Keep an eye out for AWO’s recommended Young Adult Fiction, Children’s and Non Fiction reads – and we’ll also give you some great new book recommendations for summer reading.

The House of Dust and Dreams by Brenda Reid Orion, AU$32.99RRPA young British diplomat and his wife have been posted to Athens. Hugh loves the life there but his spirited and unconventional wife, Heavenly, finds it hard to fit into the whirl of endless parties and socialising. When Hugh is sent to Crete to sort out a problem, they stay in a rundown house owned by his family. Heavenly falls in love with the place and the people, and stays on when Hugh returns to his duties. As she tries to rebuild the ramshackle home, Heavenly makes firm friends with Anthi, a young woman from the village and Christos, the handsome and charismatic young builder. But the dark clouds of war are gathering and the island will become a crucible of violence and bloodshed in the days to come. For Heavenly, her friends and family, it will be the greatest test they have ever known. A house in ruins. An island at war. A love affair just beginning… You can buy this book online at: Angus and Robertson Online – AU$23.95* Fishpond.com.au – AU$26.35* Emporium Books – AU$28.70* * Prices subject to change by the retailer

The Hopeless Life of Charlie Summers by Paul Torday W&N (Hachette), AU$32.99 Hector Chetwode-Talbot, Eck to his friends, has left the army after a rather nasty moment in Colombia. From a privileged background, he is slightly at a loss as to what to do next, when he is approached by an old army pal, Bilbo Mountwilliam. Bilbo runs an investment fund company and persuades Eck to join the company. It is on a golfing trip to France with his friend Henry Newark that Eck first meets Charlie Summers, a fly-by-night entrepreneur who is hiding out in France after a ‘misunderstanding with Her Majesty’s Customs and Revenue.’ Charlie’s latest scheme is to import Japanese dog food into the UK. Henry casually mentions that Charlie should ‘look us up’ if he is ever in Gloucestershire. But not only does Charlie Summers look Henry up, he arrives with his suitcase, intent on staying with the Newarks and relaunching his dog food business in their area. But with the financial crash looming, Eck begins to ask himself if they are so very different… You can buy this book online at: Amazon.com – Kindle eBook US$11.99* Angus and Robertson Online – AU$14.95* Emporium Books – AU$28.70* The Nile – AU$29.49* * Prices subject to change by the retailer

My Last Duchess by Daisy Goodwin Headline Fiction (Hachette), AU$29.99RRPMy Last Duchess takes as its theme the late 19th-century market in American heiresses, married off to the sons of the impoverished British aristocracy. Beautiful, vivacious Cora Cash, the wealthiest debutante in America, is spirited away from the glamour and comfort of her Park Avenue mansion and suddenly finds herself Duchess of Wareham, mistress of Lulworth Castle, maried to Ivo, the most eligible bachelor in England. As Cora is soon to discover, nothing in this strange new world is quite as it seems. Her handsome new husband is withdrawn and secretive; the English social scene is stuffed with pitfalls and traps, and there are increasingly dangerous forces at work, people who wish she’d never met Ivo in the first place… You can buy this book online at: Emporium Books – AU$26.10* The Nile – AU$26.95* Angus and Robertson Online – AU$27.95* Fishpond.com.au – AU$29.99* * Prices subject to change by the retailer

Legend of Suicide by David Vann Penguin, AU$24.95RRPRoy is still young when his father, a failed dentist and hapless fisherman, puts a .44 magnum to his head and kills himself on the deck of his beloved boat. Throughout his life, Roy returns to that moment, gripped by its memory and the shadow it casts over his small-town boyhood, describing with poignant, mercurial wit his parents’ woeful marriage and inevitable divorce, their kindnesses and weaknesses, the absurd and comic turning-points of his past. Finally, in Legend of a Suicide, Roy lays his father’s ghost to rest. But not before he exacts a gruelling, exhilarating revenge. Revolving around a fatally misconceived adventure deep in the wilderness of Alaska, this is a remarkably tender story of loss, survival and disillusioned love. You can buy this book online at: Amazon.com – US$10.07* Kobo eBooks – AU$8.79* Angus and Robertson Online – AU$18.95* Fishpond.com.au – AU$18.95* Emporium Books – AU$20.05* The Nile – AU$22.49*

The Castle in the Pyrenees by Jostein Gaarder Orion, AU$29.99RRP hardbackFrom the bestselling author of Sophie’s World comes this new novel set in the 1970s. Through five intense years, Steinn and Solrunn had a happy life together. Then they suddenly parted ways, for reasons that are unclear to both. In the summer of 2007 they meet again on a balcony of an old wooden hotel by a fjord in western Norway. It is a place they both have fond memories from, and their meeting turns out to be fateful. But is it purely coincidental that they meet at that particular spot at that particular time? Over a couple of weeks that summer they write emails to each other, and it becomes clear that they have been living with very different interpretations of their shared past. The Castle in the Pyrenees is both a love story and a novel of ideas, exploring the place of human consciousness in the universe. Its main theme is of great current interest: can scinece explain everything, or does some invisible force influence our lives? You can buy this book online at: Emporium Books – AU$26.10* The Nile – AU$26.99* Angus and Robertson Online – AU$29.95* Fishpond.com.au – AU$29.99* * Prices subject to change by the retailer

Mr Rosenblum’s List by Natasha Solomons Hachette, AU$29.99RRP, hardbackJack Rosenblum is five foot three and a half inches of sheer tenacity. Through study and application he intends to become a Very English Gentleman. Jack is compiling a list, a comprehensive guide to the manners, customs and habits of his new home. And he never speaks German, apart from the occasional curse. Assimilation, he’s convinced, is the secret of success. But the war’s been over for eight years and despite his best efforts, his bid to blend in remains fraught with unexpected hurdles. Including his wife. Sadie finds his obsession baffling. She doesn’t want to forget who they are or where they come from. She’d rather bake cakes to remember the people they left behind than worry about how to play bridge. But Jack is convinced they can find a place to call home. In a final attempt to complete his list, he leads a reluctant Sadie into the English countryside. Here, in a land of woolly pigs, bluebells and jitterbug cider, they embark on an impossible task… You can buy this book online at: Angus and Robertson Online – AU$16.95* The Nile – AU$24.95* Fishpond.com.au – AU$26.95* * Prices subject to change by the retailer

Mini Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella Random House, AU$32.95RRPBecky Brandon (née Bloomwood) thought motherhood would be a breeze and that having a daughter was a dream come true – a shopping friend for life! But it’s trickier than she thought – two-year-old Minnie has a quite different approach to shopping. She can create havoc everywhere from Harrods to Harvey Nicks to her own christening. She hires taxis at random, her favourite word is ‘Mine‘, and she’s even started bidding for designer bags on ebay. On top of everything else, there’s a big financial crisis. People are having to Cut Back – including all of Becky’s personal shopping clients – and she and Luke are still living with Becky’s Mum and Dad. To cheer everyone up, Becky decides to throw a surprise birthday party – on a budget – but then things become really complicated. Who will end up on the naughty step, who will get a gold star and will Becky’s secret wishes come true? You can buy this book online at: Amazon.com – US$13.50* QBD The Bookshop – AU$19.99* The Nile – AU$29.49* Fishpond.com.au – AU$29.95* * Prices subject to change by the retailer

Somewhere Down a Crazy River by Robyn Catchlove Pan Macmillan, AU$34.99RRPRobyn Catchlove wasn’t destined for married life and two and half kids in the suburbs of Adelaide. So, in her early twenties, she walks away from a passionless marriage to seek out adventure and lead the life she always dreamed of. As a spunky 25-year-old, she meets her match, Les Coles, in balmy Cairns, and together they set about building the boat of their dreams. By the time the Jean King launches, Robyn and Les are fiercely in love and ready to take on the challenges of the professional fishing game. This is the start of a gripping eight-year sea journey set in the hallucinogenic tropics of Far North Queensland. It also takes Robyn deep into the heart of the exclusively male world of professional fishing. It is physical, tough, and often perilous, but Robyn won’t give up until she has not just silenced, but completely won over, even her toughest critics. Along the way, Robyn develops a remarkable bond with the environment, experiences a deep relationship with indigenous Australians, and collects a swag of colourful and gutsy fishing mates. But when her one true ally unexpectedly turns on her, Robyn is going to need more resilience and courage than she ever needed – even in the toughest storm at sea. Robyn’s is a quintessentially Australian story about passions: where they can take you, how to walk away from them if they threaten to destroy you, and what is left if you have the courage to do so. You can buy this book online at: Emporium Books – AU$30.45* SeekBooks.com.au – AU$31.49* Angus and Robertson Online – $34.95* QBD The Bookshop – AU$34.99* * Prices subject to change by the retailer

Heaven, Hell and Mademoiselle by Harold Carlton Orion, AU$32.99Four young fashion hopefuls arrive in Paris, 1968, determined to claw their way to the top of the ruthless world of the haute couture. Monique, a seamstress destined to become so much more, watches Chanel’s staff spray No 5 perfume in the street outside the famous maison de couture. Can her dreams of success and love come true in this magical place? Christopher, London born and bred, a handsome new designer, determined to make it in a world where sex-appeal and success go hand in hand – and heterosexual men are rare and prized. Samantha, an ultra-spoiled Daddy’s girl who always gets her way, has the gift of selling French perfume and fashion with sex, sex and yet more sex. But can a loud, brash American ever conquer the sophisticated ladies of Paris? And hauntingly beautiful Sophie, the top model who becomes Chanel’s ‘Face’ on a million billboards and magazine covers, yet has a terrible secret in her past that refuses to stay buried. Four young lives collide and entangle in the secretive world of French fashion as Harold Carlton weaves a spellbinding tale of passionate love, ambitious rivalry and exquisite clothes. This season’s must-have accessory – a delicious romp through Parisian haute couture. You can buy this book online at: Amazon.com – Kindle eBook US$11.99* Angus and Robertson Online – AU$23.95* Emporium Books – AU$28.70* Fishpond.com.au – AU$29.97* * Prices subject to change by the retailer

This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper Orion, AU$32.99Poor Judd Foxman returns home early to find his wife in bed with his boss – in the act. He now faces the twin threats of both divorce and unemployment. His misery is compounded further with the sudden death of his father. He is then asked to come and ‘sit Shiva’ for his newly deceased parent with his angry, screwed up and somewhat estranged brothers and sisters in his childhood home. It is there he must confront who he really is and – more importantly – who he can become. Funny, moving, powerful and poignant. This is Where I Leave You is the fabulous follow up to How to Talk to a Widower, and is Jonathan Tropper at his best. You can buy this book online at: Amazon.com – US10.20* Kobo eBooks – AU$12.19* Emporium Books – AU$21.50* Angus and Robertson Online – AU$22.95* Fishpond.com.au – AU$22.95* * Prices subject to change by the retailer

I still remember the dog-eared copy of my mum’s Women’s Weekly Children’s Birthday Cake Book - resplendant with the hickory dickory clock and numbered cakes to careen over with delight. Well, get set post-Baby Boomers, because a whole new generation of super dooper cakes for kids is out in AWW’s glossy new More Cakes for Kids tome – with 70 new recipes guaranteed to delight every one in the party-throwing family.

The first thing you’ll notice about this scrumptious book is the styling and photography. Really, really gorgeous – all pastel delight, with beautiful settings, stunning photography and page design to die for. In keeping with the current trend to produce books that look more like a glamorous magazine, the pages are a true credit to the creative team behind More Cakes for Kids, with scalloped edges to photos, beautiful fonts and truly beautiful colouring, you’ll want to own this book just to look at, let alone cook from.

And what of the recipes? Well, let’s just say kids’ cakes have come a long way, baby. There’s some serious sophistication going on here. But before you get in a tizz and cover yourself with panicked poufs of sifted flour, there’s nothing pretentious nor difficult about the recipes in this book – just carefully crafted genius that any home cook, with the right tools (or even without them) can whip up on any average kitchen bench.

Starting with Perfectly Pretty, we’re treated to such luscious creations as a divine fairy cake, a quilted handbag, a strawberry patch to fossick through for sweet fruit, and a castle fit for a princess. There’s also cakes here for Big Girls, too – including a coconut cream layer cake, a high heel and heart tealight boxes to set the heart aflame.

In Fun and Games, the boys come up a treat with an astounding soccer ball, a haunted mountain, a classic fire engine, a super-cool piñata cake and the kookiest (and cutest!) alien you ever did see. There’s also a section for real little kids that include a cake that mimics a house drawing, a beautiful vegie patch and covered in Milo (yum!) and the most divine bubble bath, completely with rubber duckies, you ever did see.

Wait ’til you see the igloo ice cream cake. There’s no way a child can go through life without this one thrown somewhere in the mix (‘scuse the pun).

For bigger kids, there’s a gelato bouquet, a set of candles that appear to melt before your very eyes, a mini mud cake and a choc chip ice cream sandwich that should need no party, birthday nor other celebration to whip up instantaneously (I’m listing ingredients on my shopping list as we speak).

There are 70 new recipes in this book which should keep most bakers happy for quite a while, and yes – you will be thrilled and relieved to know that AWW have come through with a grand finalé of number cakes, from 1 to 9, all beautifully crafted and packed with creativity.

The end of the book features six different cake batter recipes including two that are gluten-free, and there’s also several icing recipes to choose from. An added bonus is the helpful pages on baking information, pans and equipment, creating cakes step-by-step, notes on decorations and a glossary. Finally, a fold out sheet containing templates makes cake creation a breeze.

Styled and photographed to a degree that rivals Martha and Donna combined, More Cakes for Kids may look a tad ambitious to many home cooks, but the creation of these cakes is simpler than meets the eye. A little bit of time and patience is all that’s needed, as the book very carefully explains its how-to processes and outlines the equipment needed to create a masterpiece.

You can buy this book online at:

Booktopia.com.au – AU$26.95* [Paperback]

The Nile – AU$26.99* [Paperback]

QBD The Bookshop – AU$29.95* [Paperback]

* Prices subject to change by the retailer

Title: More Cakes for Kids
Author: Australian Women’s Weekly
Category: Cookbooks
Publisher: acp Books
ISBN: 9781742450285
RRP: AU$29.95
Publication Date: 01/09/10

If the stunning cover with its embossed typeface and gorgeously retro greenhouse tea party doesn’t hook you in, the subtitle surely will – recipes and styling for unforgettable parties. And, yes they are unforgettable… most happily – in a good way.

Gone are the days of the predictable ‘dinner party’ – a fad of the 80s and 90s. The noughties have brought upon us an entirely new take on what constitutes fine at-home entertaining, and thankfully, its constituents don’t also contain pomp ceremony.

Australians want laid back, creative and delicious on their entertaining plate – and fashion designer and author Fleur Wood shows us how possible it can be to whip up something truly beautiful without breaking the bank nor the time barrier (nor a fingernail, for that matter).

Yes of course, the shindigs laid out in this lustrous book are highly stylised and seemingly summoned from the end of several stylist/photographer/chef/publisher magic wands – but the content is highly inspirational and easily adaptable for anyone who loves entertaining with fun and fancy.

What I love most about Food Fashion Friends - beyond the overall gorgeousness – is that it’s different. It thinks outside the square dining table and sparks the romantic and whimsical in its reader. Why huddle around a nest of coffee tables when you can perch yourself on a wingback wicker chair in the garden? Why unfurl your grandmother’s vintage table cloth and smooth it over your table top when you can drape it over a thatch of clouds?

Author Wood (one of the country’s most popular designers for women) has clearly used Food Fashion Friends as a showcase for her clothing collections – and why not – her pieces are delicate and delectable and perfectly complement the content, despite inciting serious frock envy. She has also used the book as a sort of quasi-journal with running commentary on how and why she entertains, making the book personal, warm and insightful, despite its high echelon tendencies… I mean, who gets to have Matt Moran over for dinner let alone have him cook it?

High echalon or no, A Menu by Matt is elegant yet fun, relaxed and spunky – and is great fun to read and dive into, knife and fork clattering. The children’s pary – Bonnie’s Birthday – is similarly so – done really beautifully but not in an unattainable, stuffy or overly stylised way. There is clearly romance, fun and love in all these party ideas – a collection of nine in all.

I particularly love A Weekend in the Country – a picnic to celebrate the birthday of Wood’s husband, Nick. With an eye-popping tree studded with 300 giant balloons (every party needs balloons) and a menangerie of kids and farm animals nuzzling for picnic crumbs, this is such a gorgeously relaxed and stunning idea, I need to go outside and put it together immediately.

Being an avid home cook, the recipes provided by Wood are creative, elegant and completely mouthwatering, with a defiant simplicity. I need to make that Rhubarb Meringue Cake like my life depended on it and don’t even get me started on the Roasted Pumpkin Wedges and Pancake Torte with Espresso Syrup and Maple Candied Walnuts. And Baked Bean Vol-au-Vents for the kids? Brilliant.

Fashionistas will adore this book for the superlative blending of fashion with food, and foodies will similarly appreciate a gorgeous gown and picture-perfect settings for a smörgåsbord of divine recipe ideas. Lovers of design and book layout will be in rapture. The book features a high class mixture of paper types from rustic matt high gsm used in Summer Storm to high gloss liquid black in Winter Solstice.

This book could easily have been pretentious but it’s far from it – in fact, at times it feels like a deliberate parody on a theme – the Hot-House High Tea is a case in point… the title does not belie the content in which a gaggle of seriously gorgeous romanticised waifs gasp and groan orgasmically over platters of divinely nostalgic afternoon tea treats. Brunch In The City is similarly dramatised with a late breakfast on a grungey rooftop with a lineup of über moody models who spontanously burst into hilarity, with ravishing smiles flashing.

I personally understand what it would have taken to put together a book like Food Fashion Friends and let me just stand in awe with hands clapping at this beautiful feat… it’s obvious this book is a collection of treats steeped in Wood’s deep passion for great food, gorgeous clothing and entertaining on a whimsical and creative scale. Thankfully, the rest of us also get to share in the multi-layered treats.

YOU CAN BUY THIS BOOK ONLINE AT:

• Fishpond.com.au – AU$49.97*

• Emporium Books – AU$52.15*

• The Nile – AU$53.49*

• Booktopia – AU$53.95*

• Cookbooks.com.au – AU$53.96*

• SeekBooks.com.au – AU$53.96*

Title: Food Fashion Friends
Author: Fleur Wood
Category: Lifestyle, Cooking
Publisher: Penguin/Lantern
ISBN: 9781921382277
RRP: AU$59.95
Publication Date: 29 July 2010

From the team behind yourfamilyyourmoney.com.au comes this third advice-packed manual on conquering money matters – namely, surviving the complicated and oft devastating rift that is divorce.

Analaura and Wilson Luna are a husband and wife team who spend their lives counselling and supporting families on all things financial. They’ve appeared on A Current Affair, The Today Show, Ten News, and a cacophony of printed media and radio – dealing out the truth behind money management and its sometimes devastating effects on the lives of families.

The authors are both educated in accounting and applied finance, however is it their clear passion for giving families the tools they need to balance work, life, money and happiness that has made this dynamic duo such a success.

Real Money Advice for Divorce is essentially an easy-to-follow plan to aid those navigating the bumpy road to divorce. But what sets it apart is that its focus is not only on finances, but on the emotional and social price paid during and after separation. Of course, this toll can’t be underestimated and the authors make it clear, with a lot of warmth, that emotional control and balance is key to surviving and coming out on top.

This is an incredibly well-rounded book. Divided into three sections – The Divorce Survival Plan, Settling, and Succeeding, this book runs the gamut of how to not only survive divorce, but live well in its wake – something especially important for women.

Beginning with an understanding of the emotional rollercoaster that is early separation, the book offers clear, rational and enormously helpful advice on keeping hold of your emotions, exploring all your options (is divorce really the answer?), working out a separation budget, getting legal help without breaking the bank – even how to actually apply for a divorce. The intricacies of child support is even clearly demystified.

In Stage Two, readers will learn how to effectively negotiate parenting roles, what to expect in court, as well as out-of-court and in-court property settlements. Stage Three is all about the reality of life post-divorce, what you’re up against, how to plan and know your rights. There’s even a section on renavigating the dating game down the track.

Complete with helpful charts, checklists, case studies, a budget planner and a list of places to go if you need more help, this book would certainly provide a much-needed resource for anyone contemplating or suffering divorce. With 50,000 of us applying for divorce every year, it seems this book is bound to become a bestseller.

YOU CAN BUY THIS BOOK ONLINE AT:

• Fishpond.com.au – AU$24.99*

• Emporium Books – AU$26.10*

• Booktopia – AU$26.95*

• The Nile – AU$26.99*

* Prices are subject to change by the retailer.

Title: Real Money Advice for Divorce
Author: Analaura and Wilson Luna
Category: Non-Fiction
Publisher: Luna Group P/L
ISBN: 9780980628425
RRP: AU$29.99
Publication Date: 8 July 2010

Other books in the Your Family Your Money series:
30 Day Challenge; and
Real Money Advice for Families

Let’s just get to the heart of the matter. It’s going to be tough to explain how much I loved this book. This may help: my heart raced every time I saw its black, cloth-bound cover (the gorgeously-styled dust jacket was, of course, packed away carefully to be reunited with said book after I had malued it to death in bed every night).

And as my heart raced, a variable of other things happened to my body. My eyes misted over, my brows knit together, my throat opened to gasp in horror and my lips twisted wryly. My stomach turned, my eyes widened and giggles fluttered from my mouth. But it was my brain that copped the brunt of this book. Essentially, I was smacked squarely in the cerebral cortex and lo, it was good.

Subtitled A Short History of Private Life - this is indeed a short history of the world we call home – hearth, house, dwelling, abode. It is a peramble through not only the rooms of a house and its associated idiosyncrasies, but also of the pursuit and attainment of comfort – for comfort as we know it in the West is actually a very new concept – and has only really been enjoyed by a priveleged few (ie: you and me) for a very short segment in the history of humankind.

Up until very recently, the home has not been a place of comfort nor safety – neither a place to hang your hat nor lay you down to rest. Rat, lice, poop and disease-infested death traps come to mind for many of the Westernised people who have lived in the ‘houses’ before us – particularly those in great cities like London and Paris whose people were often swallowed up by the perils of life in a poor-ventillated, dimly lit, bitterly cold and filthy dwelling that was more often than not shared with a multitude. Even the greatest houses and castles built as recently as the 19th century were enormously susceptible to fire, cold, disease, ill comfort, and even crumbling upon one’s own head.

But At Home is about more than the various states and mutations of the world’s dwellings and how we came to achieve what it is we have today that makes our lives so dry, warm, safe and… comfortable.

This book is an extraordinary compilation (as Bryson does so well) of the events, the plagues, the perils and most importantly – the people who have been associated with the creation and development of (as well as the destruction of) modern human comfort, health and undoubtedly sanity.

Opening with the construction of one of the world’s greatest architectural marvels – the Crystal Palace – in London in 1851, At Home follows Bryson’s account of the great minds and achievements of modern history – a period roughly covering the 200 years around the Industrial Revolution. Bryson centres his meanderings around the foundations we call a House by exploring his very own home – a rectory in Norfolk once owned by a certain Reverand Marsham – a bachelor who had affections for his housekeeper – Miss Worm (scandal!).

Starting with the hall, we move through all parts of a modern day dwelling - the kitchen, larder, fusebox, drawing room, dining, cellar, garden, bedroom, bathroom, passage, nursery, attic - even the stairs – which are exposed as the most dangerous part of the house, with injuries and death stats that will boggle the brain (and will soon kybosh any delicate stair skipping or bounding, and instead reduce you to some serious rail-clutching).

But it’s what Bryson does inside these rooms – to expound on their creation, development, mutation and modern usage - that really makes for fascinating reading. Let’s take the toilet as example. Did you know, for instance, that the English word ‘loo’ probably came from the French phrase ‘un lieu à l’anglaise’ which means ‘an English place’ – a term used to describe the new and highly sought-after indoor toilet?

The word toilet itself actually began as a type of cloth (think ‘toile’), then it was the cloth used on dressing tables, then the items on the dressing tables (toiletries), then the dressing tables themselves, then the act of dressing, then when people came to watch you dress (ahem), then the dressing room where you dressed, then any kind of private room that happened to be near a bedroom, then a room used for washing and toileting oneself then the actual lavatory.

Love it love it love it. And there’s much much more.

At Home is jammed with seemingly insignificant facts like how toilets came to be – but it’s these little things that add up to an incredibly satisfying whole. Bryson knits together these fascinating little quirks with major and triumphant tales of the people that essentially created modern day living - from the creation of the lightbulb and fusebox to the scandal surrounding the Boston Tea party and the planning of New York’s Central Park.

He continually surprises us with facts both sordid and mind-blowing – and, most delightfully, reveals and reminds us of the people – some long forgotten – and societies that sacrificed much to bring us the many comforts we take for granted today.

Part information book, part saga, part jaw-dropping fact file on a history many of us are completely clueless about, this book will warm not only your hearth – it will warm your soul.

Title: At Home: A Short History of Private Life

Author: Bill Bryson

Category: Non Fiction

Publisher: Doubleday

ISBN: 9781409095545

RRP: A$55RRP

Publication Date: 01/07/10

We all know how vital the experience of play is for children and their mental, emotional and physical development. Even the most basic playtime encases a world of wonder and advancement in children on a hollistic level, well into their tweens and even teens.

It’s sad, then, that as we age, we lose the capacity and desire to play… play that is unhibited and undertaken with purity and joy. Perhaps this book by Stuart Brown MD, will help us rediscover the wonder and soul-warming benefits of not only encouraging play within our children, but within ourselves.

In Play, Dr Brown clearly illustrates that play is anything but trivial and unimportant. He believes play is a biological drive that’s as integral to our health as sleep or nutrition. He also believes it’s the mechanism by which we become resilient, smart and adaptable – all elements most parents would want to see instilled in their offspring. In fact, Dr Brown believes that our ability to play throughout life is the single most important factor in determining our success and happiness.

Brown writes with intelligence, warmth and a relaxed, approachable manner. His illustrative stories on how play influences our lives are a pleasure to read and there are many ‘aha’ moments that will have you nodding and smiling. The author explains play, what it is and why we do it. He describes what happens with the brain when we play, he intimates how we are totally built for play – and lots of it.

We learn how adults play, the different play personalities, and of course – we delve into the greatest game of all – parenthood – in which the author discusses celebratory and ritualistic play, storytelling and narrative play, transformative-integrative and creative play, learning, memory and more.

We are also taken through the sophomoric rites of adolescence, how children morph into adults and, most interestingly, the fact that the opposite of play is NOT work. How can we, as adults, incorporate play into our work? How can it help us foster and hone our careers, even in non-creative fields?

This fascinating book is not just for parents – it’s an insightful look into the essence of Life – how we embrace it and how we enjoy it. Using a blend of neuroscience, biology, psychology, social science and inspiring human stories, Play covers all bases when it comes to reminding us that learning and retaining a sense of play is not only educational, it’s arguably one of the greatest investments in happiness and contentment we could ever make.

Stuart Brown, MD, is a medical doctor, psychiatrist, clinical researcher and the founder of the National Institute for Play. He speaks regularly to Fortune 500 companies and groups across the US on the importance of play in our lives. The producer of a three-part PBS series, The Promise of Play, he has also appeared on National Public Radio and was featured in a cover story in The New York Times Magazine.

We’re talking the Real Deal. Yes folks, the place where dreams are made (note to self: pick up a few more dreams at Disney gift shop)… the original, the one and only – Anaheim Disney! (Squeal of delight – and without a trace of sarcasm.)

The most curious thing about making this decision was telling our kids, Ella and Riley. Barely able to contain the rising thrill in my voice when I made the announcement, both children simply stared at me, smiled weakly and then asked what was for dinner. Astounded, I let it slide, consoling myself with the fact that they really had no idea what they were in for.

They had already seen Hong Kong Disney. Had this smaller knockoff, in all its appealing yet awfully twee splendour, ruined my children’s faith in Disney? Could they not feel the power and allure of the Real Deal magic, vibrating across the Pacific Ocean, beckoning with sugar-dipped fingers?

Ten days later, I purchased the e-tickets online and printed them, complete with lusciously coloured Monsters Inc characters. This will have them spinning like tops, I thought, yet they were more interested in the somewhat lacklustre Legoland ticket I held clutched in my less important hand.

Curiouser and curiouser.

When Walt Disney first opened his magical land in 1955, he no doubt shared the exhilaration and joy I felt about my First Time in Anaheim. Although not a Disney virgin, I couldn’t fight the sweet anticipation rising in my throat at the thought of finally clapping eyes on that Original Castle (Fantasyland is by far the most popular Disneyland attraction). Nothing could quell that excitement, not even the questionable responses of my children.

Although, if my husband had any idea how much I’d paid for those tickets (and Sea World and Legoland and San Diego Zoo and…), his nervous tic would have put all excitement in severe jeopary. The first Disneyland ticket ever sold was to Walt Disney’s brother Roy, for one dollar. Let’s just say 54 odd years of inflation is a looong time.

So, would my children enjoy the grandiose Californian home of Mickey Mouse? I remained convinced the answer would be… without a doubt. And if they didn’t, there was always the highly stimulating and exhilarating long haul flight to look forward to (woe!).

Fast forward that long haul flight and a road trip along the California coast from San Francisco (more on that later) – D-Day (that’s Disney Day) was suddenly upon us. I can still feel the thundering pace of my heart in my chest.

As I walked towards the surprisingly humble entryway to Anaheim Disney, clutching the wriggling hands of my buzzing children, there was only one dream I hoped would come true (beside the requisite wishes for world peace, health, happiness and an inexhaustible supply of non-taxable funds). The dream? That my disturbingly high anxiety levels would plummet like the Matterhorn, and subside to a low-level buzz.

Why was I a bundle of nerves? In a Chip ‘n’ Dale nutshell? Queues. Crowds. Pushing. Shoving. People. Everywhere. Queues. Did I mention queues? (Please also add to this a hindsight entry – USD 18 for two grande lattes and two cookies.)

There I was – Anxiety Level: 8 – striding towards the gates to Disney Anaheim, with two squirming hands slipping on my sweaty palms and Husband hopping around like a flea in a dog-wash, while stream after stream of scurrying people slid past and overtook us on jet-powered feet. Why couldn’t we walk that fast?  Would it be considered bad etiquette to break into a low-level run? In the other direction??  Anxiety Level: 9.

Plenty of striding and deep breathing later, we reached the bag-check, then the gates themselves – where my anxiety was surprisingly calmed by the lack of crowds. Well – I mean, there were crowds… they were just sparsely divided – straggling into skinny, fast-moving lines, like the thinning strands on Homer Simpson’s head. Not too bad, I thought. Not too bad… Anxiety Level: 6-ish.

Our entry tickets trilled through the machine like Tinkerbell’s sound byte and suddenly – awe-inspiringly – we were There. We were In. Inside the Dream Factory. Anxiety Level? Maybe a quasi-4, but mostly because we didn’t know where to start. Looking clearly like first-timers, Husband and I huddled over the map while the kids jumped up and swatted it excitedly.

Where first? The train around to Toon Town? The monorail? Amble up Main Street? A fast stroll to Frontierland? Or straight to The Castle? How how how do we choose? Then the Disney train pulled into the station and tooted a friendly hello. We were off. Anxiety Level: around 2 and rapidly dropping*.

I don’t remember much after that.

Fairy-floss blended into a pink teacup swirl. Alice in Wonderland tumbled headlong into the starry night of Space Mountain. Caffè lattes swished in the belly of Peter Pan over London Town. Giggles and squeals echoed in the halls of Goofy’s house, through the parlour at Minnie’s and slid down the ropes of Tarzan’s treehouse. Chip and/or Dale played pixie games with our heads (who really is who?**). Snow White put a crick in Ella’s neck (you know, upward, slack-jawed gazing). Riley pinched Buzz Lightyear’s gun and conquered space aliens while Nemo darted through a hologram ocean and Winnie-the-Pooh took us on a heffalump-hallucinatory-trip.

Summary? Disneyland was a visual, auditory, sensory three-days of fantasty-fandangled delight.

Highlight for kids? Umm… everything. Highlight for Husband? A solo trip on Space Mountain that overshot the platform and had to go around twice. Grrr…

Highlight for me? I have three. 1) Covering my mouth to catch the squeaks as I watched Ella and Riley stare around in rapture. 2) Clapping eyes on that straight-from-the-annals-of-girlhood fairytale Castle. 3) Seeing Bear in the Big Blue House, in person (hey – we all have our little idiosyncrasies).

Just for the record – my median anxiety levels during our three-day play? Zero zero zero. Anyway, I had bigger problems – how to come down off the sugar-coated high. I’m still buzzing, over two years later. And the kids? Let’s just say it was worth every anxious moment.

*Footnote for the impatient or agoraphobic: Although certainly not empty, visiting Disneyland in January was a joy. Most rides were either walk-straight-on or a two-minute wait, with the odd 10-20 minute wait. The following comment was overheard several times by regular Californian visitors who wear their annual pass proudly around their necks, bedazzled with dozens of Disney pins… “I will never come to Disneyland again unless it’s January or February. It’s a dream!” And indeed it was.

**For character aficionados – Chip has one tooth, Dale has two.

Want to plan the dream? Visit disneyland.com

Not one to suggest author Helen Simonson dropped her hat and quickly rustled up Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand, but the effortless literary style and divine storyline of her first novel hints at a supremely natural talent and sets her in line for becoming an author capable of being pinned by fan favouritism.

It turns out Simonson is actually an experienced writer, having had short stories and essays published in the past, but I for one am pleased she has branched into fully-blown fiction. Published by Allen & Unwin in March of this year, Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand is one of those books that is not only well written, it’s written well. The plot is glorious but the prose is equally delicious and visually evocative, something prolific readers tend to voraciously appreciate, especially when prose is set in a delightfully sweet seaside town.

Simonson’s talent for pinning likeable (and unlikeable) fully-fleshed characters is also impressive, and in the adorable Major Pettigrew the author creates a charming old world character caught up in and precariously straddling the delicate divide between an established, very traditional British seaside town and a modern tourist attraction, with housing developments, multicultural invaders and odd people intent on such absurdities as banning hunting parties in the grounds of sprawling homesteads.

Centered beautifully around the Major’s love affair with a pair of Churchill hunting rifles left by his departed father and commencing with the loss of his beloved brother, the storyline weaves in and out of the intricacies of traditional village life and takes a peek into the homes of several local residents including a certain Pakistani shop keeper, the elegant Mrs Ali.

Trapped within the confines of her own cultural tradition, Mrs Ali is a most unlikely love interest for the very British, likeable but staid Major Pettigrew… and the growing intensity of their emotional connection, fraught with the perils of neighbours, family, friends and popular opinion and prejudice, is a thing of great beauty.

This love story between two very ordinary people may not be one of the greatest of all time, but the way in which it unfolds – the tiniest nuance and teensiest taboo – is so beautifully crafted, it is a timely reminder of how passionate, detailed and extraordinary romantic couplings used to be – before a more lax society began undervaluing the time and effort it takes to foster such intimate and lasting connection.

Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand was one of those novels that had me watching the clock for bed time so I could crawl under the covers and quickly re-visit this glorious plot that truly captured my heart. Unpredictable, emotional, funny, real, magical and utterly charming, Simonson’s fabulous cast of characters and superlative blending of cultures is only superceded by her impassioned belief in love against all odds. Combined, these elements make for a book that won’t fail to enchant.

I loved it so much, I’m giving it a feature film prediction.

Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand is published by Allen & Unwin, A$32.99RRP

The Making of Modern Australia
William McInnes

A long time fan of the talented McInnes, I was personally gagging to get hold of this book – not only because I knew it would be good, but also because it’s a testament to the beauty of our country that I should feel increasingly impassioned, like many Australians, to become more au fait with our history, our culture, our future. For a country still dredged in such infancy, we’re doing more than alright on a global scale – and this fabulous account of our journey, since World War II – is as pride-inducing as it is fascinating. In fact, I would call its content vital to all Australians – vital in that it takes the stories of our everyday countrymen and opens them quite deliciously, yielding with the softness of a lamington, and opens up the sweet (and bittersweet) treasure held inside.

The Making of Modern Australia paints an intricate, passionate and touching picture of where we are today – not so much in the eyes of the world, but within our own backyard. Beginning with The Australian Child, the book opens with a chapter entitled ‘Just Come Back by the Time It’s Dark’ – a phrase we still call over the suburban fence (at least I know I do) today, and then cruises on through The Australian Soul and The Australian Heart, culminating with a pride-inducing section entitled the Australian Dream. Dreamy stuff indeed. Cataloguing the intricate detail of everyday life from deep within the delectable melting pot that is our nation and told with that intelligent, honest and warm true-Australian style that is McInnes, this is not to be missed.

The Making of Modern Australia is published by Hachette, A$35RRP

Who Said That First?
Max Cryer

Nothing like a little trivial knowledge to get the dinner party flowing, and Dad will be the master of all things linguistic after a dip into this fabulous book by Max Cryer, an experienced writer, entertainer, performer and broadcaster who hosts a weekly radio show on the quite fascinating quirks of the English language.

Ever wondered who first said you should get out of the kitchen if you couldn’t handle the heat? And what about a bad hair day or (‘scuse the loose hair reference again) grassroots?

If ever there was a family dispute on where a myriad of our most idiomatic phrases and words come from, now is the time to settle it with this fabulous book. How’s your father (comedian Harry Tate)? A good man may be hard to find (jazz musician Eddie Green) but perish the thought (playwright Colly Cibber) you’d miss out on this book.

Who Said That First? is published by Exisle, A$29.99RRP

Ransom
David Malouf

Frequently pegged as Australia’s finest writer, David Malouf has created an extraordinary account in Ransom that shines new light on Homer’s Iliad. This astounding fable is woven carefully around the epic themes of the Trojan War and is one novel you won’t be able to put down.

Told in the present tense, this novel is magnificently penned and edited and is a glorious introduction to a historical moment in time many of us don’t find time nor wherewithal to explore more fully.

Lyrical, deeply emotive, tragic and beautiful, this is a story of pride, grief, kinship and love. The perfect afternoon Father’s Day read – he’ll finish it in one sitting.

Ransom is published by Vintage Books, A$24.95RRP

Dear Dad
MILK

This little hardcover book with dust jacket is the perfect gift for Dad – an extraordinary multi-page gift card, if you will – showcasing fathers all over the world in a series of glorious images.

Compiled by the people behind MILK (Moments of Intimacy, Laughter and Kinship, a photographic compilation initiated by eminent photographer Elliot Erwitt 10 years ago) this mini compendium of Dad Moments is not only beautiful and tear-jerking, it really does bring you amazing and goose-bumping moments of intimacy, laughter and kinship.

Beautiful.

Dear Dad is published by Hachette, A$16.99

The Final Act of Mr Shakespeare
Robert Winder

This fascinating novel is a page-turner like no other – and will reel in even the most reluctant high school Shakespearean devotees.

Set around the imagined writings of Shakespeare’s missing royal play – Henry VII – the plot follows the writing of this contentious work against a perilous political backdrop. King James I’s spies are everywhere and Shakespeare and his King’s Men must work in secret to produce this masterpiece – a feat he could never have performed while Elizabeth was Queen.

There is no evidence that arguably our greatest writer ever wrote Henry VII. A blend of real historical happenings and wonderful imaginings, this brilliant novel brings the full spirit of the Bard to the fore and will satisfy anyone with a lust for literature, history, wonder and intrigue. Robert Winder was literary editor for The Independent and deputy editor of Granta magazine.

The Final Act of Mr Shakespeare is published by Little, Brown, A$32.99RRP

Laughter is the Best Medicine
Jean-Paul Bell

Launched on 1 April of this year (National Smile Day), this uplifting peek into children’s hospitals reveals there’s quite a lot of clowning around going on – and all in the name of laughter – being that it is, of course, the best medicine. Jean-Paul Bell aka Dr B Looney, partners with such hoot-a-minute friends as Dr Know-it-All and Dr Twang, to delivery a daily dose of merriment to children who probably need it most of all.

Clown doctors are actually rife in hospitals around the world – it’s a common rash of joy that makes an enormous difference in the lives of thousands of families and their sick children. Sometimes the doctors are there to play, sometimes to entertain but always to listen. They also relieve tension and thoroughly entertain.

Bell’s wonderful story underpins the importance of this wonderful work, and is a feel-good book that will stay with you a very long time.

Laughter is the Best Medicine is published by Hachette, A$32.99RRP

The Lingo Dictionary
John Miller

Any typical, Aussie-loving bloke will most happily dive headlong (resplendent with zinc cream) into this classic compilation of favourite Australian words and phrases. For such a young country, we certainly have our fair share of well-established lingo, and this fascinating book showcases an A to Z listing of any and every Antipodean bastardization of the English language. From air head to hostie, piddle to yakka, you’d be hard pressed to find any slice of lingo left out of this impressive literary pie.

Penned by journalist and historical writer John Miller, this book is a priceless addition to any Aussie bookshelf – and would make a wonderful gift for any touristic newcomer seeking translation of our uniquely charming linguistic ways. Don’t miss it, not on your nelly.

The Lingo Dictionary is published by Exisle, A$24.99RRP

The Bridge – The Life and Rise of Barrack Obama
David Remnick

Author Remnick, an experienced and esteemed journalist and editor of The New Yorker since 1998, has penned this extraordinarily detailed and meticulous biography on one of the most historical political figures of all time. A defining moment in American and world history, the appointment of Obama as president of the United States has had unquestionable global resonance, beautifully underpinned in this comprehensive tome.

Using extensive on-the-record interviews with Obama himself, with mentors, family, friends, teachers and even disparagers, Remnick outlines the life of a man whose political career careened through the racial and often volatile Chicago scene, on a trajectory the author deems as far from fated – straight to the White House.

Remnick’s King of the World biography on Muhammad Ali was the top non-fiction book of 1998 and he won a Pulitzer Prize in 1994 for his book Lenin’s Tomb: The last Days of the Soviet Empire.

The Bridge is published by Picador, A$39.99RRP

Destination Saigon
Walter Mason

Travel-loving dads will we swept along on this passionate love affair with Vietnam – an evocative, funny and heartfelt memoir by a man who fell in love – both with the country and with one of its countrymen.

When Walter Mason headed to Vietnam with his partner in 1994, he was so stricken by the poverty and intensity of everyday life, he locked himself in his hotel room and cried for three days. When he emerged, he promptly fell in love with the colour, the food, the dynamics, the people, the very soul of this amazing country.

Sixteen years and eleven trips later, Destination Saigon not only opens Vietnam and serves it up on a platter stacked high with coconut cakes, pho and French pastries to gasp over, it opens the heart of this talented writer and allows us a peek inside.

Told in gorgeous vignettes of every day life with headings like ‘When Cheap Isn’t Cheerful’ and ‘Crazy Delta Dancing’, this is one book that will totally charm both armchair travellers and intrepid voyagers alike.

Destination Saigon is published by Allen & Unwin, A$24.99RRP

Being Dad
Sam Holt and Troy Jones

A pregnancy handbook written by blokes? You better believe it. Only this is a handbook with a difference – written by men, for men (and the women who love them). And who are the savvy gents in charge of dispensing a book packed with such experience and sage advice? Well, they’re dads. Does that not well qualify them? Yes. Yes, it does.

Packed with great info from fast facts and figures to recipes, surveys and break-out boxes explaining priceless facts in a way men will love, there’s info on everything from safeguarding the house for baby, to signs she’s gone into labour and the mysterious but very real sympathetic male pregnancy condition known as Couvade syndrome (bloke-cure for this syndrome? “Toughen up – you most certainly are not about to go into labour”).

Strictly for new fathers who would rather undergo Chinese water torture than attend a childbirth class, this hilarious yet curiously informative and enlightening book is the perfect gift for the new dad this Father’s Day.

 Being Dad is published by Allen & Unwin, A$27.99RRP

Well, for a start – that life will never be the same again. Oftentimes those overwhelming first weeks and months of a baby’s life is all about going back to basics for parents, and having to wade through the pages of schmaltzy parenting books that focus on the emotional and spiritual joys means little when faced with colic or projectile vomiting.

DK books are renowned for being informative, direct and well-laid out – and The Essential First Year delivers (‘scuse the pun) when it comes to fast-tracked aid and quick-find knowledge for this vital time in your child’s life.

Written by Penelope Leach, world renowned child development expert and the ‘Dr Spock of our age’, this new guide to pregnancy and parenting may be direct and informative, but it is also written with warmth and reassurance.

Beginning with pregnancy and birth, the author makes it clear that prepping for baby’s arrival and becoming informed on what to expect with birth and the early weeks is a wonderful way to make early parenting easier and to bond more quickly with baby. From pregnancy health hazards to antenatal testing, Leach covers exercise, relationships, birth plans and practical planning for baby’s arrival, including birth options and special care babies.

In section two, the author moves on to the new arrival, covering bonding, feeding, crying and sleep – a chapter that will be no doubt become well-thumbed. Although practicalities are intensely covered, the emotional side of new parenting is also embraced, and a fine balance between parent and child point-of-view is presented wherever possible. Small text boxes provide extra and informative notes on research findings and what you may or may not notice about your baby, providing a wide scope of fascinating information that can be plucked at your choosing.

In section three, parents can learn more about baby as things begin to settle into routine. Feeding and settling is covered in more detail, as is sleeping, growing, development and sociability. Causes of crying and ways of comforting will comfort more than baby.

In sections four and five, the author covers the later months of the first year, again focusing on the major ‘obstacles’ of feeding, sleeping and crying – adapted to suit a growing baby. Crawling, walking, seeing and doing, touching and talking are all covered – and fascinating information on your baby’s brain and learning through play round out a comprehensive book that covers baby’s first year in great detail, offering knowledge and advice at the quick (and convenient!) flip of a page.

For those interested in no-nonsense, effective information, handed over with an objective and intensely-researched hand, this will make an indispensable addition to any new parent’s bookshelf.

The Essential First Year is published in Australia by Dorling Kindersley, RRP AU$35.00

YOU CAN BUY THIS BOOK ONLINE AT:

• Amazon.com – US$11.82*

• Fishpond.com.au AU$13.43*

• The Nile – AU$31.49*

• SeekBooks.com.au – AU$31.50*

• Booktopia – AU$31.50*

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