The hub of home-grown inspirational women
This is the follow-up book to “The Art of Happiness”, written by the same author. Meditation is, according to this book, the “inner transformation through training the mind.” It is a challenging and daunting prospect. Meditation is a difficult discipline to master and practise effectively. The structured way in which Matthieu Ricard leads his readers, provides people wishing to embark on the art of meditation with a strong framework … [Read more...]
Most of us might see being happy as a matter of luck, chance, or situation, perhaps something that can be “found”. Happiness is often confused with pleasure, joy or being in love. The English language is so full of subtleties, there is a particular word for every nuance of any emotion. The unusual aspect of this book is that it advocates that happiness is something that everyone could learn to feel all the time. It provides the ways of … [Read more...]
Those with a strong arm and capacious handbag capable of carrying this weighty book will reap the rewards of an interesting read about the people who made Australia the wonderful country it is. This work is the follow-up to the first volume of “Australians” and introduces the reader to the faces of colonial society in the 1860's to the last decade of the colonial era, through Federation to the Great War. It is richly illustrated with … [Read more...]
Three years ago, when I was on my children’s school council, I broached the subject of sexual abuse prevention education. I asked my fellow committee members why we did not have such program in our primary school. No-one gave me a satisfactory answer, and time and time again the topic was placed to the bottom of the agenda. I decided then and there that I personally would try to do something about educating our children and our community about … [Read more...]
The Map of the Soul teaches you how to discover your higher soul’s purpose and the meaning of your life. The book is designed and set up as a step by step 12 week guide that encourages the reader to record their insights, gather vital clues that ultimately reveal the bigger picture of who you are and what is possible in this life. As an intuitive counselor, my capacity to ‘read’ people is based on my clairaudient, clairsentient and … [Read more...]
Welcome to The Metabolic Clock. It is full of simple, natural, weight-loss strategies that will get you started on your journey to achieving a healthy, slim body. As I approached middle age it seemed every year I was slowly gaining more weight. I justified this weight gain and my lack of vitality as part of the ageing process. I would come home from a busy day at work feeling sorry for myself and too tired to cook dinner. I wasn’t organised … [Read more...]
[rating: 4] There's two things new mums don't need. One - twelve (or more) months stuck in their maternity jeans. Two - a complicated, time-consuming regime for getting rid of said jeans. New mums are too busy being new mums, looking after their health and the health of their new babe, and attempting to catch up on sleep to be pondering the wherewithals of wearing a bikini again, but honestly? that's not what getting in shape post-birth is … [Read more...]
[rating: 4.5] We're a funny species. We know what we need to do. We know what we should be eating and should not be eating. We know all about exercise. We are totally au fait with comfort eating. We're cohesive of the fact that too much booze and fat, and too many sweets will undo our health and turn our outer shell to pudge. So why do we continue to do it? Eat crap, I mean. Enter What's Eating You? - a book that looks into the psychology … [Read more...]
[rating: 4.5] It's Christmas time - a time that's meant to be the happiest of the year but for many, the festive season is fraught with stress, relationship strain, financial burden and that Scrooge-like feeling that can seriously test the boundaries of inner contentment. Balancing the 'perfect' get together with family and friends can become an intensified balancing act that mimics the everydayness of modern life . . . that seemingly endless … [Read more...]
[rating: 5] Could there be a more perfect time for a book on everyday kindness? Author and holistic wellbeing expert Stephanie Dowrick has long been tapped into Australia's emotional zeitgeist, plucking needful gems from society's ills and polishing them into beautiful books that lay open the requirements at hand. Whether it be learning about intimacy in a world gone high tech social, opening our hearts to forgiveness in a generation focused … [Read more...]
Handsome, smart, adventurous and philothranthopic? Stand back girls, 26-year-old Sebastian Terry is too busy zipping all over our fair planet achieving extraordinary things to stop for a quick flirtatious chat. Alas. This brand new author, with a degree in Human Movement, is certainly a jack of all trades. Having held almost 100 jobs in his relatively short lifetime, Sebastian admits to a series of casual jobs that have kept him pretty much … [Read more...]
[rating: 4] “Treasury” is an apt description of this wonderful collection of over 40 short stories. Each of the stories is a real gem, unique and beautiful. Some are as subtle as aquamarines, or dazzling with the bright fire of diamonds; a few perhaps glowing with the depth of rubies and others, gentle like pearls. All are told by a wonderfully gifted observer of lives, other people's lives, and told with humour, compassion and a sense of … [Read more...]
[rating: 2.5] Susan Duncan is no stranger to sea-side living: her best-selling memoirs A Life on Pittwater and Salvation Creek both touch on her experiences as a new resident in the coastal town of Pittwater. In The Briny Cafe, Duncan's first novel, Pittwater is given a fictionalised treatment. Given the moniker of Cook's Basin, it's joyfully populated with a variety of quirky characters who, despite their undeniable differences and … [Read more...]
[rating: 3] How far would you go for love and when does it cross the line into obsession? The Hypnotist’s Love Story by Liane Moriarty tells the tale of a hypnotherapist named Ellen O’Farrell, her lover Patrick and Saskia, who is Patrick’s ex-girlfriend and stalker. Ellen O’Farrell leads a normal life helping people overcome some of life’s toughest issues through hypnotherapy but when she falls in love with Patrick, things don’t … [Read more...]
[rating: 4.5] This is an extremely well-crafted novel, one that will enthral and convert even the most reluctant of crime fiction readers. The arrival of an elderly American tourist in London mysteriously sets off a seemingly unconnected chain of events. What might have been mere self-indulgence in nostalgia, draws out past misdeeds to seriously threaten the present. Once the Pandora's box is opened, that Past unravels at breath-taking … [Read more...]
[rating:4] Ruby Stanhope, the delightfully imperfect star of last year’s chick lit sensation Campaign Ruby, returns to answer that perennial question – what happened next? It’s two years since Max Masters became prime minister and Ruby is still working for him. Her life is now a series of early mornings, late nights and endless to-do lists scrawled on the back of her hand. Something has to give and in this case it looks like being her … [Read more...]
[rating: 4] There’s a lot of pressure on any author who has been writing a series since they were 14 as Isobelle Carmody has. She began writing the first book in this series back then and the expectation from the readers is that she will bring her trademark use of words, evoking the world of Obernewtyn, therefore making the next book as memorable as the last one. Carmody doesn’t disappoint her fans. The Sending is a mysterious journey … [Read more...]
[rating: 4] Inspector Malcolm Fox is a man challenged by the past, on more than one level. Firstly, within the confines of this novel, he stumbles across a hushed-up 25-year-old mystery that his superiors are determined to let lie. Secondly, as a fictional character, he’ll always be compared to his predecessor, Rebus. Scottish author Ian Rankin rose to fame on the shoulders of his much-loved literary creation Detective Inspector John Rebus, … [Read more...]
[rating: 4] Wood doesn’t hammer her themes but there is plenty to think about in this novel. As a sucker for books where the characters learn something, I recommend Animal People as a very satisfying read. As someone who has always lived with animals, whether cats, fish, rabbits, chickens, dogs or farm animals, I tend to think people who don’t like them are less than human. This means that I am exactly the sort of person that Stephen, the … [Read more...]
[rating: 4] Di Morrisey immerses the reader in the world of the Australian Outback: raw, powerful, harsh and supremely beautiful. Highly recommended. In the land of the Opal hunters, there is so much more than the eye can see and not just underground. Many who take refuge in the remote and lonely outposts of the desert seeking this elusive treasure, metaphorically seek other things in their lives as well: answers, escape and … [Read more...]
[rating: 4] An extraordinary family secret links a seemingly ordinary Australian family to an exotic plantation in Malaysia. This story spans three generations of political upheaval and change in what was then known as Malaya. It is a beautifully told story of one family's quest to find the truth about its past, how the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, deliberately suppressed, finally find their rightful place in the present. When a catalyst gives … [Read more...]
[rating: 4] How glorious it is to travel. To wander the planet and delight in the cultural and geographical wonder stretching to all corners of the globe. To delve into, experience, treasure ... and perhaps even amass the odd memento, souvenir, precious object that found its way to us, whether by chance or deliberately-plotted hunt. Bringing home this beautiful bounty is almost as much fun as the time spent collecting it. Stylist, author, … [Read more...]
[rating: 5] This is quite an astonishing book. And no, I'm not star-struck ... I've always liked Hollywood icon Goldie Hawn, yes, but I'm not a die-hard fan or anything. Except ... I am now. This gorgeous book, penned in cahoots with author Wendy Holden, is an absorbing read. After almost three solid years of writing and 'achieving' with my career, I was instantly drawn to the title of this book - especially being that 10 Mindful Minutes … [Read more...]
[rating: 4] Nora Roberts is the undisputed master of the romance but she might have just come up with a really clever concept this time. She outdid herself with the excellent Bride Quartet series and in The Next Always combines her stand-alone romance with a series of three giving us both love and danger. So here’s the rub. You can be a cynic and wonder if The Next Always simply acts as a total promotion for the inn which Roberts did … [Read more...]
[rating: 4] Historical fiction often gets a bad rap, as lazy, ill researched, misleading and quite frankly trashy. Some of it is all these things — but some is not. When I first came across Philippa Gregory via her best-known novel, The Other Boleyn Girl, I thought it was in the first category. Rubbish (sexy and readable rubbish, but rubbish nonetheless). Reading The Women of the Cousins’ War, my opinion changed. In an … [Read more...]
[rating: 4] Katie’s just lost her job and after a year of shocks and sadness as she recovers from the sudden death of her mother, she believes that she’s impervious to shock. So, when a solicitor contacts her and reveals that, not only is the man who raised her not her biological father, but that she also has a trust fund of over $700 000 waiting for her from the man who is. There’s no pressure on her to contact him, but all Katie can … [Read more...]
[rating: 4.5] It’s worth saying straight up. Ian Hamilton’s character Ava Lee is one of the freshest takes in a saturated crime writing market. The petite Chinese-Canadian is part PI, part MacGyver, ingenious forensic accountant and when necessary, an unorthodox debt collector. Working for an elderly “uncle” based in Hong Kong, it’s her job to find the money and return it. She’s very good at this job which affords her a … [Read more...]
[rating: 4] When Ross Campbell introduces Andie as his “current wife”, it's the beginning of the end. After all, Andie was the “other woman” long before she became Ross's wife, and if the old adage about leopards and spots is anything to go by, Ross is unlikely to reform his ways. Andie, though, has kept as low a profile as possible throughout her decade of marriage, having done enough rocking of the marital boat to last a lifetime. … [Read more...]
The novel by Australian author Liz Byrski is set against a diverse backdrop. There is the legacy of The Push movement in Sydney contrasted with a pilgrimage walking the Camino de Santiago de Compostela. Throughout, there is the theme of the damaging, unhealthy expectations placed upon women by a culture of shallow, superficial advertising glorifying unrealistic ideals of beauty and body image. Unfolding within the presence of the pervasive … [Read more...]
[rating: 3.5] The Death Relic is pure adventure. The central characters Jonathan Payne and David Jones are called to Mexico to help out a past acquaintance who believes that she’s in trouble. There’s a lot going on in this book. Concurrent storylines run together and it’s only towards the end that the reader discovers the link between the abduction of a professional kidnapper’s children and the search for the missing, possibly … [Read more...]
[rating: 5] Created by the original cast of children from one of the most famous musicals of all time, this beautifully-produced book is not only like taking a behind-the-scenes tour of this extraordinary film, it’s like taking a peek into an intensely private, closely-guarded world – the kind of peek that makes you want to peep with movie-goer glee. You don’t even need to be a major Sound of Music fan (although, who isn’t?) to enjoy … [Read more...]
'Write what you know.' It's the often repeated mantra of creative writing teachers the world over, but according to best-selling author Kate Forsyth, it does have its merits: “As writers, we can’t help but express our own philosophies of life.” This is certainly true of Kate's work. Although many of her novels are set in fantasy worlds of her own creation, they have in common a strong egalitarian streak. “My books all have strong … [Read more...]
[rating: 3.5] I was devastated, the way only a selfish reader can be, to learn that Stieg Larsson died soon after delivering the first three manuscripts for the Millenium series to his publisher. Yes, it was a tragedy that the Swedish author never knew the global success of his books. But my sorrow was more at the loss of future instalments of this confronting series, of learning what happens next to Mikael Blomkvist and, more importantly, to … [Read more...]
Julian Barnes has been named the winner of this year's Man Booker Prize for Fiction for THE SENSE OF AN ENDING, published by Random House. Barnes’ first novel for six years, The Sense of an Ending went straight into the bestseller list on publication. It is the story of a seemingly ordinary man who, when revisiting his past in later life, discovers that the memories he holds are less than perfect. At the time of the shortlist announcement, … [Read more...]
[rating:4] What does it take to blow your house down? Does the big bad wolf need to huff and puff, or have you already invited him in to sit at the table with you? Or, instead, will the flimsy structure be engulfed by the raging fires that burn deep inside you? Bonnie is a musician turned stay-at-home mum and her life revolves around her three small children and her husband Pete. Her sense of niggling dissatisfaction is magnified when Pete … [Read more...]
[rating:4] How does an artisan baker get up close and personal with a tiger named Tabitha? Corinna is on holiday and she’s looking forward to some quality time with a jug of cocktails and the distractions provided by her beautiful lover Daniel. However she is a woman unsuited to extended leisure and she is soon itching for an occupation. Given that this is Corinna, it doesn’t take long for her find it – or perhaps for it to find … [Read more...]
[rating: 3.5] As a sucker for corset-ripping historical drama but unfamiliar with the works of best-selling author Posie Graeme-Evans, I was quite excited by the prospect of tackling her most recent novel, The Dressmaker. Encouraged by the promise of ‘a story that will resonate long after the last page is read', I ventured merrily forth on a journey into the 'opulent, sinister world of teeming Victorian England'. Unfortunately, I faltered … [Read more...]
[rating: 3] I was pretty keen to read this book, billed as “the sensational lives and exploits of some of Australia’s most audacious women”. The author of this collection, Kay Saunders, is a highly respected historian, who was one of the pioneers of gender studies in Australian history, and I’ve used her work often. She has an Australia Medal and was Professor of History and Senator of the University of Queensland and has received the … [Read more...]
[rating: 5] Whether you have visited one of her many wax museums or not, you will have no doubt heard of Madame Tussaud. And even if her life is something that has never crossed your mind before, you will finish this book with a thirst to find out more. The year is 1788, the King and Queen of France are Louis the XVI and Marie Antoinette. Food shortages are widespread throughout the Kingdom and many people are starving … there is something … [Read more...]
[rating: 4] No one likes it when terrible things happen to children. As a reader it just makes you squirm. You’ll squirm even more when you find out that Sienna Walker is accused of killing her own young child in a most gruesome way. In this courtroom and cop thriller, Australian writer Sydney Bauer once again brings together her strong and vivid cast of regulars in Boston criminal attorneys David Cavanaugh and his wife Sarah and their good … [Read more...]