David Close’s English mother Isobelle Harwood never knew her mother, who died from TB just after childbirth and his Irish father Jack Close never knew his father, who was jailed for bigamy. To the Irish, ‘close’ means ‘near-enough’ while Jack always was, legally speaking, a bastard. These sociological factors shaped their working-class family struggles before, during and after World War Two in England and reappear as ‘family karma’ down the generations of this now-scattered clan. His mother’s childhood memories of orphanage life in the 1920s were followed by years of domestic servitude in the houses of her rich or unscrupulous ‘betters’ until she trained as a nurse during the war. She calls this story ‘Finding Myself’, which is part 1 of this book. Isobelle saw a photograph of and became pen-pals with an Irish nurses’ brother called Jack, a sailor on Atlantic convoy duties who she married on Victory in Europe Day in May 1945. David was born in June the following year. The second section ‘Knowing Myself’ reveals their married life until Isobelle’s battle with life-threatening TB when she was thirty years old in 1953. On recovery, her doctors claimed that if she lived in a dry climate and had no more children she would have a life-expectancy of ten more years. However, she produced two more offspring and managed to ride for an hour on a camel in China at the age of seventy-six. Part 3 contains David’s childhood memories of England, Ireland and in 1961 the first ten years of family life in Oz. Some of his father Jack’s wartime exploits and then his untimely death in 1982 lead the reader into the last section titled Release Retrospectives containing his mother’s mature reflections on grief, life and the all and everything, as well as her Back to Britain and Silk Road Diaries. Her son David’s lifelong troubled relationship with his father is explored in his other autobiographical works, but his two chapters titled ‘Close encounters of the personal secret kind’ and ‘Conflicts and growth amidst grief’ explore three of the Close family’s personal experiences of communications from beyond the grave – pointing towards reincarnation being cosmic reality central to any ‘Divine Plan’ and the healing answer to why we are here…

This upmarket women's fiction is steeped in yearning and illuminated by the shining waters of the Great Lakes. It's a later-in-life love story that gives readers an inside view of historic Mackinac Island, Mich., as two summer lovers from decades past meet again on the island and their worlds are forever altered. Together they must learn how to navigate the unexplored waters ahead and make peace with their pasts.

*Now a Hulu limited series starring Lily Gladstone, Riley Keough, and Archie Panjabi!* “A swift, harrowing classic perfect for these unnerving times.” —Jenny Offill, author of Dept. of Speculation One moonlit night, fourteen-year-old Reena Virk went to join friends at a party and never returned home. In this “tour de force of crime reportage” (Kirkus Reviews), acclaimed author Rebecca Godfrey takes us into the hidden world of the seven teenage girls—and boy—accused of a savage murder. As she follows the investigation and trials, Godfrey reveals the startling truth about the unlikely killers. Laced with lyricism and insight, Under the Bridge is an unforgettable look at a haunting modern tragedy.

Can you build a future if you don't let go of the past? Louise Hamilton has returned to Sydney after her long term relationship broke down in Brisbane. She's loving her new job at Glow, Darlinghurst's freshly opened yoga studio. She has found new friends in her boss Amber and the gang at the Pink Bean and feels like her life is finally back on track. Until a figure from her past unexpectedly comes back to haunt her. Mia Miller has just been hired as the Pink Bean's new manager. She's delighted to leave behind the corporate life and become part of a small business whose owners and patrons give her the sense of community she's been missing. When a Pink Bean customer catches her eye and she tries to establish a connection, her advances are met with nothing but indifference and disdain. What happens when a dark past comes back to slap you in the face? And can people ever truly move on from a deeply traumatizing experience? Find out in book five of best-selling lesbian romance author Harper Bliss' Pink Bean series! Every book in this series can be read as a stand-alone without having read the other instalments. ★★★★★ "Eloquent and Beautiful!" THE PINK BEAN SERIES: 1. No Strings Attached 2. Beneath the Surface 3. Everything Between Us 4. This Foreign Affair 5. Water Under Bridges 6. No Other Love 7. Love Without Limits 8. Crazy For You 9. More Than Words

This book is a detailed oral history of early San Pedro punk, from 1977 to 1985, told through countless interviews with artists, locals and fans, all of whom lived there or lived through it. Topics include iconic gigs by bands the Minutemen, Black Flag, the Descendents, and lesser-known but highly original and fascinating artists; personal interviews with the major players, friends and families; and descriptions of the nightlife haunts and hangouts, all told through never-before-published thoughts, memories, and opinions from that seminal time. The interviews are woven together in a firsthand narrative of this innovative music and arts scene, often dismissed as too remote, too artsy, and too experimental for the prevailing hardcore and rock scenes of the time. Years later, this book provides fascinating details of the iconic scene now sought after by music and history fans and those interested in the hidden gems of Los Angeles culture of the '70s and '80s.

By crossing disciplinary boundaries, this book uniquely connects theories of justice with people's lived experience within social conflicts over resource sharing. It shows why some conflicts, such as local opposition to wind farms and water disputes, have become intractable social problems in many countries of the world. It shows the power of injustice in generating opposition to decisions. The book answers the question: why are the results of many government initiatives and policies not accepted by those affected? Focusing on two social conflicts over water sharing in Australia to show why fairness and justice are important in decision-making, the book shows how these conflicts are typical of water sharing and other natural resource conflicts experienced in many countries around the world, particularly in the context of climate change. It tells the stories of these conflicts from the perspectives of those involved. These practically-based findings are then related back to ideas and constructs of justice from disciplines such as social psychology, political philosophy and jurisprudence. With a strong practical focus, this book offers readers an opportunity to develop a deep understanding of fairness and justice in environmental decision-making. It opens up a wealth of fairness and justice ideas for decision-makers, practitioners, and researchers in natural resource management, environmental governance, community consultation, and sustainable development, as well as people in government and corporations who interface and consult with communities where natural resources are being used.