Beijing Book Fair 2016 Review

An adventure in physical, management and social engineering and contradicts turgeon’s Law (ninety percent of everything is crud) by what happens when an unlikely group of four people, two Australians, one English and one French-Israeli, fight their way through the bureaucratic maze of their employer, assisted behind the scenes by the Chief Executive, and get what they want: exile to a colony, to build a fertilizer factory there. All against the preferences of the company’s directors who persistently do what they can to upset the exiles’ work, including adding an American colonist to the team, a person expected to be incompatible with the others. Some of their time at work is normal boring crud. But some is fun, some brings headaches, some is heart-breaking, some is deadly. It’s all adventurous.

Continues the adventure… Which began as getting a project approved And then building an ammonia-based fertilizer factory. There’s keeping the Head Office satisfied And controlling a group of smart people at several levels Plus covering what government regulations require Then getting the factory built is not the end of the job After that there’s commissioning, making it work And all the odds and ends of left-over details to be completed Including making the contractor finishes what he’s paid to do And then there’s company accounts to be signed off After all that we hope we have a reasonably happy “working family” Because people are an essential part of running a business So although this is about engineering and management It’s a story about people.

So the Ammonia Factory at Muddy River Bay is now operating. Of course, now the hard slog of building it, and the excitement of commissioning it, are over, everyone expects life will be quieter. But there’s always something to bother a manager such as getting sales up to match minimum production, and the behaviour of the people close to the manager, and the enterprising nature of junior engineers, and what comes from the organisation levels above him, all causing a mix of good results and headaches. And that’s some of what being a manager is all about. Yes, that’s some of it, but the work around a manager causes other events to occur, so there’s no end to what circumstances can throw up.

Use the right word every time English can be a minefield of embarrassment even for professional writers when the wrong word is used. In this wonderfully simple book, veteran journalist David Coe helps wordsmiths untangle many confusing and misused words. It is a must-have book for business writers, analysts, journalists, academics and executives. Flick through it and see how easy it is to use the right word every time. It will never leave your desk.

Anglo-Aussie author writing for mature age readers! Gillian Walker is a published author of several popular non-fiction science books arising from her career as a biologist. She is also an internationally recognised botanical artist. Now she is writing fiction based on some interesting life experiences, under the name Gillian Scott. Her first novel is called: Threads of Time. It includes crosswords, academic politics, middle-aged parenthood and ESP. A good read will be had by all. Contact the author on gilliansl2o2@gmail.com

Nobody knew who she truly was until recently so it has now been possible to flesh out the real person. Her name was Elizabeth Lambard. She was the daughter of one of the London sheriffs, a leading merchant, and she was married in her early teens to William Shore, a frigid man twice her age. She managed to get a divorce with the king’s help. When King Edward died, his brother King Richard III had her thrown into prison for treason but Richard’s Crown Solicitor fell in love with her and by marrying her was able to free her. Sir Thomas More wrote of King Edward’s affection for her: ‘Many [women] he had, but her he loved’. That’s a wonderful heart-warming description of one of history’s most lovable heroines.

The novel is set in the year 1483 when Richard III deposed his nephew and became King of England. The major character is Richard’s cousin, Harry, Duke of Buckingham and the story is told in the first person. Harry helped Richard become king and then turned against him. I wanted to really dig deep into Harry’s character and find out why. What went wrong between these two men?

This is a story set in the Australian bush about an ancient Olliegator, who after hundreds of years of living a life of endless afternoon teas and mindless daydreaming in the family swamp, is suddenly thrown into an unknown world that challenges his reason for being. At his side are best friends, Min Min, a spiritual being who lives on the warm summer breezes of the western desert, and Ratty, who is just a rat! Together they take on many challenging ordeals both physical and mental with friendship and honour in their hearts, and along the way through transformation, Ollie overcomes his anxieties and confusion about the world as he discovers his essence of ‘Courage’.

‘You would be foolish not to heed the call of the Raven’, whispered Min Min

The Ochre Cloak is a personal account of one women’s ability to harness the here and now, and notice what many of us fail to see, hear and feel. If you have ever been to Uluru before, lose yourself in this exceptionally detailed tribute to one of Mother Nature’s accolades. Although walking around Uluru 100 times is not for everybody, but when you read this book you will think you have done it.

Horses Who Heal is the story of one woman’s deep love for horses and the powerful life lessons they’ve taught her along the way. With Sunny always by her side, Sue’s equine team are inspiring others on their own journey
of healing, helping thousands of people – from juvenile offenders to company CEOs – discover the power of communication, using more than just words.

An Inspector Bonaparte Mystery # 1 featuring Bony, the first Aboriginal detective Why was King Henry, an aboriginal from Western Australia, killed in New South Wales? What was the feud that led to murder after nineteen long years had passed? Who was the woman who saw the murder and kept silent? This first story of Inspector Bonaparte takes him to the Darling River bush country where he encounters those problems he understands so well – mixed blood and divided loyalties. The first of 29 Bony novels, published in 1930. Over 50 million BONY books have sold in English. Not yet published in China. Soon to be a new TV series.

The Tortoise in Asia is an historical fiction based on a legend popular in Gansu, the far western province of China. Some people there have Caucasian features, a curiosity that has given rise to a thriving tourist attraction based on the belief that they are descendents of Roman legionaries who travelled along the Silk Road. It is an adventure story beginning with the lead up to the battle of Carrhae (in Anatolia) in 53 BC. Marcus, a young and upwardly mobile centurion tutored in the Greek classics is the adviser to Crassus, the general in charge of the Roman invasion of Parthia (ancient Iran). He gives self-interested advice and the Romans lose the battle. Crassus (from whom the word “crass” is derived) suffers a grisly fate.