The talented black cricketers who toured England in 1868 have become one of Australia's enduring sporting legends. Aboriginal sporting heroes are found in many sports today, from football to tennis, boxing and athletics, but it was very different in the nineteenth century when the pastoral frontier was still bitterly disputed by whites and blacks. Aboriginal workers on the Wimmera sheep stations began to develop and organise their cricketing skills during the 1860s and were recruited into a team by station owner and former Test cricketer Tom Wills. On Boxing Day 1866 they played before 8000 people at the MCG, followed by a disastrous Sydney tour which lead to the deaths of some players. Former test player Ashley Mallet has dramatically reconstructed this important pioneering tour of England and has also included the careers of later black players, including the famous fast bowler Eddie Gilbert who died tragically without fulfilling his potential.

When her interpretation of a traditional holiday scene loses Maris the annual ice sculpting competition, her favorite season takes a turn toward dismal. The rent is due and her landlady won�t accept a fourth place ribbon. When the enigmatic Lord Brayce arrives with a last minute commission, Maris jumps at the chance. As her host�s icy exterior begins to melt away, Maris finds there is far more to him than meets the eye and his attentions leave her wishing this particular job could last forever. When Brayce�s family arrives for the holiday, Maris is plunged head-over-heels into a world of secrets and an age-old conflict between brothers. Can an ordinary girl survive at the center of a battle straight out of myth? And if her impossible suspicions are correct, what are the odds that Maris can win her prince?

Do you want dawn ... ? Drew Wagar’s epic fantasy, The Lords of Midnight, is set in the world of the award-winning Tolkienesque fantasy game, The Lords of Midnight by Mike Singleton. The magical land of Midnight, cursed into eternal winter, faces destruction at the hands of the Witchking. The Lords of Midnight and the Fey of the Forest combined forces once before to defeat him, but this sudden assault by the Witchking’s deadly Doomguard has long been planned to coincide with the Winter Solstice at a time when Midnight has lost the only means it has to mount an effective defence. The amazing cover art was created by Jurij Rogelj.

This is the most in-depth exploration of Metallica's songs ever written. From their widely circulated demo, No Life 'til Leather, all the way to their 10th studio album Hardwired... to Self-Destruct - Metallica have earned the title of the biggest heavy metal band on the planet. Their albums, including the hugely influential Master of Puppets, are now considered classics of rock and metal, while singles such as Enter Sandman, Fade to Black and For Whom the Bell Tolls have stood the test of time. Follow the epic journey of the godfathers of thrash metal, song-by-song, and see how they became one of the biggest selling bands in the world. No stone is left unturned across more than 500 pages, illustrated with incredible photography throughout, from the inspiration behind the lyrics and melodies to the recording process and even the musicians and producers who worked on each track. Uncover the stories behind the music in this truly definitive book - a must-have for every Metallica fan.

For an inspiring Christian fiction read, check out this insightful romance novel by author Louis N. Jones. Summer Maldonado is a gorgeous woman who has lived an enviable upper-middle class life as a drive-time jazz radio deejay and an executive at an upstart Richmond video production firm. Her boyfriend, Xavier, is the public relations manager at the local gas utility, one of Summer's contracts. He is handsome, well-paid, charismatic and debonair. Summer thinks she has found the perfect man, until he suddenly breaks up with her and starts dating her sexy and immoral co-worker. Summer is distraught, confused and devastated. In response, she sets her eye on reclaiming her man, only to send her life into further turmoil when he gives her mixed signals about his affections for her, and when she tries desperately to rekindle the loving and wonderful moments they once had. He is the type of man many women would die for. And Summer just might. From Brazil, to Atlanta, Georgia, to Richmond, Virginia, to Martha's Vineyard, The Breauty of Summer follows Summer on a harrowing yet inspirational and crucial journey for romance and intimacy.