Recommended reads
Authors’ best books read lately

Christine Wells recommends:

The Cowgirl
By Anthea Hodgson

‘When you look up at that sky, tell me you don’t know the world is bigger than this farm.’

Teddy Broderick is committed to her busy life in the country – seeding, harvest, shearing, and the daily milking of her grandmother’s cow – but she dreams of another life, in the world beyond the farm gate.

But just as she thinks she knows everything about her family, her grandmother Deirdre announces there is a house buried on the property, and archaeologist Will Hastings is coming to dig it up.

What is hidden in Deirdre’s childhood home that she needs to see again before she dies? What is preventing Teddy from living the life she truly wants, and will she ever find her freedom?

As Teddy and Will work to expose past secrets to the light, the stories they tell bring them together, and unearth a whole world of buried treasures.

Kate Forsyth recommends:

The Ruin
By Dervla McTiernan

When Aisling Conroy’s boyfriend Jack is found in the freezing black waters of the river Corrib in Ireland, the police tell her it was suicide. She throws herself into work, trying to forget—but Jack’s sister Maude reappears in Ireland after years abroad, determined to prove Jack was murdered.

Meanwhile, Detective Cormac Reilly, who was recently transferred to Galway from his squad in Dublin, is assigned to dig into a cold case from twenty years ago—the seeming overdose of Jack and Maude’s drug and alcohol addled mother. Other detectives are connecting Jack’s death to his mother’s, and pushing Reilly to arrest Maude, and fast. But instinct tells him something isn’t quite what it seems…

This unsettling small-town noir draws us deep into the dark heart of Ireland, where corruption, desperation, and crime run rife. A gritty look at trust and betrayal where the written law isn’t the only one, The Ruin asks who will protect you when the authorities can’t—or won’t.

Sarah Mills recommends:

The Dressmaker
By Rosalie Ham

A darkly satirical novel of love, revenge, and 1950s haute couture — now a major motion picture starring Kate Winslet, Judy Davis, Liam Hemsworth, and Hugo Weaving

After 20 years spent mastering the art of dressmaking at couture houses in Paris, Tilly Dunnage returns to the small Australian town she was banished from as a child. She plans only to check on her ailing mother and leave. But Tilly decides to stay, and though she is still an outcast, her lush, exquisite dresses prove irresistible to the prim women of Dungatar. Through her fashion business, her friendship with Sergeant Farrat—the town’s only policeman, who harbours an unusual passion for fabrics—and a budding romance with Teddy, the local football star whose family is almost as reviled as hers, she finds a measure of grudging acceptance. But as her dresses begin to arouse competition and envy in town, causing old resentments to surface, it becomes clear that Tilly’s mind is set on a darker design: exacting revenge on those who wronged her, in the most spectacular fashion.

Authors’ best cookbooks read lately

Christine Wells recommends:

Manu’s French Kitchen
By Manu Feildel

French-Australian chef and television star Manu Feildel introduces you to the absolute classics of the French kitchen and to the home-style fare of his childhood in Brittany. Clear, easy instructions and standout food photography mean you don’t have to be a trained cook, French or Julia Child to achieve delicious results every time. Written with heart and full of practical advice and cooking wisdom, Manu’s French Kitchen is your introduction to one of the world’s great cuisines from one of Australia’s most charming chefs.

This is a book for lovers of French food and for every home cook who has ever dreamed of creating the perfect niçoise, bavarois, boeuf bourguignon or tarte tatin.

Kate Forsyth recommends:

French Kitchen – Classic recipes for home cooks
By Serge Dansereau

As much a book of inspiration as a collection of more than 250 uncommonly delicious recipes, French Farmhouse Cookbook captures the rustic and richly flavoured farmhouse cooking that is the basis of French cuisine and a perennial inspiration of French chefs. The author visited and lived among farmers, cheesemakers, ranchers, and vintners from the Pyrénnées to Alsace-Lorraine, from Normandy to Provence. The result is a stunning portrait in recipes, lively essays, and a wealth of astucesó tips passed down through generations of cooks. Here are dishes prepared by lifelong cooks – not chefs – intended to satisfy, not impress.

Sarah Mills recommends:

Return of the Naked Chef
By Jamie Oliver

Jamie Oliver returns with his second bestselling book, The Return of the Naked Chef.

There is no doubt that Jamie Oliver has captured the heart of the nation with his passion for simple, delicious, home-cooked food. His talent is huge, his style relaxed and his fans just want more! So here it is … The Return of the Naked Chef is another book filled with fresh ingredients, ‘pukka’ recipes and boundless enthusiasm. Get stuck in with Jamie Oliver!