The Book of Overthinking by Gwendoline Smith
ASHLEY WALLACE, Staff Writer
What’s it about?
The Book of Overthinking gives simple and practical tips to manage worrisome overthinking using Cognitive Behavioural Therapy techniques.
What did you like about it? Why would you recommend it to someone?
This book is an easy read that gives useful advice in simple language. Its use of humour through words and images makes it more enjoyable than your average self-help book.
As Smith explains in the book, worry is a form of anxiety that many people suffer from. There are plenty of people I know who could benefit from some strategies for how to deal with overthinking that is negatively impacting their lives. This book is a great way to introduce people to CBT to help combat worry in a light-hearted way.
Three words to describe it:
Funny, easy, useful
Mix Tape by Jane Sanderson
DONNA DUGGAN, Lifestyle Writer
What’s it about?
Mix Tape (Bantam Press) is a beautiful story from British novelist Jane Sanderson about the power of music, family, love and loss. As young teenagers in the 1970s, Daniel was the first boy to make Alison a mix tape. But that was years ago.
Decades on Dan’s name pops up on Alison’s phone, with a link to a song from their shared past. For two blissful minutes, Alison is no longer an adult in Adelaide with a busy life, temperamental daughters and a demanding husband; she is sixteen in Sheffield, dancing in her skin-tight jeans. She cannot help but respond in kind. And so begins a new mix tape.
What did you like about it? Why would you recommend it to someone?
I would recommend the book to anyone looking for a heartwarming story.
Three words to describe it:
Light, lovely and engaging
American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins
LUCY, Online Producer
What’s it about?
American Dirt is the story of mother and son Mexican immigrants fleeing from the cartel that assassinated sixteen members of their family.
What did you like about it? Why would you recommend it to someone?
An unputdownable, pacy read, American Dirt gives life to the untold stories of the many migrants that are killed each year. Raw, vivid and vibrant, it’s an unforgettable tale of triumph over unbelievable adversity.
Three words to describe it:
Unforgettable, powerful, brutal.
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
LILLIAN MCHUGH, Integration Director
What’s it about?
It’s a story of incredible isolation, determination and heartache. The book follows two storylines which slowly intertwine. The murder of Chase Andrews and Kya’s ability to survive the heartache of being left behind by everyone she loves and become a resilient and strong young woman.
What did you like about it? Why would you recommend it to someone?
The storyline keeps you engaged and questioning from page 1 till the very, very end. The use of poetry throughout gives a greater sense of the character’s emotions, which I also really enjoyed. I would definitely recommend the book to someone simply for the heartache of Kya’s story.
Three words to describe it:
Best I’ve read.
Midnight Chicken by Ella Risbridger
KATHRYN CHUNG, Staff Writer
What’s it about?
Midnight Chicken is a cookbook, pieced together by the personal stories of the author’s life, struggles and love for food.
What did you like about it? Why would you recommend it to someone?
It’s a deeply personal, honest and charming memoir of Risbridger’s life. As well as a ton of delicious recipes (the charred leek and squash lasagne is my favourite), the stories woven between are beautifully moving and refreshingly funny. I’d recommend it to anyone who loves food.
Three words to describe it:
Charming, wholehearted, delicious.
