Category: BOOKS

Lockdown or not, don’t stop reading: try Terry Flynn’s ‘I Owe you One’

Terry Flynn I Owe You One book

Lockdown might be done in Oz, but that doesn’t mean your capacity to and desire to read should vanish, just ‘cos you’ve got more on all-of-a-sudden, right? So with that in mind, for dudes and Dads all over the country, this is one for you: Terry Flynn: I Owe You One; the first book in the series by Australian author Matt Judd, who has created a character that both men and women will love and, it’s the perfect purchase for a funny, light read. Matt has people all over Australia laughing at Terry Flynn and all the trouble he gets into. As Marto from Triple M in Brisbane says, “Terry is the loser version of Les Norton”… but don’t be fooled guys and gals, Terry might get himself into trouble but he has a heart of gold and loves his Mum! What’s it all about? After observing a bloke at his favourite local pub acting strangely several times, Matt – who had wanted to write a book for over twenty years – decided that this was the guy to base his main character on. Thus, the character of Terry Flynn was born. Calm, mature, forgiving, honest, stylish, and sober, Terry Flynn possesses none of these qualities. Bumbling his way through life without any real direction, knockabout Terry is the first to admit he has never achieved anything of great significance in his 44 years. Seeking retribution from anyone he believes has wronged him is common practice, but when a degenerate gambler looks set to turn his world upside down, Terry is prompted to produce his greatest square up to date. It’ll make you laugh with… Read More

We’re all killing the planet: The Waste Less Workbook will help you be better

Recycling

Try as we might, being more green can be hard. So, environmentally-friendly movements like Banish – a fast-growing Australian waste-reduction education platform and online market place – are doing what they can to make it easier! Say hello to the Waste Less Workbook, the answer Banish has come-up with to tackle our unintentional (hopefully) contribution of over 64 million tonnes of household waste each year, or the equivalent of 2.7 tonnes per person (*National Waste Report). It encourages and enables everyday Aussies to quit single-use plastic with ease, with 87% of consumers who completed the trial seeing an improvement in their habits in just one week*. Complete with an interactive guide that shows users how to recycle better, cut down on their household waste, live more sustainably and reduce their environmental footprint, it’s a first in putting the power of planet-saving into the hands of those who did it harm in the first place. While the majority of Australians recycle it’s estimated that ?10 to 15%? of the stuff we chuck is actually put in the wrong bin; this new book will aid the thought processes behind tossing stuff in the first place, eradicating waste with every toss. “Now more than ever people are wanting to change their habits to reduce their impact on the world around them but many are confused about how to start,” Banish, founder Lottie Dalziel says. “That’s why I created a step-by-step guide to make sustainable living a little bit easier.” How does the book work? The self-paced workbook covers… Read More

Water so good, they put it in a book: Lonely Planet’s latest release, ‘The Joy of Water’

Tommy Clarke

You know the concept of the coffee table book, right? Now, blow it outta the water with Lonely Planet’s new addition to their range: The Joy of Water. For the Aquarius’ in the house, this is the book for you (and everyone else, really, too); because it takes a look at idyllic wild swimming holes, alluring lakes and dreamy coves, giving you – when you need it most, like during the Covid-19 lockdowns – a way to drift away from home of the world’s best places for joyful interactions with water. There’s no better time than now to take an armchair dive into some of theworld’s most far-flung corners in the search for sublime, serene and calming aquatic experiences. From wild swims off Britain’s most remote beach and coral reef-fuelledsnorkelling trips in idyllic Mozambique, to sumptuous soaks in Iceland’sgeothermally-heated pools and chill-out time with non-stinging jellyfish inPalau’s magical hidden lake, no corner is left unexplored. Get the book at book shops online or Lonely Planet online.

Catch up on your reading list this Covid-19 lockdown with Readly

Magazine phone

We’re all spending a lot more time at home with the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic, so – though we’re three weeks of lockdown on – it’s kind of good to remember the world exists outside of Netflix. Think: reading! Magazines across might be going through a rough time but they live on, just in another form. And Readly is where to get them all. A cheap subscription service on your app, phone browser or desktop, it brings the best of all magazines from across the world to your screen. With over 5,000 magazines all accessible on your phone, tablets and laptops in more than 35 categories, there’s enough choice to keep you going. They’ve done the hard work and found 15 reasons why reading mags isn’t a thing of the past and a brilliant way to fill the time during lockdown… Stay healthy and fit  Get training tips for workouts, exercise and sports you can do at home from fitness magazines Find clarity and improve your wellbeing with a new routine such as daily meditation or yoga found in wellness magazines Keep the kids engaged and entertained Harness your kid’s interests and get them exploring dinosaurs, space, planes and more – with a multitude of science based magazines to delve into  Looking for a little light relief – comics will be sure to keep the kids entertained  Organise your household  Get motivated to declutter your home with tips from home & interior magazines Do an inventory of your garage, garden shed or basement. Maybe it’s time to start… Read More

Covid got you (locked) down? Why not remodel the house?

Reading book

Nothing says ‘fresh start’ quite like a spring clean. And though it’s only spring on one side of the world, it’s worth taking-on the challenge and throwing open the doors as you play with some of your own interior handiwork. Here are the best books this season to get you there. Still: The Slow Homeby Natalie Walton Still invites readers to take on the philosophy of the SLOW movement: Living Sustainable. Local. Organic. And Whole. Our homes are ideally placed to support and promote this philosophy, through everything from the materials we source in construction to how we fit-out and furnish them. The choices we make don’t have to be at the expense of creating a space that feels warm and welcoming, though. Instead, it can actually make us feel better about how and where we live.  A Scented Lifeby Pat Princi-Jones A Scented Life is a journey into the senses, bringing this ancient practice into today’s world. Aromatherapy expert Pat Princi-Jones details what different essential oils can do for you and demonstrates the many ways to mix and apply oils in your daily life for maximum long-term benefits. The healing properties of essential oils can relieve headaches, muscular pain, and cold and flu symptoms. A few drops in your skincare regime can increase hydration, treat acne and regenerate damaged skin. What’s more, essential oils can shift your mood, improve your sleep patterns and lower feelings of anxiety to make you feel restored, relaxed and renewed. Simply Living Wellby Julia Watkins Simply Living Well is a beautiful and timely… Read More

Travelling sustainably: Lonely Planet’s guide to not killing the earth while you holiday

Man airport plane travel

Think off-grid camps, community stays, responsible wildlife encounters, cultural immersion tours, conservation opportunities, green hotels and more, the new guide book by Lonely Planet, available this March, has the Earth’s back. “While the global tourism industry has made great strides towards sustainability in recent years, achieving sustainable tourism is a continuous process,” Lonely Planet says. “This process is reflected in our book. When we asked travel writers from around the globe to tell us about their favourite sustainable travel accommodation and experiences, their top picks covered the spectrum of sustainability. Some options had sustainability at heart from conception, while others have made a concerted effort to improve. What unites them, is a commitment to enacting positive change.” How to use the book… There’re five chapters, each alongside a theme of escape: Nature, Relaxation, Culture, Urban and Learning. Within each chapter, the profiles are labelled with the key sustainability features you can enjoy while staying at the hotel or participating in the tour. Check it all out and get your own at the Lonely Planet website.

What it’s really like to work in a corporate environment: ‘Dancing with the Bull’ reveals all

Dancing Bull

Sure, the corporate life might pay well, but is it the be all? Matthew Simon was one of those people who thought so. Until he didn’t. He’d spent 25 years in senior executive roles for multinational companies, but one day he realised he’d had enough. That was in April 2011. In 2019, he released a book, inspired by his time in the suit, creating synergy, flagging emails, catching-up, 1:1s and all the ‘as per‘s’ you can count. The result’s his book, Dancing with the Bull. In the novel, Luke Glass, Matt’s fictional master of the universe, loses his job only to be offered another under mysterious circumstances. Soon after joining The Organisation he meets an unexpected ally, who slowly reveals the ways of the corporate world and how it manipulates those within its grasp. It’s a tale he wrote with a laugh in his mind and a the image of the machines that used to feed his life and reputation; he was known as Matt the banker. He explores the machinations that abound within the corporate world and bases a lot of it on Simon’s personal experience of life on the other side of the smokescreen, including the greed, misanthropy, egos and downright ruthless rogues. “I came to realise that, especially at the most senior levels, managers and executives were simply creating tasks and issues so that they appeared to be not only incredibly busy but also invaluable to the company,” says Matt. “Along with that came the willingness to target people who threatened their position… Read More

Look up: Where to see the best skies in the world

Arch night sky hike

Astrotourism is big. Really big. Some would say sky’s the limit-big. And Lonely Planet are the people to listen to when it comes to getting a good grip on where’s good to go to see some of the best skies the world has to offer. The travel gurus based in the UK, with reach to the four corners of the world just released a new tome, Dark Skies, the ultimate guide to space tourism and worship of the largest canopy in the world; reminding us to take some time and look up once-in-a-while. The author, Valier Stimac, wrote the comprehensive companion to the tune of 35 dark sky sites and national parks, where you can see the aurora, the next decade of total solar eclipses and how to view rocket launches, plus the lowdown on commercial space flight. The book’s the ultimate guide to finding sites accredited by the International Dark-Sky Association; to help you learn about stargazing and astrophotography and to see astronomy in action at 12 observatories across the globe. “The skies above us are part of our heritage, both natural and cultural,” Valerie writes in her introduction to the book. “Astronomy and stargazing are an important part of human history, one that can connect us back to early myth or awaken us to the vast scale of our universe and its many mysteries. Witnessing the sweep of the Milky Way, the remains of passing comets as they burn up in our atmosphere, or the shimmering aurora, we better understand space and our place in it.” In a day… Read More

5 top reads this November

Reading book

The southern hemisphere’s getting hotter, the north’s getting colder and no matter how you’re looking at it, it means more down time. Which also means book time. Which means you need some new material to keep you company. Here’s what we’ve dug up… Queer Ink: A blotted history towards liberation A history of the Rorschach ink blot test, which was used to identify homosexuality. Used as the tool for a feminist exploration into the modern day gay, it’s a great read for anyone interested in psychology. Get it here. Inspired by Nature Create beautiful and evocative interiors using the bounty of the natural world. In his latest book, master stylist and art director Hans puts natural materials, items and motifs at the heart of a contemporary decorating style that provides a refuge from the noise and haste of modern life and 21st-century technologies. Get it here for $49.99. Five Ingredient Vegan From the author of 15 Minute Vegan, Five Ingredient Vegan showcases simple yet exciting recipes using five ingredients or fewer. Get it for $39.99 here. Pardiz About a personal journey into Manuela Darling-Gansser’s “paradise past”. Having lived in Iran for the first nine years of her life, she returned as an adult to reconnect with the country she remembered so fondly. Get it for $29.99.

What do you see when you look at an ink blot? And how gay are you?

Gay rainbow paint eye

For anyone keen on the history of psychology, sexuality and pretty ink pictures, Queer Ink is the book for you. It’s a journey through academia, exploring the history of the Rorschach inkblot test and its deep roots in the history of homosexuality. Queer Ink: A blotted history towards liberation contextualises the Rorschach ink blot test and embeds it within feminist action and queer liberation. Who’d’ve thought, right? The book uses the ink blot test as a tool through which we can explore and reveal a queer feminist history of Psychology. For example, by unpicking the work of psychologists past, it’s pretty clear that their work was influenced by their own takes on feminism and often queer lives. The author, Katherine Hubbard’s a PhD sociologist who wrote her work titled, ‘A history of the Rorschach ink blot test in Britain: an interdisciplinary, queer feminist approach to one bleeding test’ and now, her work’s made it to book form. Find it at Routledge.