Women are rarely if ever mentioned in commentaries upon Australian Christianity and spirituality. Only exceptional women are recognized as authorities on religious matters. Why is this so? Does it matter? Don't people from the same religious tradition share similar experiences of the divine, regardless of their gender? Rewriting God asks whether women have been writing about the divine and whether their insights are different from those contained in malestream accounts of Australian Christianity and spirituality. An analysis of the writings of popular theologians and religious commentators over the last twenty years suggests that the most popular form of spirituality among Australian theologians is Desert Spirituality. An analysis of women's autobiographical writings, however, suggests that the desert is irrelevant to many women's spiritual experiences. This book, through a close investigation of the fictions of Thea Astley, Elizabeth Jolley and Barbara Hanrahan, attempts to posit alternative forms of women's spirituality and to signal ways in which this spirituality is already being expressed. From the evidence gathered here, it becomes obvious that traditional expressions of Australian Christianity and spirituality are gender-specific and that they have functioned to deny women's religious experiences and to silence their claims to equality in the sight and service of the divine. It becomes obvious, too, that women have been developing their own forms of religious expression and that these may be expected to supplant gradually withering images of Desert Spirituality. Whether this new imagery will strengthen Australian Christianity or whether it merely marks a decline in the authority of Christianity remains a moot point.

Award-winning CNN journalist Kitty Pilgrim turns her talents to print in The Explorer’s Code, an exciting international thriller that revolves around the quest for a land deed valuable enough to kill for. This enhanced e-book includes five videos that explain more about oceanography, archaeology, the 1918 flu pandemic, Victorian painting, and the international seed vault. A short interview with Kitty will introduce these videos and provide an introduction to Kitty, how she came to write this book, and set the stage for the videos. These topics are discussed in this entertaining, informative novel filled with action and adventure as well as glamour, romance and international intrigue. When the renowned young oceanographer Cordelia Stapleton receives an invitation to accept an award on behalf of her great-great-grandfather, a famous Victorian polar explorer, she has no idea her life is about to change dramatically. John Sinclair—a dashing, wealthy archaeologist and philanthropist—presents Cordelia with the award at the glamorous Oceanographic Institute Ball in Monaco. He also gives her a journal that her greatgreat- grandfather wrote in 1908. An orphan with very few family belongings, Cordelia is amazingly touched to have this precious heirloom. Once the journal is in her possession, Cordelia learns that she is heir to the land on which the Global Seed Vault in Norway sits. The valuable deed for this land, or at least a clue to its whereabouts, may be hidden in the journal. When the journal disappears from Cordelia’s stateroom on the Queen Victoria and Cordelia receives threatening e-mails, it becomes clear that she is in danger. John Sinclair comes to Cordelia’s aid, helping her search for the missing journal and land deed, and capturing her heart. As they race to find the deed, Cordelia and Sinclair encounter a team of British virologists trying to decode the genome of the 1918 influenza pandemic, but unearthing infected tissue samples may prove more lethal than curative. Cordelia and Sinclair sail through the Mediterranean from Monaco to an archaeological site in Ephesus, Turkey. They travel to a beautiful old Parisian home and a lavish estate in the British countryside. Their search culminates in the high Arctic archipelago of Svalbard, not far from the North Pole. Behind them every step of the way are a consortium of Russian underworld criminals, religious fanatics from Texas, a sinister botanist, and a sexy American spy, all hunting for the deed, all pursuing Cordelia. The Explorer’s Code is a satisfying blend of historical detail, fast-paced action, scientific discovery, and the thrill of exploration that informs as well as entertains. The breathtaking ending in the high Arctic is as chilling as a polar breeze.

Ethan Stanwood has survived yet another series of horrible calamities, but his fortitude may finally run out in the fourth installment of this paranormal Steampunk series. Aloysius Hardwick has plans for Ethan that may very well destroy any possibility of him finding his father at long last, at a time when it is most vital that he be reunited with him. The ranks of fully accomplished dark witches have dwindled to a perilously low number. And Hardwick is more motivated than ever to bring Ethan into the fold and transform him from the heir to the Order of the Crystal Star into a Septimo, a witch capable of killing another with magic. Ethan’s determination and strength are tested further than they have ever been. While his troubles are mounting, his beloved city of London is quickly becoming a hotbed of danger and rebellion. He only thinks that he is removed from the chaos, until, in an act of terror, the turmoil is brought straight to Ethan and his stalwart companions. Filled with magic, gadgets, dirigible airships, steampunk adventure, mystery and intrigue, The Explorer’s Son will pivot the entire series into a new direction and set the first stages of the final battle between the forces of change and the foes of the new order that is sweeping the world in its blaze… The Inventor's Son Series: The Inventor's Son The Scientist's Son The Explorer's Son

The trusted guide to Florida's premier Gulf Coast destinations—now with a brand-new look! Whether Charlotte Harbor’s wild shorelines and preserved estuaries, or Sarasota’s historic culture sweetened by sugar magnates, travelers have an in-depth look on the environment, history, and culture of this beautiful stretch of coastline. Now in its 7th fully updated edition, this guide gives visitors and locals access to the best of Florida’s Gulf Coast. Do it all, from the fabled “Sanibel stoop” for collecting seashells to dining in the finest five-star bistros. The author’s deep local knowledge again provides the most reliable info available to this paradise. Each book in the Explorer’s Guide series gives travelers the tools and information they need to discover every corner of their destination. The helpful “What’s Where” section gives you the lay of the land; easy-to-read maps show you how to get around; handy icons point out amenities; and sidebars throughout recommend the must-see and must-do spots in each region. Everything you need to enjoy the beach is right here!

A complete guide to the populous Mexican capitol and surrounding areas. Welcome to Mexico City, the oldest city in the Americas and one of the most fascinating cities in the world. Zain Dean introduces you to its unique mix of ancient empire and modern, sophisticated society: “If you’re willing to brave its often misunderstood exterior,” he writes, “you’ll be rewarded by a city that has been fascinating adventurers, wanderers, and explorers for thousands of years.” Mexico’s capital and its environs offer pre-Hispanic ruins and magnificent temples, as well as ritzy retreats, spectacular volcanoes, and picturesque historic areas. You’ll also find dining, shopping, and accommodations to suit every budget. Sections thoughtfully and thoroughly cover the myths and realities of travel in Mexico, language and monetary concerns, and health and safety issues. More than 100 photographs and detailed maps round out the package, making this guidebook an indispensable resource.

A comprehensive guide to lodging, dining, shopping, crafts, resorts, outdoor recreation, and museums in Connecticut.

This is the first biography of one of Australia's most beloved novelists, Thea Astley (1925–2004). Over a 50-year writing career, Astley published more than a dozen novels and short story collections, including The Acolyte, Drylands, and The Slow Natives, and was the first person to win multiple Miles Franklin Awards. With many of her works published internationally, Astley was a trailblazer for women writers. In her personal life, she was renowned for her dry wit, eccentricity, and compassion. Karen Lamb has drawn on an unparalleled range of interviews and correspondence to create a detailed picture of Thea the woman, as well as Astley the writer. She has sought to understand Astley's private world and how that shaped the distinctive body of work that is Thea Astley's literary legacy.

The storm has become a universal trope in the literature of crisis, revelation and transformation. It can function as a trope of place, of apocalypse and epiphany, of cultural mythos and story, and of people and spirituality. This book explores the connections between people, place and environment through the image of cyclones within fiction and poetry from the Australian state of Queensland, the northern coast of which is characterized by these devastating storms. Analyzing a range of works including Alexis Wright's Carpentaria, Patrick White's The Eye of the Storm, and Vance Palmer's Cyclone it explains the cyclone in the Queensland literary imagination as an example of a cultural response to weather in a unique regional place. It also situates the cyclones that appear in Queensland literature within the broader global context of literary cyclones.

'This landmark contribution to Australian literary studies is the first collection of critical responses to the work of one of our most important novelists, Thea Astley. As well as essays from leading Australian and international critics, dating from 1967 to the present, it includes three essays by Astley herself, a major interview with her and the first Thea Astley lecture, given by Kate Grenville in 2005.' Professor Elizabeth Webby Sydney University

Damien Broderick has had a major impact as an Australian SF writer since 1964. He is undoubtedly the leading Australian theorist of the SF genre' (Russell Blackford, Van Ikin, Sean McMullen, Strange Constellations). Now, Broderick draws upon his skills as both critic and novelist to analyze science fiction of the last two decades, and its earlier roots. The book proposes sf as a distinctive form of writing, the extreme narrative of difference, then closely reads authors such as John Barnes, Jamil Nasir, Wil McCarthy, Robert Grossbach and Poul Anderson. While concentrating on exciting work published in the USA and Britain, Broderick does not neglect his own country's contributions, discussing sf by George Turner and other Australians. His critical voice is wry, entertaining and occasionally scathing.