From memory to money: eight new books to add to your reading list

The Advertiser

a day ago

Jaclyn Crupi. Murdock Books. $34.99.
Want to know how to create a garden that attracts Australian wildlife? Jaclyn Crupi has lived it. She converted a tennis court into a netted orchard and vegetable plot, grows flowering plants to attract pollinators and tends to a large garden of natives. Her ideas for the backyard "habitat hero" are practical, cost-effective and sustainable. With charming illustrations by Claire Mosley, plus bird, bee and butterfly photo galleries to help identify your garden's visitors, detailed planting plans for all types of plots and tips from experts like Gardening Australia's Hannah Moloney, this book educates and inspires with down-to-earth advice for creating biodiversity.
David Day. HarperCollins. $49.99.
Some of Bob Hawke's ashes are in the Melbourne General Cemetery, where a headstone reads: "He loved Australians and they loved him back". And it's true, they did. Hawke was a political phenomenon whose popularity made him Labor's longest-serving prime minister, but he was also an Olympic-level narcissist, a hard drinker and an unapologetic womaniser. Despite these shortcomings, he ran one of the most effective governments of the 20th century. This is a companion to Day's earlier book, Young Hawke. It covers the era from 1979, when Hawke secured preselection for the seat of Wills, until his death in 2019.
Ciara Greene & Gillian Murphy. Princeton University Press. $49.99.
What is memory? Is it a video of events in chronological order we can rewind and watch, or a computer that allows us to access unchanged recollections at will? It is neither, the psychologists who have written this fascinating book explain as they show that memory is both flexible and fallible, meaning "no two visits to Memory Lane are ever quite the same". Happily, there's a reason why we can remember the capital of France but struggle to recall what we ate last night. The trick is to embrace the imperfections and to remember that forgetting can be important too.
Emily Stewart. ABC Books. $34.99.
Finance reporter "Sensible Emily" Stewart busts down the budget barriers in this book packed with hints and tips on getting finances into order. Setting achievable financial goals can be daunting, particularly if you're just starting out, and the world of money is only getting more complex. One thing is certain, however. The sooner you begin, the better off you will be. Chapters dedicated to topics such as destroying debt, breaking down bills, buying a home, sorting out super and decoding the sharemarket are interspersed with real-life examples of how everyday Aussies are making the most of their dollars and sense.
Tanya Scott. Allen & Unwin. $32.99.
Physician Tanya Scott says she has learned more from her patients than from any textbook - not just about physical and mental health, but about "humanity, resilience and the absurdity of life". What she has observed up close of contradictory human behaviour she threads through her debut novel, a tightly coiled crime thriller about Luke Harris, a uni student working as an in-home carer, who is trying to put his dysfunctional upbringing and troubled teenage years behind him. When he's drawn back into the orbit of the Melbourne underworld figure who once ruled his criminal past, how will he fight for his future?
A L Booth. Ventura Press. $32.99.
When Jack O'Rourke returns from the Western Front, the weary and battle-scarred soldier learns he has been bequeathed Booroomba, a rural property near Eden on the NSW Far South Coast. The old man Jack saved from drowning in Sydney Harbour days before he went off to war has been murdered and left his property to his likable young rescuer. When Jack arrives to claim his inheritance, the locals are suspicious. As he investigates the death of his benefactor, dark and dangerous secrets are revealed. Alison Booth's eighth novel, her first foray into crime, is an evocative and engaging historical whodunnit.
Jess McGeachin. Lothlain books. $29.99.
In the first of four "Find Me" books, author-illustrator Jess McGeachin leads young readers on a gentle tour of coastlines around the world, exploring the landscapes (from muddy mangroves to rocky shores to sandy dunes) and explaining the fascinating creatures that call these diverse habitats home (from birds and crustaceans to fish and dugongs). Noting the impact that humans and the planet's changing climate are having on these fragile environments, McGeachin's hand-painted watercolours sadly include a discarded plastic bottle. "Take rubbish with you if it's safe," is perhaps this book's most important message for youngsters making their own footprints in the sand.
Daniel Silva. HarperCollins. $34.99.
Israeli master spy and brilliant artist Gabriel Allon is leading a quiet life in Venice and restoring one of the city's most important paintings when he spots the body of a woman in the lagoon. The trail leads to the Vatican and the mysterious theft of a painting that could be a priceless Leonardo in disguise. Allon's two careers are once again combined and the action moves at typical Silva pace as Allon and his old mate Luigi Donati (also known as the Pope), battle enemies outside and inside the Vatican, including a crooked cardinal who has cooked the books.
Jaclyn Crupi. Murdock Books. $34.99.
Want to know how to create a garden that attracts Australian wildlife? Jaclyn Crupi has lived it. She converted a tennis court into a netted orchard and vegetable plot, grows flowering plants to attract pollinators and tends to a large garden of natives. Her ideas for the backyard "habitat hero" are practical, cost-effective and sustainable. With charming illustrations by Claire Mosley, plus bird, bee and butterfly photo galleries to help identify your garden's visitors, detailed planting plans for all types of plots and tips from experts like Gardening Australia's Hannah Moloney, this book educates and inspires with down-to-earth advice for creating biodiversity.
David Day. HarperCollins. $49.99.
Some of Bob Hawke's ashes are in the Melbourne General Cemetery, where a headstone reads: "He loved Australians and they loved him back". And it's true, they did. Hawke was a political phenomenon whose popularity made him Labor's longest-serving prime minister, but he was also an Olympic-level narcissist, a hard drinker and an unapologetic womaniser. Despite these shortcomings, he ran one of the most effective governments of the 20th century. This is a companion to Day's earlier book, Young Hawke. It covers the era from 1979, when Hawke secured preselection for the seat of Wills, until his death in 2019.
Ciara Greene & Gillian Murphy. Princeton University Press. $49.99.
What is memory? Is it a video of events in chronological order we can rewind and watch, or a computer that allows us to access unchanged recollections at will? It is neither, the psychologists who have written this fascinating book explain as they show that memory is both flexible and fallible, meaning "no two visits to Memory Lane are ever quite the same". Happily, there's a reason why we can remember the capital of France but struggle to recall what we ate last night. The trick is to embrace the imperfections and to remember that forgetting can be important too.
Emily Stewart. ABC Books. $34.99.
Finance reporter "Sensible Emily" Stewart busts down the budget barriers in this book packed with hints and tips on getting finances into order. Setting achievable financial goals can be daunting, particularly if you're just starting out, and the world of money is only getting more complex. One thing is certain, however. The sooner you begin, the better off you will be. Chapters dedicated to topics such as destroying debt, breaking down bills, buying a home, sorting out super and decoding the sharemarket are interspersed with real-life examples of how everyday Aussies are making the most of their dollars and sense.
Tanya Scott. Allen & Unwin. $32.99.
Physician Tanya Scott says she has learned more from her patients than from any textbook - not just about physical and mental health, but about "humanity, resilience and the absurdity of life". What she has observed up close of contradictory human behaviour she threads through her debut novel, a tightly coiled crime thriller about Luke Harris, a uni student working as an in-home carer, who is trying to put his dysfunctional upbringing and troubled teenage years behind him. When he's drawn back into the orbit of the Melbourne underworld figure who once ruled his criminal past, how will he fight for his future?
A L Booth. Ventura Press. $32.99.
When Jack O'Rourke returns from the Western Front, the weary and battle-scarred soldier learns he has been bequeathed Booroomba, a rural property near Eden on the NSW Far South Coast. The old man Jack saved from drowning in Sydney Harbour days before he went off to war has been murdered and left his property to his likable young rescuer. When Jack arrives to claim his inheritance, the locals are suspicious. As he investigates the death of his benefactor, dark and dangerous secrets are revealed. Alison Booth's eighth novel, her first foray into crime, is an evocative and engaging historical whodunnit.
Jess McGeachin. Lothlain books. $29.99.
In the first of four "Find Me" books, author-illustrator Jess McGeachin leads young readers on a gentle tour of coastlines around the world, exploring the landscapes (from muddy mangroves to rocky shores to sandy dunes) and explaining the fascinating creatures that call these diverse habitats home (from birds and crustaceans to fish and dugongs). Noting the impact that humans and the planet's changing climate are having on these fragile environments, McGeachin's hand-painted watercolours sadly include a discarded plastic bottle. "Take rubbish with you if it's safe," is perhaps this book's most important message for youngsters making their own footprints in the sand.
Daniel Silva. HarperCollins. $34.99.
Israeli master spy and brilliant artist Gabriel Allon is leading a quiet life in Venice and restoring one of the city's most important paintings when he spots the body of a woman in the lagoon. The trail leads to the Vatican and the mysterious theft of a painting that could be a priceless Leonardo in disguise. Allon's two careers are once again combined and the action moves at typical Silva pace as Allon and his old mate Luigi Donati (also known as the Pope), battle enemies outside and inside the Vatican, including a crooked cardinal who has cooked the books.
Jaclyn Crupi. Murdock Books. $34.99.
Want to know how to create a garden that attracts Australian wildlife? Jaclyn Crupi has lived it. She converted a tennis court into a netted orchard and vegetable plot, grows flowering plants to attract pollinators and tends to a large garden of natives. Her ideas for the backyard "habitat hero" are practical, cost-effective and sustainable. With charming illustrations by Claire Mosley, plus bird, bee and butterfly photo galleries to help identify your garden's visitors, detailed planting plans for all types of plots and tips from experts like Gardening Australia's Hannah Moloney, this book educates and inspires with down-to-earth advice for creating biodiversity.
David Day. HarperCollins. $49.99.
Some of Bob Hawke's ashes are in the Melbourne General Cemetery, where a headstone reads: "He loved Australians and they loved him back". And it's true, they did. Hawke was a political phenomenon whose popularity made him Labor's longest-serving prime minister, but he was also an Olympic-level narcissist, a hard drinker and an unapologetic womaniser. Despite these shortcomings, he ran one of the most effective governments of the 20th century. This is a companion to Day's earlier book, Young Hawke. It covers the era from 1979, when Hawke secured preselection for the seat of Wills, until his death in 2019.
Ciara Greene & Gillian Murphy. Princeton University Press. $49.99.
What is memory? Is it a video of events in chronological order we can rewind and watch, or a computer that allows us to access unchanged recollections at will? It is neither, the psychologists who have written this fascinating book explain as they show that memory is both flexible and fallible, meaning "no two visits to Memory Lane are ever quite the same". Happily, there's a reason why we can remember the capital of France but struggle to recall what we ate last night. The trick is to embrace the imperfections and to remember that forgetting can be important too.
Emily Stewart. ABC Books. $34.99.
Finance reporter "Sensible Emily" Stewart busts down the budget barriers in this book packed with hints and tips on getting finances into order. Setting achievable financial goals can be daunting, particularly if you're just starting out, and the world of money is only getting more complex. One thing is certain, however. The sooner you begin, the better off you will be. Chapters dedicated to topics such as destroying debt, breaking down bills, buying a home, sorting out super and decoding the sharemarket are interspersed with real-life examples of how everyday Aussies are making the most of their dollars and sense.
Tanya Scott. Allen & Unwin. $32.99.
Physician Tanya Scott says she has learned more from her patients than from any textbook - not just about physical and mental health, but about "humanity, resilience and the absurdity of life". What she has observed up close of contradictory human behaviour she threads through her debut novel, a tightly coiled crime thriller about Luke Harris, a uni student working as an in-home carer, who is trying to put his dysfunctional upbringing and troubled teenage years behind him. When he's drawn back into the orbit of the Melbourne underworld figure who once ruled his criminal past, how will he fight for his future?
A L Booth. Ventura Press. $32.99.
When Jack O'Rourke returns from the Western Front, the weary and battle-scarred soldier learns he has been bequeathed Booroomba, a rural property near Eden on the NSW Far South Coast. The old man Jack saved from drowning in Sydney Harbour days before he went off to war has been murdered and left his property to his likable young rescuer. When Jack arrives to claim his inheritance, the locals are suspicious. As he investigates the death of his benefactor, dark and dangerous secrets are revealed. Alison Booth's eighth novel, her first foray into crime, is an evocative and engaging historical whodunnit.
Jess McGeachin. Lothlain books. $29.99.
In the first of four "Find Me" books, author-illustrator Jess McGeachin leads young readers on a gentle tour of coastlines around the world, exploring the landscapes (from muddy mangroves to rocky shores to sandy dunes) and explaining the fascinating creatures that call these diverse habitats home (from birds and crustaceans to fish and dugongs). Noting the impact that humans and the planet's changing climate are having on these fragile environments, McGeachin's hand-painted watercolours sadly include a discarded plastic bottle. "Take rubbish with you if it's safe," is perhaps this book's most important message for youngsters making their own footprints in the sand.
Daniel Silva. HarperCollins. $34.99.
Israeli master spy and brilliant artist Gabriel Allon is leading a quiet life in Venice and restoring one of the city's most important paintings when he spots the body of a woman in the lagoon. The trail leads to the Vatican and the mysterious theft of a painting that could be a priceless Leonardo in disguise. Allon's two careers are once again combined and the action moves at typical Silva pace as Allon and his old mate Luigi Donati (also known as the Pope), battle enemies outside and inside the Vatican, including a crooked cardinal who has cooked the books.
Jaclyn Crupi. Murdock Books. $34.99.
Want to know how to create a garden that attracts Australian wildlife? Jaclyn Crupi has lived it. She converted a tennis court into a netted orchard and vegetable plot, grows flowering plants to attract pollinators and tends to a large garden of natives. Her ideas for the backyard "habitat hero" are practical, cost-effective and sustainable. With charming illustrations by Claire Mosley, plus bird, bee and butterfly photo galleries to help identify your garden's visitors, detailed planting plans for all types of plots and tips from experts like Gardening Australia's Hannah Moloney, this book educates and inspires with down-to-earth advice for creating biodiversity.
David Day. HarperCollins. $49.99.
Some of Bob Hawke's ashes are in the Melbourne General Cemetery, where a headstone reads: "He loved Australians and they loved him back". And it's true, they did. Hawke was a political phenomenon whose popularity made him Labor's longest-serving prime minister, but he was also an Olympic-level narcissist, a hard drinker and an unapologetic womaniser. Despite these shortcomings, he ran one of the most effective governments of the 20th century. This is a companion to Day's earlier book, Young Hawke. It covers the era from 1979, when Hawke secured preselection for the seat of Wills, until his death in 2019.
Ciara Greene & Gillian Murphy. Princeton University Press. $49.99.
What is memory? Is it a video of events in chronological order we can rewind and watch, or a computer that allows us to access unchanged recollections at will? It is neither, the psychologists who have written this fascinating book explain as they show that memory is both flexible and fallible, meaning "no two visits to Memory Lane are ever quite the same". Happily, there's a reason why we can remember the capital of France but struggle to recall what we ate last night. The trick is to embrace the imperfections and to remember that forgetting can be important too.
Emily Stewart. ABC Books. $34.99.
Finance reporter "Sensible Emily" Stewart busts down the budget barriers in this book packed with hints and tips on getting finances into order. Setting achievable financial goals can be daunting, particularly if you're just starting out, and the world of money is only getting more complex. One thing is certain, however. The sooner you begin, the better off you will be. Chapters dedicated to topics such as destroying debt, breaking down bills, buying a home, sorting out super and decoding the sharemarket are interspersed with real-life examples of how everyday Aussies are making the most of their dollars and sense.
Tanya Scott. Allen & Unwin. $32.99.
Physician Tanya Scott says she has learned more from her patients than from any textbook - not just about physical and mental health, but about "humanity, resilience and the absurdity of life". What she has observed up close of contradictory human behaviour she threads through her debut novel, a tightly coiled crime thriller about Luke Harris, a uni student working as an in-home carer, who is trying to put his dysfunctional upbringing and troubled teenage years behind him. When he's drawn back into the orbit of the Melbourne underworld figure who once ruled his criminal past, how will he fight for his future?
A L Booth. Ventura Press. $32.99.
When Jack O'Rourke returns from the Western Front, the weary and battle-scarred soldier learns he has been bequeathed Booroomba, a rural property near Eden on the NSW Far South Coast. The old man Jack saved from drowning in Sydney Harbour days before he went off to war has been murdered and left his property to his likable young rescuer. When Jack arrives to claim his inheritance, the locals are suspicious. As he investigates the death of his benefactor, dark and dangerous secrets are revealed. Alison Booth's eighth novel, her first foray into crime, is an evocative and engaging historical whodunnit.
Jess McGeachin. Lothlain books. $29.99.
In the first of four "Find Me" books, author-illustrator Jess McGeachin leads young readers on a gentle tour of coastlines around the world, exploring the landscapes (from muddy mangroves to rocky shores to sandy dunes) and explaining the fascinating creatures that call these diverse habitats home (from birds and crustaceans to fish and dugongs). Noting the impact that humans and the planet's changing climate are having on these fragile environments, McGeachin's hand-painted watercolours sadly include a discarded plastic bottle. "Take rubbish with you if it's safe," is perhaps this book's most important message for youngsters making their own footprints in the sand.
Daniel Silva. HarperCollins. $34.99.
Israeli master spy and brilliant artist Gabriel Allon is leading a quiet life in Venice and restoring one of the city's most important paintings when he spots the body of a woman in the lagoon. The trail leads to the Vatican and the mysterious theft of a painting that could be a priceless Leonardo in disguise. Allon's two careers are once again combined and the action moves at typical Silva pace as Allon and his old mate Luigi Donati (also known as the Pope), battle enemies outside and inside the Vatican, including a crooked cardinal who has cooked the books.