Barry Divola

Two estranged brothers, one stolen car, and a road trip from Texas to New York. What could possibly go wrong? For fans of Nick Hornby and David Nicholls. When burnt-out, disillusioned, newly unemployed and about-to-be-divorced music journo Rick Fracasso is offered a paying gig to drive his ex-rock star brother, Stevie - who he hasn't spoken to in thirty years - to New York for one final gig, he knows it's a bad idea. But he's out of choices. Three thousand kilometres in two weeks. Thirty years of mistakes, miscommunications and misunderstandings. It's all going to come out. A glorious music-infused, rollicking road-trip novel - think High Fidelity meets The Big Lebowski meets The Darjeeling Limited - Driving Stevie Fracasso is a smart, funny and wholly endearing novel about how, though we often lose ourselves along the way, we all need to find the road back to rediscovering what gives us joy.

Driving Stevie Fracasso

Australian Broadcasting Corporation

An insight into the backpacker culture in Australia.

A Bunk's-eye View of the Tourist Trail from Bondi to Cairns

The Secret Life of Backpackers

Paul McNeil

From the authors who brought you M IS FOR METAL, comes the next installment. This time Punk is the focus. The rhymes are wicked, the artwork astounding! This title is great for those who remember 1977, and for those who are trying to reinvent it.

Here's the Punk Alphabet

Never Mind Your P's and Q's

From AC/DC to Led Zeppelin, via Gene Simmons' tongue, The Rolling Stones' refusal to die, and Ozzy Osbourne's problems with dog poop - this is the funniest, silliest, and definitely the loudest A-Z you'll read this year.

The Loudest Alphabet Book on Earth

M Is for Metal!

Two estranged brothers, one stolen car and a road trip from Texas to New York. What could possibly go wrong? For fans of Nick Hornby, David Nicholls and Jonathan Tropper. Jaded music journalist Rick McLennan knows his life is going south when he loses his job, his apartment and his long-term girlfriend all on the same day. But then he is thrown a lifeline – a commission to write the story of his ex-rock-star brother, Stevie, and drive him from Austin, Texas, to New York to play one final gig. One small problem: the brothers haven't spoken in thirty years. Rick knows it's a bad idea. But he's out of choices. So he gets behind the wheel of a beaten-up 1985 Nissan Stanza and drives towards his destiny. He's about to find everything he didn't know he was missing. It's September 2001. From award-winning journalist and author Barry Divola comes a glorious, music-infused, rollicking road-trip novel – think High Fidelity meets The Big Lebowski meets The Darjeeling Limited. A smart, funny and wholly endearing story about how, though we may at times lose ourselves along the way, the road always leads back to family and the things that bring us joy. 'Of course this road trip comes with a top-quality mix-tape – it's by Barry Divola – but it's the layers to this story, and its humour and its heart, that make this journey irresistible.' – Nick Earls 'This book is the super f***ing gnarly lead break of rock-lit novels.' – John Birmingham 'Driving Stevie Fracasso reads as great as the fifth Replacements album sounds. It's a New York–centric, music-obsessive tale of humour and poignancy, the literary equivalent of hanging with folks who think going to church is finding a record fair. A+' – Stuart Coupe An interpreter of the listening experience forced to listen to experience? This novel will be read in between flippin' records. Go for the ride. You'll be spent, you'll be grateful.' – Tim Rogers 'If I could go back in time and take a different fork in the road, I would have lived like Barry Divola. But poor choices can't be unmade, and if Driving Stevie Fracasso is the only ride available I'll take it. Damn you, Barry Divola, you've been having everyone else's fun.' – Malcolm Knox

Barry Divola

Books

Your next favorite book is out there