How sustainable living taps into ancient wisdom

February 1, 2016Uncategorized#gardening, #organicliving, #selfsufficiency, #sustainabilityRich Bowden

Sustainable living is defined as a lifestyle that reduces the impact on the Earth’s resources. However look a little closer and you’ll see the term, along with others such as self sufficiency, homesteading and organic food, are just new tags for traditional, common sense methods of living – the way our grandparents lived and largely fed themselves.

One increasingly popular part of sustainable living — growing organic food — is well documented by the following authors using this wisdom. They show how growing pesticide-free fruit and vegetables is not only possible but easy in small homes and apartments using the knowledge handed down by previous generations.

Indira Naidoo

Author, food activist and television personality Indira Naidoo has demonstrated this in her book The Edible Balcony and the recently released follow up The Edible City.

Both books examine how urban spaces can be transformed into productive, sustainable areas for the growing of organic vegetables. The author takes us into her world, first on her Sydney unit balcony, then to the city itself, to show how real sustainability and organic living can be achieved on a small scale and change lives for the better.

Linda Woodrow

Small-scale organic living is very much the focus of Linda Woodrow’s The Permaculture Home Garden. The author combines traditional common sense with the science of permaculture to show how people can transform their gardens into sustainable food gardens.

Packed with advice, encouragement, diagrams and inspiration, The Permaculture Home Garden shows how easy it is to reduce your carbon footprint while producing stunning organic fruit and vegetables for the kitchen table.

Individual know how, organic living and sustainability are the key themes running through these books. Though they vary in style and scope, all three show the importance of collective knowledge and wisdom in sustainable living.

The power of environmentally conscious people thinking of the future of the planet by taking inspiration from the past.

Celebrated Australian books that inspire and enthral

January 25, 2016Uncategorized#Australian, #Fiction, #Holidayreading, #NonfictionKaren Seligman

Today is Australia Day, so I am showcasing a number of popular and highly-regarded Australian authors. I have continued the “inspirational” theme that Team Booko has adopted during January – not only are these books interesting and entertaining, some of them are inspirational too, with authors such has Stephanie Alexander, Dr Anita Heiss and Dr Karl Kruszelnicki literally changing lives through their advocacy work.

Kitchen Garden Cooking with Kids (Second Edition) by Stephanie Alexander

Stephanie Alexander is a renowned chef; however, her greatest contribution to Australia may be her Kitchen Garden Program. From its beginnings in one inner-suburban school, Stephanie’s dedication has inspired hundreds of kitchen gardens to be set up in schools across Australia, teaching children about gardening, cooking and healthy eating. Jamie Oliver, another crusader for healthy eating, is a big fan of this work. Kitchen Garden Cooking with Kids is both a guide to planning and setting up your own school kitchen garden, as well as a collection of 120 favourite recipes from the program. These recipes introduce a variety of cooking styles, flavours and ingredients, and are designed specifically for use by children.

True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey

An internationally-recognised Australian author channels an iconic Australian character. The result is surprising and compulsively readable. True History of the Kelly Gang purports to be Ned Kelly’s autobiography – from his childhood to his last siege at Glenrowan. Inspired by Ned Kelly’s own writing – the remarkable Jerilderie Letter – Peter Carey has given Ned a vivid voice that is candid, defiant, sensitive and intelligent. This version of the Ned Kelly story invites us to see his actions as the consequence of the poverty and bigotry faced by the (Irish Catholic) poor in colonial Australia. Winner of the Booker Prize and Commonwealth Writers Prize, this new edition features a distinctive cover by Michael Leunig, making it a triple-treat of Australianness.

My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin

My Brilliant Career – both the original novel and its 1979 film adaptation – are important to Australian cultural history. Published in 1901, this story of a sassy, headstrong girl who relinquished romance and marriage for a writing career, was ground-breaking for its strong feminist message and its distinctive Australianess; its success became all the more sensational when “Miles Franklin” was revealed to be young and female. The film version (1979) introduced the novel to a new generation – when its feminist message resonated strongly with the concerns of the day; it also alerted us to the emerging talents of director Gillian Armstrong, and actors Judy Davis and Sam Neill – all of whom have gone on to have truly Brilliant Careers. Last but not least, Miles Franklin became a lifelong supporter and promoter of Australian literature – culminating in her endowment of the Miles Franklin award, now the most prestigious literary prize in Australia.

Am I Black Enough for You? by Anita Heiss

Anita Heiss is an author, academic, activist and social commentator who explores and explains contemporary Aboriginal life in Australia. Am I Black Enough for You? is her very personal memoir; it is also the starting point for questioning what it means to be Aboriginal in modern Australia. As a self-described “urban-based high achieving Aboriginal woman” with an Austrian father, Anita Heiss realises that she is not the sort of Aboriginal person that many would expect or want her to be. So what constitutes “black enough”, and why should it matter? Told in a feisty, wry voice, Am I Black Enough for You? is a Winner of the Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards.

Dr Karl’s Short Back and Science by Dr Karl Kruszelnicki

Adam Spencer’s World of Numbers by Adam Spencer

Australia’s favourite science communicators are back with new books! Dr Karl and Adam Spencer have been entertaining and educating us with amazing and provoking facts, across just about any media you can think of – live shows, TV, radio, books and Internet. Not only are they very witty, but they know their stuff! (Dr Karl is a qualified doctor/ physicist/ biomedical engineer, while Adam is a trained mathematician.) In Dr Karl’s Short Back and Science, Dr Karl Kruszelnicki shares his sense of wonder about cutting-edge science, ponders over conundrums such as “what do clouds weigh?” and investigates the hype around coconut oil and paleo diets – all wrapped up in his inimitable storytelling.

While Adam Spencer’s World of Numbers is jam-packed with cool number facts from every area of knowledge imaginable – not just maths and the sciences, but also from geography, history, games, poetry, even sport (and chocolate as well). Even the page numbers are used to illustrate fun facts!

Growing Up Asian in Australia, edited by Alice Pung

Coming of Age: Growing up Muslim in Australia, edited by Demet Divaroren and Amra Pajalic

Growing Up Asian in Australia and Coming of Age: Growing Up Muslim in Australia deliver exactly as promised – personal stories about growing up as Asian-Australians and Muslim-Australians. Growing Up Asian in Australia is edited by Alice Pung (herself an increasingly-prominent writer on Asian-Australian experiences), with contributions from people across generations and occupations. Big names include John So (former Lord Mayor of Melbourne), Benjamin Law (author of The Family Law) and Kylie Kwong (chef). As a fellow Asian-Australian, I found these stories tragicomic and joyously (but sometimes painfully) familiar. Coming of Age: Growing Up Muslim in Australia offers twelve stories that reflect on gender, body image, romance, faith and families; again the contributors span a range of ages and occupations, and include Randa Abdel-Fattah (YA author) and Tanveer Ahmed (psychiatrist). Both these titles show that, regardless of your skin colour (or the contents of your lunchbox), we share many similar feelings growing up – including the desire to fit in, to be considered more than a stereotype, and to be loved and accepted for who we are.

Island Home by Tim Winton

Tim Winton is best known for his novels – titles such as Cloudstreet and Dirt Music appear regularly in “Best of” lists. However, his latest book shows that his non-fiction is just as evocative and beguiling. Island Home is a meditation on how the Australian landscape has shaped his ideas, his writing and his life. Tim Winton paints various landscapes – coast, sea, scrub – with loving words; his epiphany about the depth of his connection to the Australian environment came when he failed to connect similarly to landscapes abroad. He further suggests that the Australian landscape shapes the psyche of her people, more so than they realise. Island Home also offers fascinating insights into his writer’s craft.

Back to school: books that smooth the transition

January 20, 2016Blog, Children, Young Adult#Australian, #Children, #startingschool, #YA, #YoungadultKaren Seligman

As January hurtles along, many families will be preparing for a big milestone – the First Day of School. To help both kids and parents prepare for this exciting event, we present our favourite books on starting school. The big kids have not been forgotten – we have included books on starting secondary school, because we understand that this is a big challenge too. Hopefully this list will also help any families starting school later in the year!

For Young Kids

Many picture books talk about starting school. A good place to start may be your child’s favourite book or TV character – many of them, including Hugless Douglas, Maisy, Charlie and Lola and Peppa Pig, offer stories about starting preschool / kindergarten / primary school. Other great stories (and conversation starters) include:

Starting School by Jane Godwin and Anna Walker

This gentle and sympathetic book follows five children – Tim, Hannah, Sunita, Joe, and Polly – on their first day of school. The children have different personalities and experience the day differently. The story is engaging and also informative, since it highlights the many predictable events of orientation, such as finding your way around, getting to know people, and learning new routines. From the team that bring us the equally gorgeous and popular All Through the Year (about the months of the year) and Today We Have No Plans (about the days of the week).

Amelia Bedelia’s First Day of School by Herman Parish and Lynne Avril

This is a good introduction to the Amelia Bedelia series, which can grow with your child through their primary years – the series range from picture books to early readers and chapter books. Amelia Bedelia is a very literal-minded girl who gets confused by common sayings. Her misunderstandings land her in many funny situations! Here, Amelia Bedelia learns to enjoy her first day at school despite feeling nervous and having a very eventful time.

First Day by Andrew Daddo and Jonathan Bentley

First Day gives “first day nerves” a little twist when it’s the parent, not the child, who is feeling them! This is a joyous, affectionate look at the excitement of getting ready for school on The First Day. The excitement may be tempered by a little sadness, but that’s okay, because “the best bit about waving goodbye is the next wave will be hello”. Andrew Daddo and Jonathan Bentley is a great team who is adept at capturing the moods and behaviours of young children.

The Terrible Suitcase by Emma Allen and Freya Blackwood

The combination of Freya Blackwood’s illustrations and a grumpy main character made me smile and smile as I read The Terrible Suitcase. The little girl longs for a red backpack with yellow rockets to take to her first day of school, but all she has is a Terrible Suitcase. She feels so mad that she hides in a big cardboard box in her classroom. Luckily, friendliness and imagination turns this terrible day into something magical. I love how real the characters seem, and how inventive this story is.

For Parents

Ready, Set, Go? How to Tell if your Child’s Ready for School and Prepare them for the Best Start by Kathy Walker

Deciding when to send your child to school can be daunting, particularly when present-day ideas about “school readiness” focus on emotional and social maturity (which can be hard to recognise), rather than the more clear-cut criteria of age or intellectual development. Kathy Walker, a leading parenting and education expert, is here to help you with this guide. Based on her experiences working with families and educators, Kathy explains what school readiness means and how to assess it; she also describes how schools work, and gives advice on how to choose a school that suits a child and their families. Finally there are tips on preparing children for school, both in the lead-up and in the early weeks of term. Readable and highly informative.

High School Rocks: Make Starting High School an Awesome Experience by Jenny Atkinson

Jenny Atkinson is a former teacher who now specialises in helping students, parents and staff achieve a confident, happy transition to high school. Based on survey feedback from over 1600 students, High School Rocks addresses the challenges that concern students the most – including friendships, independence, time-management and bullying. A mix of tips, stories and advice will help families develop their own coping strategies, and improve resilience. High School Rocks is currently available only from the Kindle Store or the author’s website.

For Big Kids

Many stories aimed at upper-primary or early teen readers explore themes of dealing with change, loneliness and understanding oneself, issues also relevant to the transition to secondary school. Some novels that specifically mention school transition include:

New Boy by Nick Earls

Herschelle and his family have just moved from South Africa to Australia, and despite his careful study of Aussie slang, he is struggling to fit in. At school, he is lumped in with the nerds, though he was one of the cool kids back in Cape Town. Nobody understands his accent or his Aussie-isms, and both he and his family make gaffes because they are confounded by local customs. Things come to a head when Herschelle is picked on for being different. New Boy has great messages about diversity, racism and bullying – especially because it offers the interesting twist of having a bullying-victim who is white. This is Nick Earls’ first book for younger readers, after a string of successes for teens and adults.

Pea’s Book of Best Friends by Susie Day

Life changes for Pea and her sisters when their ditzy mum becomes a successful author. Her new glamorous image means they have to relocate from a ramshackle flat in Wales to a house in London. Pea is excited about London’s various attractions – and even likes her new school uniform, “in a masochistic Malory Towers sort of way” – but she really misses having a best friend. Catastrophes ensue as Pea hunts for a new best friend while her sisters plot to return to their former lives. Pea’s Book of Best Friends is a fun read with likeable, quirky characters. The first in an ongoing series.

How to be Happy: a Memoir of Love, Sex and Teenage Confusion by David Burton

For mature readers, or with adult guidance – How to be Happy is an award-winning memoir that has been variously praised as hilarious, heartbreaking, and important. It follows David’s life as he enters high school, through his attempts to fit in both at home and at school, and into his early twenties. How to Be Happy tackles many confronting topics – including depression, friendship, sexual identity, suicide, love and academic pressure – with sincerity and honesty. It is ultimately uplifting as David realises that life can be okay even when it is not happy 100% of the time.

So you want to be a Tennis Champion?

January 18, 2016Uncategorized#AUSOpen, #AustralianOpen, #TennisTeam Booko

With the tennis season in full swing, it is the time when the idea of picking up a racquet to join in the fun sounds appealing…maybe it isn’t too late to be a champion after all…maybe.

I am a huge tennis fan, not just of the sport but mainly due to the people who are playing. They are amazing athletes and the work that goes into making a sport look ‘easy’ takes a lifetime of training, agony, delayed gratification and perseverance. Their life stories are both inspiring and amazing.

Open by Andre Agassi

I read this last year and it is firmly in my top ten books of all time. This autobiography was both engaging and haunting as Agassi tells the story of his life framed by conflicts, balanced precariously between self-destruction and perfectionism. From early childhood Agassi hated the game of tennis, he resented the constant pressure even as he drove himself to become a prodigy of the game.

My Life by Serena Williams

From growing up in the tough neighborhood of Compton, California, to being trained by her father on courts littered with broken glass and drug paraphernalia, to becoming the top women’s player in the world, Serena has proven to be an inspiration to her legions of fans. Her accomplishments have not been won without struggle. She has been derailed by injury, criticized for her unorthodox approach to tennis, and was devastated by the tragic shooting of her older sister. Yet somehow Serena always manages to prevail, both on and off the court. In this compelling and poignant memoir, Serena takes an empowering look at her extraordinary life and what is still to come.

My Life by Li Na

I watched Li Na play against Serena Williams in Wimbledon and the match was amazing. The first tennis player from an Asian country to win a Grand Slam singles title shares her life story, including growing up within a rigid national sports system, living away from home, and the years she struggled to believe in herself.

Rafa: My Story by Rafael Nadal

No tennis player since Andre Agassi has captivated the world like Rafael Nadal. He’s a rarity in today’s sporting arena – a true sportsman who chooses to let his raw talent, dedication and humility define him. This autobiography, includes memorable highlights such as winning the Wimbledon 2008 final in what John McEnroe called, “the greatest game of tennis ever played” and completing a career Grand Slam after winning the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open in 2010. This book gives Nadal’s millions of fans what they’ve been waiting for – a glimpse behind the racquet to learn what really makes Nadal – an intensely private person who until now has never talked about his personal and family life – tick.

Andy Murray: Seventy Seven My Road To Wimbledon Glory by Andy Murray

Andy Murray is one of Britain’s best loved athletes. On the 7th July 2013 he became the first British man to lift the Wimbledon trophy for 77 years. Andy Murray: Seventy-Seven, takes readers on a personal journey through his career. Focusing on the last two dramatic years, he shares his thoughts on the pivotal moments of his playing career and allow us a glimpse into his world – his intense training regime, his close-knit team and his mental and physical battle to get to the very top. This beautiful and very personal book is a stunning celebration of Andy’s career so far.

Rod Laver: An Autobiography by Rod Laver

Rod Laver’s memoir is the inspiring story of how a diminutive, left-handed, red-headed country boy from Rockhampton became one of Australia’s greatest every sporting champions. Rod was a dominant force in world tennis for almost two decades, playing and defeating some of the greatest players of the twentieth century. In 1962, Rod became the second man to win the Grand Slam – that is, winning the Australian, French, Wimbledon and US titles in a single calendar year. In 1969 he won it again, becoming the only player ever to win the Grand Slam twice.

Filled with anecdotes about the great players and great matches, set against the backdrop of a tennis world changing from rigid amateurism to the professional game we recognise today, Rod’s book is a warm, insightful and fascinating account of a great sportsman and a great Australian.

The best reads on sustainable living

January 13, 2016Uncategorized#environment, #sustainabilityTeam Booko

Taking meaningful steps to reduce our environmental footprint has been top of mind for me over the last few years. As for how that translates into action, it tends to get overridden by the rush of our lives. I’ll never be the Felicity Kendall character from ‘The Good Life‘ and raise chickens and goats but I can focus on buying better-produced products and minimise product packaging.

The World Wildlife Foundation have provided an ecological footprint calculator which measures your carbon footprint and also includes steps you can take to reduce your impact on the environment.

Here are our picks for inspiring books about sustainable living (including an E-Book).

Ecoman by Malcolm Rands

The story of how Malcolm Rands, an organic gardener and hippy from Northland, built the pioneering global brand ecostore. Malcolm Rands started ecostore from New Zealand’s first permaculture eco-village with his wife Melanie in 1993. They sourced local manufacturers to make a range of organic gardening; home cleaning and body care products for the then mail-order business in the dug-out basement of their home. Twenty years on and Malcolm has developed ecostore into a multi-million dollar business.

The Weather Makers by Tim Flannery

Tim Flannery takes the reader on a journey through history and around the globe as he describes the diversity of the world’s ecosystems and reveals how the earth’s climate has changed, causing devastating changes in the weather, from hurricanes to heatwaves.

This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs the Climate by Naomi Klein

In this groundbreaking book, Klein debunks the myths we have been fed about climate change such as that it’s impossible to get off fossil fuels. Klein challenges these assumptions and clearly articulates the relationship between free-market capitalism, the fossil fuel industry and global warming. Winner of the Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for Nonfiction, Observer Book of the Year and New York Times Book Review 100 Notable Books of the Year.

Adventures in the Anthropocene: A Journey to the Heart of the Planet We Made by Gaia Vince

Gaia Vince writes of us entering a new Geological epoch: The Age of Man or Anthropocene. The changes made by humans over the past few decades have changed the world beyond anything it has seen in its 4.5 billion years. The impacts of this are that people are finding ingenious ways to solve ongoing crises, such as the retired railway worker who’s building artificial glaciers in the Himalayas. Winner of the Royal Society Winton Prize for Science Books 2015.

Six Degrees: Our Future on a Hotter Planet by Mark Lynas

The title of Lynas’s book, ‘Six Degrees’, refers to the terrifying possibility that average temperatures will rise by up to six degrees within the next hundred years. This is the first time we have had a reliable picture of how the collapse of our civilisation will unfold unless urgent action is taken. Most vitally, Lynas’s book serves to highlight the fact that the world of 2100 doesn’t have to be one of horror and chaos. With a little foresight, some intelligent strategic planning, and a reasonable dose of good luck, we can at least halt the catastrophic trend into which we have fallen – but the time to act is now.

Homesteading: how a self-reliant outlook is shaping the future of small-scale agriculture

January 11, 2016Uncategorized#environment, #homesteading, #sustainabilityRich Bowden

In the early 70s, President Richard Nixon’s Agriculture Secretary Earl Butz called for American farmers to “get big or get out”. This signified the end of New Deal-style rural assistance programs and ushered in the start of big agriculture in the United States.

However while agribusiness has since become dominant, the love of independent, small-scale farming has never died. The trend in recent decades towards homesteading, or self sufficiency on a small acreage, has borne this out.

Homesteading can mean a number of things to different people, though independence is always the key.

Organic food. Producing food the old-fashioned way: organic and unprocessed. Traditional food preservation practices may also be incorporated.
Sustainability. Economically viable and environmentally sound, a sustainable small farm is the aim of most homesteaders.
Renewable energy. Many homesteaders look to produce much of their energy through clean, renewable energy to reduce their reliance on electricity grids.
Philosophy/lifestyle. Like Walt Whitman, many homesteaders return to the land for health, philosophical and environmental benefits.

Homesteading in the US has grown from a fringe movement to one where self sufficiency and growing foods the traditional way has become a viable, even profitable, concern for many people.

The movement can be traced to pioneers such as UK author John Seymour whose work “The Complete Book of Self Sufficiency” has inspired many to return to the land.

Many homesteaders follow the design principles of permaculture as outlined in David Holmgren’s Permaculture Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability.

Other publications such as Ron Macher’s “Making your small farm profitable” have concentrated on the profitability and availability of credit for small farms and homesteads.

Whether the aim is to grow organic food, disconnect from the grid or a retreat from city life, homesteading has proved a viable alternative to reliance on supermarkets, big power companies and big city living.

Author spotlight: Stephen R. Covey and how to adopt great habits

January 6, 2016Personal development, Uncategorized#BookReview, #SelfhelpKaren Seligman

Stephen R. Covey may not be a household name but his book certainly is – The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. This influential work has sold over 25 million copies in 40 languages, and, 25 years on, is still popular and respected. During this time, Stephen R. Covey has met and shared his insights with over 50 Heads of State, including Bill Clinton, Nelson Mandela and Michail Gorbachev. The idea of “7 Habits” has even inspired parodies and entered the vernacular.

The 7 habits that Stephen R. Covey highlights are traits that he believes will improve a person’s behaviour and character ethics – and form the basis of their personal and professional success. They include:

Be proactive
Begin with the end in mind
Put first things first
Think “win-win”
Seek first to understand, then to be understood
Synergise
Sharpen the saw (i.e. undergo frequent self-renewal)

What makes Stephen R. Covey’s ideas fresh and challenging is that they bridge management strategies and self help – he argues that the success of organisations depends on the behaviour of individual workers. Interestingly, this concept is not new – he acknowledges that he draws inspiration from historical “success literature” that emphasises how personal character, ethics and self-discipline have contributed to personal success.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People has inspired many books that offer to help us understand and make great habits. These include:

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens by Sean Covey

Sean Covey is Stephen R. Covey’s son, and he has adapted the messages in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People to better target a teen audience. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens is popular in its own right, has been praised by psychologists and also been incorporated into school curricula.

The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Busin ess by Charles Duhigg

Charles Duhigg, a journalist for The New York Times, explores the psychology and neuroscience behind how and why habits are created; he also illustrates his findings with entertaining case studies showing how companies have unlocked incredible success by changing people’s habits – by luck or design. The Power of Habit is not a self-help book per se but its insights help us better understand how we can fine-tune or change our habits.

Rewire: Change your Brain to Break Bad Habits, Overcome Addictions, Conquer Self-Destructive Behaviour by Richard O’Connor

Do you know you have bad habits, but still can’t break them? Then Rewire is here to help you. Richard O’Connor uses psychotherapy techniques to design exercises aimed at permanently disrupting destructive behaviour, including procrastination, internet addiction, overeating, and risk-taking. The key, he suggests, is to recognise that these habits are autopilot behaviours that can only be erased with deliberate and patient coaching.

Making Habits, Breaking Habits: Why we do Things, Why we don’t, and How to Make Any Change Stick by Jeremy Dean

Making Habits, Breaking Habits is both an explanation of the science behind habits, and a guide to changing them. Jeremy Dean has ploughed through vast amounts of academic psychology research and distilled it into a scholarly yet approachable summary of what we know about human habit formation. A timely section pays particular attention to online habits such as Facebook addiction. Jeremy Dean also surveys current techniques for making and breaking habits, before deriving his own strategies. An appealing aspect of his work is that he does not just focus on physical habits (such as smoking or exercise), but also on changing habits that affect creativity and happiness.

Planning your 2016? We have sourced the best diaries for you.

January 4, 2016UncategorizedTeam Booko

Wow, it’s 2016 already, I always seem to lose track of the days between Christmas and New Year and can never seem to remember which day of the week it is.

My favourite part of early January is choosing my diary for the year ahead. I start each year attempting to use only my mobile (I am a minimalist at heart and try to reduce the number of things I carry) but alas I just can’t seem to commit to only a device. There’s something about seeing my whole week ahead of me and the joy of ticking off the tasks and appointments, or scribbling in notes in the margins.

Being organised can not only help to increase productivity and reduce stress but it also allows you to be in command of your schedule. Investing in the right diary takes a little time. Firstly, I assess the purpose: is it for personal, professional, studies, family, community, business use or a combination of everything? Then I look at the size, the layout and lastly design. These are the steps I take when selecting a diary, planner, calendar or organiser:

PURPOSE

Some people like to keep separate planners, one in the handbag, a calendar on the fridge to keep track of the family activities and a table top planner at the office, or just use an app on your phone. Whether your choose one or several the rest of the steps are simple.

SIZE

How do you want to use your diary? That will help determine the size. Light and portable so you can easily carry in your bag, or if you have a lot of planning needs, meetings or need to take loads of notes, a larger format such as A4 may be more suited.

LAYOUT

Depending on how much you need to write and record on a daily basis, or how many appointments you might have, may mean the difference from a day per page layout to a monthly planner. A Day to Page will offer loads of space for appointments, but if you plan to carry this around with you everywhere, it might get a tad bulky as the year goes on. If you want a daily format but a lighter option, try a DayPlanner where you can put in a few months at a time.

And lastly DESIGN

This is often what it boils down to for me, I am unashamedly design driven. You’ll always spot me with a sleek black diary with uber cool typography.

Here’s my pick of some available at booko.com.au

Collective 2016 Diary Believe in Yourself

DREAM BIG, DREAM OFTEN The year to live your wildest hopes and dreams. With quotes to motivate you and little reminders to inspire your day, this 2016 diary is the place for everything you! Scribble, draw, write, dream, create, for the world is yours.

Faber & Faber Poetry Diary 2016

The Faber Poetry Diary for 2016 is a week-to-view diary offering poetry lovers a different poem or illustration to enjoy for each week of the year.

Cath Kidson 2016

Her work is always sunny and a delight to look at. This lovely A5 Diary in a Cath Kidston Provence Rose print features a protective plastic cover, note pages, and a handy address book.

Fitness Journal 2016

This Fitness Journal is great for keeping a log of your exercise routine and food intake. Pop it in your training bag and track what you are doing down at the gym. This aids fitness and weight gain/loss by helping you to create a visual image of your body, fitness and eating habits and make the necessary changes as you see fit. Measuring 6″ x 9,” it is nicely designed. With room to track a whole 12 months worth of activity. What gets measured gets done and as you see improvements, you will continue to track your goals and your results will multiply. Kick-start your fitness goals in 2016 and beyond with this nifty little workout journal
log, it will be one of the best decisions you can make.

2016 Diary by Karl

This must-have weekly planner is a cult object for fashion aficionados everywhere. An accessory in its own right with striking line illustrations ranging from Chanel handbags to Karl’s signature sunglasses and fingerless gloves the sleek and elegant format will add style to your bag or desk. Karl has a statement for every occasion, and his witty and quintessentially fashionable opinions whether inspiring, amusing, self-deprecating or thought-provoking are always on point. As fabulous as it is functional, the planner contains ample space for personal information, daily entries and notes, as well as providing a yearly overview. Adding a hint of glamour to the daily grind, it also features international fashion week schedules!

2016 Nava Design

An exquisitely designed range of planners and diaries in a variety of colors, useful for managing your busy schedule, and perfectly sized to use on the go. With its split-color cover design and sturdy binding, this planner covers 16 months – September 2015 to December 2016, with a week per page spread. Compact and unique, it’s not
only useful but incredibly stylish too. Text in Italian, English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, and Japanese.

The Books of 2015 that changed us

December 30, 2015Uncategorized#BookReview, #Fiction, #Nonfiction, #teambookoTeam Booko

Part of sifting back through the last year is looking at the books you read, the music you loved and the movies that made their mark over the previous 12 months. They all had a part to play in shaping your year.

Looking back, you can identify the different years of your life by what you were reading at the time. Here are some standouts:

1996 – Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding

2000 – Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

2006 – It was a bumper year of Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert and The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne

2011 – Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James

2014 – The Martian by Andy Weir

In the spirit of reflection, here is a snapshot of what the Booko team loved reading this year and why.

Karen ’s pick is How to be a Heroine: or, What I’ve Learned from Reading Too Much by Samantha Ellis

I stumbled upon this book at my local library and I am so glad I did. Samantha Ellis is a British playwright from an Iraqi-Jewish family. After a heated debate with her best friend about Cathy Earnshaw (Wuthering Heights) vs Jane Eyre as the perfect heroine, Samantha decides to revisit all of the literary heroines who have influenced her approach to life and love. Her critical re-readings of these favourite books – including Anne of Green Gables, Gone with the Wind, The Bell Jar, even Shirley Conran’s Lace – results in mixed feelings including delight, awe, even anger and sadness. How to be a Heroine is an original and unusual book that is part memoir, part bibliography and part literary analysis. For me this is life instruction, reading list as well as a friend – what she has done seems exactly like what I should be doing, and I am looking forward to developing my own views about these books (as well as revisiting my own literary heroines). Her attempts at finding her place within and beyond her tight-knit community really resonates with me as well.

Renae’s pick is A Brief History of 7 Killings by Marlon James

The Brief History of Seven Killings is, to be perfectly honest, the only book that I have read this year. This is a slightly disappointing effort reading-wise but to be honest, by the time I get to bed, I am only able to read 2-3 pages before I’m asleep. Anyway, I digress –

I selected this book based solely on the fact that it won the Man Booker prize. I assumed that it must be good. And it is. Based on the attempted assassination of Bob Marley in the late 1970s, this book is a fictional account of that time. While the seven assumed assassins were never apprehended, this book is about James imagining their stories. Part of what makes this book great is that there are a range of different voices, namely witnesses and bystanders. The Brief History of Seven Killings is like taking a step back in time to this period, in all its raw and at times, very violent history.

Riina’s pick is Lost & Found by Brooke Davis

It was the very start of the year and I was heading on my first overseas trip by myself since having children. I had been so busy making sure everything was planned, organised and prepared for the family while I would be away, that I had neglected to pack myself a book (out of the big pile of unread or half-read books on my bedside table). So I browsed the airport bookshop for something light to enjoy on the 23-hour flight. I picked Lost & Found by Brooke Davis, seeing as it was a book I had seen popping up on the most clicked list on Booko.

To be honest I thought it would be a light read that I might or might not finish. Instead I found it to be un-put-downable and surprisingly thought-provoking. Being half a world away from my family, I found the distance paired with the themes introduced by Lost & Found allowed me to evaluate my life, love and future in a way I had never before. I came home with visions and goals for myself, our family and relationships in general.

It is debatable whether it was the trip itself or the book that changed me, but Lost & Found was definitely an integral part of changing me in 2015.

Marie’s Pick is The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo.

I am a minimalist at heart and nothing excites me more than clean spaces with room to breathe. However, with two small children in my house there regularly seems to be a mounting collection of ‘treasures’ that I am almost positive we don’t need to keep. I found this book just as it was becoming a social media sensation and a regular ‘most clicked’ on booko.

I was hooked from page one, and when I gave it a go at home, I felt lighter, happier and the house was brighter…and we didn’t really even have much clutter to begin with! Nevertheless I ended up with 3 car loads of goodies for the charity store, copious bags filled for recycling and a few for the bin man.

This #1 New York Times best-selling guide to tidying your home is not only a game changer, it’s life changing! Japanese cleaning consultant Marie Kondo offers readers a step-by-step guide through the KonMari Method enabling an easy way to simplify, organise, and store. In a nutshell, if an item doesn’t spark joy in your home, it shouldn’t be there and that goes for clothes, trinkets, photos, make up and old copies of bills (but who would want them anyway).

Be warned – it’s not for the faint hearted, and once you start you will not want to stop. I still use Kondo’s tips daily. Oh and I recommend buying the e book – you’ll know why when you have finished it.

Dan’s pick is The Martian by Andy Weir

In writing this post, I’m confronted with the uncomfortable truth that I’ve only read two books this year: Ready Player One which I enjoyed and The Martian which was excellent. I was inspired to read The Martian by Randall Munroe’s comic. The Martian is a great for plenty of reasons but its path from idea to publishing stands out for me.

The Martian began almost as a serial, published online for free, a chapter at a time and was altered and corrected based on audience feedback. At the request of his readers, Andy made a Kindle version available and due to the way Amazon have set up publishing on the Kindle, he had to sell the book for the minimum price of $0.99. Within a month, more people had bought the Kindle edition, than had downloaded the free version. This feedback loop of creation and improvement is analogous to how much of the worlds free software is written and I found it fascinating that this model could be used to help write a book.

Once the book hit the top #10 in a few categories, its rise was meteoric. Random House approached Andy to publish the print version and in the same week as signing that deal, he’d signed the movie deal with Fox. This interview with Adam Savage is well worth watching.

Books to help us be the person we want to be in 2016

December 28, 2015Personal development, Uncategorized#SelfhelpTeam Booko

The beauty of a new year is our ability (or at least our intention) to reinvent ourselves. Whatever stage you are at in your life, the start of the next year brings hope for a fresh start and new possibilities. Here are our pick of 6 books that give you a head start on being the best you that you can be in 2016.

The Miracle of Mindfulness: The Classic Guide by Thich Nhat Hanh

In this beautifully written book, Buddhist monk and Nobel Peace Prize nominee Thich Nhat Hanh explains how to acquire the skills of mindfulness. Once we have these skills, we can slow our lives down and discover how to live in the moment – even simple acts like washing the dishes or drinking a cup of tea may be transformed into acts of meditation. Thich Nhat Hanh’s gentle anecdotes and practical exercises help us to arrive at greater self-understanding and peacefulness, whatever the stage we are at.

Uncommon Sense by Michael Kemp

Mike Kemp is the financial advisor to Scott Pape, otherwise known as the Barefoot Investor. This book offers a comprehensive background to understanding how the stock market works. It’s a book for serious investors but Kemp delivers stories and anecdotes that helps the reader understand what works in the stock market, what doesn’t and why. Uncommon Sense will have you thinking, acting and succeeding on your own in your investment endeavours. It helps you learn to question conventional wisdom at every turn and develop a healthy skepticism as you plan your own investment strategies. If you want to understand concepts such as the stock valuation process and discover the methods that have been used by successful investors from the dawn of the modern stock market (1602), this is the book for you.

Pull your finger out: 101 ways to stop wasting time & start living your best life by Craig Harper

Craig Harper is here to tell you how. He presents 101 no-nonsense, straight-talking ways to help you get the most out of yourself – from breaking habits and getting motivated to developing self-knowledge and learning when to say no.

Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert

Readers of all ages and walks of life have drawn inspiration from Elizabeth Gilbert’s books for years. Now, this beloved author shares her wisdom and unique understanding of creativity, shattering the perceptions of mystery and suffering that surround the process – and showing us all just how easy it can be. By sharing stories from her own life, as well as those from her friends and the people that have inspired her, Elizabeth Gilbert challenges us to embrace our curiosity, tackle what we most love and face down what we most fear. Whether you long to write a book, create art, cope with challenges at work, embark on a long-held dream, or simply to make your everyday life more vivid and rewarding, Big Magic will take you on a journey of exploration filled with wonder and unexpected joys.

Future Brain: The 12 Keys to create your High Performance Brain by Jenny Brockis

Super–charge your brain to gain a huge competitive edge in business and in life. Future Brain is the busy professional′s secret weapon for boosting mastery, efficiency, and productivity to gain that coveted competitive edge in business and in life. Designed to be implemented at the individual, team, or organisational level, this in–depth, step–by–step framework leverages neuro–scientific principles to help you develop a solid, habit–changing plan for building and maintaining brain fitness and healthy behaviours. Author Dr. Jenny Brockis will help you develop your thought processes and your regular routine to get more done with less effort and time. Future Brain turns neuroscience into actionable steps, helping you to train your brain to achieve high–performance in all areas of life.

That Sugar Book by Damon Gameau

When actor and filmmaker Damon Gameau met a girl he was keen to impress he decided to get healthy by dramatically reducing his sugar intake. In no time he was slimmer, calmer, fitter and happier. He was also very curious: why did the elimination of sugar have such beneficial effects on his health and wellbeing? He decided to experiment and film the results. In particular, this book will change the way you think about traditionally ‘healthy’ foods.

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