History / Social Themes


  
  • Immerse yourself in the drama and excitement of the Rugby World Cup - including clips from the iconic "World in Union" theme song (by Hayley Westenra) and supporting sound effects from rugby’s greatest stage.

    You can go behind the scenes of “the game they play in heaven”, and find out how it was the forefather to all rugby football codes and also American football. What if you could be in the room where decisions were made that brought to life what is now the third largest sporting event in the world?

    This audiobook is the most comprehensive account of how the game of rugby and the Rugby World Cup first came about, and listeners are taken on the full journey with the iconic tournament theme song and official commentary and ambience from key moments throughout.

    Lance Peatey is an established media business leader with a career spanning 25 years, working for major global media organisations including Disney/ESPN, BBC, IMG Media, and both the Nine Network and Seven Network in Australia. It was while working with Seven during Rugby World Cup 2003 that Lance first decided to write A Complete History of the Rugby World Cup - In Pursuit of Bill.

    The first edition in 2007 earned impressive reviews, including David Llewellyn from The Independent describing it as “a minor masterpiece". Lance has also assisted former Australian rugby star flanker David Pocock with two editions of his autobiography “Openside” in 2011 and 2018.

    This first ever audiobook edition comes after the historic and colourful 2019 tournament in Japan. Narrated by Dryw McArthur and with clips from the iconic rugby anthem "World in Union" sung by Hayley Westenra, it will give you:

    • All the drama and excitement across the nine Rugby World Cup tournaments played from 1987 to 2019.
    • Fresh highlights from the Japan 2019 tournament, as World Rugby pushed into Asia for the very first time.
    • The history of rugby union, and the formation of rival codes that pushed its evolution to professionalism.
    • Rare insights to heated boardroom politics that almost quashed the pinnacle event from ever happening.

    This is a must-listen for newly initiated rugby fans right through to the more seasoned devotees.

  • Four teenagers and a feral cat navigate life in Gorbachev’s USSR, in this tragicomedy set against a backdrop of civilizations in decline. The Girl in the Water has launched the award-winning series Next Year’s Snow, a multigenerational saga about innocence, survival, oppression, and choice at the flashpoints of a madly fractured world.

    At the centre of this debut is Nadia, a Soviet girl who witnesses her friend’s near-drowning on a remote northern beach. Nadia is an abstract thinker coming to terms with the harsh realities around her. She is a bookworm, a prankster, a wanderer, and a note-taker. She sees people gambling with life and soul for little apparent gain and wonders what she can do to make a difference. Progressively, her life is pulled apart by her family’s migration to Ukraine, a dubious courtship, the Chernobyl disaster, police surveillance, and an Afghan war.

    As Nadia comes of age, she finds that the bonds of family and friendship create an inseparable fate: to rescue one another or to drown.

  • One Hundred Years of Exile: A Romanov's Search for Her Father's Russia
  • “A complex and ambitious adventure for lovers of ancient historical romance.”- KIRKUS REVIEWS “Collins’s piercing exploration of faith, sacrifice, and redemption gives this epic love story an intricate depth often missing in similar titles.” BOOK LIFE by PUBLISHERS WEEKLY Rome, 268 AD In an age of tyranny and turmoil, an eternal love story ignites a revolution. Valentine, a once-fearsome warrior reborn from the brink of death, sheds his violent past for a new destiny inspired by his blind lover, Agatha. Amidst the ruthless rule of a merciless emperor, Valentine undertakes a clandestine mission: to unite lovers in secret ceremonies, defying imperial decrees that threaten to obliterate the Christian faith. As Valentine’s covert acts of defiance grow bolder, he challenges the tyrannical order, planting the seeds for a celebration of love that will echo through the ages—becoming the foundation of what we now cherish as Valentine’s Day. The Legend of Valentine is an epic tale of love, war, faith, and rebellion. Against the backdrop of an empire in chaos, this gripping saga invites readers into a world where love defies all odds, heroes rise from the shadows, and the undying spirit of hope shines through the darkest times. Are there any limits to what one man will endure for his true love?
  • A nation in panic. A teacher accused. O’Keefe faces his toughest case yet. The summer of 1988 is ablaze—not just with heat but with hysteria. As Satanic Panic sweeps the nation, innocent lives hang in the balance. Private detective Peter O’Keefe never expected to be drawn into the storm, but when his daughter’s beloved teacher "Miss Ginny" is accused of unspeakable crimes, he can’t turn away. The case reeks of mass hysteria and hidden agendas, but standing against the tide could cost O’Keefe everything. As he fights to unravel the truth, he’s forced to go toe-to-toe with shadowy child protection figures more interested in securing convictions than justice. With lives shattered and the weight of a nation’s paranoia pressing down, O’Keefe must risk it all to expose the truth before it’s too late. In a world consumed by fear, will justice prevail—or will the innocent be lost forever? A gripping crime thriller steeped in real-world hysteria, An American Tragedy is a heart-stopping tale of courage, deception, and the high price of seeking the truth.
  • The Book of Timothy: The Devil, My Brother, and Me [A Memoir]
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