More secondhand books have just been added to the online store and here are my top picks.

Can I Call You Colin? The Authorised Biography of Colin Thiele by Stephany Evans Steggall

Discover the enduring legacy of Colin Thiele: author, teacher and environmentalist.

Colin Thiele is known to most Australians as the author of the much-loved children’s classic Storm Boy. Even though he suffered painful, chronic arthritis, Colin was a prolific writer throughout his sixty-year career, producing many books including children’s fiction, poetry collections and environmental texts. He also worked as an inspiring teacher and was a key figure in the development of South Australia’s educational system.

Stephany Evans Steggall first met Colin when he was awarded the Dromkeen medal for 1997. In this well-researched and evocative account of Colin’s life, his warm character, resilient spirit and myriad achievements shine through. An inspiring life story of an extraordinary Australian.

Books by Colin Thiele: Grains of Mustard Seed   Barossa Valley Sketchbook

Grow. Food. Anywhere by Matt Pember and Dillon Seitchik-Reardon

Master the art of growing your own food in any space. A comprehensive and authoritative guide this book will have you eating your own harvest in no time.

Chapters covering everything from “why soil matters”, “composting”, “how to make a wicking garden”, “how to select the right growing style”, “what to plant and when”, “harvesting”, “troubleshooting”, “pruning”, and more.

A refreshing no-nonsense approach from two accomplished and articulate young authors, and their thriving gardening business.

Seasonal Salads (Reader’s Digest)

Spring has sprung and there is no better time to start preparing for summer days at the beach.

Seasonal Salads showcases 150 salad recipes that you will enjoy and will leave your belly satisfied. The recipes are more substantial than a few leafy greens, and turn a simple salad into a splendid feast.

You’ll discover colourful combinations of different types of lettuce; vegetables; pasta and grains; meat and fish; and stone fruit and berries, too.

The First Family. Terror, Extortion and the Birth of the American Mafia by Mike Dash

Combining strong narrative and raw violence, Mike Dash has produced a compelling portrait of the early years of organised crime.

Before Al Capone and Lucky Luciano, there was the one-fingered cunning Guiseppe Morello and his murderous coterie of brothers. Had it not been for Morello, the world would never have heard of ‘men of honour’ the code of omerta or Mafia wars.

Set against the raucous bustle of early twentieth-century New York, this book tells the story of the first family, and how this extended close-knit clan of racketeers and murderers left the impoverished rural life of nineteenth-century Sicily to successfully establish themselves as the founding godfathers of the New World.

The Duel. Hitler vs. Churchill by John Lukacs

John Lukacs reconstructs the days from May 10 to July 31, 1940. Winston Churchill has just become Prime Minister of Great Britain, and on the same day Adolf Hitler launches the Blitzkrieg on Eastern Europe. The Second World War begins.

The eighty-day ‘duel’ which ensued – a battle of wills between the two leaders – was to prove crucial to determining the outcome of the war. In this book the author shows just how close England came to losing the war.

Parkes: Thirty Years of Radio Astronomy by D E Goddard – OUT OF PRINT

The Parkes radio telescope was opened in October 1961 and placed Australia at the forefront of international research in radio astronomy. An era of rapid development in our understanding of the origin and nature of the Universe followed.

Thirty years later, the scientists, engineers and technical staff involved in the establishment, operation and subsequent development of this most successful of Australian research instruments gathered to review and reflect on their achievements.

This book presents their accounts of their work and life at Parkes, and provides a fresh perspective on the growth of Australian science over the past three decades.