For my bookloving friends in Australia, here’s my Top Five pick of where you can buy books if you don’t want to line Amazon’s pockets.
It seems we have returned to the barbarism of public shaming – our village square is now global and one misjudged comment can strip you of your job, your community, your self-worth.
The world is such a better place when voices like Laurie Penny’s rise above the cacophony and actively engage with the meaning and politics of the intimately personal.
I was at a gathering on the weekend and as conversation moved to the topic of books and how powerfully life-changing they are, the question was posed, “So what is the best ever self-help book?” One Book? Best Ever?
This is not another preachy, my-way-or-the-highway, motivational book. Believe In Yourself & Do What You Love is based on Kate’s 10+ years working with folks creating lives they love. Her “50 Tips” are sourced from the things that continually pop up as obstacles and each is addressed with little actions we can take to live happier, more meaningful and creative lives.
Roz Chast’s graphic memoir of the final years of her parents’ lives, Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant, explores the final years of her parents’ lives with raw honesty and biting humour.
I just finished Ali Smith’s 11th book, the Booker-shortlisted How To Be Both, and I keep asking myself, “How has this brilliant writer escaped my reading list?”