditions within the facility, as a result she is arrested, taken from her home in the small country town of Hastings and threatened with deportation.

When a security officer dies under suspicious circumstances, Lucky, a special investigator, arrives to uncover the truth. Her mystery is tied to Fina's fate, and the secrets of the detention centre will divide the town and the nation."

I Hope This Doesn’t Find You by Ann Liang

Available in Print, BorrowBox eAudio & eBook Formats

"Sadie Wen is perfect on paper: school captain, valedictorian, and a "pleasure to have in class". It's not easy, but she has a trick to keep her model-student smile plastered on her face at all times: she channels all her frustrations into her email drafts. She'd never send them of course; she'd rather die than hurt anyone's feelings, but it's a relief to let loose on her power-hungry English teacher or a freeloading classmate taking credit for Sadie's work.

Sadie doesn't have to hold back in her emails, because nobody will ever read them, that is, until they're accidentally sent out. Now everyone at school knows what she really thinks of them, and they're not afraid to tell her what they really think of her either. But amidst the chaos, there's one person growing to appreciate the "real" Sadie, Julius, the only boy she's sworn to hate."

Ela! Ela! to Turkey and Greece, a journey home through food by Ella Mittas

Available in Print Format

"An original, heartfelt journey through food, culture and belonging by standout young Anglo-Greek writer and cook Ella Mittas. Ela! Ela! is a collection of recipes and stories from cook and food writer Ella Mittas. Inspired by her time working in a village in the mountains of Crete and the hot, loud streets of Istanbul, as well as her Greek heritage, they represent a journey of food, culture and belonging."

Four Good Liars Sarah Wishart

Available in Print, BorrowBox eAudio & eBook Formats

"Layla, Kai, Liam, and Fliss. Terrified big sister. Troubled surfer. Insecure genius. Pampered princess. They have nothing in common, except they were all on the school bus that morning. The morning of the crash, they discovered the dead driver's holdall, containing one million pounds and a gun.

All of them have secrets, and all of them need that money. But someone dangerous is hunting it down and drawing closer every minute. If Layla, Kai, Liam and Fliss want to survive, they'll need to stick together. But can four good liars really trust one another? Or are some truths just too powerful to stay buried?"