Drawn from Paradise is David Attenborough’s journey through the cultural history of the birds of paradise, one of the most exquisite and extravagant, colourful and intriguing families of birds. From the moment they were introduced to the European mind in the early sixteenth century, their unique beauty was recognised and commemorated in the first name that they were given – birds so... Read more

Moranthology ‘In How To be a Woman , I was limited to a single topic: women. Their hair, their shoes and their crushes on Aslan from The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (which I KNOW to be universal). ‘However! In Moranthology – as the title suggests – I am set free to tackle THE REST OF THE WORLD: Ghostbusters, Twitter, caffeine, panic attacks, Michael Jackson’s memorial service, being ... Read more

An enormous self-published success attracting huge media interest, Venice A. Fulton is teaming up with Penguin to bring his ground-breaking Six Weeks to OMG to the masses. Because anyone with the correct information – and that means anyone ­– can get skinny. Let’s test your knowledge: true or false? skipping breakfast can be healthy certain fruits instantly block fat loss smal... Read more

Inspired by the overnight million-copy bestseller 50 Shades of Grey comes Fanny Merkin’s shrewd, laugh-out-loud funny and romantic parody Fifty Shames of Earl Grey. Young, rich, and handsome tycoon Earl Grey has a dirty secret. He brings Anna, a naive college student, past the tacky waterbed, strobe light, and blacklight posters inside his Room of Doom, into his twisted world of, well, mo... Read more

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8C4KwIHvdE&rel=0] The Daughters Of Mars by Thomas Keneally Escaping the pain and guilt of their mother’s death, and the future they inherited, the Durance sisters leave Australia to nurse on the front during WWI. In 1915 sisters Naomi and Sally Durance answer a call for nurses to join the war effort. They are escaping the family dairy farm in the Mac... Read more

My Life in a Pea Soup was announced as the winner of the Finch Memoir Prize on Saturday 19 May at SWF. The prize is worth $10,000 and publication. My Life in a Pea Soup is Lisa Nops’ engrossing story about her journey to acceptance of life as it is. Her journey includes living in three different countries, coming to terms with her much-longed for daughter’s profound autism, and holding together... Read more

The Tools is a new book by Phil Stutz and Barry Michels.  Together they have helped their A-list clients work through whatever has held them back – be it insecurity, trauma, anger, willpower, negativity or avoidance – and achieve their greatest work and find a deep level of fulfilment. Actor John Cusack tweeted this recently ‏: Follow Phil Stutz and his magical book – @TheToolsBook –... Read more

The following is a short excerpt from an excellent review of The Office by Gideon Haigh in The Sydney Morning Herald, entitled… Under the white collars by Jose Borghino …. Haigh is also an elegant stylist and the opening chapters, because they rely so much on visual art to represent the early history of the office, have the same confident zip and sparkle as writers such as Robert Hu... Read more

Our lives are driven by a fact that most of us can’t name and don’t understand. It defines who our friends and lovers are, which careers we choose, and whether we blush when we’re embarrassed. That fact is whether we’re an introvert or an extrovert, the introvert/extrovert divide is the most fundamental dimension of personality. And at least a third of us are on the intr... Read more

Amy Winehouse needs no introduction. A critically acclaimed recording artist, she touched millions with her music during her short but extraordinary life. Following her tragic death in July 2011, Mitch Winehouse wants to tell her incredible story in full. AMY, MY DAUGHTER will take the reader through her mischievous early years, her rise to stardom and to her much publicised struggles with addi... Read more