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 it or not, and that we need to start adapting now.

And she shows us how we can start to do that.

This exceptional book has shot straight to the top of my ‘must read’ recommendations.

See the full review here.

Freycinet… the thin, tenuous, shimmery line that separates memory and forgetting, permanence and transience, sanity and insanity.

Freycinet  (pronounced Frey-sin-ay) is an almost ethereal psychological murder mystery set in the majestic wilds of Tasmania. I’m not going to write a full review because it was written by a friend of mine, and plus I’m acknowledged in the front (I read a some early drafts), so I couldn’t be truly objective.

But I will say, it’s an awesome read. I couldn’t put it down, and I’m not generally a fan of thrillers (though I do like murder mysteries).

It’s a mystery that literally keeps you guessing until the end. The description of it as Picnic at Hanging Rock meets Twin Peaks is right on the money.

Released earlier this year, Freycinet was partly inspired by the unsolved 1993 disappearance of 26-year-old German backpacker Nancy Grunwaldt, and the 1995 brutal murder of 20-year-old Italian Tourist, Victoria Cafasso. It also references fairy tales, Aboriginal history and myth, and pays tribute to the amazing Tasmania wilds.

You can buy it on Fishpond, or Amazon or from many good bookstores. You can also get the electronic version on Amazon.

You can read more about it on the Freycinet Facebook page, or buy it directly from the author’s website.

Melanie Calvert is a talented Australian writer, originally from Tasmania. She has a Master’s Degree and a First Class Honours degree in Literature, and a Journalism degree from Deakin University in Victoria.

“…for each daily need that we re-learn to provide within our homes and communities, we strengthen our independence from an extractive and parasitic economy. As we realize the impact of each choice we make, we discover ways to simplify our demands and rebuild our domestic culture.” (p. 83) Radical Homemakers, Reclaiming Domesticity from a Consumer Culture by Shannon Hayes.

“Consider: if the Chinese come to own cars at the same rate that Americans do, the current 800 millions autos on planet earth will be joined by 1.1 billion in China alone. And then there’s India, where Tata just started selling a $2,500 coupe. It can’t be done-not enough steel, not enough rubber, not enough gas, and definitely not enough atmosphere to store the effluents.” Ecopreneuring: Putting Purpose and the Planet Before Profits by John Ivanko & Lisa Kivirist

“Because we’ve been trained to believe that mistakes must be avoided, many of us don’t want to attempt to make or fix things, or we quit soon after we start, because our initial attempts end in failure.” Made by Hand: Searching for Meaning in a Throw-away world By Mark Frauenfelder (the subtitle of the new edition – which I’ve linked to – is actually ‘My Adventures in the World of Do-It-Yourself’, but I read the older edition, no longer available, and I like that subtitle better).

“Recognizing myself as a creative is not about giving myself permission to ‘make crafts’ but is about a transformation in how I understand myself and view the world.” Nurturing Creativity: A Guide for Busy Moms, by Renee Tougas.

” I enjoy clean, tidy, uncluttered rooms… but don’t like to clean – minimalism scratches that itch.” “Minimalism is the intentional promotion of the things we most value and the removal of anything that distracts us from it.” Simplify by Joshua Becker

‘The compulsion to identify with consumer products reaches deep into our lives – from our choice of homes to what we put in them.’ (The Joy of Less, Francine Jay)

There are lots more books I’m looking at or have read, but I’m mostly borrowing from the library (or reading electronically), and I’m reading slowly with my very little bit of free time. I will probably keep updating this post every so often, adding new books to the top, and bring it to the top of the blog again each time I do. Right now, I should really go back to reading Shannon Hayes’ awesome book, Radical Homemakers, Reclaiming Domesticity from a Consumer Culture.

(I’m making an exception in this one case and linking to some of these books on Amazon, because they’re only available electronically.)

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 on a global level, being able to make things by hand can bring a comforting sense of self-sufficiency, and can often be a real money saver. If you eat a lot of yoghurt, making your own can certainly save you money. On a much larger scale, if you can do your own plumbing, carpentry or sewing you can likely save quite a bit more.

Another is the desire to live more ethically and sustainably:  making your own clothes instead of wearing clothes made in sweatshops, cooking from scratch instead of buying food filled with preservatives and other chemicals, building your own hen house out of scrap materials rather than using up new resources dug out of the ground or cut down from a forest and then shipped to you at more cost to the environment. All these can make a claim of greater sustainability.

A third driving force is a certain disenchantment with aspects of modern life. It is a desire to slow down, smell the roses and feel the texture of the wood. To develop a stronger connection to the world around you, and a better understanding of the items you use everyday. It is largely this desire to experience life more fully, or at least, in a different way, that motivated Mark Frauenfelder to become a do-it-yourselfer.

Mark Frauenfelder is perhaps best known for his incredibly successful blog, boingboing.net, but he has other claims to fame. He is editor-in-chief of Make magazine,  father to two girls, husband to writer Carla Sinclair, and author of several books, among them Made by Hand: Searching for Meaning in a Throwaway World. And once you start reading Made by Hand, it is no surprise to discover that Frauenfelder was a writer before he was a DIYer, because he is a master storyteller.

Read the full review at http://sustainablesuburbia.net/made-by-hand-searching-for-meaning-in-a-throwaway-world/

The amusing sequel to Dougal’s Diary, David Greagg’s When We Were Kittens, was released earlier this year.

It begins when Dougal and Shadow are around two years old and invites us to share another year of their lives.

This was a fun sequal, which my kids once again enjoyed listening to as their bed-time story each night. With a mixture of very short (a few lines) to moderately long (two or three pages) diary-style entries, it was generally easy to read just as much as we had time for. There is rarely much suspense from one entry to the next, although the time when “man” was away for an extended period provided mild ongoing interest.

Sibling rivalry issues are again evident, and Dougal shows some maturity as he navigates the role of big brother, sometimes with the guidance of Belladonna. He realises at one point that Shadow feels she is less loved than he is, no-one’s “special” cat, as Dougal seems to be Man’s and Belladonna Woman’s, and this realisation allows him to deal with some of the issues between himself and his sister with more sensitivity.

Overall, I would rate When We Were Kittens as rather less intriguing than Dougal’s Diary, which had the advantage of not only exploring Dougal’s introduction to the world, but of including real emotional turmoil and suspense in the early period when Dougal had not yet found his permanent home. On the other hand, it is an enjoyable read and allows us to spend more time with our feline friends, and my children were keen to hear a little more each night and enjoyed the ‘interviews’ with the cats, at the end of the book.

You can join Dougal’s fan club and ask him your own questions at his very own website www.dougalsdiary.com.au.

1. The Armchair Olympian by Philip Ascough

This trivia book will get you clued up on the Olympics in time for its descent on the UK, so you can know everything there is to know about this grand competition. With statistics, trivia and quotes, you can become the world’s best armchair Olympian in no time.

2. Gazza – Glorious: My World, Football and Me by Paul Gascoigne

Written by the man himself, this autobiography traces back over Paul Gascoigne’s colourful past. Whether it’s a gift for a friend or for yourself, this book is sure to please.

3. The Bumper Book Of Slightly Forgotten British Olympians by Simon Bullivant

Simon Bullivant is the creator of two of the UK’s best panel shows – ‘Never Mind the Buzzcocks’ and ‘They Think It’s All Over’, and now he’s brought us this fantastic sports book which is packed to the rafters with sportsmen and women that have been all but forgotten in the annals of time; a truly entertaining read.

4. World Cup Rugby Tales – Lawrence Dallaglio by Lawrence Dallaglio

Lawrence Dallaglio lifts the lid on what goes on behind the scenes at a Rugby World Cup in this book, and he does so with more than enough wit and banter to go around. With a great many big names in rugby included in its text, you’re sure to have a great time reading this book.

5. Twirlymen – The Unlikely History of Cricket’s Greatest Spin Bowlers by Amol Rajan

This book is perfect for cricket fans as it commemorates some of the great spin bowlers of our time. Including W. G. Grace, Shane Warne and many others, this book is accessible for all.

6. Jonny: My Autobiography by Jonny Wilkinson

Jonny Wilkinson’s career in rugby has run on for three decades and he’s now a household name all over the UK, but just what’s it like to live his life? Read his autobiography to gain insight into the highs and lows of a rugby superstar’s life.

7. Paul Scholes – My Story by Paul Scholes

Paul Scholes is one of the most well-known footballers in recent years, but the footballing genius remained relatively quiet until he stepped off the field for the final time. Now in retirement, Scholes has lifted the lid on life as Manchester United’s star player.

8. Sir Alex – The Official Man Utd Celebration Of 25 Years by MUFC

This biography, compiled by Manchester United Football Club, takes a look at the man that is Sir Alex Ferguson and explains how he manages to do what he does. From the first time he stepped into the role of Manchester United manager to now, everything you need to know about Sir Alex is contained within this book.

9. The Cyclist’s Friend by Chris Naylor

Any fans of cycling will appreciate this book, which includes quotes and short stories written by cycling lovers throughout the ages. There are also a number of hints and tips interspersed throughout the book, with everything from dealing with a tyre puncture to how to choose a bike being covered.

10. 100 Essential Things You Didn’t Know About Sport by John D. Barrow

If you know someone who likes to think they know everything there is to know about sport, this book is the perfect gift for them. Many interesting questions you might not have thought to ask are answered in this book, and there’s also a whole hodgepodge of information you can pick up on along the way.

Do you think you’ll be buying any of these books?

James Thompson is a freelance writer and a massive fan of reading. They always look to buy the best fiction books and usually do so from online bookstores.

Out of the Black Land, by Kerry Greenwood, 2010.
Publisher: Clan Destine Press; 459 pages
RRP AU$27.00.
Currently unavailable on Fishpond but you can purchase directly from the publisher.

Out of the Black Land is a bit of a departure for Kerry Greenwood, but an intriguing and enjoyable one. This is an historical novel which turns on its head much of the conventional wisdom about this period in Ancient Egypt, but with convincing research and an absorbing story.

This book is a fascinating political intrigue, a sexy love story (or two), and a new interpretation of the Akhenaton period of Ancient Egypt, all in one.

It is the story of Akhenaton’s rise and fall, told through  the eyes of Queen Nefertiti’s sister, Modnodjme, and the Great Royal Scribe, previously a peasant boy, Ptah-hotep. It is also the story of how Ptah-hotep strives to keep his lover Khepperen, also a scribe and later a soldier, throughout his tenure as Great Royal Scribe, and how a single man can have two great loves simultaneously.

How can Ptah-hotep keep his lover safe, now they he has been elevated to the much desired (and therefore life-threatening) position of Great Royal Scribe? How can Nefertiti bear children to an apparently impotent King? How can Egypt survive the loss of its Gods and thus almost its whole system of government?

Out of the Black Land is narrated by the two main characters, Modnodjme, a strong, intelligent woman of independent thought, and Ptah-hotep, a clever political mover who, against all odds, survives his sudden rise to become a wise and ethical force in the palace.

Kerry Greenwood has said that if she had been better at maths, she would have been an archaeologist, and Egyptology and particularly the Pharaoh Akhenaton had long held an interest for her.  Out of the Black Land grew out of two key facts she observed in reading about Akhenaton and then visiting Egypt herself. First, the Pharaoh got a lot of positive press from Christian scholars for being a monotheist, in a tradition of polytheism, and second, there seemed to be no prohibition in ancient Egypt against same-sex love or sex. Indeed, one important tomb she visited had a depiction of two men making love in the reeds.

I’m not going to try to fit this novel into a wider array of Egyptian historical novels or ancient history. They are not my areas of expertise, and besides, Kerry Greenwood makes no bones about the fact that she takes the theories available in Egyptology as they suit her purposes, though she also spent a lot of time consulting the primary sources and coming to her own conclusions.

No doubt there will be those scholars (amateur and professional) horrified by Greenwood’s complete reversal of conventional wisdom about the reigns of Akhenaton and his successors, but she has a compelling argument that overturning the priesthood of Amen-Re, and thus effectively the country’s civil service, would have been completely disastrous.

The afterword is invaluable, in my opinion, in explaining Greenwood’s thinking and fitting the novel into the wider history. I was also very grateful for the ‘what happened to…’ section, as somehow, despite the fact that these are clearly largely fictional characters, albeit loosely based on historical figures of whom we have some little knowledge, you do come to care, and wonder what their ‘real’ fate was. Or I did anyway. I would have liked a pronunciation guide. Apparently no one knows how to pronounce Ancient Egyptian, but some general conventions would still have been appreciated.

From an historical perspective Out of the Black Land makes interesting reading. From a purely literary perspective, the plot is tightly woven, the political intrigue gripping, and the love stories compelling. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

This review is part of my commitment to the Australian Women Writer’s Challenge.

Though it’s really tempting to just read a little bit now. But I will be strong.

For the moment, suffice to say that I am fully enjoying it.

Frugavore: How to Grow Your Own, Buy Local, Waste Nothing, and Eat Well

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 would allow us to do so.

Many of us don’t know how to make our own stock, so we are forced to buy it from the supermarket, food miles, packaging and all. We don’t know how to make our own cleaning products, so we buy the expensive and toxic products the marketing campaigns tell us to, and then flush them down the sink into our rivers. We don’t know how to use the whole of the chicken that we buy (much less the parts that are usually thrown away before they get to us), so much of it ends up in landfill.

In Frugavore: How to Grow Your Own, Buy Local, Waste Nothing, and Eat Well, Australian writer and dietitian Arabella Forge does an excellent job of giving us some basic skills that were common to any peasant family not all that long ago, and indeed are still commonly found in many parts of the world today. But more importantly, she balances direct skill sharing with showing us what we’re missing.

Read the full review at Sustainable Suburbia.

I have a confession to make

I initially borrowed Frugavore from the library, but I accidentally got the US version, and I wanted to see how different it was from the original Australian version (not very, is the answer – see my note in the full review). So I emailed the Australian publisher, explained I was writing this review, and asked if they would send me a review copy. To my delight, it arrived within a few days. Initially I thought I might do another giveaway (after all, I am supposed to be avoiding adding to the clutter, right?).

But I’m sorry folks. This book is too good. I’m keeping it.

At the very least, I will see if we can get the children’s books in the library. I always have time to read children’s books!

Fiction shortlist
All That I Am by Anna Funder
Sarah Thornhill by Kate Grenville
Foal’s Bread by Gillian Mears
Autumn Laing by Alex Miller
Forecast: Turbulence by Janette Turner Hospital

Poetry shortlist
Ashes in the Air by Ali Alizadeh
Interferon Psalms by Luke Davies
Armour by John Kinsella
Southern Barbarians by John Mateer
New and Selected Poems by Gig Ryan

Non-fiction shortlist
A Short History of Christianity by Geoffrey Blainey
Michael Kirby Paradoxes and Principles by A J Brown
When Horse Became Saw: A Family’s Journey Through Autism by Anthony Macris
Kinglake-350 by Adrian Hyland
An Eye for Eternity: The Life of Manning Clark by Mark McKenna

Prize for Australian History shortlist
1835: The Founding of Melbourne and the Conquest of Australia by James Boyce
The Biggest Estate on Earth: How Aborigines Made Australia by Bill Gammage
Breaking the Sheep’s Back by Charles Massy
Indifferent Inclusion: Aboriginal people and the Australian Nation by Russell McGregor
Immigration Nation: The Secret History of Us by Renegade Films Australia Pty Ltd

Young adult fiction shortlist
A Straight Line to My Heart by Bill Condon
Being Here by Barry Jonsberg
Pan’s Whisper by Sue Lawson
When We Were Two by Robert Newton
Alaska by Sue Saliba

Children’s fiction shortlist
Evangeline, The Wish Keeper’s Helper by Maggie Alderson
The Jewel Fish of Karnak by Graeme Base
Father’s Day by Anne Brooksbank
Come Down, Cat! by Sonya Hartnett, illustrated by Lucia Masciullo
Goodnight, Mice! by Frances Watts, illustrated by Judy Watson

To read the judge’s comments, author biographies and more visit www.arts.gov.au/pmla