Another local author is Jacob Rosenberg whose poetry has been published in both Australia and overseas, with translations in Hebrew and Russian.

Lives and Embers is his first prose collection in English.

The book's first section Lives, consists of 15 stories that explore dimensions of the human landscape. The second, Embers, something of a novelty in Australian literature, comprises 32 shorter pieces inspired by the midrashic tradition of biblical interpretation.

They investigate the eternal human drama through the prisms of scripture, history, folklore and fable. Highly recommended in paperback $26.95

The Hamilton Case by Michelle de Kretser
Michelle de Kretser is the author of The Rose Grower, a historical novel set in the French Revolution. Her new publication is The Hamilton Case which paints an evocative picture of colonial Ceylon in the 1930s. Set amid tea plantations and jungle, decay, corruption and the backwash of empire, this gripping nuanced novel has a pitch-perfect ear for the comedy and a sharp eye for the tragedy of a world at the end of its tether. A beautiful hardcover gift edition for $29.95 complimented by a special edition of gift wrap for Mother's Day but only while stock lasts.

Preparations for the Plague by Janette Turner Hospital in paperback $29.95
At what price survival - at what cost the truth. The 'victims' of a terrorist attack stumble into a world of espionage with de-classified documents, code-names, intelligence gathering and surveillance. Salamander is the key to the hijacking of Air France Flight 064 - his identity is a closely guarded secret. The children (removed from the plane before it was blown up) are now adults wavering between estrangement and belonging. They are still obsessed by the events and the reasons for them. A novel of timely intrigue - highly recommended by both Zev and Judy.

Moral Hazard by Kate Jennings now in paperback $22.00
Don't let the size of this lean book fool you. Moral Hazard is a BIG novel loaded with the high adrenaline ambience of the business world on Wall Street and the fragility of modern society. Kate Jennings grew up in Australia and has lived in New York City since 1979. During the nineties she worked as an executive speech writer at several Wall Street investments banks. Moral Hazard is a compulsive read and is highly recommended by Margaret.

The Bus Driver Who Wanted to be God by Etgar Keret
Keret covers a remarkable emotional and narrative terrain in his provocative short stories - from a father's first lesson to his boy, to a standoff between soldiers caught in the Middle East conflict, to a slice of life where nothing much happens. Etgar Keret is regarded as the hippest bestselling writer in Israel today.
Now available in paperback $22.00.

The Coffee Trader by David Liss in paperback $23.95
Amsterdam, 1659. On the world's first commodities exchange, wealth can be won and lost in an instant. It is a truth that Miguel Lienzo, a crafty trader in the city's close-knit community of Portuguese Jews, knows only too well. A story of subterfuge, danger and repressed longing, set in a city where betrayal lurks everywhere and even friends have hidden agendas, The Coffee Trader is historical suspense at its most highly evocative. Highly recommended.

Our Woman in Kabul by Irris Makler
Having managed to talk her way into some of the most dangerous hot spots in Northern Afghanistan and then Kabul, award winning journalist Irris Makler not only covered the day to day war but befriended and uncovered the stories behind the scenes of Afghani women caught in the crossfire. She had one distinct advantage over her male colleagues. She could interview Afghan women. Male journalists could not make any contact. While Irris Makler witnessed the US air strikes, explored the ruins of Osama Bin Laden's Al Queda training camps, she also met some extraordinary women. This is as much their story as hers. Available in paperback $32.95

Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
For the Margaret Atwood fans who loved her classic novel The Handmaid's Tale. Now, in her new novel, Oryx and Crake, the future has changed. With her customary sharp wit and dark humour, Margaret Atwood projects us into an all too conceivable future of our own world, an outlandish yet wholly believable place left devastated by scientific disaster and populated by a cast of characters who will continue to inhabit your dreams long after the book is closed. Margaret Atwood had been shortlisted twice for the Booker Prize until she finally won in 2000. Oryx and Crake is her eleventh novel.

* * * * * and for the younger readers * * * * *

Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta
From the bestselling , multi award winning author of Looking for Alibrandi, comes a memorable story told with humour, compassion and joy.
Francesca is at the beginning of her second term in Year Eleven at an all boy's school that has just started accepting girls. She still misses her old friends, and, to make things worse, her mother has had a breakdown and can barely move from her bed. But Francesca had not counted on the fierce loyalty of her new friends, or falling in love, or finding that it's within her power to bring her family back together. Available in paperback $24.95 suitable for readers 14 years and above.

Specky Magee and the Great Footy Contest by Felice Arena and Garry Lyon
We know that Specky is a true champion in the making, but is he good enough to win the Great Footy Contest. For more incredible footy action, a surprise trip and the introduction of some terrific new friends, read the latest book by the best selling authors of Specky Magee. Available in paperback $14.95 and suitable for boys and girls over 8 years.

* * * * * Good Crime Reading does pay * * * * *

Wilful Behaviour by Donna Leon
The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
The Stepmother by Simon Tolkien
A Season for the Dead by David Hewson
The Stone Monkey by Jeffrey Deaver
Lost Light by Michael Connelly
Soul Circus by George P. Pelecanos
The White Lioness by Henning Mankell
and for teenage spy buffs, the following titles by Anthony Horowitz have also been reduced -
Skeleton Key, Point Blanc and Stormbreaker

Another great offer is Second Glance
A stunning new novel from Jodi Picoult which will delight her growing legion of fans. A story which pits science against the supernatural in a story of love, ghosts and truth.

Happy reading.

"Your complete satisfaction is our objective."

Margaret Brener
Zev Zur
Sunflower Bookshop
434 Glenhuntly Road
Elsternwick
Victoria 3185
Tel 03-9523 6405