Simon & Schuster Australia

Crackling with intelligence and wit, a critical memoir about how nihilism might just get you through. ‘Here is how I start: I read Nietzsche. I read Nietzsche in bed, with a chest cold. I highlight things in green and draw exclamation marks in the margins. I text friends. You wouldn’t expect I could be having so much fun reading Nietzsche, I tell them. They are worried about their children, about lockdown, about money, about their marriages. I am reading Nietzsche, I repeat. I text them quotes from Nietzsche. They do not reply.’ Gemma Parker’s parents were impulsively itinerant, and her literary heroes were utterly committed to following their muse, dashing into foreign lands and up mountainsides. To write properly about nihilism, she herself surely needs to go to Paris! But she’s stuck – by a job, by children, then by covid.  Nietzsche says that to be worth anything at all, art – and life – needs to break all rules and work itself out from scratch. As Parker reads the great philosopher’s work more deeply – and that of other celebrated nihilists Camus and Beckett – she discovers the life-affirming magic of believing nothing matters. And to find a way of being free, even at home.  Both witty and wise, funny and profound, The Mother is Restless opens up fresh ways of thinking about life, for fans of Rachel Cusk, Maggie Nelson and Olivia Laing.

The second novel in the steamy and intoxicating Mafia romance series from USA Today bestselling author, Kally Ash. Dagger Harrison. I didn't know anything about him, other than that he killed the man who was trying to murder me. Now, I'm tangled up in a narcotics case that's led me straight to him. My savior. My hero. My undoing. He’s ruthless in his pursuit of me, but it's my job to stop the criminals, not welcome them into my bed. And now I'm in a situation that I swore I would never find myself in again. But it's too late. He has me, and I’m in deep. Too deep...

Strong women bringing toxic Alphas to their knees – the steamy and intoxicating romance from USA Today bestselling author, Kally Ash. Bane Rivera. My name is feared in the seedy underbelly of Los Angeles. There is only one rule that I live by, only one rule that matters: never let a woman get in the way of business. Then Wren Montana barged into my life demanding a pass for her brother's mistake. From the moment I saw her, I knew I had to have her. To claim her body, and her soul. But she didn't make it easy. No, my Wren, my Little Bird, was strong. Every time she told me no, every time she walked away, it only fanned the flames of my need, consuming me... Making me forget my one and only rule.

Banishing vengeful spirits from the mortal realm is Holly’s day job, but she’s never had to ghost anyone before – until Callum breaks her heart, making her wish she could exorcise her ex from her life. It’s been two years since professional ghost-whisperer Holly Daniels ghosted Callum Jefferies – successful paranormal podcast host, unsuccessful boyfriend. So when he reaches out asking for her help investigating the infamous East Mill haunted house, Holly is hesitant to get involved, despite his infuriating charm. But the house in question calls to her, and she can’t resist. When they arrive in East Mill – and take up adjoining rooms at a rundown bed and breakfast – something in the air stirs up old feelings. If only the local ghosts would give Holly some peace and quiet to work out what those feelings are… As their investigation unfolds, Holly and Callum unearth a string of mysterious deaths linked to the house – one of which is bound up with East Mill’s very own seventeenth-century witch trials. But Callum is hiding something, and as disturbing details emerge about the family who once occupied the house, Holly realises she will have to put her life – and her psychic powers – on the line if she and Callum are going to get out of East Mill alive.

A slow-burn, swoon-worthy love story about two people separated by time and dangerous secrets that threaten to tear them apart. A debut time travel romance for fans of The Seven Year Slip, Divine Rivals and A Discovery of Witches.  Limited copies with sprayed edges available for pre-order!   Every morning, Mariella Adams wakes with a strange electrical energy buzzing beneath her skin. Terrified she has inherited her late mother’s mental illness, she tells no one, but when she discovers her mother’s lost journals with an entry dated after her death, she’s desperate for answers.   Mariella’s confusion grows when she’s approached by Rose and Parker, who claim to be time travellers from the future. Communicating with the past – and Mariella – is forbidden, but she holds the key to restoring Parker’s ability to time travel before they’re caught in this forbidden timeline.   Shocked, Mariella agrees to help them. They might hold the answers she’s looking for, and the more time she spends with them, the more she finds herself drawn to Parker. As she fights to uncover the mysteries of her past and the secrets of his future, will Mariella discover the truth before time runs out – and Parker disappears forever?

A must-read for every parent, carer and educator as school refusal, mental health struggles and social challenges continue to rise. Trailblazing teacher Gavin McCormack’s transformative 7-step program helps children build resilience and thrive beyond traditional measures of success. Gavin believes when children are given independence, the right tools, and the encouragement to build on their strengths, their potential is limitless. His ground-breaking guide redefines what it means to receive a ‘good education’ by highlighting the power of modelling positive behaviour and prioritising essential life skills over academic scores. Drawing on the latest neuroscience of learning and years of teaching experience in mainstream and Montessori schools, he offers practical strategies that will help children navigate life's challenges, learn with passion and grow into capable, confident and compassionate human beings.  

From the beloved author of Kit McBride Gets a Wife and Marrying Off Morgan McBride comes a ‘sweet, hilarious and totally delicious’ love story (Hannah Grace). Beau McBride wants a wife, and his meddling little sister Junebug is itching to find him a mail-order bride. But why stop at just one?   Beau McBride reckons he’s ready for marriage. But his ego is bigger than his brain, and his little sister Junebug can’t trust him to find the right woman. So they make a bet, both placing ads in the Matrimonial News to find the perfect bride. Junebug is set on winning, but there’s a hitch: Beau has made his pick, and she’s beyond beautiful. Junebug knows looks ain’t everything, so to even the odds she invites six more women to meet her brother.   Ellie Neale doesn’t expect much from life. Which is good, since life hasn’t given her much, except a head full of daydreams and her beautiful best friend Diana. But after answering an ad to be a mail-order bride, Diana is leaving for Montana. Ellie is happy for her, really she is ... after all, she was the one who wrote Diana’s letters for her. Ellie can’t bear the thought of losing Diana, so she answers an ad from a man in the same town her friend is headed for. But when they arrive, Ellie and Diana discover they’ve answered an ad for the same husband. Along with five other women.   With seven brides vying for Beau’s attention, he needs to make a decision – fast. The only problem is, his heart is pulled to the one woman who wants nothing to do with him.

‘Fast-paced, sharp, and dark. A terrific read.’ Kathy ReichsFor ten years, Logan Booth served as a contract killer for the CIA – he just never knew it.  The first book in a blockbuster thriller series from Matt Rogers, a million-copy bestseller and 'a bright new talent shaking up the genre' (Candice Fox). In the twilight of his career, Logan learns he has been a vessel for furthering government interests, not a rogue hitman for a band of vigilantes. The revelation destroys him.   But when Jorge Romero – an investigative reporter and Logan's oldest friend – is brutally and inexplicably murdered, Logan allows his fury to deliver him from despair.   With an ally in Alice Mason, a homeless witness with a target on her back, Logan goes to war. Against whom, he isn't sure, but he knows powerful forces are at work behind the scenes.   Now, to deliver justice, Logan and Alice must confront their demons and win a savage battle that could destroy their lives... even if they survive.'Logan Booth is a character who is impossible to look away from and difficult to forget.' Kyle Mills

A poignant, life-affirming love story about two people whose lives are turned upside down when they enter an experiment that predicts when they will die. For fans of Beth O’Leary, David Nicholls and Matt Haig.   When OPM Discoveries puts out an ad seeking participants for The Life Experiment, a study that claims it can predict when people will die, two strangers searching for meaning apply.   Layla, a corporate lawyer, has foregone all relationships for her career, stuck in an endless cycle of late nights, impossible deadlines and the London rat race. Growing up on the poverty line, Layla has fought tirelessly to better her circumstances. But with work grinding her down, she wonders if happiness can be found behind a desk after all.   Angus, son of the esteemed Fairview-Whitley family, is struggling with his family’s expectations after the death of his brother and a failed investment. Unsure of what to do with his life, Angus is frozen in a cycle of long hours and lazy days, watching time pass him by.   Unaware that they are participating in the same experiment, Layla and Angus meet by chance in a café the same day they get their shocking results. Their attraction is instant, but can they open their hearts to more when their time might be brief?

Mary Poppins meets Bridgerton in a blend of cosy fantasy, historical romance and humour, as a recently graduated nanny finds her supernatural abilities are little help when it comes to falling for the shy, mysterious inventor who happens to be her employer. For readers of Heather Fawcett, India Holton and Freya Marske.London, 1851: Emmeline Chase, 25-year-old widow and recent graduate of the Parasol Academy for Exceptional Nannies and Governesses, is more high-spirited than her peers would like. Few graduates, however, could turn a mismanaged teleportation onto a duke’s rooftop into an offer of employment.   Emmeline will need every trick in her nanny’s handbook to manage eccentric horologist Xavier Mason, Duke of St Lawrence, and his three rambunctious wards. Xavier’s wards have already sent two nannies packing thanks to frogs, firecrackers and general mayhem. And the duke has his own fair share of quirks, requiring absolute peace to work on his design for a clock to grace London’s Westminster Palace.   Emmeline is determined to restore order, but someone seems intent on sabotaging the duke’s plans. As she and Xavier work to identify the saboteur, Emmeline finds herself drawn to him, even though the nanny’s handbook forbids fraternising with employers. But she’s fairly sure the duke is falling under her spell, too…

When one enters a Collette Dinnigan-designed home there is nowhere else you would rather be. Her style is one of simple yet sophisticated beauty. Bellissima: An Australian–Italian Affair takes you into Collette’s world of beauty – interiors, gardens, food, friends, curiosities, art and travel – in Italy and Australia. It shows us Collette’s remarkable eye for detail, vignettes, texture and colour. She shares her design inspiration and reveals stunning photos never before published of her homes in Bowral and Darling Point, along with a Rome apartment and holiday house in Puglia. Collette and her photographer, Earl Carter, travelled the length of Italy, from Naples to Turin, to capture the essence of what inspires Collette that she then brings home to Australia, the ‘great Southern light’. ​Collette not only takes us into her own private worlds but also those of her friends such as Mimi Thorisson in Turin, Neil Perry in Sydney, and Louise Olsen and Luke Sciberras in country NSW, where they share their recipes and art. This is a book of inspiration and delight, a joyous journey of creativity with one of Australia’s foremost fashion designers. Full of glorious imagery, it is a must-have book for those who love travel and interiors.

Arnold Dix became an unlikely hero when he promised to save forty-one men trapped after a tunnel collapse in the Himalayas. This is his unforgettable story. In rural Victoria, Arnold Dix is known to locals as a farmer and a part-time truck driver. But his name reached global recognition when he played a pivotal role in rescuing forty-one Indian workers trapped after a deadly tunnel collapse. What many don’t know is that Arnold is also a barrister, scientist, engineer – a ‘quirky’ Aussie bloke who proves that extraordinary courage can come from the most unexpected places. In vivid detail, Arnold recounts the unlikely rescue that transformed him into a global hero. He reflects on the extraordinary challenges he faced, culminating in his unwavering promise: `Forty-one men are coming home alive.’ But his incredible story goes far beyond this one remarkable event. Arnold’s compassion also led him to assist thousands of migrant workers in Qatar, and his journey took him from surviving politically motivated assassination attempts in Albania to working in the tunnels of Ground Zero after 9/11. His story is one of steadfast courage, filled with themes of adventure, sacrifice and selflessness. It’s a tale that explores what it truly means to defy the odds and challenge the status quo in pursuit of the impossible.