A little of what I have been reading lately….
I’ve just been listening to the interview with Jacqueline Rose at the Sydney Writers Festival, talking about her book, Women in Dark Times, and about three extraordinary women – German-Jewish painter Charlotte Salomon, revolutionary socialist Rosa Luxemburg and Hollywood actress Marilyn Monroe – and their “the courage to bring the unspeakable to light”, and about the need … Read More “On My Wishlist: Women in Dark Time, by Jacqueline Rose” »
Making Home: Adapting Our Homes and Our Lives to Settle in Place By Sharon Astyk; Published by New Society Publishers, Gabriola Island, 2012, RRP AU$27.99. Currently available on Fishpond $18.66. Sharon Astyk’s new book Making Home is part how-to, part memoir, and all inspiration. In it she argues that change is coming, whether we like … Read More “Book Review: Making Home, by Sharon Astyk” »
Most of the books I’ve been reading lately are in some way related to sustainable living or urban homesteading, as I’m (slowly, slowly) doing a literature review for a project I’m working on. Here are some snippets: “…for each daily need that we re-learn to provide within our homes and communities, we strengthen our independence … Read More “Literature Survey – Sustainable Living & Urban Homesteading” »
Made by Hand, Searching for Meaning in a Throwaway World, by Mark Frauenfelder; Published by Portfolio, New York, 2010 RRP AU$29.99 (paperback). Currently available on Fishpond $14.55 . There are at least three driving forces behind the cultural movement towards DIY activities. One is frugality. In a time when there is so much financial instability … Read More “Book Review: Made by Hand, Searching for Meaning in a Throwaway World” »
Frugavore: How to Grow Your Own, Buy Local, Waste Nothing, and Eat Well, by Arabella Forge, 2010. Publisher: Black Inc.; 338 pages RRP AU$29.99. Currently available on Fishpond at AU$26.86. One of the difficulties of living sustainably in a western country today is that we have lost the skills of our foremothers and forefathers that … Read More “Book Review: Frugavore: How to Grow Your Own, Buy Local, Waste Nothing, and Eat Well, By Arabella Forge” »
Making Stories: How Ten Australian Novels Were Written By Kate Grenville and Sue Woolfe; Published by Allen and Unwin, Crows Nest, 2001 (1993) RRP $26.95 (paperback). Update: Currently unavailable on either Fishpond or Amazon, although you can sometimes get a second hand copy of the later edition (which includes 11 novels!) on Amazon or Abe … Read More “Making Stories: How Ten Australian Novels were Written” »
Full disclosure: This list of the best parenting books for new parents is from the perspective of someone who leans towards an attachment parenting style, prefers not to leave her babies to cry, likes to ‘wear’ her babies (but also likes to put them down some), and thinks you should sleep with your baby or … Read More “The Best Parenting Books for New Parents” »
One of my favourite parenting books for new parents is The Baby Book by Martha and Dr William Sears. It’s my standard gift for new parents to be, because it not only covers “Everything you need to know from birth to age two” it does it with a lovely philosophy that is kind to babies, … Read More “The Baby Book: Everything You Need to Know Right at the Beginning” »
I have written about our experiences with the No Cry Sleep Solution method, so now here is a list of the chapter headings to give you a more detailed idea of what the book covers. The No Cry Sleep Solution: Gentle Ways to Help Your Baby to Sleep Through the Night by Elizabeth Pantley First, … Read More “What's in 'The No Cry Sleep Solution' by Elizabeth Pantley” »
The No-Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley is one of my all time favourite parenting books, particularly for the first two years (although I also recently referred to its sleep tables when considering changing my nine year old’s bedtime). My first baby was not a good sleeper. Looking back with the experience of two more … Read More “Elizabeth Pantley's 'The No-Cry Sleep Solution', or 'When will my baby start sleeping through the night?'” »