KCU / CCPL Adventure Begins @ Your Library - Australia

The People in the Trees - Hanya Yanagihara

Summary (from CCPL's catalog): "Joining an anthropologist's 1950 expedition to discover a lost tribe on a remote Micronesian island, a young doctor investigates and proves a theory that the tribe's considerable longevity is linked to a rare turtle, a finding that brings worldwide fame and unexpected consequence."

Olive Hill Branch - F YANA

The Light Between Oceans - M. L. Stedman

Summary (from CCPL's catalog): "A novel set on a remote Australian island, where a childless couple live quietly running a lighthouse, until a boat carrying a baby washes ashore"-- Provided by publisher.

Olive Hill - F STEV

Lost & Found - Brooke Davis

Summary (from Amazon.com): "Millie Bird, seven years old and ever hopeful, always wears red gumboots to match her curly hair. Her struggling mother, grieving the death of Millie’s father, leaves her in the big ladies’ underwear department of a local store and never returns.

Agatha Pantha, eighty-two, has not left her house—or spoken to another human being—since she was widowed seven years ago. She fills the silence by yelling at passersby, watching loud static on TV, and maintaining a strict daily schedule.

Karl the Touch Typist, eighty-seven, once used his fingers to type out love notes on his wife’s skin. Now that she’s gone, he types his words out into the air as he speaks. Karl’s been committed to a nursing home, but in a moment of clarity and joy, he escapes. Now he’s on the lam.

Brought together at a fateful moment, the three embark upon a road trip across Western Australia to find Millie’s mother. Along the way, Karl wants to find out how to be a man again; Agatha just wants everything to go back to how it was.

Together they will discover that old age is not the same as death, that the young can be wise, and that letting yourself feel sad once in a while just might be the key to a happy life."

Grayson - YA DAVI

The Bone People - Keri Hulme

Summary (from Wikipedia): "Set on the coast of the South Island of New Zealand, the novel focuses on three characters, all of whom are isolated in different ways: a reclusive artist, a mute child, and the child's foster father. Over the course of the novel the trio develop a tentative relationship, are driven apart by violence, and reunite. Māori and Pākehā (New Zealand European) culture, myths and language are blended through the novel."

Olive Hill - F HUL

Call it Courage - Armstrong Sperry

Summary (from KCU YL's catalog): "Based on a Polynesian legend, this is the story of a youth who overcomes his fear of the sea and proves his courage to himself and his tribe."

J F Sp37c

Myths and legends of the Polynesians - Johannes C. Andersen

Summary (from Amazon.com): "This authoritative work, based on extensive field study and research, combines a wealth of Polynesian myths and legends with a lively commentary on the lives and culture of the Polynesians. The territory covered is the vast Pacific triangle formed by the Hawaiian Islands to the north, New Zealand to the south, and Easter Island to the east. Included are Tahiti, Samoa, Tonga, the Cook Islands, the Marquesas, and many other island groups."

299.92 An23m

Shark Dialogues - Kiana Davenport

Summary (from KCU YL's catalog): "Epic of a Polynesian Hawaiian family, a story of daring passionate women and men, their losses and triumphs, their comedies and tragedies, their anguish and joy."

GR DAV

The Arts of the South Pacific - Jean Guiart

Summary (derived from the Table of Contents): Covers the material life, social systems of the people, oral literature, and other cultural elements of different groups across Oceania.

709.9 G94a

Return to Paradise - J. A. Michener

Summary (from Amazon.com): "James A. Michener, the master of historical fiction, revisits the scenes of his first great work, Tales of the South Pacific, the Pulitzer Prize winner that brought him international acclaim. In this sequel collection, Michener once again evokes the magic of the extraordinary isles in the Pacific—from Fiji and Guadalcanal to New Zealand and Papua New Guinea—through stories that burst with adventure, charm, and local color. For Michener’s many fans around the globe, Return to Paradise is a precious second look at a land of enchantment by one of the most gifted storytellers of the twentieth century."

817.54 M623r

Captain Cook's Journal During His First Voyage Round the World - James Cook

Summary (from Amazon.com): "Captain James Cook FRS RN (27 October 1728 (O.S.) - 14 February 1779) was a British explorer, navigator and cartographer. Ultimately rising to the rank of Captain in the Royal Navy, Cook was the first to map Newfoundland prior to making three voyages to the Pacific Ocean during which he achieved the first European contact with the eastern coastline of Australia and the Hawaiian Islands as well as the first recorded circumnavigation of New Zealand."

In the South Seas - Robert Louis Stevenson

Summary (from Amazon.com): "In the South Seas records Stevenson's travels with his wife Fanny and their family in the Marquesas, the Paumotus and the Gilbert Islands during 1888-9. Originally drafted in journal form while Stevenson travelled, it was then ambitiously rewritten to describe the islands and islanders as well as Stevenson's own personal experiences. In the South Seas was published posthumously in 1896. Its combination of personal anecdote and historical account, of autobiography and anthropology, of Stevenson and South Sea Islands, has a particular charm."

The Island Queen - R. M. Ballantyne

Summary (from Amazon.com): "The Rigonda family finds themselves, castaways, on a small tropical island after their ship is damaged in a storm. Soon after another ship is wrecked on the coral reef around the island. Otto and Dominick Rigonda help to save the passengers. To give the people a sense of security and normalcy Pauline Rigonda is made The Island Queen, but not everyone is happy about it. Betrayal and conspirators have plans to abandon the rest of the people on the volcanic island that is about to tear itself apart."

South Sea Yarns - Basil Thomas

Contents:
A Court-Day In Fiji -- The Last Of The Cannibal Chiefs -- Tauyasa Of Naselai, Reformer -- A Coolie Princess -- Leone Of Notho -- Raluve -- The Rain-Makers -- Makereta -- Romeo And Juliet -- The Woman Finau -- In The Old Whaling Days -- The Fiery Furnace -- Friendship -- The Hermit Of Boot Island -- The Wars Of The Fishing-Rod -- The First Colonist.

Oceania: Polynesia, Melanesia, Micronesia - Charles Paul May

Summary (from Amazon.com): "Discusses the geography, history, politics, culture, and people of the Pacific Islands."

Oceanic Mythology: The Myths of Polynesia, Micronesia, Melanesia, Australia - Roslyn Poignant

Summary (from the National Library of Australia): "p.110-137; Myths and details of illustrations image of the spirit of the long grass, Morkulkualuan (Katherine), Djanggawul, Kunapipi (commenting on womens part in ceremony), the snake (Wollonga (Warramunga); Ayers Rock (Pitjantatjara); Wadi Gudjara (Western Desert), the Hard Yam woman & the Arrowroot man (Wikmunkan); Sivri the seagull (Mabuiag & Cape York); sky heroes of the south-east (Wotjobaluk); other myths - How Gidja the moon made a woman (Bloomfield R.); the whale and the starfish (Lake Illawarra); the Muramura (Dieri); the allpowerful fathers of the Aranda; the Mamandabari of the Walbiri; the Wondjina (Kimberley); the Lightning Brothers (Wardaman); Kunmanggur & Tjinimin the bat (Murinbata); the Great mother, the Rainbow Snake, the Wawalag Sisters, Jurawadbad the snake man, why men die, moon bone cycle (Arnhem Land); Extensively illustrated."

Art and Artifacts of Melanesia - Norman Hurst

Summary (from mullenbooks.com): "Issued in conjunction with an exhibition of 90 pieces of artwork from Melanesian craftsmen. With an introduction by Norman Hurst, and many BW and color illustrations of the selections."

The Adventure Guide to Micronesia - Tom and Virginia Booth

Summary (from abebooks.com): "This guide is part of a series focusing on outdoor activities such as hiking, biking, rock climbing, horseback riding, downhill skiiing, parasailing, backpacking, waterskiing and scuba diving. Historical and other background information is provided, as well as comprehensive travel details."

South Sea Tales - Jack London

Summary (from Amazon.com): "South Sea Tales (1911) is a collection of short stories by Jack London set in island communities, like those of Hawaii. There is also stories set on board a ship. This is a classic collection that has been loved by many for generations, a great addition to the collection."

Typee - Herman Melville

Summary (from Amazon.com): "After six months of  relentless battering by the turbulent South Pacific, the whaling ship known as the Dolly is beginning to resemble a swollen and cracking prison. For Tommo, it’s been six months of little to eat but stale biscuits, six months of steady abuse and derision from his shipmates, six months with nothing to distract him from the daily drudgery of life aboard the boat. All that time and not even a hint of land—it’s enough to drive anyone mad. Thousands of miles from home, the Dolly finally chances upon a remote island, and Tommo and fellow sailor Toby resolve to strike out on their own. Intrigue and excitement ensue when they discover their new haven to be inhabited by a tribe of cannibals!"

Three Elephant Power and Other Stories - Andrew Barton "Banjo" Paterson

Summary (from librivox.com): "From Banjo Paterson, bush poet and favorite son of Australia, here is a collection of colorful stories from Australia that offer a window into the past and the culture of the region." - Summary by A. Gramour

Recollections of Bush Life in Australia - Henry William Haygarth

Summary (from librivox.com): "This was written in the mid 1800’s at time when Australia saw an influx of immigration from Europe and when England was sending some prisoners to Australia rather than to prisons. Haygarth shows us what it is like, and what it takes, to live in the Australian Bush. He shows us about the different life on a cattle/sheep station, living miles from the nearest neighbor, getting to town just a few times a year and that it may be several hundred miles away. From his own experiences relates dealings with BushRangers (thieves), building and running a station, breaking wild horses, helping neighbors in times of need. We learn about how disputes are settled, the wildlife and fauna of the bush, aboriginal customs, festivals and weapons."