The WellBeing team’s favourite spring reads

Looking for a new book or podcast to get you through spring? Here’s what the WellBeing team is reading, watching and listening to.

Books

Cross My Heart
PAMELA COOK, WILDWORDS PUBLISHING
Prepare to have your heart warmed, broken and put back together again by the end of Cross My Heart. Author Pamela Cook has a way of perfectly capturing the beauty, devastation and healing that comes with love. Drawing you in from the very first line, she grabs a hold of your heart and doesn’t let it go until the very last word. What starts as a forgotten promise to a long-lost friend uncovers dark secrets and life-changing turns that will make or break the novel’s main character, Tess. It’s rural fiction with a city twist, with an explosive climax that is more relevant than ever to today’s society. Cross My Heart is a beautifully harrowing telling of modern life, encapsulating the gruesome reality of gendered violence as well as the power of redemption. GN

Karma: A Yogi’s Guide to Crafting Your Own Destiny
SADHGURU, PENGUIN BOOKS
Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the chaos of life? Packed with ethereal wisdom and guidance, Karma: A Yogi’s Guide to Crafting Your Own Destiny is your answer to stillness. Author Sadhguru redefines “karma”, not as the balance of good and bad but as action. The two-part guidebook covers the building blocks or the “what” of karma and how to rewrite your life’s narrative on a physical, psychological and energetic level. In the book you’ll explore the karmic library of your past, present and future, transform your habits into intentional action and learn to appreciate the miracle of being a human being. Reading the guide is a profound experience that will leave your zest for life stronger than ever and light the way to reclaiming your true destiny. GN

The Healthy Skin Kitchen
KAREN FISCHER, EXISLE PUBLISHING
From eczema to rosacea, it is the season for skin flare-ups. The Healthy Skin Kitchen by nutritionist Karen Fischer will teach you how to treat your skin from the inside out. It’s part cookbook, part skin bible that covers everything from your microbiome and mindfulness rituals to food explainers and, of course, plenty of gut- and skin-loving recipes. Fischer has a way of inspiring your inner chef due to her no-BS approach to healthy cooking and the beautiful recipe imagery designed to adapt to every diet. The Healthy Skin Kitchen is set to become your go-to guide to loving, nourishing and embracing the skin you’re in. GN

Asking For It
LOUISE O’NEILL, HACHETTE AUSTRALIA
Although everyday harassment faced by more than half the population is at the forefront of the media, the opposite side think catcalling and kerb-crawling are just an unfortunate and unwanted “normal”. Sadly, the most common response still remains to be “they were asking for it”, which is victim blaming at its finest. In her latest book, Asking For It, author Louise O’Neill tackles the issue of victim blaming and sexual consent in the technological age as well as the shame and self-questioning that often follows sexual harassment. Asking For It needs to be read by all. The book is a powerful piece of fiction, yet for many women it retells their truths. If there is one book you should read to put yourself in the shoes of a victim, make it this one. CB

Podcast

Wardrobe Crisis
CLARE PRESS
Want to join the fashion revolution but not sure where to begin? Tune into WARDROBE CRISIS with Clare Press, a Sydney-based journalist, author, film-maker and presenter, for the low-down on all things sustainability and ethics in fashion. As the first ever sustainability editor at Vogue, Press has plenty of insights of her own into responsible fashion and welcomes international guests from eco-warriors to garment workers on the front line of fast fashion and the founders of your favourite eco-friendly brands to go beyond the Western perspective of fashion as we know it. WARDROBE CRISIS covers everything from plastics to politics to equip you with the education and inspiration you need to make a real change starting with your own wardrobe — with plenty of yarns to keep you entertained on your daily commute. GN

Documentary

Birth Time
Birth Time, by Jo Hunter, Zoe Naylor and Jerusha Sutton, is a powerful and thought-provoking documentary that needs to be seen by all, not just by parents or care providers. The three producers, who are also mothers, embark on a mission to find out why an increasing number of women are emerging from their births physically and emotionally traumatised. Beginning with a confronting yet stunningly beautiful scene that leaves you with tears in your eyes, Birth Time depicts how the care, connection, respect and trust must start with the mother–baby bond. In the documentary, you’ll learn that improving women’s experience of birth helps them set up a stronger bond with their babies, decreases their risk of postnatal depression and encourages them to trust their maternal instincts. Although still in its infancy, Birth Time has forged a movement that the producers hope will change the face of maternity care in Australia and across the developed world. We are definitely on board! KH

Reviews by Kate Holland, Georgia Nelson & Chloë Beckley